Watch A VR Surgery Livestream With Your Phone And Google Cardboard

News
By Niels Broekhuijsen
published

The "world's first" livestreamed VR surgery will take place in less than two days, and you can watch it using no more than your phone with a Google Cardboard device.

VR is kicking off tremendously in the gaming space, but entertainment isn’t its only use case. There are many professions in which VR (and AR) can bring significant value in terms of productivity and education. To wit, on April 14, Medical Realities will livestream a surgical procedure in VR.

The video will be recorded from the point of view of the consultant surgeon, with Dr. Shafi Ahmed performing the main procedure at the Royal London Hospital. The operation in question is the removal of a tumor from a man’s colon.

Surgical Training in 360-Degree Virtual Reality for Oculus Rift (with intro + narration) - YouTube
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To view the livestream, users are advised to install the VRinOR app, which is available in the Google Play Store and the App Store. Using Google Cardboard or other similar compatible devices, users can then watch the operation in full panoramic stereoscopic 360-degree video.

The surgery will start at 1pm GMT on April 14 (which is 9am ET or 6am PT). In the meantime, you can enjoy the above video as a non-VR taster, assuming you enjoy watching this sort of thing.

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Niels Broekhuijsen
Niels Broekhuijsen

Niels Broekhuijsen is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He reviews cases, water cooling and pc builds.

4 Comments Comment from the forums
  • derekullo
    I would assume the person getting the surgery would get a discount?
    Reply
  • wifiburger
    wtf is this, surgery and stupid porn not a good way to advertise VR
    Reply
  • velocityg4
    I would assume the person getting the surgery would get a discount?
    This is in the UK. You can't get much cheaper than £0.

    Now if they do enough of these VR surgery videos. Instead of going all the way to a hospital. We can just view an instructional video on Youtube and take care of these surgeries at home. :?Þ
    Reply
  • TheDever
    It's the UK, NHS so no fee is charged.
    Reply