Yesterday marked a significant milestone in the world of augmented and virtual reality. Apple announced the launch of its latest product, the Apple Vision Pro, an augmented reality headset that promises to revolutionize the way we interact with digital content.
Our team have been working with augmented and virtual reality for two decades. Our journey began with the exploration of these technologies in various fields, including medicine. Ten years ago, we published a paper on the use of Google Glass in the operating room, demonstrating the potential of augmented reality in enhancing surgical procedures.
Our study, titled “A Heads-Up Display for Diabetic Limb Salvage Surgery: A View Through the Google Looking Glass,” explored the potential use of a novel, consumer-based, wearable device to assist surgeons in real time during limb preservation surgery and clinical consultation. We used routine intraoperative, clinical, and educational case examples to describe the use of a wearable augmented reality device (Google Glass). The device facilitated hands-free, rapid communication, documentation, and consultation. We found that an eyeglass-mounted screen form factor has the potential to improve communication, safety, and efficiency of intraoperative and clinical care. We believe this represents a natural progression toward union of medical devices with consumer technology.
Today, we believe that the announcement of the Apple Vision Pro, with its larger ecosystem, better form factor, and improved battery life, is set to take this technology to another level.
The Apple Vision Pro
The Apple Vision Pro is a groundbreaking device that seamlessly blends digital content with your physical space. It allows you to navigate using your eyes, hands, and voice, enabling you to do things you love in ways never before possible.
The device is designed with a singular piece of three-dimensionally formed laminated glass that flows into an aluminum alloy frame, gently curving to wrap around your face. It features an array of advanced cameras and sensors that let you see the world clearly, understand your environment, and detect hand input. The external battery supports up to 2 hours of use, and all-day use when plugged in.
The Vision Pro is Apple’s first 3D camera, allowing you to capture spatial photos and videos in 3D, then relive those cherished moments with immersive Spatial Audio. It also transforms any room into your personal theater, expanding your movies, shows, and games up to the perfect size while feeling like you’re part of the action with Spatial Audio.
The Future of Augmented Reality
The launch of the Apple Vision Pro marks a significant step forward in the field of augmented reality. Its advanced features and capabilities are set to transform various industries, including healthcare, education, entertainment, and more.
Our team at USC is excited about the potential of this new technology. We believe that the Apple Vision Pro, with its advanced features and capabilities, will significantly enhance our work in the field of augmented reality, particularly in the operating room. The device’s ability to seamlessly blend digital content with the physical world opens up new possibilities for surgical procedures, medical training, and patient care.
We look forward to exploring the capabilities of the Apple Vision Pro and leveraging its potential to further our work in augmented reality. The future of augmented reality is here, and it’s more exciting than ever.
For more information on our work with Google Glass in the operating room, you can access the full paper here.
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