Top Cancer Surgeon To Perform World's First Live-streamed Virtual Reality Operation
LONDON, April 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Operation to be performed on 14 April 2016 at 1pm GMT at Barts Health NHS Trust, and live-streamed through virtual reality using Mativision technology
An operation on a patient with colon cancer at The Royal London Hospital will be the first in the world to be broadcast live through pioneering virtual reality (VR) technology. Thousands of medical students watching remotely though VR headsets and using their smartphones will be able to learn about surgery at first hand from one of the country's leading cancer surgeons, Dr Shafi Ahmed.
For this project, Barts Health is working in partnership with Medical Realities, a healthcare company set up by Dr Shafi Ahmed to change the future of medical training through VR and Augmented Reality (AR), and Mativision, experts in live streaming 360° and VR. The operation will be filmed on two 360° cameras with multiple lenses and live streamed through Mativision's revolutionary 360° and VR player to enable viewers to move around the theatre and zoom in and out of any aspect of the operation.
A number of medical students from Barts Health have been provided with VR headsets which provide the full immersive experience, and will be participating in the operation from nearby seminar rooms in the hospital and at Queen Mary University of London. Others are expected to be logging in from medical schools around the world. Viewers without a VR headset can still watch the operation on a smartphone or computer screen.
Following this pioneering activity, the goal is to host many more VR surgeries on the Mativision app, 'VR in OR' and Medical Realities website. The aim for Mativision and Medical Realities is to overlay the Video On Demand content with CGI graphics and labels creating a bespoke, interactive educational experience for the global medical industry. This will give unparalleled access to new surgical learning resources and aims to have a hugely positive impact for medical personnel in the developing world, allowing them to remotely experience state-of-the-art operating theatres and train in complex surgeries.
Dr Shafi Ahmed, Cancer Surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust and Co-founder of Medical Realities
"I am honoured that this patient has given permission for his experience to provide this unparalleled learning opportunity. As a champion of new technology in medicine, Ibelieve that virtual and augmented reality can revolutionise surgical education and training, particularly for developing countries that don't have the resources and facilities of NHS hospitals. I am also grateful to Mativision for making this difficult process possible from a technology perspective. I am very excited about the expansion of this program to bring more medical learning to the world."
George Kapellos, Head of Marketing and Partnerships, Mativision
"This is a very important milestone for Mativision as it will be the first time that our 360 and VR proprietary technology will be used for the medical vertical. It's a great example of how VR can become a powerful educational tool and extend its reach over and above entertainment. The world is just beginning to see the possibilities of what VR can achieve and we are proud to be at the very forefront of this."
Download the app here:
For Samsung Gear VR just search for 'VRinOR' in the Oculus store
Desktop stream:
About Barts Health
With a turnover of £1.4 billion and a workforce of more than 15,000, Barts Health NHS Trust is the largest NHS trust in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers. The trust's five hospitals - St Bartholomew's (Barts) Hospital in the City, including the Barts Heart Centre, The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, Newham University Hospital in Plaistow, Mile End Hospital and Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone - deliver high quality compassionate care to the 2.5 million people of east London and beyond.
Contact: Media Manager, heidi.mulhall@bartshealth.nhs.uk
For more information go to: http://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk
Or follow us on Twitter: @NHSBartsHealth
About Medical Realities
Medical Realities was founded by Steve Dann the CEO of Amplified Robot and Dr Shafi Ahmed of The Royal London Hospital.
Using Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technology, Medical Realities looks to address the worldwide lack of surgically trained practitioners and bring first class surgical training to anybody, anywhere in the world. The 360º interactive VR teaching experiences are designed for viewing and distributing via Virtual Reality headsets like the Oculus Rift, Samsung GEAR VR and Google Cardboard.
We are proud to announce that Medical Realities has won the prestigious The Technology Expo Award for 'Best use of VR in 2015'
Contact: steve.dann@medicalrealities.com
For more information go to: http://www.medicalrealities.com
Or follow us on Twitter: @MedRealities
About Mativision
London based Mativision, since 2012 provides truly immersive experiences for brands and entertainment businesses by giving them the ability to film and broadcast in full 360˚ vision and Virtual Reality (VR). Central to the company's offering is its fully customisable Mativision™ VR&360° player, which is the world's only turn-key technology for the production of interactive content and experiences, from filming to broadcast across multiple platforms including the web, mobile applications and VR. The future of video content definitely lies in this immersive experience, and Mativision is at the forefront of delivering that future.
Contact: George.kapellos@mativision.com, +44-(0)7876-875016
For more information go to: http://www.mativision.com
Or follow us on Twitter: @mativision
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