March 3, 2020 – Iristick and Rods&Cones have today announced their partnership to create a technology solution aimed at real-time collaboration in the operation theatre (OT) between surgeons and product experts: a total solution for remote assistance in surgery.
Surgery Assistance Smart Glasses are specifically customised for use during surgeries, and are aimed at transforming communication and interaction in the operating theatre. Developed by Amsterdam-based medical device company, Rods&Cones, and Antwerp/New York-based technology specialists Iristick, the Surgery Assistance Smart Glasses enable real-time remote collaboration between operating room (OR) surgeons, attending surgeons, and product experts – without needing them all to be physically present in the same room.
The smart glasses are equipped with two individual cameras, microphones, and a powerful optical zoom lens – which can be operated by the remote assistant; giving an unrestricted, close-up view of each surgery’s progress and real-time feedback.
The smart glasses also feature a QR code scanner which enables surgeons to ‘dial-in’ colleagues and or industry experts, simply by looking at the right code. The smart glasses will respond to voice commands and have enough battery capacity to last for up to 8 hours – meaning they can last for an entire hospital shift, according to Iristick.
Furthermore, Rods&Cones is a remote assistance solution that is fully adapted to the sterile operating environment. All the functions of the smart glasses are remotely controlled and do not require surgeons to touch the glasses while operating. Additionally, the design team at Rods&Cones have made specific enhancements to handle X-ray video feeds, high contrast screens of in-theatre devices and red balance issues. Rods&Cones selected Iristick glasses as their technology platform due to their comfort, ergonomics and suitability for use in surgery. Through the Iristick open platform, Rods&Cones has been able to integrate its bespoke software.
The smart glasses can be set up quickly by hospital technicians – or even by doctors themselves. The solution comes ready to use out of the box. All the user needs to do is turn on the pocket unit and look at the right QR code when needed. Iristick’s smart glasses allow surgeons to have almost instant access to advice during surgery and help to increase efficiency and knowledge transfer, thus shortening intervention times and reducing travel times and costs – all with the ultimate aim of helping improve patient safety and outcomes.
“Surgeons are isolated from many support systems because of the safety and sterility regulations,” explained Johan De Geyter, CEO at Iristick. “But thanks to Rods&Cones’ software platform – customised with our smart glasses – surgeons can connect easily, zoom in on the smallest details, and complete more successful surgeries – handsfree, quickly and effectively.”
Bruno Dheedene, Rods&Cones co-founder and CEO, commented: “We believe our partnership with Iristick has the potential to revolutionise the way surgeries are conducted and make healthcare more efficient in many ways”. He added, “We’ve seen the need firsthand in hospitals across Europe and tests show that there are immediate benefits straight away, from an efficiency and cost perspective. And given that they could be used anywhere with an internet connection; there’s huge potential for their use in fieldwork – especially in more remote locations where surgeons are in limited numbers.”
According to the companies, trials conducted Q3 and Q4 of 2019 have yielded positive results and both companies are keen to partner with other device manufacturers, hospitals, emergency providers, charities and medical professionals.
Image credit: Iristick
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.