The X2 MR Glasses weigh just 300 grams and claim to be the world’s smallest Mixed Reality glasses. Nick Cherukuri, CEO of ThirdEye Gen, says the devices can give front-line medical personnel treating COVID-19 patients access to critical life-saving data and communicate with emergency rooms and command centers in real-time.

“A doctor located 100 miles away could see exactly what the medic sees live from the camera point of view of the glasses. So the medic is handsfree, they can still be helping out the patient,” says Cherukuri, explaining that ThirdEye’s remote help platform allows on-the-scene medical professionals to stream what they’re seeing directly to a remote expert and receive live feedback all while remaining hands-free.

The company normally provides immersive hardware and software solutions for enterprise customers in industries such as healthcare, construction, automotive, and manufacturing. Its MR glasses and AR software platforms are currently used by companies like Verizon, Department of Defense, and Boeing.

A doctor located 100 miles away could see exactly what the medic sees live from the camera point of view of the glasses
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The pilot scheme is being rolled out by Marcus Hook Trainer and Upper Merion fire departments in Pennsylvania, spearheaded by Congressman Curt Weldon and sponsored by Energy Transfer and Sunoco LP, which are paying for eight pairs of the X2 Glasses.

“This is about protecting the men and women who are on the front lines,” Weldon told 6abc Action News in a recent report adding that his goal was to push the government and corporate sponsors to provide one of these sets off glasses for every fire and rescue unit in America.

The military-grade technology glasses are equipped with a thermal sensor that allows a paramedic, for example, to take a patient’s temperature with a thermal scanner without needing to touch them, generating a thermal heat maps to detect if the patient has a fever.

Another feature Cherukuri mentions is that it could quickly bring up a patient’s relevant medical history automatically through face recognition technology.

This types of hands-free functionality are obviously useful in all manner of practical scenarios, but a pandemic situation where it is also imperative to minimize how much you touch surfaces, this could be additionally helpful in managing the virus spread.

“This is something we feel can help and save people’s lives and also improve efficiency,” said Cherukuri.

The glasses, which run on Android 8.1 have a 42-degree field of view and are powered by a Snapdragon xR1 Qualcomm processor chip. The devices also feature a built-in SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) system with dynamic occlusion, visual odometry tracking, and environment meshing-domination plane detection.

The X2 MR Glasses weigh just 300 grams and claim to be the world’s smallest Mixed Reality glasses
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ThirdEye Gen says the devices can give front-line medical personnel treating COVID-19 patients access to critical life-saving data
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The ThirdEye App Store already has over 500 software developer partners creating AR/MR free and paid applications which range from B2B to entertainment and gaming. The custom software development tool for the X2 glasses also includes an AR training platform for developers.

The X2 MR glasses are available for pre-order at $1,950 USD. There is also an option to lease the glasses on a two-year program, which spreads the costs in smaller payments.

This article was originally published on VRScout

Tech Trends offers a broad range of Digital Consultancy services to guide companies, individuals and brands in effectively leveraging existing and emerging technologies in their business strategy.

Alice Bonasio is a XR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Helping COVID-19 First Responders With XR appeared first on Tech Trends.

Vancouver-based start-up Precision OS just introduced a new multiplayer feature for VR surgical training platform. This means that surgeons and nurses can work together in the same operating room even if they are physically thousands of miles apart.

The functionality allows up to five avatars at a time, with the collaborative feature bringing multiple users into a single virtual Operating Room
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The functionality allows up to five avatars at a time, with the collaborative feature bringing multiple users into a single virtual Operating Room (OR).

“Multiplayer now permits simultaneous access to the same virtual OR by many users. Each user receives an avatar along with their colleagues while performing surgery,” explained Dr. Danny Goel, a practicing orthopedic surgeon and Chief Executive Officer of Precision OS.

In an era of rapidly advancing technologies and procedures, training is often a rate-limiting factor
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The lack of access to high-quality surgical education is also affecting medical device companies. In an era of rapidly advancing technologies and procedures, training is often a rate-limiting factor. Current training approaches vary in effectiveness and are not helping to address cost, and, most importantly, surgical mastery. It is a well-established fact that by reducing the cognitive load on the brain, training powered by immersive technology allows for better and more efficient training.

Even before the coronavirus, traditional training was simply not up to the challenge of educating today’s surgeons
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Even before the coronavirus, traditional training was simply not up to the challenge of educating today’s surgeons, especially not in the numbers needed to cope with demand. This situation, needless to say, has now become greatly exacerbated by the circumstances brought on with the COVID-19 outbreak. Surgery residents are getting less hands-on experience than ever, and it’s affecting their confidence and autonomy. A significant percentage didn’t feel ready to independently perform core procedures upon residency completion, and over 90% opt for an additional fellowship year. In an effort to address this, The American Board of Surgery (ABS) recommended: “rather than increasing the number of cases, we should be increasing the quality of teaching both clinical and procedural skills.” Immersive technology proved a crucial game-changer.

The lack of access to high-quality surgical education is also affecting medical device companies
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As the new normal imposed by the coronavirus pandemic settles in for the long-term, it’s crucial that we continue to explore and implement these XR collaborative tools
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Precision OS is backed by the AO Foundation and is currently the only scientifically validated, peer-reviewed and published immersive virtual reality product on the market. It was founded by a team of clinical orthopedic surgeons and game developers to create the most relevant and applicable medical-grade simulation experience.

The new enhanced collaboration feature builds on the notion of double-loop learning, an educational concept grounded in search, exploration, and decision-making with the “why” in mind. Unlike single-loop learning methods like lectures or videos via tablet, the Precision OS module is interactive and encourages the user to delve deeper into an ultra-realistic simulation while allowing for failure in a constructive learning cycle.

“Through technology, we’re now able to assemble multidisciplinary teams for training without anyone having to travel,” Goel adds. Recently, Precision OS trained more than 300 medical device sales representatives using virtual reality in just 30 minutes. With multiplayer, Dr. Goel said he envisions surgeons remotely collaborating with other surgeons, trainees, and key OR personnel. including device reps.

The Precision OS platform runs with the Oculus Quest headset, making it a portable and cost-effective option that could be used anywhere
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The enhancement grants multiple users in different locations simultaneous access to the same learning module. The platform runs with the Oculus Quest headset, making it a portable and cost-effective option that could theoretically be used anywhere in the world.

“Multiplayer is literally and figuratively adding another dimension to our proficiency focused training platform. Enabling this type of collaboration and knowledge-share typically found in a clinical setting is of great significance,” concludes Goel.

As the “new normal” imposed by the coronavirus pandemic settles in for the long-term, it’s crucial that we continue to explore and implement these XR collaborative tools, especially where it comes to training essential healthcare workers in the age of remote working and social distancing.

This article was originally published on VRScout

Precision OS Launches Multiplayer Tool For VR Surgical Training via @alicebonasio https://t.co/aEUhi2W1nx pic.twitter.com/GS3DvGHxXO

— VRScout (@VRScout) March 23, 2020

Tech Trends offers a broad range of Digital Consultancy services to guide companies, individuals and brands in effectively leveraging existing and emerging technologies in their business strategy.

Alice Bonasio is a XR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Virtual Collaboration in the Age of #COVID19 appeared first on Tech Trends.