Doctors turn to Apple’s Vision Pro headset to practice surgery amid cadaver shortage

Veyond Metaverse aims to mimic the traditional cadaver experience in visceral detail with Apple’s mixed reality device.

Veyond Metaverse, a medical technology company, recently announced that its medical telepresence platform would expand its footprint to the Apple Vision Pro. 

The company’s real-time translation and remote communication services were previously used on traditional virtual and augmented reality headsets to conduct what it claims to be the world’s first “digital surgery” in 2023.

With the addition of Apple’s recently released Vision Pro headset, Veyond Metaverse appears to be entering the high-end medical telepresence market at a time when the need for new doctors exceeds the global cadaver supply.

Metaverse

Veyond Metaverse is a relative newcomer to the medical technology field. Launched in 2021, its primary services are surgical telepresence and immersive educational experiences.

According to the company’s website, it facilitates telepresence surgery by allowing subject matter experts to assist in or proctor surgeries in remote locations. The surgeon on site with the patient can conduct the physical processes while the attending physician is able to immerse themselves in the operating space, in real-time, via headset.

The company’s other vertical, educational experiences, combines haptic feedback devices with immersive augmented reality to help students learn to make their first cuts.

Medical cadavers remain in short supply after the COVID-19 pandemic caused a global shutdown. To compensate for the lack of physical resources, Veyond Metaverse has combined visceral 3D imagery with special haptic feedback gloves designed to mimic the feel of conducting surgery.

Extended reality

The Vision Pro is among the world’s most advanced (and expensive) mixed reality headsets. Apple calls it a “spatial computing device,” to highlight the idea that it’s not necessarily a dedicated gaming device, but at its core it’s a virtual and augmented reality headset — often referred to as a mixed reality or extended reality device.

Users donning the headset can see virtual imagery on the screens inside while numerous external cameras capture the outside world. This allows for the combination of real world and digital imagery.

Related: Apple is poised to bring metaverse mainstream and dominate the market

A recent study conducted by medical researchers in the Netherlands found that VR technologies were being adopted at steadily increasing rates throughout the global medical industry with further implementation expected as both hardware and software improves.