Virtual reality, telesurgery, and the new world order of medicine

We are seeing the emergence of medical applications for virtual reality (VR). These include telepresence surgery, three-dimensional (3-D) visualization of anatomy for medical education, VR surgical simulators, and virtual prototyping of surgical equipment and operating rooms. Today, approximately 90% of the knowledge a physician requires can be obtained through electronic means, such as diagnostic sensors and imaging modalities, directly seeing the patient with a video camera for medical consultation, or using electronic medical records. In addition, with telepresence, a therapy can be effected electronically, regardless of the physical location of the patient. Therefore, it makes sense to send the electronic information or manipulation, rather than sending the patient or blood samples, to obtain tests or to produce a cure. In that these applications are mediated through the computer interface, they are the embodiment of VR as the major force for change in the field of medicine. The Green Telepresence Surgery System consists of two components, the surgical workstation and the remote worksite. At the remote site are a 3-D camera system and responsive manipulators with sensory input. At the workstation are a 3-D monitor and dexterous handles with force feedback. The next generation in medical education can learn anatomy from a new perspective by "flying" inside and around the organs, using sophisticated computer systems and 3-D visualization. The VR surgical simulator is a stylized recreation of the human abdomen with several essential organs. Using this, students and surgeons can practice surgical procedures with virtual scalpels and clamps. To support these advanced technologies, the operating room and hospital of the future will first be designed and tested in virtual reality, allowing multiple iterations of equipment and surgical rooms before they are actually built. Insofar as all these technologies are based on digital information, they are the building blocks for the digital physician of the 21st century.