We always think of modern medicine as a, if not the, place to look for (pardon the expression) “cutting edge” technology innovation. Regardless of medical practice area healthcare practitioners are constantly on the lookout for new ways to improve the quality of care provided. Interestingly, the World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) taking place in Chicago, IL is a hotbed for looking at the latest and greatest in medical science.  This year is featuring in partnership with 5 WLNC US centers "live stroke cases” via Google (News - Alert) Glass technology provided by CrowdOptic.

The five WLNC sites will stream live video of acute stroke patient care from their respective hospitals to the conference though Google Glass. Attendees at the conference will be able to see live, first-person perspectives from caregivers and doctors as stroke patients move through the hospital and receive treatment.

CrowdOptic is a true pioneer in the augmented reality space. Jon Fisher, Co-founder and CEO, is already the holder of 52 global patents. The company's Google Glass powered by CrowdOptic software being used for the event, is exclusively a HIPPA compliant, audio/video streaming device designed for use in patient healthcare environments to securely broadcast live footage over Wi-Fi from authorized locations. It should be noted given security concerns about patient confidentiality that all non-essential features and capabilities have been removed from Google Glass by CrowdOptic. This means the solution is locked down from storing any data, installing applications and performing operations outside the scope of its intended use. 

Here’s how it works and WLNC participants will see.

When a stroke patient is admitted, a caregiver will put on Medtronic Google Glass, powered by CrowdOptic software, to stream a live video to the cloud through the hospital’s Wi-Fi network. Viewers, such as those at WLNC, will have access to a secure web-page to view the video streams, called the console, which can support simultaneous streams from multiple hospitals. During the live streams, a designated console moderator can speak to the caregiver from their computer directly to Google Glass for all to hear. The 2-way audio feature also enables a doctor to narrate from Glass during a procedure.

Not that most of us really are brain surgeons, but what is also interesting about WLNC is that it is a totally paperless conference. Attendees advised download the event app  and will be able to use #WLNC2015 to follow and participate in the conversation on Twitter and Facebook (News - Alert). In addition, organizers will be sharing relevant articles on Pinterest and will be sharing pictures and videos on Instagram and Vimeo (News - Alert).

As has been pointed out in previous articles on CrowdOptic and several companies leveraging Glass-based wearable technology for industrial and commercial applications, Google Glass may have been over-hyped to the mass market, but there is significant demonstrable value in the workplace that is only beginning to be realized.

If you would like to see and hear more about groundbreaking activities in the wearable technology space including healthcare, check out participating in the Wearble Tech Expo, featuring the Fitness & Sports Wearable Technology (FAST (News - Alert)) Conference being held July 13-15 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.