Recently, Nokia (News - Alert) has been making headlines because of its OZO Live technology. The Nokia OZO is a 360-degree stereoscopic camera that’s designed to bring virtual reality (VR) to life. Although VR is great for interactive video games and the like, there’s been some speculation as to its usefulness in other areas. However, thanks to a new partnership between Nokia and Helsinki University Hospital (HUH), the duo has showcased how beneficial VR can be when implemented elsewhere.
Nokia announced late last week the world’s first mixed reality neurosurgical live streaming event, which was conducted at Helsinki University Hospital in Finland. The procedure was livestreamed to about 100 neurosurgeons with the help of Nokia’s OZO Live. The livestream provided a more immersive view of the surgery and operating room coordination.
This live streaming event was the first of many to come from Nokia and HUH’s joint project, “Media Meets Medicine.” Nokia believes that VR has the ability to completely transform how people experience the world together, and HUH completely supports this claim, especially in terms of medicine. This one event effectively showcased how easily VR can be used to improve the healthcare industry. It provided a completely immersive experience, allowing neurosurgeons from around the world to view the surgery as if they were in the operating room themselves.
"Normally, only up to 10-15 external observers can fit in an operating theatre in addition to the operating team. When using Nokia OZO Live streaming we could have limitless observers from around the world and they can all feel as if they were there," says Professor Mika Niemelä, Chief of Department at HUH Neurosurgery.
Just think about the potential that capability could unlock for healthcare alone. Tricky surgeries are sometimes avoided if a doctor doesn’t think it will be successful. Some people are even deemed inoperable. By bringing some of the world’s best minds to the operating room through VR, that could potentially get rid of any doubt when it comes to surgeries. Doctors could potentially speak up when they see a solution or another way to go about conducting a surgery. VR would allow those doctors to be right there with the operating doctor, offering guidance when needed.
Nokia’s OZO could also be used for educational purposes when it comes to healthcare. Students gathered in lecture halls could easily sit in on operations to learn more during their studies. VR offers these students a kind of “hands-on” learning while still in the classroom. Professors could easily point out techniques while watching an actual operation in real time.
Nokia’s OZO, therefore holds unlimited potential. It allows everyone to view and potentially participate in operations, from the greatest minds in medicine to students still learning. Who knows what else is will be able to achieve? The sky’s the limit with this one.