Oculus-rift based technology could address shortcomings in surgical training.

Developed by Huddersfield University PhD researcher Yeshwanth Pulijala, the technology – which has been designed primarily to help train maxillofacial surgeons – combines a specially developed app with the Oculus Rift VR headset, in order to give trainee surgeons close-up unrestricted, 360-degree views of a surgical procedure.

The project aims to provide accurate graphical visualisations of human anatomy and surgical procedures via state-of-the-art headsets.

Pulijala explained that whilst learning through observation is essential for trainee surgeons, it is often difficult for trainees to see exactly what is going on, and the technology was developed in response to this challenge.

“Trainees learn by observing procedures in real time,” he said. “But the problem is that not everybody can see what is happening.  This is especially the case in crowded operating rooms where surgical trainees perform multiple duties.  Also in surgeries confined to oral and maxillofacial zone, as the structures are complex and densely enclosed in a confined space, it is very hard to observe and learn.”