Fee-for-Use, Scalable AR/VR?!

This is interesting. Hoboken, New Jersey-based Enhatch and Munich, Germany-based Holo-Light are joining forces to deliver a fee-for-use artificial reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) surgical training system which is scalable to the operating room.

Holo-Light, a company focused on immersive technologies, is building out its extended reality (XR) streaming platform which surgeons can use as both an AR and VR tool for intraoperative procedures and surgical training.

The two companies combined in order to embed Holo-Light’s streaming technology into Enhatch’s Intelligent Surgery Ecosystem. According to Enhatch, this partnership gives surgeons the ability to both visualize and manipulate 2D and 3D content “during virtual training and surgeries, creating a scalable solution for AR/VR in the operating room.”

Enhatch and Holo-Light are promoting this training system as an affordable option for all organizations. According to the press release, “typical VR and AR projects can cost $250K-$1M per product line, whereas the Enhatch ecosystem can deploy your current assets like 3D models of instruments, surgical training videos and other interactive content for a low fee per use.”

Enhatch CEO Peter Verrillo said, “AR and VR are gaining significant traction within the medical community, but it comes with heavy development costs.”

Verrillo continued, “With the ability to access this valuable data in a streaming format, surgeons can view high-resolution 3D models in surgery, in cadaver labs or in their living rooms. This partnership creates a scalable on-demand model, which will make AR/VR accessible to organizations that previously felt the investment was out of reach.”

“One of the biggest limitations of current Augmented and Virtual Reality headsets is the processing power onboard. Orthopedic surgery and training requires high-resolution 3D modeling and Holo-Light has built the XR Now cloud solution to solve this problem. We will be demonstrating a solution in Q3/4 at multiple orthopedic conferences.”

Enhatch created the industry’s first Intelligent Surgery Ecosystem. It utilizes artificial intelligence to resolve inefficiencies in the surgical workflow. Utilizing its software, surgeons can convert 2D images into 3D models. Surgeons can also 3D print patient-matched surgical instruments. Finally, its logistics app streamlines inventory management to resolve inventory issues that can impact the operating room.

Holo-Light CEO Florian Haspinger expressed pleasure about the partnership in the press release. Haspinger stated, in part, “We are pleased to partner with Enhatch to deploy this growing technology globally to improve surgical outcomes.”