Google Glass app aims to improve surgeon training in Stanford University Medical School

August 1, 2014

CrowdOptic app lets a user see what another user is seeing simply by looking at that person (credit: CrowdOptic)

CrowdOptic is working with the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University Medical Center to use CrowdOptic’s Google Glass software to help improve resident training in complex surgical procedures, the company has announced.

CrowdOptic’s app gives a Google Glass wearer — such as a surgeon — access to what another user — such as a resident performing an operation — is seeing, simply by looking in the resident’s direction, in this case.

Traditionally, the restricted view in the operating room has made it next to impossible for an attending surgeon to see the exact field of view of a trainee, complicating the process of providing essential feedback on techniques.

CrowdOptic CEO Jon Fisher said he hopes that this technology will “offer a paradigm shift in surgical training, especially in the highly complex area of cardiothoracic training, where a major challenge is creating an environment in which an attending surgeon can provide direct visual feedback to residents conducting operations.”

CrowdOptic will be deployed in Stanford Medical Center, where faculty and student teams evaluate training in a variety of surgical settings.

CrowdOptic’s context-aware apps engage fans and live audiences, producing crowdsourced content for live broadcasts. CrowdOptic analyzes the best views and footage, obtained through devices such as Google Glass, then streams the live feeds directly to arena video boards, and even allows fans to see each other’s views.