The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) continues to expand its use of 5G to achieve its mission of caring for veterans. According to FedTech, the VA has been working on the Project Convergence initiative for over a year in collaboration with Verizon, medical assisted reality (AR) tech company Medivis, and Microsoft. Project Convergence will leverage 5G and augmented reality technology to aid doctors and enhance surgical practices.
The agency calls the project the “first-ever 5G-enabled augmented reality surgical navigation system,” helping it “deliver the most advanced surgical care available.” The advanced technology will enable doctors to “view patients’ anatomy” prior to surgery.
FedTech reports that the project and 5G have enabled the VA to process and analyze large imaging files, such as MRIs and CT scans. Plus, the VA has broader plans for utilizing advanced technology.
According to Thomas Osborne, director of the VA’s National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation, the agency eventually wants to use AR headsets to superimpose digital health information and medical images on a patient, having already tested the “X-ray vision” in a lab setting. Osborne adds that, “There’s an opportunity for us to have safer, more effective procedures because we can go in and find the safest path without having to worry about hitting things that you don’t want to hit like vessels and nerves and going to the most precise and efficient way.”
According to Osborne, 5G wireless networking is a foundational element to innovation for the VA. It will help the agency deliver the most precise and personalized care moving forward.
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