The Evolution of Surgical Training: Oso VR's Breakthrough Technology

In an effort to revolutionize surgical training, Justin Brad, co-founder and CEO of Oso VR, has been working tirelessly to bring gaming technology to the medical industry. As an orthopedic surgeon with a background in game development, Brad had a unique perspective on the challenges surgeons faced during their training. "I was doing surgeries when people would ask me, 'Justin, can you scrub out and quickly Google what we're doing because we don't exactly know what to do next,'" he recalled. "I'd look up instruction manuals, reputable Wikipedia entries, YouTube videos, and think, 'There's got to be a better way.'"

This realization sparked the idea for Oso VR, a company that aims to use gaming technology to train and assess surgeons. Brad explained that his gaming background had given him an understanding of how to effectively solve problems, which proved invaluable in developing the platform. "We found that the intersection of fidelity and accessibility was crucial," he said. "One of our pillars is democratizing access to surgical education. We want to make sure that high-quality surgical training is available to everyone, regardless of their location or financial situation."

The Oso VR device uses a standalone headset to provide surgeons with an immersive training experience. The technology allows users to practice various surgeries, including orthopedic procedures such as joint replacement and trauma surgery. "We're mainly focused on orthopedic surgery right now," Brad said, "but we plan to expand into the robotic space and other applications of surgery in the future." The company has already partnered with several residency programs, including Columbia University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and UCLA.

One of the key benefits of Oso VR is its ability to reduce the risk of complications during surgeries. Brad explained that surgeons don't have the tools to learn new technologies safely, which can lead to mistakes and adverse outcomes. By providing a realistic and accessible training platform, Oso VR aims to improve patient outcomes and ensure that surgeons are equipped with the skills they need to perform complex procedures.

The company has already demonstrated the effectiveness of its technology through research studies. "People who train with our technology perform surgery more than twice as well as non-VR trained individuals," Brad said. This success has paved the way for Oso VR's expansion plans, which include scaling up production, increasing the number of available procedures and technologies, and expanding its footprint in hospitals and programs across the US.

Oso VR's mission to democratize access to surgical education is a crucial one. "We want people to see that they have what it takes to be a surgeon," Brad said. By making high-quality surgical training accessible to everyone, Oso VR aims to inspire a new generation of surgeons and improve patient care worldwide. As the company looks to the future, it's clear that its breakthrough technology has the potential to revolutionize the field of surgery.

In 2019, Oso VR is all about scaling up and expanding its reach. The company has launched its product, which is now available for purchase through its website. Eventually, the device will be available through Oculus Store and other online platforms. This move will enable surgeons to practice surgery at home, making it easier for them to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and techniques.

For those interested in learning more about Oso VR, the company's website is a great resource. Contact information is available on the site, and potential customers can learn more about the device and its capabilities. As Oso VR continues to grow and expand its reach, it's clear that the future of surgical training has never looked brighter.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey guys papi dinner money here with digital trends I am here with Justin Brad who is the co-founder and CEO of Oso VR which is basically changing the game for surgeons here using gaming technology and making it easier for people in the medical industry tell us more about this device yeah so that's exactly right I'm actually an orthopedic surgeon but I'm a long time amateur game developer and when I was in my own surgical training I'd be doing a surgery when people would ask me Justin can you scrub out and quickly Google what we're doing because we don't exactly know what to do next so I'd look up instruction manuals reputable Wikipedia entries YouTube videos and as I'm doing this I'm like there's got to be a better way and just because my gaming background has involved in virtual reality very early and I realize I'm like wow we can practice these procedures before we're in the operating room it's an patience on the table and that's how oh so VR was born so what this is is using gaming technology to train and assess surgeons excellent so are you trying to get a surgeon like trained with this as a you know a prereq to like when you're going to school and this is part of it or what's your goal its product yeah so our goal is to improve outcomes for patients at the end of the day so through a better education assessment part of that is partnering with residency programs like Columbia Vanderbilt UCLA and having those residents trained with with our technology but really one of our big goals is to get newer medical devices and medical technologies out to the public because one of the reasons why patients can't get access to these technologies like robotic surgery like the da Vinci for example or minimally invasive hip replacements is that they're too complicated to learn now surgeons don't have the tools to learn these new technologies which you have to do a hundred times before you can do it safely and you don't want them practicing on you and me so we partner with medical device companies to allow surgeons to practice with the latest and greatest technology like what you're seeing here so that they can bring it to patients safely and effectively yeah that's a game-changer especially from you know we've moved away from like animal testing to like you know we don't know how that could go and this is actually good segue into that for in terms of the gaming how did you come up with how to make it as realistic as possible because you do have that background but how is it as real as it is is it because of your background yeah I think it's really understanding having trained surgeons myself being a surgeon understanding what the problem is and then you can know how to effectively solve it and what we found here is the intersection of fidelity and also accessibility and affordability and one of the pillars of our mission is democratizing access to surgical education so if you think about it there are areas of the world where it's very hard for them to get high-quality surgical education and we're having enough problems here as it is what we can do is for $400 you can take a standalone headset and get it to low and middle-income countries and they can have access to the same quality surgical training we do here so that intersection thereof accessibility and affordability is really the key to unlock global access to high-quality surgical education that's awesome and in terms of the types of surgeries is there something you're focused more on or not focusing on yeah so we're mainly focused on orthopedic surgery right now so that's joint replacement trauma surgery for broken bones these sorts of things because they're really good for what VR is that and that they're 3-d very complex as the technology develops we're planning on moving more into the robotic space into cardiology and other applications of surgery very cool is this already available in the market because I I can't see why you know students are not using it already just to to learn faster yeah so and they're using it today actually we're at just a Department of Education event where we had children using our technology and basically everyone that runs through this is thinks I want to be a surgeon now and they know that it's it's possible it's not some some NGO that's out of our reach so really getting in this the hands of everybody is really important to us so that people can see that they have what it takes to do a crazy sir courier like being a surgeon and it's a lot of fun yeah that's a good starting point - and what is what does it look like for 2019 where are you planning to go with this 2019 is all about we've launched our product we're in the market we've had a lot of early success we've done research that shows that people that train with our technology perform surgery more than twice as well as non VR trained individuals so now that we know that it works and it's out there it's all about getting more and so this year's about scaling for us so we really want to expand the number of procedures we have the number of technologies and customers that we work with and also our our footprint in hospitals and programs here in the u.s. very cool and how can people buy this product so you can contact us at oh so VR comm right now it's just through us but eventually it should be available through oculus store and things like that so you can practice surgery at home oh well thank you so much this was very very like great insight and thank you for watching for more information do log on to digital trends comm slash CES\n"