Remote expertise through the power of merged reality
Access to this ground-breaking technology is included at no cost with an InterSurgeon clinician membership. Help Lightning allows experienced surgeons to guide and interactively assist others during operations in real-time, anywhere in the world.
What are the benefits of Help Lightning for surgeons?
In light of the pandemic, and for the foreseeable future, the conventional ways of establishing collaborative partnerships through physical visits are not going to be possible. However, because Help Lightning allows surgeons to collaborate remotely, partnerships can still develop – and more easily than ever before. Help Lightning can be used as a tool for education, mentorship and instruction – as well as for intraoperative case management. It allows both surgical planning and real-time intraoperative advice.
How does it work?
Watch this video to learn how Help Lightning works. This shows use cases in other industries – it’s every bit as useful with surgical applications and can also be used hands-free. All you need to use Help Lightning is your smartphone and an internet connection, though it can also be used with tablets, desktop computers and smart surgical glasses.
Help Lightning uses Merged Reality to blend two real-time video streams – e.g. that of a remote surgical expert and another surgeon that needs help – into a collaborative environment. This Merged Reality allows the expert to virtually reach out and direct real surgical procedures or training.
Use your existing devices
Help Lightning runs on your existing mobile devices (iOS, Android) or a web-browser on laptop and desktop computers.
Surgeons can now provide remote assistance as though they’re working side-by-side. They can telestrate, freeze images, use hand gestures, and even add real objects into the merged reality environment.
Be there instantly
Help Lightning is easy, fast and intuitive.
Once you’re in a merged reality call with a colleague or customer, simply tap the mode to change how you interact. Choose whether you’re giving or receiving help, and start collaborating in seconds. Help Lightning’s unique Merged Reality can add missing visual cues, gestures, and non-verbal communication methods to any session.
Using Help Lightning with smart surgical glasses
Take Help Lightning to the next level by pairing it with smart glasses. This innovation allows the wearer to benefit from the assistance of AI or a third-party while performing surgery. When used in conjunction with Help Lightning, smart glasses mean that another surgeon can see exactly what you are seeing and what you’re doing – and also have their hands superimposed over your field of view.
There are a number of models available from different manufacturers including VUZIX, Zebra, and RealWear.
The Advantage of Remote Expertise
Studies show that adding gestures and nonverbal clues substantially improves the speed of understanding. Furthermore, nonverbal cues are 430% more effective than verbal cues and nonverbal cues make Help Lightning’s combination of verbal and nonverbal communication up to 10 times more effective.
Sources: Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, British Journal of Clinical Psychology
Join InterSurgeon today and use Help Lightning for free
Include Neurosurgery members that have not selected a subspecialty
Trained paediatric neurosurgeon
Neurosurgeon with paediatric interest
Adult neurosurgeon
The scope of our work
Advice on clinical case management
Operative surgery
Education
Didactic lectures
Intraoperative teaching
Skills training
Equipment
Donation
Provision
Training
Research
Assistance with creating a full research partnership with joint research projects and academic exchange
Assistance with data collection, audit and outcome measurement
Assistance with specific local research projects
Assistance in planning or establishing a training/residency program
Supervision of trainees
Teaching a new skillset to a trained professional
Our Mission Statement
The Vanderbilt Global Surgery Initiative (VGSI) intends to lead the Global Surgery 2030 agenda through expertise in education, training and research efforts in low and middle income countries (LMICs); to train the next generation of multidisciplinary global surgery leaders; to innovate solutions for gaps in technology and patient care in LMICs; and to discover and implement new knowledge that will impact outcomes and quality of care in LMICs.
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2525 West End Avenue Nashville Tennessee 37203 United States of America
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Where we work
InterSurgeon clinician members affiliated with Vanderbilt Global Neurosurgery Program - Vanderbilt University Medical Center