Will Google Glass Make a Comeback in the Operating Room?

A user survey asking nine plastic surgery physicians and residents about the applications of Google Glass in the operating room reveals the Glass is comfortable and satisfying to wear during surgery, but there are weaknesses, including a tendency for the device to be distracting.Researchers surveyed residents and attending physicians in the department of plastic surgery at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, from January to July 2015, asking about the technology’s ease of use, quality of images, gaze disruption and distraction during surgery. The results were published July 2016 in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.Among the potential benefits of Google Glass in surgery is that it allows users to capture intraoperative images, without using their hands and, instead, by using their voices or winking. Concerns with the technology include the potential for operator distraction and gaze disruption.Google Glass Explorer (the program to test the device) removed the technology from the consumer market January 2015, during the study in plastic surgery. Despite that, the study’s authors write that Google Glass continues to rise in popularity in medicine and other professional fields.Read more at Cosmetic Surgery Times.