we have lost count of the virtual reality experiences we have had over the years, some feeling more useful than others. the first obvious place for vr was gaming, but once the technology had proved that it was properly immersive, we started to see signs that it really could take us to real places. it could put us in all sorts of situations, including education and even medicine. and sometimes, technology turns out to be most useful where you least expect it. i ve seen vr used to help people overcome phobias. you ve seen it used to teach students how to do surgery. but this has to be the most powerful use of vr i have ever seen. six month old archie was born with sagittal synostosis. you are a happy boy, aren t you? a condition where a baby s growth lines in the skull fuse too early. this means as the brain grows, the skull can t grow sideways
in terms of the treatment to your own child. i ve come here to great 0rmond street hospital tojoin the family for their consultation where, for the first time, they re going to get to see the virtual reality. you re about to see now what will hopefully be the final result. how are you feeling? excited. and obviously, there is always that worry about what he is going to have done. archie babbles. and that s what he thinks of it! you will be placed in - an immersive world and you re going to be able to| interact with things using the controllers. so here is archie s skull as it stands now that we have done the reconstruction using the ct scan. and as you can see, this is the side view. we ve got the forehead here, the back of the head here, and these lines are the sutures the ones that are working still, the growth lines.
working still, the growth tines 50 working still, the growth lines. so the working still, the growth lines. so the way- working still, the growth lines. so the way we - working still, the growth lines. so the way we dol working still, the growth. lines. so the way we do the surgery lines. so the way we do the surgery is lines. so the way we do the surgery is we lines. so the way we do the surgery is we make - lines. so the way we do the surgery is we make a - lines. so the way we do the surgery is we make a small| surgery is we make a small window surgery is we make a small window in surgery is we make a small window in the surgery is we make a small window in the bone - surgery is we make a small window in the bone here. l surgery is we make a small. window in the bone here. the algorithm window in the bone here. the algorithm is window in the bone here. algorithm is needed to window in the bone here.- algorithm is needed to create these images have been made possible
so here is archie s skull as it stands now that we have done the reconstruction using the ct scan. and as you can see, this is the side view. we ve got the forehead here, the back of the head here, and these lines are the sutures the ones that are working still, the growth lines. so the way we do the surgery is we make a small window in the bone, here. the algorithms needed to create these images have been made possible by the harnessing of data from 60 operations over the course of the last seven years. so here, the grey is the head shape as it s now, the green is the predicted head shape, so the first change that you can see is that the back of his head which, at the moment is sloping down, is pushed up a little and there s a more regular curvature to it. this immersive experience allows the parents to see from all angles a truly
going to get to see the virtual reality. you re about to see now what will hopefully be the final result. how are you feeling? excited. and obviously, there is always that worry about what he is going to have done. archie babbles. and that s what he thinks of it! you will be placed in an immersive lworld and you re going to be able | to interact with things using the controllers. | so here is archie s skull as it stands now that we have done the reconstruction using the ct scan. and as you can see, this is the side view. we ve got the forehead here, the back of the head here, and these lines are the sutures the ones that are working still, the growth lines. so the way we do the surgery is we make a small window in the bone, here. the algorithms needed to create these images have been made possible