Digital eyewear, 3D holograms challenge hidebound med schools

Surgeon Shafi Ahmed poses for a photograph wearing a Samsung Electronics Co. Gear VR headset inside his operating theater at the Royal London Hospital, part of the Barts Health NHS Trust, in London, U.K., on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. Ahmed used Snap Inc.'s high-tech spectacles a year ago to walk rookie physicians and millions of curious viewers through a hernia operation using the Snapchat photo-sharing app. In 2018, he plans to beam his avatar into operating rooms with so-called immersive technology, and promises to support the next generation of doctors with real-time supervision and tutelage. Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Shafi Ahmed dons a pair of digital sunglasses and explains how the tiny lenses built into its black plastic frame, which can capture high-resolution images, are transforming how doctors get trained in operating rooms. 

The British colorectal surgeon used Snap Inc’s high-tech spectacles a year ago to walk rookie physicians and millions of curious viewers through a hernia operation using the Snapchat photo-sharing app. In 2018, he plans to beam his avatar into operating rooms with so-called immersive technology, which spans everything from military training to adult entertainment, and promises to support the next generation of doctors with real-time supervision and tutelage.