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What hooked you on technology?
When I trained as a general surgeon in the early '90s, the field was inundated
with new developments, from minimally invasive techniques to robotics. In 2013,
I attended Singularity University's Exponential Medicine program and heard
Babak Parviz speak. He's one of the creators of
Google Glass. It was a life-changing moment.
Later that year, I performed the first surgery in
the world with Google Glass.
How can smart glass platforms enhance surgery?
It's much more than allowing virtual, live video
and audio connectivity. It's also about integrat-
ing artificial intelligence to a device on your
head that could augment the way you communi-
cate and connect with a human or with patients'
medical records.
What are the practical
applications of that potential?
You could ask a question about a specific
patient, and the device can help you get a better
answer. For example, its artificial intelligence
can confirm the correct surgical site or alert you
to not give a drug that the patient is allergic to.
he Melding of Health Care and
Technology is Inevitable
T
Rafael Grossmann, MD, FACS
Healthcare futurist and Google Glass Explorer
Dr. Grossmann is a surgeon who
specializes in general, trauma,
advanced laparoscopic and robotic
procedures. Follow him on Twitter
(@ZGJR) and check out his blog
(rafaelgrossmann.com/blog) to
learn more about his passion for
healthcare technology.
