The global minimally invasive medical market is vast, driving rapid growth in image-assisted equipment. With continuous innovation and breakthroughs in AR, VR, and MR technologies, the future of the medical industry lies in who can first apply these technologies to current medical practices, especially in high-risk surgeries. Founded by Dr. Wang Minliang from National Quemoy University, SURGLASSES pioneers the world's first domestically developed smart glasses medical surgery solution, reducing not only the complexity and error rate but also effectively shortening the surgery time in spinal orthopedic surgeries.
In the past, during orthopedic surgeries, surgeons had to rely on medical screens to locate the incision position. However, this operation method, which goes against human nature, is prone to errors. Moreover, the operating surgeon needs to make precise judgments, which require a lot of accumulated experience, making it difficult for young surgeons to develop these skills. Another issue is that only the operating surgeon's position and angle provide the view for the incision, making it challenging for other surgeons or the surgical team to provide real-time assistance.
The smart glasses surgical solution introduced by SURGLASSES can display X-ray images in real-time on the glasses worn by the surgeon. The information includes images and data of the patient's tissues and bones. Surgeons no longer need to constantly switch between screens and X-ray data. With the smart glasses, they can see through the patient's body tissues and bones, accurately determine the incision location, and effectively reduce surgery time by 30%.
Product Evolution
SURGLASSES has currently developed the first and second-generation products. The first-generation product, Foresee-X, utilizes AR technology to integrate the surgical field into the surgeon's field of view, overlaying virtual and real images. The patient's bone structure and tissues are visible through smart glasses, enhancing overall surgical efficiency. Compared to the mobile C-arm X-ray machine commonly used by other surgeons, it reduces radiation exposure by over 60%.
The second-generation product, Caduceus, builds upon the first-generation technology by incorporating MR (Magnetic Resonance) technology and upgrading from 2D to 3D imaging. It utilizes QR codes and markers for precise alignment of images and the human body. Similar to GPS navigation, physicians can achieve more precise incisions, up to 1.5 mm accuracy, allowing the product to be applied to higher-risk and more challenging spinal surgeries. Postoperative wounds are smaller, patient recovery is faster, and preoperative setup time is reduced to approximately 8 minutes.
The third-generation product is soon to be released, incorporating not only the functionalities of the first and second generations but also introducing smart interactive features. It allows for surgical planning based on preoperative image interpretation and diagnostic information, providing real-time guidance to surgeons on the next steps during surgery, assisting them in decision-making through machine intelligence. The team is also gradually improving the entire system to be more lightweight and portable, eliminating the need for surgeons to connect to a computer for calculations by simply using a microcircuit board. Furthermore, the third-generation product will be applied to a wider range of surgical procedures where surgeons continuously need to monitor screens, such as endoscopic and microscopic surgeries, enabling precise surgical interventions with the assistance of smart glasses.
Core technological key
"The key to smart glasses lies in the algorithms," stated Wang Minliang, highlighting that the most challenging aspect of the technology lies in image overlay and eyeball focusing. "Since each person's eye focal length is different, adding the camera's focusing function requires the assistance of high-speed computer calculations to synchronize." In addition, if the surgeon's position changes during the operation, the images must also be adjusted in real-time according to the surgeon's perspective, all of which rely on the development of cutting-edge technologies such as 5G, AR, VR, and others.
In addition to continuous technological optimization, SURGLASSES has also strategically positioned itself globally with patents. Currently, it has obtained or applied for a total of 12 patents. The first-generation product, Foresee-X, received CE, FDA, and TFDA approvals in 2018, allowing it to be officially launched. "The smart glasses market is monopolistic or oligopolistic, with other competitors being large companies. However, I like this challenge, indicating the recognized potential of this market," revealed Wang Minliang, adding that SURGLASSES has signed a contract with a German company for future collaboration.
Market Feasibility and Prospects.
"Wang Mingliang pointed out, 'SURGLASSES has gradually proven its clinical applicability and will undergo further revisions.' Currently, in addition to collaborating with three hospitals in Taiwan and accumulating 107 clinical cases, SURGLASSES has expanded internationally, commencing clinical trials with hospitals in Malaysia. Presently, 50% of the market is in the United States, with the remainder in Europe and Southeast Asia. SURGLASSES has a factory in the Taichung Science Park capable of producing 100 equipment systems annually. It is expected to initiate its first round of fundraising this year, with funds allocated for marketing, physician collaboration, and exhibition promotion, aiming for an IPO three years from now."
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