Applications for Augmented and Virtual Reality in Robot-Assisted Spine Surgery

Surgical innovation is at an all-time high with technologies such as robotics, advanced image-guidance, augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence aiming to shape the future of spine surgery. The aim of this review is to analyze these emerging technologies. Combining these technologies with minimally invasive techniques may serve to further minimize disruption of normal anatomy, blood loss, postoperative pain, narcotic requirements, recovery time, and complications. Specific to spine surgery, these advancements may provide for enhanced accuracy of spinal implant placement, optimized surgical ergonomics, and decreased radiation exposure and further facilitate resident and fellow education. Combining augmented and virtual reality with current image-guidance systems and robotics adds a further layer of data for real-time intraoperative feedback, pre-operative planning, and trainee education. This review discusses the current concepts of augmented and virtual reality and their applications to robot-assisted spine surgery.