As HTC readies their Vive VR headset for a consumer launch early next year, the Taiwan-based company is continuing to eye opportunities in the space to bring more VR applications to it’s platform. In July, we broke the news of HTC’s $10 million investment in VR content studio WEVR, marking a new page in HTC’s commitment to investing in consumer VR content.
With todays announcement of another VR related investment, it would also seem HTC is looking to grow their range of commercial applications for the Vive platform as well.
Virtual reality medical applications provider Surgical Theater has announced today the completion of a $9 Million Series A round of financing led by HTC Corporation and Shanghai Creation Investment Management Co, Ltd.
The Cleveland Ohio based Surgical Theater, who last month received CE Mark approval of its FDA cleared 3D virtual reality surgical platform, is working on comprehensive solutions to transform the way surgeons consult with patients, plan procedures, and interact and review medical imaging, all through virtual reality and through the HTC Vive.
With the Surgical Theater platform, neurosurgeons have the ability to virtually walk inside the patient’s anatomy together with the patient or explore perspectives of the brain that cannot be viewed any other way.
HTC’s hope is to enable “innovative applications of VR which will enrich every aspect of our lives,” according to Cher Wang, CEO of HTC, when speaking about their latest investment into Surgical Theater. “Our collaboration with Surgical Theater is an exciting opportunity to pioneer the medical use of VR, with a remarkable application in the highly specialized field of neurosurgery that enhances patient care could help save lives.”
VRScout’s Eric demos the HTC Vive
Surgical Theater CEO and Co-Founder Moty Avisar, “We are delighted to see that the HTC Vive headset, which has many consumer VR applications, can now be used to assist brain surgeons. We are very excited about the groundbreaking solutions resulting from the synergies between the two companies — the HTC Vive is now enabling a significant leap for brain surgeons with Surgical Theater VR applications.”
The Surgical Theater technology is already installed in U.S. research and teaching hospitals including the University Hospitals Case Medical Center, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, The Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, The Mount Sinai Hospital, Mayo Clinic and NYU Langone Medical Center.
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