Answer:
Advances in computing power have led to a significant advancement of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) technologies. Recently, the term XR (extended reality) technology, which more broadly integrates VR/AR/MR technologies, has been the focus of much attention. VR is “an immersive, completely artificial computer-simulated image and environment with real-time interaction” [1]. It is widely used to reproduce the human body structure, pathophysiology, and clinical scenes with a sense of realism. VR in spine medicine has been used most often for medical education, surgical simulation and planning, and intraoperative guidance [2,3]. AR has been described as “the concept of digitally superimposing virtual objects onto physical objects in real space so that individuals can interact with both at the same time” [4]. In practice, computer-generated images are overlaid on real-world images and displayed on video projectors, computers, or tablets. MR, a hybrid of AR and VR, is the result of blending the physical world with the digital world [5,6] and has recently garnered attention, mitigating the limitations of VR’s exclusion of the real-world environment and AR’s inability to interact with three-dimensional (3D) data packets [7]. VR and MR have primarily been applied in teaching and preparatory roles, while AR is mainly applied in hands-on surgical settings. The use of MR in spine medicine allows the surgeon to access intraoperative information about the patient’s anatomy and superimpose virtual holographic elements on the superficial anatomy of the actual patient in real-time on the operating table, enabling holographic-based navigation [8,9]. XR is a general term encompassing VR, AR, and MR. XR refers to all real-and-virtual combined environments between human and computer-generated input processed to create an interactive environment. This review covers VR, AR and MR, but for the sake of clarity, they are all referred to as XR.
In recent years, with rapid advancement and consumerization of XR technology,
