Cutting-edge theatre: world’s first virtual reality operation goes live

Medical experts hope surgery live-streamed in VR will make healthcare fairer and boost trainingStretched out on a table in a large, bright operating theatre at the Royal London hospital, a patient is awaiting Shafi Ahmed’s first incision in a procedure that will remove cancerous tissue from his bowel. Around the table a team dressed in blue scrubs and face masks are gathered, exchanging the odd word, while cumbersome machines bearing bundles of wires hum gently in the background. Everyone