“There was the Door to which I found no Key …
There was the Veil through which I might not see.
Some little talk awhile of Me and Thee …
There was–and then no more of Thee and Me …”
(Khayyam Neyshapuri, 10th centruy Persian polimath)
Shot with Zenith 122 on Lomography Lomo 400.
(© Hooman Esfandiari 2023).
I lead the Artificial Intelligence team at the Research in Orthopedic Computer Science (ROCS) Lab at Balgrist University Hospital in Zurich. My research lies at the intersection of computer vision, computer-assisted surgery, artificial intelligence, and mixed reality. I am particularly focused on developing advanced surgical navigation techniques that leverage cutting-edge machine learning and augmented reality technologies.
My overarching goal is to create low-profile, non-intrusive computer-assisted surgical solutions that seamlessly integrate into existing clinical workflows, ultimately promoting higher adoption rates in real-world settings. Throughout numerous conversations with clinicians and stakeholders in the field, one sentiment consistently emerges in various forms:
“If a computer-assisted tool takes me 20 extra minutes to set up, I’d rather just do it myself.”
To me, the message is clear: new technologies must adapt to clinical workflows—not the other way around.
While the medical technology community has made significant progress in applying AI to preoperative and postoperative tasks, the intraoperative space remains largely underdeveloped. This gap is primarily due to the challenges of acquiring and curating intraoperative data. Through my research, I strive to address this gap by developing AI-powered solutions that are specifically tailored for intraoperative use, with the aim of improving both surgical precision and clinical efficiency.
In my day-to-day work, I’m fortunate to collaborate closely with professionals from diverse backgrounds—including computer science, orthopedic surgery, artificial intelligence, and engineering. As the manager of the AI team within the ROCS Lab, I supervise both technical MSc and PhD students, as well as medical residents who contribute to the experimental and clinical aspects of our research.
Through my academic research, I recently co-founded X23D AG, a startup dedicated to delivering advanced surgical navigation solutions designed for seamless integration into existing clinical workflows. At X23D AG, we are a growing team of software engineers and clinicians, committed to bringing a new generation of reimagined computer-assisted surgery products to market. I serve as the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board.