What can the metaverse do for urology?

Abstract

Everyone talks about the metaverse but few know what it really is. Augmented reality, virtual reality, internet of things (IoT), 5G, blockchain: these are just some of the technologies underlying the structure of the metaverse, a sort of parallel dimension in which the physical and virtual worlds merge together enabling users to interact by emerging technologies in order to enhance their actions and decisions. The healthcare scientific community is already looking at the metaverse as a new research frontier, a tool to improve medical knowledge and patient care. We reviewed the metaverse applications and services, looking for those that could best be developed in the urological field. Urology, due to its technological nature, is a privileged laboratory for experimenting and exploiting the applications of the metaverse both inside and outside the operating room. The revolution of the metaverse is already happening, which is why it is necessary that urologists face it as protagonists in order to lead it in the right direction.