So, there’s a trick where you can use a small cardboard box, then you slip a smartphone in the back of it, and basically enjoy some virtual reality glasses. Because that’s a thing I guess. But because of this simple, $20 trick, we can save lives. See, this little life hack gave surgeons in the Miami based Nicklaus Children’s Hospital the kind of view they needed while in the middle of an operation.

Four month old 9and new Minnesotan) Teegan Lexcen was born with a serious birth defect – she came into the world without a lung and the right side of her heart. She wasn’t expected to survive weeks. Her parents were told to spend what time they could with her, and to prepare for the worst. But Teegan refused to follow the predictions. She kept going, and her parents eventually found the right doctors who could save their daughter.

Using smartphones and cardboard as a pair of VR glasses, Dr. Muniz and Dr. Burke were able to build a means to operate on her, and preform one of the most intense surgeries imaginable. And four weeks later, Teegan has finally been taken off a ventilator and is breathing on her own for the first time.

The future is beautiful sometimes.

Read the Full Article: Virtual Reality Glasses Help Doctor Save Newborn’s Life