The Shape Sensing Company (TSSC , https://shapesensing.com/) is a Texas-based startup developing advanced fiber optic technology to provide precise, real-time 3D positional data along the full length of medical devices. With multiple patents issued and pending, TSSC has already begun to commercialize the hardware systems and fiber optic sensors. In 2025 TSSC decided to integrate augmented reality (AR) to accurately align their real-time 3D shape-sensing data within an AR headset system, enabling doctors to understand device position and orientation in environments where direct line of sight is not possible thereby enabling safer, smarter, and more precise procedures. TSSC reached out to SATOP seeking technical and developmental assistance.
The Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP, https://www.satop.space/) is a State of Texas-funded program administered by the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP, https://bayareahouston.com/). For the development of innovative products, SATOP provides free technical assistance to small businesses, start-ups, and entrepreneurs located in Texas. This assistance in turn helps create new jobs, new products for the market, and stimulates the economy
Aviar Technology is a SATOP Alliance Partner. SATOP brought the two firms together.
TSSC sought Aviar’s expertise to build a Microsoft HoloLens augmented reality proof of concept demonstration of TSSC’s ground-breaking technology. The demonstration prototype was required to accurately scale and align a 3D visualization of device positional data within the AR display (a process called coregistration), thereby providing a user with an intuitive understanding of the device’s position (inside a patient's body) without requiring direct line of sight. Further, TSSC sought a solution that would minimize latency, maintain alignment, and deliver interactive features (e.g., toggling data overlays).
The demonstration prototype Aviar Technology built is multi-platform and is deployable on the HoloLens 2 augmented reality headset, the Quest 3/3S (virtual reality), and on a PC with a Quest 3/3S tethered via USB or AirLink. The prototype parses the TSSC shape sensing data, anchors it to the device in the 3D space and visualizes the shape track in the goggles display.
"Aviar's team came in fully aligned from day one, and their responsiveness throughout made the whole process seamless. The result enables novel platforms that can give surgeons real-time 3D visibility into device position without line of sight, opening up clinical applications that simply didn't exist before.", said Ryan DeBoer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandeboer1/), Founder and CEO of The Shape Sensing Company.
"The Shape Sensing team was professional and experienced in XR development in their own right. TSSC effectively communicated their XR development goals and objectives and continuously provided Aviar Technology with the feedback and insight necessary to build a solution to meet their needs. Aviar is proud to support TSSC's technology and facilitate its wider use and adoption. Moreover we thank SATOP and Lissa West for bringing this partnership together." said James R. Mireles, Founder of Aviar Technology.
"At SATOP, our goal is to bridge the gap between complex technical challenges and innovative solutions. Aviar’s XR expertise was a natural fit to address TSSC’s 3D path visualization requirements, and this collaboration is a premier example of how cross-industry expertise can accelerate product development. I’m proud we could play a part in bringing these two teams together.", said Lissa West (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebwest/), SATOP Technical Specialist.