Google hastouched already the sphere of surgery, CBS News reports. It all starts with Google Glass, which lets an expert lend a helping hand in the operating room, even when he or she is in another state.

At the University of Alabama-Birmingham, orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Brent Ponce, prepared for a shoulder replacement. Behind his face shield he wore Google Glass -- the wearable computer. Its built-in camera streamed live video of the procedure to another surgeon 150 miles away in Atlanta, where Dr. Phani Dantuluri not only watched the surgery, but offered a virtual hand.

A ghostly projection of Dantuluri's hands was superimposed over what Ponce saw on the operating table. The merged images appeared in Ponce's Google Glass display.

It may be another year before the combined technology goes mainstream. Ponce is the only doctor testing it in surgery.

Asked if it turns surgery into collaboration, Ponce replied, “Without question.”

VIPAAR plans to expand the pilot program to include more surgeons by the end of next year.