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Room Mode transforms the iPad into a dedicated operating room display. It’s designed for wall mounting or placement on the anesthesia station — providing the entire OR team with live case progress, milestone timeline, and hands-free voice control.
Room Mode is an iPad-only feature. It activates when you tap a case from the Rooms tab on iPad. On iPhone, tapping a case opens the standard case detail view.

Entering Room Mode

  1. Open the Rooms tab on iPad
  2. Tap any in-progress or scheduled case
  3. The app transitions to full-screen Room Mode
When Room Mode activates, the iPad automatically:
  • Disables the idle timer — screen stays on indefinitely
  • Locks brightness to 100% — ensures visibility across the OR
  • Switches to a dark theme — optimized for OR lighting conditions
  • Starts wake word detection — begins listening for “Orbit” (if permissions granted)
When you exit Room Mode, all display settings (brightness, idle timer, theme) are restored to their previous values.

Layout

Room Mode is organized into distinct sections optimized for at-a-glance visibility from across the room.

Header bar

The top bar provides persistent case context and voice system status:
ElementDescription
Procedure nameLarge, bold text — the primary identifier visible from a distance
SurgeonAvatar and name
Case numberORbit case reference ID
Live clockCurrent time, updated every second
Status badgeIn Progress, Scheduled, or Completed
Voice indicatorCurrent voice state (Listening, Recognizing, Processing)
Voice feedback toggleQuick switch between Full / Sounds Only / Silent
Voice log buttonOpens voice command history (badge shows unread count)

Timer cards

Two prominent timer cards show elapsed case time:
TimerMeasuresStarts atEnds at
Total CaseFull patient timePatient InPatient Out
SurgicalOperative time onlyIncisionClose (or Patient Out)
Timers display in HH:MM:SS format and count up in real time. Before the starting milestone is recorded, the timer shows the expected duration based on median surgeon-procedure stats.

Progress bar

A horizontal progress bar spans the full width, showing:
  • Completed milestones vs. total milestones (numerical + bar fill)
  • Estimated remaining time based on median durations for remaining milestones
  • Pace status with color-coded indicator:
ColorStatusMeaning
GreenAheadCase is progressing faster than the median
YellowOn PaceCase is within expected timing
RedBehindCase is running longer than the median

Milestone timeline

The centerpiece of Room Mode — a visual timeline of all milestones for the case.

Milestone grouping

Milestones are organized into phases based on the facility’s milestone template:
PhaseExample milestones
ArrivalPatient In, Call for Patient
Pre-OpAnesthesia Start, Anesthesia Ready
SurgicalIncision, Key milestones, Closing
RecoveryAnesthesia End, Extubation
ClosingDressing On, Patient Out

Visual indicators

IconMeaning
Green checkmarkMilestone recorded — shows the recorded time
Gray circleMilestone pending — not yet recorded
Star badgeRequired milestone (must be recorded for case completion)

Recording milestones

Tap any pending milestone to record it with the current timestamp. Alternatively, use voice commands — say “Orbit, [milestone name]” to record hands-free. When a milestone is recorded via voice, the timeline row plays a flash animation to provide visual confirmation to anyone watching the screen.

Out-of-order warnings

If a milestone is recorded out of sequence, Room Mode shows a toast notification identifying which prior milestones were skipped. The milestone is still recorded, but the warning ensures the team is aware of the gap.

Up Next section

Below the timeline, a section previews what’s coming after the current case:
CardShows
Next case (surgeon)The surgeon’s next scheduled case (any room)
Next case (room)The next case in this specific room
Remaining casesCount of remaining cases for this room today
Flip room statusWhether the room needs turnover preparation
Two action buttons are available:
  • Call for Patient — triggers the call-next-patient workflow with a timestamp
  • View Schedule — opens a modal showing the full room schedule for the day

Toolbar modals

Icons in the Room Mode toolbar open modal panels for secondary data:
ModalContents
StaffView the current surgical team. Add or remove staff assignments.
ImplantsView implant data — type, sizing, manufacturer, lot numbers.
DelaysAdd a new delay with reason code. View and delete existing delays.
NotesEdit free-text case notes.
ScheduleFull room schedule for the day — all cases with times and status.
Voice LogComplete history of voice commands (see below).

Case completion modal

When all required milestones are recorded and the case reaches a completed state, a completion modal appears with a summary of case timing, milestone accuracy, and any gaps flagged for review.

Cement timer

A floating overlay for timing implant cementing procedures. The cement timer is voice-activated and designed to be hands-free.

Starting the timer

Say “Orbit, start a cement timer” or use any of these aliases:
  • “start the cement timer”
  • “begin cement timer”
  • “begin the cement timer”

Timer behavior

  • Count-up format — displays elapsed time as MM:SS
  • Color transitions at configurable thresholds:
    • Green — within normal cementing time
    • Yellow — approaching maximum recommended time
    • Red — exceeded recommended time
  • Draggable — the overlay can be repositioned anywhere on screen
  • Always on top — renders above all other Room Mode content

Stopping the timer

Say “Orbit, stop the cement timer” or use aliases like:
  • “end the cement timer”
  • “dismiss the cement timer”
  • “close the cement timer”
The timer overlay disappears when stopped.

Voice commands in Room Mode

Room Mode is the home of ORbit’s voice command system. See the Voice Commands guide for the complete reference, including:
  • Two-stage wake word architecture
  • Full command reference (milestones, cancel, undo, queries)
  • Out-of-order protection and confirmation flow
  • AI auto-learning
  • Privacy and security details

Voice log

The voice log panel (accessible from the header) shows a chronological history of all voice commands during the session:
ColumnDescription
TimeWhen the command was spoken
PhraseThe recognized speech text
ActionWhat ORbit did — recorded, pending confirmation, cancelled, unrecognized
PathHow it was classified — dictionary match (instant) or AI classification
ConfidenceHigh, medium, low, or none
Use the voice log to verify commands were processed correctly and to identify phrases that should be added as aliases in Voice Command Settings.

Visual feedback

Room Mode provides visual confirmations for voice commands:
VisualMeaning
Green toastCommand executed successfully (high confidence)
Amber toastCommand requires confirmation (out of order or already recorded)
Query overlayResponse to a time/duration/info query (auto-dismisses after 5 seconds)
Classifying overlayAI classification in progress (appears for slow-path commands)
Milestone flashTimeline row briefly flashes when a milestone is recorded via voice

Display behavior

Room Mode is designed to run for extended periods as a persistent OR display:
BehaviorDetail
Screen always onIdle timer disabled — no auto-lock
Max brightnessLocked at 100% for OR visibility
Dark themeForced dark palette regardless of system setting — reduces glare
Real-time updatesSupabase Realtime subscriptions for case changes, milestone recordings, and staff updates
Background handlingVoice recognition pauses when app backgrounds; resumes automatically on foreground
Exit cleanupBrightness and idle timer restored to previous values on exit
Room Mode keeps the screen on and at maximum brightness, which increases battery consumption. For extended use (full OR day), connect the iPad to power.

FAQ

No. Room Mode is iPad-only. On iPhone, tapping a case from the Rooms tab opens the standard case detail view with milestone recording capability.
Room Mode requires an internet connection for real-time case data and milestone recording. Voice wake word detection (Stage 1) works offline, but command processing and milestone recording require connectivity. AI classification for unrecognized phrases also requires network access.
Yes. Room Mode will show the case’s milestone template in its initial state. Once the first milestone is recorded, timers and pace tracking begin.
All milestone recordings are persisted to the database immediately — no data is lost. Reopen the app and navigate back to the case in Room Mode to resume. Voice command history is not preserved across crashes.
Yes. Since Room Mode reads from and writes to the shared database with Realtime subscriptions, multiple iPads can display the same case simultaneously. Milestone recordings from any device are immediately reflected on all others.

Next steps

Voice commands

Complete voice command reference and usage guide.

iOS settings

Configure voice feedback, appearance, and Face ID.

Voice command aliases

Manage recognized phrases in the web settings.

Milestone settings

Configure milestone templates and ordering.