What's next for AR/VR?

AR and VR have a bright future ahead of them, with numerous new capabilities and broad adoption expected in the next years. More popular adoption will be driven by improvements in video quality, computing power, mobile bandwidth, and AR/VR technology, as well as lower development costs and complexity providing more alternatives for artists to explore.

Some argue that VR is just a Trend, but its exponential penetration across sectors and the involvement of firms like Facebook, Samsung, Google, and HTC, who have publicly stated their commitment to VR, are two major indicators that VR is not a fad.

Is Virtual Reality Worth The Investment?

Yes, VR is a worthwhile investment if you want to stay competitive and exist in the future.

What are the challenges for AR/VR?

AR and VR are still in their early stages of development, with a long road ahead of them before becoming a truly mainstream technology. The following are some of the most commonly mentioned technological and commercial challenges:

Table of contents

Introduction

1.1.

Augmented and Virtual Reality

AR and VR in Healthcare and Medicine

2.1.

AR and VR Can Help Patients with a Variety of Medical Issues

Surgery Preparation and Efficiency using AR and VR

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024

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AR in Medical Industry

Author Vaibhav Agarwal

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Introduction

It wasn't long ago that Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) were only used in the gaming sector. In 2021, there will be much interest in VR and AR from various industries, including healthcare.

More and more healthcare organizations were preparing to upgrade their digital solutions using virtual reality and augmented reality (VR/AR) technology to improve data analysis and healthcare procedures. Some businesses have discovered new methods to engage with their patients during pandemics by using these technologies, allowing them to provide remote and individualized treatment. Others employ virtual reality and augmented reality to enhance medical training or prepare for pre-surgery tasks.

However, most healthcare institutions and clinics throughout the globe do not yet use VR or AR technology. Will virtual reality and augmented reality (VR/AR) be extensively used in healthcare and medicine? What is the outlook for these technologies in the future? This article looks at how virtual and augmented realities are being used in the medical profession and healthcare and the end of VR and AR in the industry.

Augmented and Virtual Reality

Augmented Reality: Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that enables users to overlay information, movies, and images on top of reality using smart devices. As a result, this technology enhances the actual world by providing more data. The IKEA Place app, L'Oréal Makeup app, Pokémon Go, and many other AR apps are among the most popular.

Virtual Reality: Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated virtual world where a person is immersed in a digital environment. Virtual reality discussions, Volvo test drive reality, The North Face hiking experience in Yosemite National Park, and a plethora of VR games are just a few examples.

AR and VR in Healthcare and Medicine

Here are some instances of how virtual reality and augmented reality are utilized in healthcare and medicine.

Medical Education: Medical students, physicians, and surgeons may learn how to manage their patients better or conduct difficult procedures without risking surgical errors;
Robotic surgery: It is when robots execute high-precision surgeries under the supervision of a human surgeon using virtual reality technology.
Physical Treatment: When doing physical therapy, VR aids patients in overcoming high pain levels and ensuring a speedier recovery.
Post-traumatic stress treatment: When a person is put in an atmosphere with a traumatic circumstance, they attempt to find a solution and overcome the crisis; post-traumatic stress therapy
Treatment for anxiety, phobias, and depression - Patients may utilize virtual reality to meditate or relax in safe situations;
Emergency treatment - consumers may identify medical centers, pharmacies, and other healthcare institutions using AR maps superimposed over reality.
Personalized approach to parents: Doctors may use VR and AR to explain how their surgeries will be conducted or which actions a patient should follow for a faster recovery.

AR and VR Can Help Patients with a Variety of Medical Issues

Healthcare firms use VR and AR technology to enhance consumer experiences by successfully engaging customers in healthcare operations. For example, healthcare firms and their clients may arrange the sequence of operations and observe the outcomes using VR applications for cosmetic medicine and orthodontia. Healthcare professionals in ophthalmology may supply their patients with an app that stimulates the eyesight of patients with particular disorders such as cataracts or AMD, among others. Patients will get a better understanding of the issue and will be more engaged in their therapy.

VR and AR technology may be utilized to enhance self-diagnostics during pandemics. It's instrumental in rural regions where getting to a clinic is complex, and people must rely on telemedicine services instead. AR's improved self-diagnostics provide a better picture of whether a person needs hospital check-ups and treatment or whether the ailment can be addressed at home.

Aside from that, for self-guided therapy, VR and AR-based applications are employed in isolation. For instance, managing persistent aches, holding meditation sessions to combat worry, or designing workouts to restore joint dysfunctions. Patients who have survived brain traumas or strokes may now participate in a gamified rehabilitation program. This makes it more fun for patients and encourages them to participate more actively in their treatment.

Providing individuals with information on the location of healthcare facilities is another use of augmented reality in healthcare for public usage. Users may identify where the nearby clinics or other healthcare institutions are in an unfamiliar location by utilizing AR maps. In an emergency, AR maps may minimize time spent looking for these facilities, which can be life-saving. For example, if a person has heart failure and requires emergency help, AR maps will display where the nearest automated external defibrillators are.

Surgery Preparation and Efficiency using AR and VR

VR and AR technologies are also beneficial to doctors and healthcare professionals who use them in operating rooms and classrooms. For example, doctors may utilize VR and AR technology to walk inside the organs they'll be operating on or study 3-D models of difficult surgical situations before conducting an operation. Furthermore, 3-D organ models may be used to illustrate what will happen during surgery and what the results will be at conferences, in the learning process, or to explain to patients what will happen during surgery and what the consequences will be ?

Source: Scand

Aside from that, virtual reality and augmented reality (VR/AR) technology allow for a more individualized approach to treatment. Doctors may create digital organ twins for their patients and do additional tests on them by examining how their organs operate and how they respond to different treatments. This combination of professional experience and virtual reality technology ensures that each patient receives tailored therapy, resulting in a quicker and more complete recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's next for AR/VR?
AR and VR have a bright future ahead of them, with numerous new capabilities and broad adoption expected in the next years. More popular adoption will be driven by improvements in video quality, computing power, mobile bandwidth, and AR/VR technology, as well as lower development costs and complexity providing more alternatives for artists to explore.
Is VR/AR Just a Fad?
Some argue that VR is just a Trend, but its exponential penetration across sectors and the involvement of firms like Facebook, Samsung, Google, and HTC, who have publicly stated their commitment to VR, are two major indicators that VR is not a fad.
Is Virtual Reality Worth The Investment?
Yes, VR is a worthwhile investment if you want to stay competitive and exist in the future.
What are the challenges for AR/VR?
AR and VR are still in their early stages of development, with a long road ahead of them before becoming a truly mainstream technology. The following are some of the most commonly mentioned technological and commercial challenges:
1. Mobile phones have limited computing capacity; thus, connecting a user to a PC or server isn't an option. Either mobile processing power must be increased, or work must be offloaded to the cloud.
2. Limited mobile bandwidth — While cloud-based processing provides a compelling potential solution to the mobile processing bottleneck, most mobile phone bandwidth is currently too sluggish to provide the required real-time video processing in most situations. As mobile bandwidth increases, this is likely to change.
3. Creating a business plan - Many AR and VR applications outside of video games are still in the early phases of development and have yet to be validated in the commercial sector.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed the introduction of AR/VR in the medical industry, the Instances of AR and VR in HealthCare and Medicine, How AR and VR can help patients with a variety of Medical Issues. In healthcare and medicine, virtual and augmented worlds are increasingly gaining prominence. They may already give high-quality support to physicians and medical professionals in inpatient care, as well as educate healthcare consumers on how to take better care of their health.

Despite the fact that these technologies are still in their early phases of acceptance in healthcare, numerous companies are spending extensively in this industry. Businesses that see the disruptive potential of these technologies are already looking for VR and AR development companies to help them construct their own VR and AR-enabled healthcare digital solutions.

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