Healthcare innovations prove AR/VR aren’t just for entertainment


With over a decade in the space, Augmented World Expo (AWE) is the leading AR/VR event series in the world which was organised as online event between 26-30 May due to the current situation.

 

AWE covers Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR) and all enabling emerging technologies (ex. Artificial Intelligence (AI), haptics, 5G). It’s the epicenter of Spatial Computer, where the entire AR/VR industry gets together to catch up, benchmark and do business. From the hottest startups to Fortune 500 companies, AWE showcases the best AR/VR experiences in all aspects of life and work.

 

One of the most fascinating examples of the power of AR and VR — and one that feels painfully relevant under the current conditions — is healthcare, where these technologies are helping train personnel and keep critical workers safe.


Walter Greenleaf from the Stanford University focused on how virtual and augmented reality will transform healthcare. The oncoming wave of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technology will impact medicine, clinical care, and personal health and wellness. Although entertainment, social connection, and gaming will drive the initial adoption of VR and AR technology, the deepest and most significant impact of the next generation of VR/AR technology will be to enhance clinical care and to improve personal health and wellness. VR and AR technology will also help facilitate the shift of medicine to direct personal care and facilitate precision medicine approaches. We know from decades of clinical research that VR/AR technology can provide breakthrough solutions that address the most difficult problems in healthcare ranging from mood disorders such as Anxiety and Depression to PTSD, Addictions, Autism, Cognitive Aging, Stroke Recovery, and Physical Rehabilitation, to name just a few. VR technology can also improve clinical measurements and assessments by making them more objective and functional, and improve medical training such as surgical skill training and procedure planning by applying simulation-based learning principals. Personal health and wellness will be improved by using VR to promote healthy lifestyles and to reduce stress and anxiety. As the cost of healthcare rises (e.g. 1minute in the operating room costs 100$), VR and AR technology can serve as an effective telemedicine platform to reduce costs of care delivery, and improve clinical efficiency.