The healthcare industry has seen remarkable advancements in recent years, and one of the most exciting frontiers of innovation is the integration of immersive technologies, such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). These technologies have the potential to revolutionize the way medical professionals train, diagnose, and treat patients, offering a new dimension of possibilities.
Let’s first understand Immersive Technology, that for a lot of people it is still hard to grasp the idea of a virtual or augmented reality environment.
What is Immersive Technology?
Immersive technology is a broad term that encompasses virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). These technologies create simulated environments that engage the senses, making the user feel like they are physically present in a computer-generated world. Let’s break down the three main types:
- Virtual Reality (VR): VR immerses users in a fully digital environment, often using a headset to completely block out the physical world. It’s particularly useful for creating realistic training simulations, therapeutic environments, and immersive gaming experiences.
- Augmented Reality (AR): AR overlays digital information onto the real world, typically viewed through a smartphone or AR glasses. In healthcare, AR can provide real-time data, enhancing surgical procedures, medical imaging, and patient education.
- Mixed Reality (MR): MR combines elements of both VR and AR, allowing users to interact with both the physical and digital worlds simultaneously. This technology is still evolving but holds immense potential in medical training and telemedicine.
What is The Role of Immersive Technology in Healthcare and how is used today?
The question at hand explores this fascinating intersection of healthcare and technology. It delves into the transformative role that immersive technology plays in modern healthcare and how it is being utilized to improve patient outcomes, enhance medical training, and revolutionize therapeutic techniques.
From virtual surgeries that provide unprecedented training opportunities for budding surgeons, to AR applications that assist in complex procedures by overlaying crucial patient data onto the real world, immersive technology is reshaping the contours of medical practice. It also ventures into the realm of patient care and therapy, where VR experiences can help manage pain, aid in physical rehabilitation, or even treat psychological disorders like PTSD.
Here are some key applications:
- Medical Training and Education: Immersive technologies are revolutionizing medical education. Companies like Embodied Labs, FundamentalVR, and Health Scholars provide immersive training experiences for healthcare professionals. Whether it’s simulating complex surgical procedures or teaching empathy through patient experiences, these platforms offer invaluable learning tools.
- Surgical Planning and Navigation: Precision is paramount in surgery. Augmedics and Pixee Medical use AR and VR to assist surgeons in planning and executing procedures. They provide 3D reconstructions of patient anatomy and real-time guidance during surgeries, reducing the risk and improving outcomes.
- Telemedicine: Telemedicine platforms like Surgical Theater and HypnoVR leverage VR to connect patients with their healthcare providers, offering remote consultations and therapeutic interventions. These technologies bridge geographical gaps, ensuring patients have access to the care they need.
- Pain Management and Therapy: Immersive technologies are being used to manage pain and support therapy. AppliedVR and BehaVR develop VR solutions to alleviate chronic pain, reduce anxiety, and assist in mental health treatment.
- Patient Engagement and Education: BioDigital and BioflightVR create interactive patient education tools using immersive technologies. Patients can better understand their conditions, treatment options, and anatomy, leading to improved health literacy.
- Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy: Floreo and GigXR offer VR experiences for physical therapy and neurorehabilitation. These immersive exercises can help patients regain mobility and improve their quality of life.
What are some barriers to using immersive technologies in the healthcare industry?
While the potential benefits of immersive technologies in healthcare are vast, there are several challenges and barriers that companies in this space must navigate. Some of these include:
- Regulatory Hurdles: The healthcare industry is heavily regulated and ensuring that immersive technologies comply with existing regulations is a complex and time-consuming process.
- High Costs: Developing and implementing immersive solutions can be expensive, which may limit access for smaller healthcare institutions and underserved communities.
- Data Privacy and Security: The collection of patient data in virtual environments raises concerns about privacy and security. Companies need to ensure that data is protected and used responsibly.
- Limited Adoption: Convincing healthcare professionals to adopt these new technologies can be a challenge. Training and integration into existing healthcare systems take time.
- Technical Challenges: Immersive technology is still evolving, and there are technical challenges such as motion sickness and hardware limitations that need to be addressed.
We want to shine a light on 21 innovative companies that are at the forefront of this transformative movement.
Anatomage
Anatomage is a leading medical virtualization technology company that designs, manufactures, and markets medical and educational tools for anatomists. The company’s offerings include image-guided surgical devices, surgical instruments, radiology software, imaging equipment, and display equipment.
apoQlar
apoQlar is a pioneering company in the field of medical mixed reality. Founded in 2017 and based in Hamburg, Germany, apoQlar is revolutionizing the way medicine is practiced, experienced, learned, and shared globally. The company has developed a medical mixed reality platform known as VSI HoloMedicine®. This platform leverages the Microsoft HoloLens hardware to transform medical images, clinical workflows, and medical education into an interactive 3D mixed-reality environment.
AppliedVR
AppliedVR is a leading company in the field of digital therapeutics, specializing in virtual reality-based treatments. The company, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Van Nuys, California, is transforming healthcare through the power of pixels. AppliedVR’s mission is to empower patients with the tools to live life beyond chronic pain. Their scientifically designed and validated digital health solutions have been delivered to over 20,000 patients in more than 250 hospitals and in 8 countries globally.
ARSPECTRA
ARSPECTRA is a medical technology company that specializes in the design of innovative augmented reality solutions for the healthcare market. Founded in the summer of 2018, ARSPECTRA has been at the forefront of research on the technical integration and clinical advantages of Augmented Reality in combination with novel diagnostic technologies. The company has developed unique proprietary technologies and platforms in the field of Augmented and Mixed Reality for a wide variety of medical applications.
Augmedics
Augmedics is a pioneer in the field of augmented reality surgical image guidance. The company, based in Chicago, Illinois, aims to improve healthcare by augmenting surgery with cutting-edge technologies that address unmet clinical needs and instill technological confidence in the surgical workflow. Augmedics is known for developing the xvision Spine System, a wireless device that allows surgeons to see a patient’s anatomy as if they had “x-ray vision”, enabling them to navigate instruments and implants during spine procedures.
Avatar Medical
Avatar Medical is a Paris-based company that is revolutionizing the field of surgical planning with its innovative virtual reality medical platform. Founded in 2020, the company’s technology creates interactive 3-dimensional representations of patients based on their medical images in an immersive virtual reality context. This provides an accurate and instantaneous means for clinicians to understand their patient’s medical images, thereby enhancing surgical preparation.
BehaVR
BehaVR is a leading company in the field of digital therapeutics, specializing in the use of Virtual Reality (VR) for behavioral health. Founded in 2016 and based in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, BehaVR focuses on the intersection of behavioral health and chronic disease. The company’s digital therapeutics and wellness programs are built on a protocol combined with a gamified experience that empowers people with lifelong coping skills and resources to manage stress, anxiety, and fear.
BioDigital
BioDigital is a biomedical visualization company based in New York that is often referred to as the “Google Earth for the Human Body”. The company offers an interactive, 3D software platform that enables individuals and businesses to explore and visualize health information. Founded on the premise that 3D technology could transform the understanding of health and medicine, BioDigital has applied state-of-the-art 3D to healthcare, similar to its impact on gaming and Hollywood.
BioflightVR
BioflightVR is a medical training company based in Los Angeles and Ohio that is dedicated to advancing immersive medical platforms. The company’s core design group, composed of passionate doctors, content developers, and programmers, has won Emmy awards and Visual Effects Society awards for their pioneering computer graphics work on popular television shows CSI and ER.
EchoPixel
EchoPixel is a medical technology company that specializes in the development of medical imaging devices. The company, founded in 2012 and based in Santa Clara, California, has developed a non-invasive colon cancer screening solution that enables doctors and radiologists to use computed tomography (CT) images of a patient’s abdomen and display a 3D model of a patient’s colon. EchoPixel’s technology offers an intuitive and interactive virtual reality format to communicate with patient-specific organs and tissue in an open three-dimensional (3D) space emanating from a display, enabling doctors and physicians to immediately identify, evaluate, and dissect clinically significant structures.
Embodied Labs
Embodied Labs is a Los Angeles-based company that has established itself as a leader in the field of immersive learning platforms. Founded in 2016, the company’s primary focus is on improving outcomes in training, awareness, and support for both family and professional caregivers. Embodied Labs aims to bring about transformational cultural change in long-term care, home health, government, non-profit, and academic organizations by altering the way caregivers view and understand their roles.
Floreo
Floreo is a Washington, D.C.-based company that is revolutionizing the field of behavioral therapy with its innovative virtual reality platform. Founded in 2016, Floreo’s platform offers a range of VR-based lessons that teach social, behavioral, communication, and independent living skills to individuals with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), social anxiety, and other conditions.
FundamentalVR
FundamentalVR is a London-based company that provides training, simulation, and education services using virtual and mixed reality. Founded in 2012, the company’s Haptic Intelligence Engine delivers high-fidelity physical interaction to its users. It serves clients operating in the medical and communications market. FundamentalVR’s innovative technology delivers VR haptic ‘flight simulators’ for surgery, creating a safe, measurable, and repeatable space to refine skills. This technology is used to help educate and train healthcare professionals.
Ghost Productions
Ghost Productions is a leading provider of medical animation, illustration, surgical VR, web design, social media campaigns, eLearning content, and other services that help clients in the medical industry train, educate, and market their products. The company is known for creating 3D medical animation and VR surgery simulations to market medical products and surgical devices. Ghost Productions’ innovative work is used by a wide range of clients in the medical industry, from hospitals to universities to medical device companies.
GigXR
GigXR is a provider of reality learning systems for instructor-led teaching and training. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the company enhances learning outcomes for medical and nursing schools, hospitals, higher education, and the Department of Defense. GigXR has harnessed a proven track record for recognizing key problems in education and training, and unlocking the potential of extended reality (XR) in simulation technologies to solve them. The company’s platform offers a library of holographic applications that span the full spectrum of healthcare training.
Health Scholars
Health Scholars is a leading provider of virtual reality clinical training for healthcare professionals. The company’s platform offers highly immersive virtual reality training that prepares frontline clinicians for real-world situations. Health Scholars’ training solutions are designed to ensure every nurse and clinician can confidently handle each critical situation, thereby enhancing patient safety and outcomes. The company’s platform also includes the Health Scholars Workbench, a content-building platform for VR training in healthcare that combines clinical education expertise with a nimble framework.
HypnoVR
HypnoVR is a Strasbourg, France-based company that specializes in the development of virtual reality software for anesthesia, treatment of pain, and anxiety. Founded in 2016, HypnoVR has developed a unique platform that combines the benefits of medical hypnosis with virtual reality. The company’s technology is designed to reduce patient stress and anxiety, providing a personalized multi-sensory experience for patients.
AlensiaXR
AlensiaXR (formerly Ilumis) is a company that specializes in the development of augmented reality solutions for medical education. The company was launched by Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) to accelerate product innovation, improve partner service, and rapidly scale the potential of its revolutionary learning platform, HoloAnatomy® Software Suite. This suite uses advanced mixed-reality technology to illuminate the human body in three dimensions through the Microsoft HoloLens headset.
Pixee Medical
Pixee Medical is a leading provider of computer-assisted surgical solutions for orthopedic surgery. The company was founded in October 2017 with the goal of creating high-performance surgical solutions using advanced computer vision and artificial intelligence technologies. Pixee Medical’s innovative tracking tool allows a simple camera installed in a smartphone or smart glasses to locate objects in a 3D space with millimetric precision.
PrecisionOS Technology
PrecisionOS Technology is a leading provider of virtual reality orthopedic surgical education and pre-operative planning software. The company was founded in 2017 by a team of clinical orthopedic surgeons and game developers with the mission to improve the expertise of practicing surgeons. PrecisionOS’s platform provides orthopedic surgical education in virtual reality, allowing surgeons to perform simulated medical procedures in a realistic digital operating room or a remote location.
Surgical Theater
Surgical Theater is a global leader in Extended Reality (XR) healthcare services. The company is dedicated to transforming the surgical experience for both patients and healthcare professionals. Their innovative technology provides patient-specific 360°-3D visualization that enhances surgical procedures. Surgical Theater’s mission is to recreate complex images for patients and healthcare professionals who want to explore the potential of surgical VR.
The integration of immersive technologies is set to redefine healthcare, making it more efficient, effective, and patient-centric. These technologies will not replace the human touch in medicine but will empower healthcare professionals and patients with tools and experiences that were previously unimaginable. As the technology continues to evolve, we can look forward to a healthcare landscape that is more personalized, connected, and ultimately, healthier for all.
