New Way to Implement AR: Saves Lives and Treats Patients
It’s common knowledge, that VR and AR are rapidly gaining popularity with youth providing them with incredible game experience. But, in fact, these technologies are to help in a great variety of fields.
Performing as something extremely new, they add the so-called «fresh look» to the problems, that we call urgent. It’s interesting to know, what role the game technology can play in saving people’s lives. For instance, let’s touch upon medicine, probably, the most accurate science.
AR in the medical industry: already existing tools
There can be a lot of options to use VR/AR in healthcare: surgical navigation systems, venipuncture procedures, simulation of vision, empowered brain for disabled, AR-enabled documentation, training, games for kids, indoor navigation to name a few. This technology can help surgeons become more efficient at surgeries. Whether they are conducting a minimally invasive procedure or locating a tumor in the liver, AR healthcare apps can help save lives and treat patients seamlessly.
AR agency Zappar has worked with a number of companies to successfully integrate the cutting-edge technology into medicine. For example, at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, thanks to this app, teachers conduct lessons on virtual human subjects. During these lessons, students see a representation of a human body in 3D and navigate through the layers of skin, muscle, blood, organs, and skeleton within an anatomy app.
Another solution presented by Zappar is Accuray Radixact. This app for AR & MR Product Visualisation allows businesses to showcase medical devices at conferences/events. With Accuray Radixact, medical organizations save time and money transporting the actual devices. Obviously, Zappar contributes to making AR simple and affordable to be implemented within the medical field.
Expert’s opinion
Bell Integrator CEO Blair Newman provides impressive statistics and data on how helpful AR can be in the medical industry:
“We are seeing a lot of options to use VR/AR in medicine. Nurses find veins on the first stick 3.5x more likely with Augmented Reality.
Doctors can show a simulation of a patient’s vision. For instance, the app can demonstrate the impact of Cataract or AMD and thus help patients understand their actual medical state.
AR transforms wearables into neuro-assistive devices for the educational challenges of autism to help children with their social skills, language, and positive behaviors. The technology helps visually impaired to live a more independent life, navigating them and describing the environment they are in.”
How AR can help optimize medical business processes
AR can also help optimize business processes at medical organizations. It enables doctors to view critical work information right in their field-of-view and interact with it. Physicians do not have to check their computers during patient visits. Medical notes are still generated in real time. As a result, the burden of administration on medical professionals is eased: they can leave their workplace on time every day, complete the administrative requirements easily, while they can still diagnose and treat more patients. Besides, this technology can also be used for indoor navigation to help patients and their visitors find their way to their destinations easily.
AR to enhance the hospital environment
Moreover, AR technology could be very helpful in transforming the hospital environment. For kids, AR has incredible potential to reduce isolation from friends and family outside the hospital. AR gaming enhances the patient experience and encourages fine motor movement. For example, it can bring coloring pages or photo walls to life. This entertains young patients going through difficult experiences. The technology helps them lie still and relaxed during MRI procedures by redirecting their attention away from their illnesses and medical testing to something more fun and pleasant.
To sum it up, there are so many ways how the world can apply VR and AR not just for entertaining, but for making our life easier. It can bear fruit in the field of science and technology.
