Author: Alina Kutsa
VR & AR technologies will transform health care in the future, given their rapid and relevant development. They make the clinical experience of patients more immersive.
Artificial intelligence has matured into a fundamental technology used in a variety of fields such as robotics, computer vision, and natural language processing. It is pretty obvious that this progress would interfere with the health care sector, which needs constant improvement. Consequently, the combination of AI and XR provides extensive biotechnology applications and enables digital interaction with the physical environment in a multi-dimensional way.
Near-Infrared Vein Finder
This vein visualizer allows nurses to look at the patient’s arm and identify veins’ paths using a phone camera and the necessary app, e.g., AccuVein. Some people have thick skin, so it becomes easier for specialists to inject something or take blood.
Virtual Relaxation
Guided meditation, yoga, and other types of breath, mind, and body relaxation are gaining momentum. Lots of people are stressed, and VR can take them into a different world ─ free from triggers, worries, and irritants.
Medical Diagnosis
Augmented and virtual realities are now used to diagnose medical conditions. For instance, VR enables healthcare specialists to look for vision impairment. Additionally, it can diagnose certain mental health conditions.
Cancer Diagnosis
Powerful tools are being developed with the potential to redefine cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment. Thus, detecting cancer through recognition can help doctors in patients’ diagnosis with real-time screening analysis. For example, an AR microscope with real-time AI integration for cancer diagnosis overlays AI-based information onto the current view of the sample in real-time.
Virtual Therapy
We can now use VR & AR for therapy as well. For example, there are specific ways now to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It happens by exposing patients to situations complicated to organize in a clinical setting. Thus, the doctor takes the patient into a specific environment and treats him. Another example is enhancing cognitive behavioral therapy.
Pre-Surgical Data
If there are some organs or bones to operate on, XR technology provides holographic visualization before the doctor makes any incisions. Besides, surgeons are widely using tiny cameras to operate with more accurate and careful penetration.
Bionic Vision
Surgeons use this technology for more focused AR visualization and computer-assisted surgery use. It includes procedures like joint replacements, ACL reconstruction, and spinal fusion.