Recent studies by the World Economic Forum, Goldman Sachs and McKinsey have shown that the AR (Artificial Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) market will grow by 50% by 2025, which will be around a $160 million market size. The growth of this market can be traced back to about 2016, with the technology becoming more and more mainstream since then, and popular apps such as Snapchat capitalising on the trend.
However, although extended reality has traditionally been focused on consumer-based functionality, its application has now spread much further. Industry sectors such as healthcare, automotive and industrial products can all benefit from the technology that is driving this trend. In fact, in our increasingly technologically advanced society, the potential applications are endless.
Industry 4.0, the current industrial revolution we are experiencing, has a focus on creating machines that are augmented with wireless connectivity, and which include their own decision-making processes which can visualise entire production lines. Integrating both AI and machine learning and development along with virtual reality into manufacturing production will help to address any potential issues before they arise, which should eliminate costly downtimes due to machine failures.
Extended reality implications for healthcare
As a healthcare marketing agency, we are interested to see how extended reality will impact on healthcare in the long run. There are already some great examples of extended reality being used to benefit patients, such as the use of virtual reality to help treat post-traumatic stress disorders. However, there is still room for more innovation.
Take the production of medical technology for example. Using extended reality would mean that designers can develop and optimise their health tech products in a simulated environment. This means that they can examine all possible outcomes safely. Take aortic stent development for example. The most common type of heart disease in the elderly is aortic valve stenosis, which is the narrowing of the aortic valve. This can cause congestive heart failure and even death if the heart valve is not replaced via open-heart surgery. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is used to replace the narrowed valve which causes this disease. Using extended reality simulation means that stent replacements can be designed and manufactured in a way which not only meets safety standards but production deadlines as well. Designers will be able to see how the stent replacement impacts on the aortic wall, and avoid exerting too much stress on the patient, and also experience how the patient’s blood pressure may change following surgery as well – both of which are key to the success of stent design.
Extended reality can also be used in medical and pharmaceutical experiments as well. The life science industry, in general, is heavily reliant on animal and human testing to ensure new medicines, products and treatments are not only safe for patients but they are commercially viable as well. Extended reality testing reduces the need for this physical testing by substituting virtual models for living test subjects which not only saves time but also increases safety as well. Let’s say a drug currently needs 4000 patients in a clinical trial to test its safety, using extended reality can reduce this number to around 150 while still increasing the confidence physicians have in the result.
Extended reality testing has also made it possible to virtually implant devices and monitor how they react with other devices, and even changes in body temperature and heart rate. They can also take into consideration patients exact physical makeup – such as gender, height and weight. Having said that, in America, the FDA has approved computer modelling within a broader testing protocol, but it is unlikely that this approach will replace clinical trials as a whole in the near future. What it will do though, is to enable designers to offer the safest version of their device for clinical trials.
We’ve just used the healthcare industry as an example, as we have extensive experience in this sector, but extended reality can bring a multitude of benefits to a number of industries. The use of extended reality will not only bring costs down but will enable more advanced and efficient products to be designed with less potential risk involved.
Extended Reality and Healthcare: An Overview
Life Science Digital / Jan 20, 2020
Recent studies by the World Economic Forum, Goldman Sachs and McKinsey have shown that the AR (Artificial Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) market will grow by 50% by 2025, which will be around a $160 million market size. The growth of this market can be traced back to about 2016, with the technology becoming more and more mainstream since then, and popular apps such as Snapchat capitalising on the trend.
However, although extended reality has traditionally been focused on consumer-based functionality, its application has now spread much further. Industry sectors such as healthcare, automotive and industrial products can all benefit from the technology that is driving this trend. In fact, in our increasingly technologically advanced society, the potential applications are endless.
Industry 4.0, the current industrial revolution we are experiencing, has a focus on creating machines that are augmented with wireless connectivity, and which include their own decision-making processes which can visualise entire production lines. Integrating both AI and machine learning and development along with virtual reality into manufacturing production will help to address any potential issues before they arise, which should eliminate costly downtimes due to machine failures.
Extended reality implications for healthcare
As a healthcare marketing agency, we are interested to see how extended reality will impact on healthcare in the long run. There are already some great examples of extended reality being used to benefit patients, such as the use of virtual reality to help treat post-traumatic stress disorders. However, there is still room for more innovation.
Take the production of medical technology for example. Using extended reality would mean that designers can develop and optimise their health tech products in a simulated environment. This means that they can examine all possible outcomes safely. Take aortic stent development for example. The most common type of heart disease in the elderly is aortic valve stenosis, which is the narrowing of the aortic valve. This can cause congestive heart failure and even death if the heart valve is not replaced via open-heart surgery. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is used to replace the narrowed valve which causes this disease. Using extended reality simulation means that stent replacements can be designed and manufactured in a way which not only meets safety standards but production deadlines as well. Designers will be able to see how the stent replacement impacts on the aortic wall, and avoid exerting too much stress on the patient, and also experience how the patient’s blood pressure may change following surgery as well – both of which are key to the success of stent design.
Extended reality can also be used in medical and pharmaceutical experiments as well. The life science industry, in general, is heavily reliant on animal and human testing to ensure new medicines, products and treatments are not only safe for patients but they are commercially viable as well. Extended reality testing reduces the need for this physical testing by substituting virtual models for living test subjects which not only saves time but also increases safety as well. Let’s say a drug currently needs 4000 patients in a clinical trial to test its safety, using extended reality can reduce this number to around 150 while still increasing the confidence physicians have in the result.
Extended reality testing has also made it possible to virtually implant devices and monitor how they react with other devices, and even changes in body temperature and heart rate. They can also take into consideration patients exact physical makeup – such as gender, height and weight. Having said that, in America, the FDA has approved computer modelling within a broader testing protocol, but it is unlikely that this approach will replace clinical trials as a whole in the near future. What it will do though, is to enable designers to offer the safest version of their device for clinical trials.
We’ve just used the healthcare industry as an example, as we have extensive experience in this sector, but extended reality can bring a multitude of benefits to a number of industries. The use of extended reality will not only bring costs down but will enable more advanced and efficient products to be designed with less potential risk involved.
