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by EOS Intelligence EOS Intelligence No Comments

Metaverse Meets Medicine: Spatial Computing’s Game-Changing Potential

Spatial computing, sometimes called the metaverse, will revolutionize healthcare by seamlessly merging the digital and physical worlds. Leveraging technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), it offers exciting transformative possibilities, from enhanced surgical training and improved diagnostics to personalized treatment plans and remote care solutions. As the technology matures, it presents both opportunities and challenges for technology solution providers.

AR, VR, and Extended Reality solutions offer an immersive healthcare experience

Spatial computing uses technologies such as virtual, augmented, and mixed reality to interact with digital information in 3D space, fundamentally changing how healthcare is delivered. It is gradually finding applications across the industry. For example, surgeons can practice complex procedures in realistic, risk-free VR environments, improving their skills and preparedness. Doctors can visualize medical images in 3D for more accurate diagnoses.

Patients also become more engaged in their care through interactive tools that explain their conditions and treatment options. Holographic images expand the scope of remote care, providing patients with a stronger sense of connection to their doctors. VR can even be used for immersive therapy sessions, helping patients manage anxiety or PTSD in a safe, controlled setting.

The potential applications are vast. AR solutions can overlay medical imaging data (CT scans, MRIs) onto a patient’s body for improved diagnosis. Virtual patient models can simulate treatment scenarios for optimized treatment planning. Tools such as EnVisio provide continuous 3D surgical awareness, enabling surgeons to plan approaches from any angle for increased precision.

Virtual clinics promise to reshape care delivery models, while live surgeries can also benefit from this technology. Within six months of Apple Vision Pro’s launch in February 2024, surgeons at UC San Diego Health successfully performed minimally invasive operations using Apple Vision Pro headsets, which offered significant cost advantages over traditional surgical monitoring systems.

Surgery-specific applications and AI integration drive innovation

The field is attracting significant innovation. Companies such as Medivis and Osso VR are pioneering the development of spatial computing solutions for surgical planning and medical training. There are several solutions (such as Medivis’s Surgical AR and Surgical Theater) available that use real-time camera images to project 3D models in a surgeon’s headset for both surgical planning and rehearsal before the procedure. Other solutions include AR and VR to help surgeons and health professionals in their medical training.

Since the launch of Apple Vision Pro, several large solution providers and startups started developing software solutions that leverage Apple’s advanced capabilities, specifically for applications in the healthcare sector. Siemens Healthineers developed its ‘Cinematic Reality’ app in March 2024, which offers advanced imaging and visualization solutions, including 3D reconstruction and VR tools for surgical planning.

Several large surgical players are also developing solutions that help optimize the processes, making surgeries more efficient and cost-effective. For example, Stryker‘s Mako SmartRobotics app for Apple Vision Pro (launched in March 2024) enables surgeons to review and visualize patients’ surgical plans. Zeiss‘s Surgery Optimizer (launched in April 2024), an AI-powered app for cataract surgery preparation using the Artevo 850 microscope and Apple Vision Pro, is another example of this trend.

Epic‘s Spatial Computing Concept for Apple Vision Pro aims to streamline charting, lab review, and secure communication for physicians. This also enables real-time updating of patient information on the hospital’s EHR systems. Integration of AI with spatial computing is a likely next step, promising optimized procedures with spatial computing overlays. AI is also likely to aid in better processing and analysis of spatial data.

Growth in spatial computing is also likely to bring in further investments from venture capital and existing healthcare giants. Spatial computing startup XRHealth raised US$6 million in funding in January 2024, while Medivis raised US$20 million in Series A funding that would enable it to develop advanced surgical solutions that integrate AR technology.

Apple Vision Pro is a key enabler for startups to develop healthcare solutions

The competitive landscape is dynamic, with various players vying for market share. Established medical technology giants such as Siemens Healthineers, GE Healthcare, and Philips are integrating spatial computing into their existing platforms. Meanwhile, startups such as Osso VR, Surgical Theater, and Medivis are disrupting the market with innovative solutions.

Software and hardware specialists, including Microsoft (HoloLens) and Apple (Vision Pro), are crucial enablers. While Apple Vision Pro is currently prominent, other hardware and platform developers are likely to emerge.

We can anticipate mergers and acquisitions as larger companies acquire promising startups. There is an increasing focus on user experience and integration with existing healthcare systems. Apple’s launch of the Vision Pro has spurred interest in spatial computing, with startups developing for the mixed reality environment offered by AR/VR headsets such as the Vision Pro and Meta Quest.

Dependence on limited hardware ecosystems is a key challenge for developers

Solution developers face several key challenges. Dependence on hardware companies, including Apple and Meta, creates vulnerabilities. These companies have their own ecosystems for developing supported applications that limit the possibilities and options for startups.

Data privacy and security, particularly compliance with regulations such as HIPAA and GDPR, are paramount, especially as AI integration becomes more prevalent. Compatibility with legacy systems, including imaging systems and EHRs, is also essential to be successful.

Maintaining cost-effectiveness is crucial, as the high prices of devices like the Vision Pro and HoloLens pose a barrier. Funding, particularly for startups, remains a challenge, although recent successful funding rounds offer encouragement.

EOS Perspective

The spatial computing market in healthcare is poised for substantial growth, driven by the increasing demand for immersive technologies, the rise of AR/VR in medical training, and the growing need for remote healthcare solutions.

Spatial computing advancements are transforming areas such as clinical education, surgical planning, training, medical imaging, and behavioral health. We can expect even more applications to emerge, improving care delivery and surgical outcomes. Imaging data will become more interactive, detailed, and accessible. Increased deployment in surgical settings will drive further growth in the development of supporting software and hardware. We may also witness an increase in hardware companies developing spatial computing systems suitable for application in the healthcare sector.

As the technology matures and costs decrease, spatial computing is expected to become an integral part of the healthcare ecosystem, transforming patient care and revolutionizing how medical professionals work.

by EOS Intelligence EOS Intelligence No Comments

Driving Down Healthcare Costs with AR and VR Technology

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Augmented Reality (AR) delivers digital components atop an existing reality in order to make it more meaningful and interactive, while Virtual Reality (VR) enables immersive simulation of real-life setting or environment. AR and VR have wide-reaching applications in healthcare, from treatment and therapy to training and education. Though AR and VR have promising applications in healthcare, are these technologies prime for widespread adoption? This will largely depend on how effective these technologies are in relation to its cost of investment. Some of the AR and VR solutions standout to bring in significant cost savings.

In 2015, based on analysis of 80,000 surgical cases (retrieved from 2010 National Inpatient Sample, USA), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine estimated that if all US hospitals increased the number of minimally-invasive procedures by 50%, nearly 3,600 complications could be avoided and hospital stays could be cut by 144,863 patient days, resulting in total cost savings of about US$288 million annually.

Augmented reality can offer higher accuracy

Despite such evident advantages, minimally-invasive surgeries are not as common as traditional approaches, because they require high precision and accuracy – and that is exactly where AR can be useful. For instance, Philips, a Dutch medical technology company, developed a real-time imaging solution which allows projection of high-resolution 3D image of the patient’s spine and a fully-automatic AR navigation system which guides the surgeon to plan the optimal device path, and subsequently place pedicle screws. The first pre-clinical study on the technology showed that the use of AR technology resulted in 85% accuracy as compared to 64% accuracy in case of conventional techniques. Using AR technology, doctors can perform minimally-invasive surgical procedures with high level of precision and efficiency, while minimizing mistakes and errors, thus reducing the preventable costs.

The first pre-clinical study on the technology showed that the use of AR technology resulted in 85% accuracy as compared to 64% accuracy in case of conventional techniques.

Remote mentoring and assistance delivered through augmented reality

Tele-mentoring is another practical application of AR which can bring considerable cost savings. In some complex cases, the locally available healthcare professionals are not skilled and experienced enough to carry out the procedure and experts from different cities or countries need to be called in to perform the treatment, and this involves a lot of time and costs. There are certain AR platforms that allow experts from remote locations to virtually join a surgical procedure. Using Google Glass or tablet, a real-time projection of the remotely located expert’s hands could be overlaid onto the local surgeon’s field of sight during the procedure.

In 2016, as a part of ongoing neurosurgical collaboration between Children’s of Alabama Hospital (USA) and Children’s Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Virtual Interactive Presence and Augmented Reality (VIPAR) telecommunication system was implemented at both hospitals to provide intraoperative assistance. The cost of setting up the hardware, software, and internet connection (for one year) was around US$2,500. This is far less in comparison to the cost of the American experts’ travel and stay in Vietnam. For instance, the expense of sending a team of three doctors from the USA to Vietnam for 14 days could total to around US$12,500.

Virtual reality could be an alternative to opioids

VR therapy is proving to be effective in providing relief from pain. Several studies have suggested that parts of the brain linked to pain-somatosensory cortex and the insula are less active when patients are distracted by an immersive experience created by VR technology, thereby reducing the pain. A clinical study by AppliedVR, a US-based company building VR platform for use in healthcare, suggested that VR therapy was effective in reducing pain by 52%.

This can prove to be a breakthrough in the field of pain management, and possibly reduce the opioid prescription. High-income countries such as the USA, Canada, UK, and Australia are struggling with the opioid crisis. Although, the cost of opioids is relatively low, the resulting addiction problems and drug overdose deaths lead to high societal and economic costs. For instance, the economic cost of the opioid crisis in the USA in 2015 was estimated at US$504 billion (85% of these costs were associated with fatalities resulting from overdose). This was equivalent to about 2.8% of GDP of the country that year. For countries such as the USA, where opioid epidemic is declared as a public health emergency, there is a high demand for non-addictive, less harmful alternative pain therapy such one delivered through as VR.

The economic cost of the opioid crisis in the USA in 2015 was estimated at US$504 billion, equivalent to 2.8% of GDP of the country. For such countries, there is a high demand for non-addictive, less harmful alternative pain therapy such as one delivered through VR.

Virtual visualization can reduce the cost of training

VR-based medical training through immersive visualizations is proven to be more effective than conventional teaching methods. In 2015, Miami Children’s Health System claimed that the medical professionals could retain as much as 80% of the information from a VR training session, compared to 20% retention level with traditional teaching methods.

VR can also help to significantly reduce medical training costs. For instance, elderly care facilities in the USA spend on average US$3,000 per employee to teach tracheal insertion through traditional methods; however, Next Galaxy, a US-based company, developed a VR software that will bring down the cost of training per employee to US$40. This VR software uses leap motion force feedback technology which enables the medical professionals to sense when the procedure is going wrong. As a result, this tool can create a realistic scenario, and medical professionals can have nearly hands-on experience of performing the procedure in a safe and controlled training environment, without risking the life of a patient, thus saving costs incurred in potential litigations.

EOS Perspective

AR and VR are among the next-generation technologies with the potential to transform healthcare. There is a consensus amongst analysts that a healthy growth of the global AR and VR in healthcare market can be expected over the coming years. For instance, a research company MarketsandMarkets estimated the market size at US$769.2 million in 2017, with forecast growth at a CAGR of 36.6% to reach US$4,997.9 million by 2023. Similarly, another research firm, Key Market Insights, expects the market to reach to US$5.6 billion by 2022. Several clinical studies indicate that innovative techniques powered by AR and VR are more efficient and effective over conventional methods, thus spurring the interest of private companies and in turn, expanding the market space.

Though AR and VR technologies offer significant opportunities for cost savings, the cost of investment in such new and emerging technologies is also an essential point of consideration.

There is high uptake of VR applications that are compatible with consumer-grade VR headsets such as Google Cardboard, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, etc. These devices have already reached mainstream use. Moreover, as the technology matures, the competition is increasing, further driving down the price of the devices; for instance, in 2017, Oculus Rift (headset with motion sensor controller) was priced at US$399, half of its launch price in 2016. Increasing use of more affordable consumer-grade VR devices for healthcare applications will further bring down the cost of investment, thereby driving adoption of the VR technology in the sector.

Increasing use of more affordable consumer-grade VR devices for healthcare applications will further bring down the cost of investment, thereby driving adoption of the VR technology in the sector.

While AR headsets and smart glasses such as Microsoft HoloLens and Google Glass are still in trial version, some of the AR applications can be experienced on any smartphone/tablet without the need of headset or controllers, thus making it more accessible and affordable; for instance, EyeDecide, developed by OrcaMD, is an AR-based mobile app that simulates patient’s vision to demonstrate their actual medical condition. Such applications, which are priced as low as US$1.99 to US$4.99, can be widely used to enhance patient experience.

Healthcare organizations could leverage AR and VR technology to improve efficiency and quality of service and enhance patient care while cutting costs. Moreover, as these technologies are reaching mainstream, the cost of investment is expected to go down. Thus, AR and VR technologies are proving to deliver more value while reducing overall costs.

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