Advanced technologies are rapidly transforming the healthcare landscape. And, its proof is the increasing infiltration of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in the medical domain.
Earlier, these technologies were only limited to the gaming industry but now they’re proving to be the deciding factors in providing insightful consultation, diagnosis, and healing to the patients. Let’s explore the entire way in which you can launch your own medical VR solution successfully.
What is the contemporary state of AR & VR in the medical landscape?
As per an exclusive report published by Research and Markets the AR and VR in the healthcare market is expected to reach $ 4,997.9 million by 2023. Also, Goldman Sachs Global Investment research has proved that the application of AR and VR in healthcare will occupy the second place in regard to market size in 2025.
But the real concern is that these technologies aren’t adopted widely in the healthcare domain despite such tremendous growth plans. Google (US), Psious (Spain), Oculus VR (US), Medical Realities (UK), Microsoft (US), and Mindmaze (Switzerland) are some key players in the market for AR and VR in the clinical sector.
But in spite of such a powerful backing what’s stopping these technologies to be in the mainstream in the healthcare industry. Let’s look at the three major hurdles for the same:
1. Need for investing in installing quite costly hardware
AR and VR technologies require specific hardware in order to function seamlessly. And, installing the hardware can burn a big hole in your pocket. Majority of medical organizations avoid these technologies as the products have become relatively cheaper but they’re still struggling to combat several limitations.
For example, take a look at the two most popular mobile headsets Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR. Both of these tools provide users with mobility but fail in creating an immersive experience. And, when efforts made towards making devices capable of offering immersive experience then they didn’t pass the mobility test.
This is an awakening call for the hardware producers of AR and VR to make it much more affordable, handy, and light in weight which can be easily installed and implemented in the medical sector.
2. Special training is a key prerequisite
Most of the patients and hospital staff have either no or very little knowledge of using AR and VR devices efficiently. This brings along the need for providing these people with special training to use such devices and solutions. Also, AR and VR development companies should try to make it a mainstream technology in the healthcare domain and pay attention to building intuitive, user-friendly AR and VR apps that are easy to use.
3. Struggle to create quality AR & VR apps with killer content
The patient outcomes are directly dependent on the quality of the content solutions offer. This is a major roadblock in mass adoption of technologies such as AR and VR in the medical sector. This is why there is a huge demand for creating quality AR and VR apps with compelling content that can function seamlessly on multiple platforms.
In order to achieve the same, healthcare app developers need to work in harmony with a team consisting of VR programmers, experienced designers, and skilled 3D artists. This will allow them to craft killer content that can exploit the untapped potential of AR and VR technologies and use them to build exclusive clinical solutions.
What are the essential steps needed to be taken for successfully launching your own medical VR solution?
It’s obvious that the medical professionals deal with advanced tools and technologies on a regular basis. Also, they are keen to exploit these technologies to improve patient outcomes and streamline the entire process of providing care.
In such a scenario, caregivers or other professionals associated with the medical sector might come up with an innovative idea to build a unique AR or VR product. Probably, one of these solutions might be blessed with the capacity to transform the entire clinical industry and care delivery process.
But the real challenge is to move ahead and take all the steps needed to launch such product successfully. In order to rescue such professionals, let’s take a look at the major steps they must follow to successfully launch their own AR or VR medical product.
I. Outsource the project to a professional development partner
Handling AR and VR requires extensive experience and professional attitude. This is why you cannot afford to hand over your project to an amateur. Finding and hiring an efficient and expert developer is the best approach to solve this problem.
This can be a bit expensive but then you must have heard of the famous statement made by an eminent American entrepreneur Walt Disney, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
But if we look at it in a pragmatic way then also you can achieve it with a bit of hard work invested in arranging some funds and picking the right team to work on your unique idea. The task of gathering a professional VR development team is a daunting one. Let’s make it easy by providing you with a few tips on hiring the best software development company having key professionals required for accomplishing the project successfully.
a. An exceptional 3D artist who is an expert in developing all the essential AR or VR elements such as animations, graphics, effects, etc.
b. A professional AR or VR engineer with a wealth of experience mentioned in their resume in creating amazing products related to the concerned domain.
c. An enthusiastic VR designer for designing the user flow and work efficiently on the idea behind the VR experience.
d. An experienced concept artist for developing the illustrations in order to convey the idea of the VR product such as characters, environment, etc.
e. An impeccable Quality Assurance professional who can test everything right from the software and hardware to device compatibility and platform integration.
II. Cherry-pick the most appropriate tool for building a clinical VR product
In addition to gathering an expert team, it’s equally important to choose the technology wisely. You should evaluate each and every technology on parameters like compatibility, price, etc. For instance, Unity is a VR engine which is completely free to use and download for its primary version. But the pro version of the same costs $1,500.
This can be easily concluded that AR and VR are the two technologies that have the potential to transform the healthcare sector completely. These modern tools can be used to build advanced solutions and apps that can perk up the traditional methods of diagnosis and treatment as well as take healthcare outside clinical settings in order to cater to the patients in a much better way.