It appears that innovative digital healthcare solution providers are taking note of the recently released Apple Vision Pro.  

Just hot off the heels of numerous healthcare-related Vision Pro stories, Veyond Metaverse is now debuting its solutions onto the emerging headset. Veyond Metaverse provides medical professionals with AI-ready XR learning and remote collaboration technologies.  

On the Apple Vision Pro, Veyond Metaverse is debuting the XR 5D Digital Surgery and Veyond Connect platforms in an effort to democratise engaging digital surgery solutions – therefore “transforming” anatomy education and “pioneering” remote assisted surgery situations, the firm remarked.

Leading digital surgery expert Dr. Raymond Thein added:

"Our recent endeavors, notably the world’s first 5D digital surgery, underscore the transformative impact of XR technology on healthcare. Veyond Metaverse, with the Apple Vision Pro, is setting unprecedented benchmarks in medical training and practice"

Veyond Metaverse is building its platform and optimising its service’s usability via updates and research to transform the service and refine surgical skills.

“We are at the cusp of a new era in medical education,” said Adam Choe, Veyond Metaverse’s Co-founder & CEO, who also added that the Veyond Metaverse anatomy platform “will become the gold standard, fostering unprecedented levels of engagement and understanding.”

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Solving Problems with XR

According to Veyond Metaverse, the firm’s platform addresses significant challenges such as cadaver shortages and limited operating room availability.

The platform’s immersive digital experiences enable new and experienced healthcare professionals to initiate repeatable immersive training scenarios on cadavers – powered by a “comprehensive library” of XR educational materials.

The firm states that a critical shortage of cadavers has been impacting medical education worldwide – more so since the pandemic, which has made the problem worse.  

Through the XR 5D Digital Surgery solution, learners can access archived dissections, ensuring continuous, comprehensive training via the scalable training product that meets a growing global demand for cadaver training.

Moreover, the integrated Veyond Connect enables real-time collaboration and support in global surgical procedures through a system that enables remote-assisted surgeries.

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Will the Vision Pro become a Healthcare Tool?

The Apple Vision Pro is becoming a hotbed for healthcare solutions; this should be no surprise. Healthcare, along with markets such as aviation and industrial sectors, is a longstanding champion of workplace XR.

Devices like the Hololens 2 were adopted in healthcare sectors for training. However, with the recent Apple Vision Pro debut, healthcare providers are taking note of and are interested in the product as a tool to follow up on Hololens’ industry success.

Osso VR has recently launched its Healthcare XR training service for the Apple Vision Pro. The new application utilizes the spatial computing platform to create detailed and clinically accurate training workflows of standard medical procedures.

The firm’s newly launched “Osso Health” service leverages Vision Pro to expand the audience reach of its immersive learning product via the Apple user base. The Vision Pro service also allows medical learners to interact with Osso VR’s immersive learning procedures with the device’s integrated hand-tracking, eye-tracking, and voice control.

According to spatial computing healthcare firm eXeX, two surgeons used the Vision Pro at Cromwell’s private hospital as a surgical logistics and organizational tool in March.

The Vision Pro is currently available in the US, but Apple has yet to reveal when it will be launched in other regions. Consultant Orthopaedic Spinal Surgeon Mr Syed Aftab said, “Working with eXeX to use the Apple Vision Pro has made a huge difference to how we deliver care to our patients. It’s a real privilege to be the first team in the UK and Europe to use this software within surgery, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this technology advances and the impact it can have across hospitals in the UK.”

Apple is promoting its Vision Pro product as an excellent opportunity for businesses to reimagine what’s possible at work. Although the device is still in its early days, Apple is placing the Vision Pro in notable workplace situations to showcase the value of spatial data for businesses.

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The Metaverse will Transform Healthcare

The Metaverse is seemingly under a rebrand, moving away from shared virtual environments and, more specifically, describing XR technologies that promoted interconnected collaboration, such as digital twins.

However, the value of the Metaverse is clear in healthcare. Last year, HTC VIVE and the World Economic Forum discussed the emerging presence of XR and the Metaverse in the healthcare sector.

According to the pairs report, doctors use XR in healthcare institutions to help with high-stakes decision-making, “it’s not just about gaming entertainment; it’s something that can be done exponentially better using this immersive interface in artificial intelligence tools,” noted Pearly Chen, the Head of Business Development & Content Partnerships at VIVEPORT, HTC VIVE.

Chen explained that even today, many healthcare professionals rely on 2D resources for decision-making, meaning doctors must mentally construct a three-dimensional image before performing a critical surgery.

XR can help doctors with internal 3D visualization and communication with patients. By exploring real-time 3D visualization of medical images, doctors can improve communication and collaboration with their peers and patients.

XR and Metaverse immersive solutions have the potential to significantly enhance the patient experience, in addition to their benefits in healthcare workplace decision-making. Chen highlighted that immersive solutions could ease patients into stressful surgeries or operations, making the patient experience less intimidating.

When healthcare professionals use XR as a communication tool, doctors and patients can gain a visceral understanding of an upcoming procedure while improving the doctor’s efficiency. Chen explained that when a doctor and patient are both immersed in an RT3D visualisation of anatomy, such as immersive MRI or CT scan models, they can jointly comprehend fundamental aspects of one’s health.

XR employees always find the healthcare sector worth observing. The sector innovations will allow testing and experimenting, which could lead to new, exciting XR use cases in broader areas.

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