[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":292},["ShallowReactive",2],{"slug-virtual-reality-used-clinical-practice":3},{"post":4,"relatedPosts":170,"relatedBooks":291},{"id":5,"date":6,"date_gmt":7,"guid":8,"modified":10,"modified_gmt":11,"slug":12,"status":13,"type":14,"link":15,"title":16,"content":18,"excerpt":21,"author":23,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":29,"categories":30,"tags":32,"project_category":42,"contact_email_category":43,"yst_prominent_words":44,"class_list":52,"better_featured_image":69,"acf":106,"yoast_meta":115,"_links":117},15503,"2017-04-20T17:00:36","2017-04-20T15:00:36",{"rendered":9},"http:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?p=15503","2022-05-03T16:27:10","2022-05-03T14:27:10","virtual-reality-used-clinical-practice","publish","post","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fvirtual-reality-used-clinical-practice",{"rendered":17},"Virtual Reality Is Used in Clinical Practice",{"rendered":19,"protected":20},"\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2017. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Dr. Brennan M. Spiegel and his research team at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have been experimenting with virtual reality (VR) for years. I had a fruitful and very exciting correspondence with him about moments of immersion, virtual pharmacies or how to travel to Iceland without leaving your hospital bed. Read on!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003C!--more-->\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>VR is an \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F5-ways-medical-vr-is-changing-healthcare\u002F\">\u003Cstrong>area of endless possibilities\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>VR has not just moved the imagination of science-fiction fans, but also clinical researchers and real life medical practitioners. As a doctor, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.medicalrealities.com\u002F\">you could assist in the OR\u003C\u002Fa> without ever lifting a scalpel. If you are a medical student, you could \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.edtechmagazine.com\u002Fhigher\u002Farticle\u002F2016\u002F08\u002Fthree-ways-med-students-can-use-virtual-reality\">study the human body more closely\u003C\u002Fa> and prepare better for real life surgeries. As a patient with mental health problems, you could \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.psychologytoday.com\u002Fblog\u002Fknow-your-mind\u002F201605\u002Fhow-virtual-reality-could-transform-mental-health-treatment\">fight your possible fear of heights, schizophrenia or paranoia\u003C\u002Fa> more successfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And perhaps the most successful application of VR so far is its utilization for stress release and pain reduction for patients suffering from chronic pain. For example, enthusiastic university students \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.the-peak.ca\u002F2016\u002F05\u002Fsfu-students-design-virtual-reality-game-for-cancer-patients\u002F\">developed a VR game called Farmoo\u003C\u002Fa>. As its main creator, Henry Lo says “it is intended to help teen cancer patients get distracted during chemotherapy treatments so that they can focus more on the activities inside the game, rather than the treatment itself”. Researchers at the University of Washington showed in an experiment that a 40-year-old patient with 19% of his body covered in burns benefited greatly from the combination of hydrotherapy and VR usage. They even developed a Pixar-like app with a relaxing snow scene together with Firsthand Technology to help alleviate pain felt during wound care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"579\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fvirtual-reality-in-healthcare.jpg\" alt=\"Virtual Reality in Healthcare\" class=\"wp-image-15504\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fvirtual-reality-in-healthcare.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fvirtual-reality-in-healthcare-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fvirtual-reality-in-healthcare-512x341.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fvirtual-reality-in-healthcare-376x250.jpg 376w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Brennan Spiegel and his research team\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>There are many examples already, but perhaps the most well-known is the research team at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles led by Brennan M. Spiegel, MD as the director of Health Services Research. The multidisciplinary team has a wide palette of research interest, including wearable biosensors (both developing and testing), mHealth apps, electronic health records (EHRs), patient-provider portals, and social media analytics, among other platforms. For example, they developed a biosensor that adheres to the abdominal wall, monitors digestion sounds via computer, and displays the results on an app. The device called \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fgi-logic.com\u002Fproducts\u002Fabstats\u002F\">AbStats\u003C\u002Fa> was approved by the FDA. It can be used in hospital settings to determine when to start feeding patients after an operation by using a “feeding stoplight” with three colors – red for “no feeding,” yellow for “start liquids,” and green for “start solids.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>They are also working on how to mine data out of EHRs to provide feedback and evidence-based decision support for medical professionals. The team received a $2 million \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pcori.org\u002Fresearch-results\u002F2016\u002Fintegrating-patient-voice-comparative-effectiveness-trial-communication\">grant\u003C\u002Fa> from the Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute (PCORI) to use clinical decision support (CDS) with “\u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.choosingwisely.org\u002F\">Choosing Wisely\u003C\u002Fa>” alerts to reduce inappropriate opioid over-prescribing in primary care guidelines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>However, VR embodies the most important line in their research area. They have already treated more than 300 patients with VR therapy in a pilot project. The team accumulated the first experiences with the technology, and they are aiming to conquer new horizons as well. Spiegel mentioned that they are working on an innovative VR solution for high blood pressure management.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fpatient-with-virtual-reality-goggles.jpg\" alt=\"Patient with Virtual Reality Goggles\" class=\"wp-image-15505\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fpatient-with-virtual-reality-goggles.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fpatient-with-virtual-reality-goggles-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fpatient-with-virtual-reality-goggles-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fpatient-with-virtual-reality-goggles-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fpatient-with-virtual-reality-goggles-444x250.jpg 444w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>How does VR work in reality?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The research team carried out the project at Cedars-Sinai with inpatients admitted between Aug. 5, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2015. The patients could experience VR worlds for up to 20 minutes through wearing a Samsung Gear headset. They could choose to travel to Iceland, participate in the work of an art studio or swim with whales in the ocean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Spiegel told me that their experience showed that when VR works, it really works. But not everyone is willing yet to try it out, particularly older patients. In their first study, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmental.jmir.org\u002F2016\u002F2\u002Fe28\u002F\">published in JMIR Mental Health\u003C\u002Fa>, they found that the average age of patients willing to try VR was 49.7 years old, whereas those unwilling to try it were 60.2 years old on average. This is consistent with the known “digital divide” between generations with regard to comfort and familiarity with using digital technologies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Virtual Reality | Cedars-Sinai\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FzpcNhnU-Aaw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Moments of cognitive and physiologic immersion\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The team found that there are two distinct moments indicating VR is working. Spiegel calls them “the moment of cognitive immersion” and “the moment of physiologic immersion”. The first refers to the first 20 seconds of using VR, when patients realize alone or with the help of the research staff that VR has a 360-degree extension and only if they move their head, are they able to explore the scene in its entirety. Spiegel mentioned that \u003Cem>the moment they begin to move, invariably, there is a recognition that VR is different from anything experienced before\u003C\u002Fem>. \u003Cem>The patient almost always smiles, laughs, or says something like “that’s amazing!\u003C\u002Fem>”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“The moment of physiologic immersion” comes after 3-5 minutes of using VR, after patients cognitively recognize that they are in a 3-D environment. After this realization happens in the brain, the next step is when the body also adjusts to the experience. “\u003Cem>This is most evident when we use relaxing environments, such as a nature tour or a mindful meditation experience. We can actually see that very moment when the patient takes his or her first, deep, purposeful breath”, \u003C\u002Fem>explained Spiegel. \u003Cem>This involuntary physiologic cascade does not always occur, but when it does, we know VR is having its impact. We can see it without question. It’s a beautiful thing, \u003C\u002Fem>he added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Why Virtual Reality Could Help Treat Alzheimer's and Chronic Pain\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FxAhuVEQRJs8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>What are the first results concerning pain reduction?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Spiegel and his research team \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fmental.jmir.org\u002F2017\u002F1\u002Fe9\u002F\">concluded another experiment, whose results were published in 2017\u003C\u002Fa>. They \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.painnewsnetwork.org\u002Fstories\u002F2017\u002F3\u002F30\u002Fvirtual-reality-relieves-pain-in-hospitalized-patients\">enrolled 100 patients\u003C\u002Fa> suffering from gastrointestinal, cardiac, neurological and post-surgical pain. Fifty patients watched a 15-minute nature video with beautiful mountains and running streams, accompanied by calming music. The other 50 patients wore VR goggles to watch a 15-minute animated game called Pain RelieVR, which was specifically designed to treat patients who have to stay in bed or have limited mobility. The experiment showed that among 100 patients who watched the nature video, there was a \u003Cstrong>13 percent drop in their pain scores\u003C\u002Fstrong>, while patients who watched the virtual reality game had a \u003Cstrong>24 percent decline in their pain levels\u003C\u002Fstrong>. That’s a very promising result!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The research team concluded that the use of VR in hospitalized patients significantly reduces pain versus a control distraction condition. However, further trials and experiments are necessary for confirming the results. Spiegel added that they are currently performing an even larger, randomized, controlled trial with a minimum of 120 patients for measuring longitudinal outcomes and plan to have more results in the next 6-8 months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>During this study, the research team not only examines the impact of VR on patients more profoundly but also the effect of the method on resource utilization, including the use of pain medications and length of stay in the hospital. Since it is assumed that VR has the potential to reduce the cost of medication as well as the days spent in a medical facility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fvr-pain-relief.jpg\" alt=\"Virtual Reality Pain Relief\" class=\"wp-image-15507\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fvr-pain-relief.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fvr-pain-relief-768x463.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fvr-pain-relief-512x309.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fvr-pain-relief-414x250.jpg 414w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>VR and its side effects?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I was wondering whether there is any truth to the fear, which appears in a lot of sci-fi movies and books, namely that VR is so addictive that its users no longer want to live in their real environment, but rather in a virtual one. The dilemma of living on\u002Foffline and its possible, utopian consequences is shown brutally for example in the sci-fi short, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=UXX0TRtg5Vk\">Uncanny Valley\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>So I asked Spiegel, whether they experienced any sign of addiction during their clinical practice. He said that compared to something like opioids, which have caused a worldwide dependency epidemic of catastrophic proportions, a non-pharmacological pain remedy like VR is highly desirable and not meaningfully addictive in the same manner. He emphasized that the team has not seen patients becoming addicted to VR – far from it. The expert added that they electronically track exactly how much VR exposure each of their patients experiences as part of the study, and the average per day is around 10-15 minutes of usage. The maximum they have recorded to date is 134 minutes in a day. Spiegel added that they are just not seeing abuse of VR so far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Is VR for everyone?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, there is also a concern about whether VR is for everyone or are there any conditions when it is not recommended. Spiegel mentioned that for their studies, they excluded patients who could not consent (for example individuals with dementia), who were placed in contact isolation, or who had head wounds or bandages that interfere with the VR headset.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The researcher reminded that VR may cause motion sickness in some users. So they excluded patients with a history of motion sickness and vertigo, and anyone experiencing active nausea or vomiting. Patients with a history of seizures or epilepsy were also excluded to limit the theoretical risk of inducing seizures with VR (Samsung Gear user manual cites a 0.025% risk from pediatric data). However, Spiegel also emphasized that they are much stricter during their experiment to maintain the appropriate statistical crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fcp31nd_ueaadu5l.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15515\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fcp31nd_ueaadu5l.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fcp31nd_ueaadu5l-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fcp31nd_ueaadu5l-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fcp31nd_ueaadu5l-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fcp31nd_ueaadu5l-444x250.jpg 444w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>How long do we have to wait until VR pharmacies appear in hospitals?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Spiegel believes it is fascinating how exponentially interest has grown among their colleagues at Cedars-Sinai. Their lab routinely receives calls and emails from clinicians asking us to use VR in their patients. The main limitation has been time and equipment availability. Clinicians understand the potential value of VR and are interested in trying it with their patients. \u003Cem>Time and evidence will tell if this excitement should be sustained.\u003C\u002Fem> We think it will, he added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The researcher said that they have to shift their focus towards the visualizations themselves, as VR is just the platform. Patients have different tastes: some like to relax on a beach, others prefer to play games, some are annoyed by real-life footage, some by dynamic environments. According to Spiegel, the solution might be a so-called “VR Pharmacy” of \u003Cem>evidence-based, well-characterized visualizations that clinicians can pull off the shelf and “prescribe” to individual patients\u003C\u002Fem>. It would also help to have a formal way to match patient knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and preferences with specific off-the-shelf visualizations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>He believes a new type of provider, “\u003Cstrong>The Virtualist\u003C\u002Fstrong>” will be born out of these needs. The Virtualist will be trained in clinical medicine, bio-psycho-social illness models, and VR technology (also augmented reality [AR] and, in the future, mixed reality [MR]), and will evaluate patients to determine the correct VR prescription. This may become a medical specialty one day. Spiegel added that they are testing a “Virtualist Consult Service” that other doctors can call to help with pain, anxiety, and inpatient distress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Digital health has to make a difference\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Spiegel stressed that digital devices, such as VR have to have the overall goal to improve clinical outcomes that matter. If it will not happen, they will remain in the entertainment category. Digital interventions should pass the “so what” test. How will the results be employed in the clinic? Can we act on the results? How do patients react to the innovation? These are the most relevant questions also in relation to VR and its application.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I truly hope developers will find the right answers; and in the 2020s, we will be able to immerse in VR worlds anywhere while being stuck in a hospital bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n",false,{"rendered":22,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Dr. Brennan M. Spiegel and his research team at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have been experimenting with virtual reality (VR) for years. I had a fruitful and very exciting correspondence with him about moments of immersion, virtual pharmacies or how to travel to Iceland without leaving your hospital bed. Read on!\u003C\u002Fp>\n",6,15513,"closed",true,"","standard",{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[31],514,[33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41],246,275,289,313,425,445,450,517,174,[],[],[45,46,47,48,49,50,51],1853,1857,1883,3571,3585,1631,1723,[53,14,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68],"post-15503","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-virtual-reality","tag-future","tag-healthcare","tag-innovation","tag-medicine","tag-technology-2","tag-virtual-reality","tag-vr","tag-gc1","tag-clinical-practice",{"id":24,"alt_text":27,"caption":27,"description":27,"media_type":70,"media_details":71,"post":5,"source_url":105},"image",{"width":72,"height":73,"file":74,"sizes":75,"image_meta":102},870,489,"2017\u002F04\u002Fmaxresdefault-1.jpg",{"medium":76,"large":82,"thumbnail":87,"medium_large":91,"large_old_512x288":92,"medium_old_444x250":97},{"file":77,"width":78,"height":79,"mime-type":80,"source_url":81},"maxresdefault-1-370x208.jpg",370,208,"image\u002Fjpeg","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fmaxresdefault-1-370x208.jpg",{"file":83,"width":84,"height":85,"mime-type":80,"source_url":86},"maxresdefault-1-768x432.jpg",768,432,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fmaxresdefault-1-768x432.jpg",{"file":88,"width":89,"height":89,"mime-type":80,"source_url":90},"maxresdefault-1-150x150.jpg",150,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fmaxresdefault-1-150x150.jpg",{"file":83,"width":84,"height":85,"mime-type":80,"source_url":86},{"file":93,"width":94,"height":95,"mime-type":80,"source_url":96},"maxresdefault-1-512x288.jpg",512,288,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fmaxresdefault-1-512x288.jpg",{"file":98,"width":99,"height":100,"mime-type":80,"source_url":101},"maxresdefault-1-444x250.jpg",444,250,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fmaxresdefault-1-444x250.jpg",{"aperture":103,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":103,"copyright":27,"focal_length":103,"iso":103,"shutter_speed":103,"title":27,"orientation":103,"keywords":104},"0",[],"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fmaxresdefault-1.jpg",{"related_posts":107,"related_posts_footer":111,"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":20},[108,109,110],15375,17731,17741,[112,113,114],17232,16355,23336,{"yoast_wpseo_title":116,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":27,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":15},"Virtual Reality Is Used in Clinical Practice - The Medical Futurist",{"self":118,"collection":124,"about":127,"author":130,"replies":133,"version-history":136,"predecessor-version":140,"wp:featuredmedia":144,"wp:attachment":147,"wp:term":150,"curies":166},[119],{"href":120,"targetHints":121},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F15503",{"allow":122},[123],"GET",[125],{"href":126},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts",[128],{"href":129},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftypes\u002Fpost",[131],{"embeddable":26,"href":132},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F6",[134],{"embeddable":26,"href":135},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=15503",[137],{"count":138,"href":139},29,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F15503\u002Frevisions",[141],{"id":142,"href":143},43781,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F15503\u002Frevisions\u002F43781",[145],{"embeddable":26,"href":146},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F15513",[148],{"href":149},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=15503",[151,154,157,160,163],{"taxonomy":152,"embeddable":26,"href":153},"category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=15503",{"taxonomy":155,"embeddable":26,"href":156},"post_tag","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=15503",{"taxonomy":158,"embeddable":26,"href":159},"project_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=15503",{"taxonomy":161,"embeddable":26,"href":162},"contact_email_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=15503",{"taxonomy":164,"embeddable":26,"href":165},"yst_prominent_words","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=15503",[167],{"name":168,"href":169,"templated":26},"wp","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.w.org\u002F{rel}",[171],{"id":114,"date":172,"date_gmt":173,"guid":174,"modified":176,"modified_gmt":177,"slug":178,"status":13,"type":14,"link":179,"title":180,"content":182,"excerpt":184,"author":23,"featured_media":186,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":187,"categories":188,"tags":190,"project_category":198,"contact_email_category":199,"yst_prominent_words":200,"class_list":204,"better_featured_image":215,"acf":245,"yoast_meta":246,"_links":249},"2019-03-16T14:00:12","2019-03-16T12:00:12",{"rendered":175},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?post_id=23336&_wpnonce=fcee8c73f8&status=auto-draft&type=post","2023-02-10T10:42:11","2023-02-10T09:42:11","robert-scoble-great-thinkers","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Frobert-scoble-great-thinkers",{"rendered":181},"Doctors Wearing VR Headsets Might Soon Set Up Diagnoses Sitting In Cafés",{"rendered":183,"protected":20},"\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2019. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd> \u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\n\n\u003Cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"#hardware\">The evolution of VR hardware and software\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli> \u003Ca href=\"#best\">What’s the best VR will do \u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli> \u003Ca href=\"#vr\">VR, AR, MR or spatial computing?\u003C\u002Fa> \u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli> \u003Ca href=\"#immersive\">The potential of interactive immersive reality\u003C\u002Fa> \u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli> \u003Ca href=\"#challenge\">Challenges and obstacles in adoption\u003C\u002Fa> \u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli> \u003Ca href=\"#life\">How will immersive reality transform everyday life?\u003C\u002Fa> \u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli> \u003Ca href=\"#sci\">What was the last time you met sci-fi?\u003C\u002Fa> \u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli> \u003Ca href=\"#dark\">The dark side of technology\u003C\u002Fa> \u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Imagine that a doctor sits down in Starbucks, places some glasses on his head, instantly invokes five screens and starts doing his diagnostic work. Robert Scoble, virtual reality expert, and tech evangelist believes that will be possible in the coming years – sooner than we might think. He told us why his wife can’t stand immersive environments, when the first VR hardware and software with real customer experience would come out and when we would all know that a new world has come. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>The first issue we face when we talk to researchers and clinicians working actively on bringing VR to clinical settings is that patients and their physicians find it hard to work with VR hardware and software. They get dizzy after using these rather sturdy devices. They saw that if they just give the goggles to patients, nothing changes. \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Ca id=\"hardware\">\u003C\u002Fa>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>But if they become coaches, then it even improves the collaboration they have; and then it leads to reducing pain, anxiety, phobias, PTSD and many other psychological disorders. So, how do you see the evolution in VR hardware and software? What is the best we can expect to see that these will achieve?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I think \u003Cg class=\"gr_ gr_11 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep\" id=\"11\" data-gr-id=\"11\">change\u003C\u002Fg> will start coming very quickly. Oh, God. I spent the last year thinking about how the next 5 years will look. I met companies like Magic Leap, people working at Microsoft Hololens and Facebook, I’m talking a lot to developers. I track over 4000 people on Twitter, and I see where investors are moving money. I already hear about \u003Cg class=\"gr_ gr_12 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-del replaceWithoutSep\" id=\"12\" data-gr-id=\"12\">the next\u003C\u002Fg> Hololens. Facebook set their internal date at 2020 for their goggles, they spend a lot of money building a new operating system, a new brand, developing Oculus, building relationships with developers and making quiet purchases of small companies. That’s good insight for starters, but that’s only 2-3 years ahead. That’s when I think a fascinating device will show up that fixes a lot of problems that you’re talking about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I know them, too. I have a Hololens, and I can’t use it for very long for a couple of reasons: too heavy, too expensive for a consumer – but for a doctor, 3000 dollars might be okay -, the optics just aren’t good enough, even in VR if I virtualize a screen, and I start reading Twitter, inside VR or inside Hololens, I just can’t understand it, it’s not sharp enough. \u003Cstrong>According to developers, it’s probably 2-3 years away before the optics get sharp enough to do that. Those are real constraints, so I don’t think we’re going to see an actual consumer device until 2020 or possibly later, 2022. Although that doesn’t mean you can’t start playing today – you can still start your business today, it just means that you have to put up with the problems of the Hololens or cutting down your dream to just using smart glasses\u003C\u002Fstrong>. For example, glasses from a company called \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bynorth.com\u002F\">North\u003C\u002Fa>, which used to be called Thalmic in Canada, look classy. The enterprise, which received 140-million-dollar funding, developed just a pair of really light-weight glasses with a smart screen on one eye. It’s like a Google Glass done right. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>That’s a stepping stone, but that doesn’t mean VR is not exciting. We see devices like the OculusQuest – a 400-dollar self-contained, six-degree-of-freedom device. That means you can move around and play football with someone, throw a snowball, walk around a 3D image or a screen. That means you can put a patient into VR without being a nerd, without having to be tethered to a machine and without spending too much. The average doctor could afford two of them, so you can look at an MRI scanner or help a patient manage pain. The University of Washington is doing pain research with VR, and they found that putting a burn victim into a snowfield game where they are throwing snowballs at him is more effective at some kinds of pain than morphine is. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Another potential use would be the treatment of PTSD or training surgeons for new types of surgeries. You will probably not care about having the most polygons, you’re not building a high-flow video game, you’re just trying to walk through the heart. That’s going to be very possible in VR. On the other hand, already the 200-dollar devices let you see a 360-degree-video, and that actually might have some impact on getting kids over the pain of shots or just taking away the dismal nature of a hospital. As a patient, if you’re lying in a hospital bed with goggles on and feel like you are in Yosemite rather than in a hospital room, it helps you deal with the depression of being stuck in bed for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I believe \u003Cstrong>this year is really a year for joining this new industry, starting to play with it and understanding how to use it. Then, the next two years will be a time of innovation and people building things for the medical industry and later, when the right glasses come you’ll be ready for it.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Does that make sense?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Virtual Reality | Cedars-Sinai\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FzpcNhnU-Aaw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ca id=\"best\">\u003C\u002Fa>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Absolutely. If you don’t mind me poking you about your\nfuturistic visions – what would be your highest expectations about the size of\nthese devices and the experience they can provide? What’s at the end of the\ntunnel?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>What year do you mean? In 2019, we’re going to be with devices like \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.magicleap.com\">Magic Leap\u003C\u002Fa>. That’s fairly wearable, but a little dorky, it’s not for everything, has its limitations of viewing angle, you can’t get a virtual item really close to you as it cannot render it, the optics aren’t there yet. However, it’s fascinating on a whole other level. It really shows you this new paradigm that is coming at us, and it helps you dream a little bit about how healthcare would be done in 2022 or 2025. It lets you innovate and change the culture slowly, start evangelizing it internally and showing people “hey, here’s something small you can do today with this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I mean, my dream is a pair of glasses that feel like the ones I’m currently wearing: fairly light-weight, not nerdy, have a trustworthy brand and give me a view onto the real world that I don’t have today. Let me play Pokemon Go, work on structures in 3D no matter whether I’m a car designer wanting to see my car on the floor, or a doctor wishing to look up patient data. The data remains very private – nobody can see what’s on my glasses. I can visualize data coming out of the new machine whether it be an MRI image or a pre-visualization of a surgery. And that world is happening, it’s just a little out there. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ca id=\"vr\">\u003C\u002Fa>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>You’ve mentioned different\nVR, AR and MR devices and you call them immersive reality or XR.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It’s a spectrum of devices. Even with VR, there are two or three degrees of freedom, which means you can look around, but you can’t really move. But all the games require you to move, so for that, you need six degrees of freedom. Now, your cost just went from 200 to 400 dollars. Those are coming next spring from HTC and Oculus. I’m really keen on the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.oculus.com\u002Fquest\u002F\">Oculus Quest\u003C\u002Fa>. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, some people call it spatial computing. I like that term, too, but it’s so confusing. People are just starting to hear about VR, but there’s already AR, MR, XR out there. I call it immersive because it puts you into the computer. What we’re really willing is a better relationship between you and the computer. I remember when I started out with a computer to copy a file. I had to type a command into DOS, and then the Macintosh brought the practice that you could click on a file and drag it from one folder to another. In VR and AR, you just grab it and move it, like in the real world, and the same thing with AR so it puts you into a computing environment with all surfaces around you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FVR-versus-AR-512x288.png\" alt=\"VR\" class=\"wp-image-23337\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FVR-versus-AR-512x288.png 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FVR-versus-AR-370x208.png 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FVR-versus-AR-768x432.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FVR-versus-AR-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FVR-versus-AR.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>That’s very interesting how\nyou put it because many studies draw a hard line between VR and AR, AR and MR,\nbecause of how they interact with the environment, how much the users can see,\nso you’re actually saying that this will become one big group of spatial\ncomputing or immersive reality devices.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I could see 10 years from now, we’re going to have a pair of glasses\nthat turns black and does VR, AR or XR, whatever you call it. People are\nsensing that that’s where we’re going, so how all these definitions for sensing\ndevices make sense – there’s certainly a difference between a Hololens and an\nOculus Quest. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>But you’re going to see some of the features of the Hololens on Oculus Quest. You can see some of the features of the Oculus Quest on the Hololens, too, so it’s hard to make a real definition other than with the Hololens you see the real world, and with the Oculus Quest, you’re in a black box not being able to see your environment\u003C\u002Fstrong>. However, there’s a camera on it so you might see the real world through that. Also, you can do AR with an Oculus Quest, meaning overlaying information on the real world. How else would you see people playing virtual tennis? That’s why it’s so hard to have strict definitions. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I put them all together because as a group they’re playing in the same league: every single one of them is placing you in the middle of the computer. And I almost wish we called it ubiquitous computing or something like that. But I guess the name keeps also shifting because the marketing teams come up with a new name for their device every time a new one comes out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ca id=\"immersive\">\u003C\u002Fa>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Marketing guys can come up with amazing videos, I saw one about dissecting a human body through Hololens in MR. I use that app myself because that was a technological sublime feeling. And I saw another video on Virtuality about Hololens showing how a future medical visit at home would take place. They show a patient in a Hololens and a doctor sitting in front of him. \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>The physician talks to him while relevant data appears on the wall. But all I could think about was that that doctor was sitting in a studio looking into a camera, but not the patient. Do you think there can be a change there? That they could both have the immersive feeling?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I think you’re going to start seeing that shift. If a kid at \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cmu.edu\u002F\">Carnegie Mellon Medical University\u003C\u002Fa> buys two Hololenses for\nresearch for 2500-3000 dollars each – that’s hard to justify. But these Oculus\nQuests are 400 dollars so I can see a student\nbuying two of those and then starting to build a system to work together in\nthese glasses. I mean that’s what Oculus is showing: how people can play tennis\nagainst each other, etc. So, if you can play virtual tennis, you can do surgery\ntraining, or you can do a game with a\npatient where you’re both in the same game. You can both see the same thing, and you can both talk together. And that’s going\nto lead to where we don’t just do a technology demo, but do something real. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And that gets real people to see the magic – because really, the cost is about interactivity. Six degrees of freedom is a lot more expensive, but it’s also much better. If I’ve got a 3D scan and I want to visualize your heart with you, I want to put you in the headset, then get in a headset to see what you’re seeing. Then, I want you to look at what I’m looking at. All the more, I want to spin the heart around and zoom into it – all of a sudden we’re changing the patient-doctor relationship. Your patient will understand the problem in a lot more detail. And that’s coming by the end of next year. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>That team building this solution will have the skills to take it into the glasses when the right glasses come – and that’s really when everything changes. \u003Cstrong>When the doctor has a pair of Apple glasses walking around and the patient walks in with the same, they can instantly start up an app and look at something – that’s when you’re going to know that the entire world has changed. The future starts there. But this world is 3-4-5 years away, maybe even a little bit more for many people.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"287\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fvr-childbirth-512x287.jpg\" alt=\"VR\" class=\"wp-image-17745\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fvr-childbirth-512x287.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fvr-childbirth-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fvr-childbirth-768x430.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fvr-childbirth-447x250.jpg 447w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fvr-childbirth.jpg 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: wareable.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ca id=\"challenge\">\u003C\u002Fa>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>What challenges do you see when people start using the devices we have today? What could be the obstacles to adoption?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I can enlist a couple: weight, cost, the nerdy factor, not enough\nviewing angle, not being sharp enough or the fact that you’re in a black box.\nIf you want to set up an Oculus today, you have to buy a PC with a video card,\nset up two sensors, then you have to be in a black headset with the headset\ntethered over to the PC. It’s expensive, it’s not interactive – it’s really\nlimiting. Only certain doctors would even\ntry it – those willing to put up with a lot of nerdy pain. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>But a lot of those problems are going away this next year with the\nOculus Quest because there’s no tether, there’s no computer, it’s 400 dollars.\nYou’re still in a black box, but you’re\nnot tethered up, you can walk around in a room with it, and start doing things.\nThat’s really exciting. The black box is still going to keep certain people\naway – for example, my wife can’t use VR, she feels ill in it, and she doesn’t\nlike to be in a black box. Her problem is not going to be solved until the right\nglasses come along. Well, I’m going to buy the next Hololens, and we’ll see how she deals with that. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Also, there are not enough apps. So, even if we could afford it, even if the right glasses came out tonight, our software teams are not ready to build software, they just haven’t had time to learn the techniques and start getting the funding. And that’s going to be a massive limitation for enterprises. It’s not going to be useful in the medical context until custom software is written for this, and that’s going to take a few years. I think that’s why Oculus Quest is so essential. You start with a 400-dollar device as an innovation team that lets you sell an idea to the bosses, and say “Hey, can we get a million dollars to hire a couple of programmers to start thinking through this stuff and start, you know, getting ready for the next world?” And that’s how things will go in enterprises. It’ll be slow, but in 10 years from now, I can see it all coming together. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ca id=\"life\">\u003C\u002Fa>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>How do you think immersive\nreality devices will transform our daily routine and everyday life? What is\nyour personal vision about how these new tools will get implanted in our lives?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>The first thing is that you\nget many virtual screens around you when you’re in an Oculus, no matter whether\nin VR or AR. And that’s a huge change because you don’t need to sit in an\noffice anymore – you could be at a Starbucks, with 5 displays in front of you. Plus, you’re going to be able to see\nthose screens in a plane, on a subway or talking to a patient\u003C\u002Fstrong>. So, you start thinking about\nvirtualizing screens. The doctor will be\nable to see your patient record privately\nwith the virtualized screen in front of\nyou. That really does change a lot – just that simple step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>You don’t really need to focus on the weird mixed reality part of it where monsters come out of the walls or something. Just getting virtualized screens is going to reduce costs in a medical situation and increase patient care because you’re going to have a doctor with a lot of information right in front of you all the time. If he meets you in a cafeteria, he can talk to you because he can see all of your charts right in front of him. And then you start seeing all the magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>For example, at Stanford, the VR lab did research with a sports team, and they found that the quarterback does a better job when he watches his plays over and over in VR because his brain starts seeing things that he didn’t see even on the playing field. It’s the same thing with the surgeon. If you practice your surgery a 100 times in VR when you do it for real, you’ll be much more ready for a complex procedure than you would be if you trained out of watching videos or trying to do it in a classroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>When you start thinking about how to work and interact in 3D, that’s when things really begin to change because you’ll demand your machines to spit that 3D image into your glasses. Why do you see an ultrasound in just flat? How come it doesn’t make a 3D image? Why doesn’t the MRI make a 3D image? Why can’t I see your heart rate in 3D?\u003C\u002Fstrong> What if I could walk around it and maybe see a pattern that I can’t see today. And on and on. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And it’s not just the visualization that’s happening also, I mean, blockchain is bringing innovations to medical records. Artificial intelligence is transforming things elevating the quality of care. An Israeli company called Zebra Medical Vision trains MRI scans, and they’re claiming they’re more accurate and faster than trained physicians. And if you add a qualified physician to the process, it gets much better, so costs should come down while quality goes up. I don’t say it will, but it should!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"A Virtual Reality tour inside the Heart\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002F3V8YMnIcpkI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ca id=\"sci\">\u003C\u002Fa>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>What was the last time you\nfelt like you just met science fiction? \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Last night, I was in my self-driving car, my Tesla, talking to my co-founder about polygon machines. Because he’s building a whole library of virtualized things in these glasses\u003C\u002Fstrong>. I was like I’m sort of living in the future right now. I was reading on TechCrunch that Apple is taking a more efficient approach to 3D printing. They just have a patent on how to create 3D printing models, so if you have a pair of glasses and you take a picture of something in 3D you might want to print it out. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I’m saying it’s going to be a fun few years, we’ll see a real change in how humans think about computing. When you’re wearing goggles, and you’re talking to the glass, you’re seeing virtual Pokémons walking around. The whole is no more than 4 years away, 3-4 years for an Apple user and probably for somebody like me, a year away. So next we’re going to see a lot of change in how humans think about computing and how humans think about working, entertainment or education.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ca id=\"dark\">\u003C\u002Fa>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>You know, I’m an optimist\nmyself but you made me even more excited about the future. On the other hand,\nhow do you see the dark side of technology?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Of course, \u003Cstrong>privacy comes to mind first. That’s going to be huge because these glasses should have eye sensors on them, and should be able to understand you at a profound level. So, you have to start thinking about ethics, especially in the healthcare field. We’ll have to think about how to keep a patient’s data secure and private, how the data will be used\u003C\u002Fstrong>. These glasses will see your heart rate and your electrical system at some level. And taking it a little further to 10 years away, there might be real brain interfaces in these glasses, where you think of something and it appears. This leads to a whole lot of ethical problems. Even with VR.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Second, the government’s been using VR for treating PTSD, but I believe if it can solve PTSD, it can give you PTSD. And, if, let’s say during the Las Vegas shooting somebody was in a 360 camera live streaming with 100 thousand people watching it, wouldn’t all those people have PTSD, too, just like you would if you were there on the ground watching somebody gets blown away next to you? So we have a lot of things to think about with this new technology and build defenses against it. We have to prepare a bit longer term than we did when we brought Facebook into the world because we didn’t consider any of the problems we see there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fbravemind_ptsd_vr-companies-in-healthcare-512x288.jpg\" alt=\"VR\" class=\"wp-image-15377\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fbravemind_ptsd_vr-companies-in-healthcare-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fbravemind_ptsd_vr-companies-in-healthcare-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fbravemind_ptsd_vr-companies-in-healthcare-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fbravemind_ptsd_vr-companies-in-healthcare-444x250.jpg 444w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fbravemind_ptsd_vr-companies-in-healthcare.jpg 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bravemind is a clinical, interactive, virtual reality (VR) based exposure therapy tool being used to assess and treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Source: www.http:\u002F\u002Fmedvr.ict.usc.edu\u002Fprojects\u002Fbravemind\u002F\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Do you see people losing\ntouch with reality because of these new devices?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Well, my sons are wholly addicted\nto YouTube on their iPad. Wait until they have YouTube that they’re in with a\n360 camera. I put a 360 video made by National Geographic up on Facebook, which is enjoyable and real if\nyou watch it in VR. It gets much closer to reality than watching a video on YouTube.\nSo if YouTube is addictive on an iPad, wait until YouTube is 360 inside a VR\nheadset- that can be a real problem for some people. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And we’re going to overlay a lot of information on top of the real world. That’s dangerous, just think about Pokémon Go. It could get you killed because it gets you to run into the street without thinking. I saw 6000 people running across a park to collect a Pokémon, so wait until a Pokémon actually looks like it’s walking on the ground or rolling across the street. You might be so focused on that that you run right in front of a bus. The creators of Pokémon will have to worry about that and solve the issue. People are even killing themselves taking a selfie with a phone, so this is a real problem. \u003Cstrong>You’re going to be very addicted to playing a game or watching a music video in these glasses, and that can put you into a dangerous place.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"I spent a week in a VR headset, here's what happened\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FBGRY14znFxY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"rendered":185,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Imagine that a doctor sits down in Starbucks, places some glasses on his head, instantly invokes five screens and starts doing his diagnostic work. Robert Scoble, virtual reality expert, and tech evangelist believes that will be possible in the coming years – sooner than we might think. He told us why his wife can’t stand immersive environments, when the first VR hardware and software with real customer experience would come out and when we would all know that a new world has come. \u003C\u002Fp>\n",23339,{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[189,31],493,[191,192,33,193,35,194,37,195,99,38,39,196,197],145,1066,1237,1270,1271,527,725,[],[],[201,45,202,203],1583,3155,5213,[205,14,54,55,56,57,58,206,59,207,208,60,209,62,210,64,211,212,65,66,213,214],"post-23336","category-augmented-reality","tag-augmented-reality-2","tag-mr","tag-great-thinkers","tag-xr","tag-oculus","tag-virtual","tag-ar","tag-hololens",{"id":186,"alt_text":216,"caption":27,"description":27,"media_type":70,"media_details":217,"post":114,"source_url":244},"robert scoble virtual reality",{"width":218,"height":219,"file":220,"sizes":221,"image_meta":243},1920,1080,"2019\u002F03\u002F0308_great_thinkers_003-scaled.png",{"medium":222,"large":228,"thumbnail":233,"medium_large":237,"1536x1536":238},{"file":223,"width":224,"height":225,"mime-type":226,"source_url":227},"0308_great_thinkers_003-scaled-370x208.png","370","208","image\u002Fpng","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F0308_great_thinkers_003-scaled-370x208.png",{"file":229,"width":230,"height":231,"mime-type":226,"source_url":232},"0308_great_thinkers_003-scaled-768x432.png","768","432","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F0308_great_thinkers_003-scaled-768x432.png",{"file":234,"width":235,"height":235,"mime-type":226,"source_url":236},"0308_great_thinkers_003-scaled-150x150.png","150","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F0308_great_thinkers_003-scaled-150x150.png",{"file":229,"width":230,"height":231,"mime-type":226,"source_url":232},{"file":239,"width":240,"height":241,"mime-type":226,"source_url":242},"0308_great_thinkers_003-scaled-1536x864.png","1536","864","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F0308_great_thinkers_003-scaled-1536x864.png",{"aperture":103,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":103,"copyright":27,"focal_length":103,"iso":103,"shutter_speed":103,"title":27,"orientation":103},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F0308_great_thinkers_003-scaled.png",{"related_posts":20,"related_posts_footer":20,"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":20},{"yoast_wpseo_title":247,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":248,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":179},"Great Thinkers: Interview With Robert Scoble, Virtual Reality Expert","The Medical Futurist talked to Robert Scoble, virtual reality expert, and tech evangelist about what will come next in AR, VR, MR, XR - and healthcare.",{"self":250,"collection":255,"about":257,"author":259,"replies":261,"version-history":264,"predecessor-version":268,"wp:featuredmedia":272,"wp:attachment":275,"wp:term":278,"curies":289},[251],{"href":252,"targetHints":253},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F23336",{"allow":254},[123],[256],{"href":126},[258],{"href":129},[260],{"embeddable":26,"href":132},[262],{"embeddable":26,"href":263},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=23336",[265],{"count":266,"href":267},34,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F23336\u002Frevisions",[269],{"id":270,"href":271},49163,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F23336\u002Frevisions\u002F49163",[273],{"embeddable":26,"href":274},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F23339",[276],{"href":277},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=23336",[279,281,283,285,287],{"taxonomy":152,"embeddable":26,"href":280},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=23336",{"taxonomy":155,"embeddable":26,"href":282},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=23336",{"taxonomy":158,"embeddable":26,"href":284},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=23336",{"taxonomy":161,"embeddable":26,"href":286},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=23336",{"taxonomy":164,"embeddable":26,"href":288},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=23336",[290],{"name":168,"href":169,"templated":26},[],1786620459065]