January 26, 2015
One particular area on track to benefit from virtual reality innovations is the field of medicine. Already, augmented reality technology is being used to treat vision impairments and assist in the treatment of mental illness.
According to The Daily Dot, some companies have brought augmented reality concepts into practical and clinical use.
For those with visual impairments, OrCam provides a headset that can "see" text and verbally represent it to wearers using a bone-conduction earpiece. This offers the possibility to scan menus, street signs and even the pages of a novel.
“In two to five years, the definition of augmented reality is going to extend,” Helen Papagiannis, an augmented reality specialist and Ph.D. researcher, said in an interview with The Daily Dot. “We’re not going to be calling it augmented reality anymore, it really will just be reality. It will be a combination of artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, all coming together.”
Critics of virtual reality often point to certain dangers inherent in pervasive technology and the ramifications of dehumanization on a wider scale. While such fears arise from the best of intentions to defend our essential facets of life, from privacy to social intelligence and cooperation, those in favor of augmented reality say that encouraging the right stewards of such technologies will result in its use to solve pressing problems.
“Think about how it would benefit people with memory loss, Alzheimer’s patients, and other diseases,” Papagiannis said. “Of course there’s a dark side to everything, but I think there’s a huge positive opportunity for these technologies to change the way we experience reality on a daily basis.”
Currently, the gaming industry is poised to serve as a popular proving ground for augmented reality through consoles such as Facebook-owned Oculus Rift and Google Glass.
Yet proponents of the broader use of augmented reality point to its adoption in healthcare settings as the surest sign of hope for its future. While it aids healthcare practitioners and brings relief to patients, the field of medicine may in turn win greater support for augmented reality.
VR goggles are already being used to administer exposure therapy to victims suffering from war-related PTSD, while a company called Viscira has developed VR software for Oculus Rift that simulates the experience of schizophrenia to help family members better understand the illness.
As augmented reality hardware and software continues to address real human needs, those convinced of its future promise believe it will find wider acceptance. Medicine may be the best and first realm in which the true value of augmented reality is demonstrated.
Read the full story here.
