Dr. Brandon Birckhead of Immergence Tech joins the podcast to talk about distraction therapy and the benefits of virtual and augmented reality technology in the medical and dental industries.
Also learn more about his new company, Immergence Tech, as well as cold pressor immersion testing as it relates to distraction therapy. We also learn why Dr. Birckhead made the decision to join the VR/AR Association Digital Healthcare Committee.
People are constantly asking how to move forward or more to the point, what’s beyond the hype in the VR industry? So let me say that what is clearly gaining traction in the market is improved Health Solutions. People want more, faster, and less evasive diagnostic, treatment and technology options.
The VRARA Digital Health Committee is proof. Since the inception of the committee, both companies and healthcare professionals wanted in. The goal is to develop and share best practices as the industry matures.
Everyone from Medical Doctors to private companies are participating to build tangible tools based on real use cases. The entire process of the patient journey; not to mention education both for patients and medical personnel alike is being parsed and planned.
As an example of the possibilities on this topic, we need look no further than Cambridge University; who is now working on a program to render 3D VR treatment for cancer.
“We want to create an interactive, faithful, 3D map of tumors that can be studied in virtual reality that scientists can ‘walk into’ and look at it in great detail,” said lead researcher Greg Hannon in a Cambridge news post.
A 3D model would be ideal for researches to study and analyze with in-depth precision; showing the minutia of the cancer which has never done before.
“I think this is the very cutting edge of how people will in the future understand not only cancer but organismal development,” said Hannon in a video from the university.
This and more medical research utilizing VR/AR & MR is now happening and hopefully setting the new standard in excellence of care.
Written by Craig Stanland, Virtual Reality Observer
To people outside of the industry Virtual Reality (VR) is most commonly associated with gaming. While the technological investments and forward progress in gaming carries benefits for all other industries, news outside of gaming is often overlooked.
VR has already had a major impact on all the major industries including, Architecture and Design, Entertainment, Education and the Health industry. Health is particularly of interest to us due to its overall impact on society. Better health care practices benefit us all.
The healthcare Industry has increasingly been turning to simulation and the virtual world for training and education of its staff.
With its launch of the Digital health VR AR committee the VR/AR Association has acknowledged the importance and impact of VR on the Healthcare industry. The committee will create best practices, guidelines, and call to actions (e.g., recommendations for standards) for VR AR in Digital Health, Medical, Healthcare, and Education.
With 10 industry experts already on the committee, they are off to a great start. Still in the early stages the 10 experts are crafting a working doc which will set the foundation for the committee moving forward.
The VR/AR Association (VRARA) is the global industry association for Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality, connecting leading solution providers with brands and customers. VRARA goals are to accelerate growth, foster research and education, and help develop industry standards, connect member organizations and promotes the services of member companies.
“This Digital Health Industry Committee already has representatives from Meta Co, Medical Realities, Mativision, doctors and surgeons like Rafael J. Grossmann, MD, FACS and Shafi Ahmed PhD FRCS, and digital health experts like John Nosta, indicating the importance of this vertical and the industry’s willingness to work together to accelerate the VR AR industry with smart growth.“ Kris Kolo, Global Executive Director of the VRARA.
This is an amazing opportunity for health care professional to participate in the early stages of this emerging technology and practice. You can be a part of change that benefits us all.
The first official kickoff call for this Industry Committee is being scheduled at the end of January, early February. Anyone who’s interested in DIgital Health/education/healthcare should join.
Interested to learn more or participate? Email kris@thevrara.com
Original article was published by VR Observer.
