Episode 239

How Augmented Reality (AR) is Revolutionizing Healthcare

Technology can accelerate the transformation of healthcare to improve health, quality of life, safety, and security. Augmented reality (AR) is finding its way into the healthcare ecosystem and there’s greater potential for it to be revolutionary, not just evolutionary.

In this episode of the Global Medical Device Podcast Jon Speer talks to Jennifer Esposito, Vice President and Managing Director of Magic Leap's Health business unit, about AR in healthcare, explaining what it is and is not, as well as how it compares and contrasts to virtual reality (VR), machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI).

Some of the highlights of this episode include:

AR is a relatively new technology that some people don’t quite understand how it is or can be used in healthcare today and in the future. It’s important for people to try Magic Leap’s AR device and platform to expand their thinking of use cases.
AR is not the same as VR and other technologies. VR is completely immersive and involves wearing a headset. You can’t see the real world. All you’re seeing is digital content. VR has advantages and limitations.
Magic Leap’s AR headset device allows users to not only see the real world, but digital content can be overlayed on top of the real world while maintaining spatial awareness and sensibility.
Magic Leap isn’t just about AR, but the convergence of other elements and capabilities, such as AI, 5G, and Internet of Things (IoT). AR is going to be the catalyst that generates additional new sources of data not currently captured.
AR is not replacing healthcare providers, doctors, nurses, and others. It augments the clinical workforce to present/provide insights that advance and enhance the practice and expertise of medicine when delivering care.

Memorable quotes from Jennifer Esposito:

“There are places where the differences between those technologies is actually really important in terms of deciding which one you would use for a certain use case.”

“What we’re doing isn’t really just about AR. It is this convergence of these other capabilities.”

“Augmented reality is also going to be the catalyst to generate additional new sources of data that we don’t currently have.”