Apple’s Vision Pro headset may not become a mainstream hit at its $3,500 ask. But in the realm of science and medical care, it can prove to be a game changer.
Apple’s ambitions in the immersive world of augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) are off to a rough start. The $3,500 Vision Pro failed to kick off a market storm. Then came reports of Apple cancelling its AR smart glasses project.
The company, however, is not done yet. As per Bloomberg, Apple is bringing its suite of AI tools called Apple Intelligence to the visionOS platform. That means AI tricks such as Writing Tools, Genmoji, and Image Playground are coming to the headset.
Those aren’t really exciting upgrades for the Vision Pro, especially considering its steep price tag and the kind of advanced tech stack it has to offer. You aren’t buying a $3,500 AR/VR headset to fix grammar, or whip up AI generated stickers, after all.
What Apple should instead focus on, is the healthcare and the medical science segment. That’s a niche where it can find more serious takers for a device like the Vision Pro, than an average buyer interested in AR or VR headset for recreational tasks like gaming or watching immersive videos.It’s ready for the taking
The domain of medical science is no stranger to AR and VR advancements, and specifically, their great potential in a scientist or healthcare professional’s day to day activities. This is what experts at Stanford University have to say about the potential of AR/V tech:
“In future, VR and AR displays may be worn by patients during part of telehealth visits to measure vital signs and other health metrics for the physician, then add data automatically to the electronic health record with the patient’s permission.”
They also mention how emergency medical technicians (EMT) can assess a medical situation and get apt instructions, when they see and relay the patient’s condition directly to an expert physician via a headset or smart glasses.
For example, The NARA (Nakamir Augmented Reality Assistant) combines AI and AR on a Microsoft HoloLens 2 for assisting workers across different fields, including healthcare. In another proven scenario, a mixed reality headset or AR glasses can be used to guide a person about emergency life-saving steps.
Experts also propose that such hardware should be included in the Automatic external defibrillators (AED) kits, so that instructions on usage and other such protocols can be provided in a more immersive fashion during emergency situations.
