New Center Primes the Extended Reality Frontier

Area of Science:

• Biomedical technology
• Extended Reality (XR) applications in healthcare

Background:

• Extended reality (XR) technologies, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), are rapidly evolving.
• There is significant excitement regarding the potential benefits of XR in healthcare delivery and medical training.
• A gap exists between the conceptualization of XR's potential and its practical implementation in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the critical juncture XR has reached in biomedicine.
• To identify the challenges in bridging the gap between XR's envisioned potential and its actual application in healthcare.
• To emphasize the need for stakeholder coordination to facilitate XR development and adoption.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of the current state of XR in biomedicine.
• Identification of barriers to the development and implementation pipeline.
• Discussion of the role of major players in advancing XR technology.

Main Results:

• XR technology is accelerating, with growing anticipation for its healthcare benefits.
• Translating XR's potential into tangible healthcare solutions remains a work in progress.
• Coordination among key stakeholders is crucial for easing the development pipeline.

Conclusions:

• Virtual, augmented, and mixed reality hold promise for diverse medical applications.
• These applications span diagnostics, surgical procedures, clinician training, and telemedicine.
• Overcoming implementation challenges requires collaborative efforts to fully realize XR's potential in healthcare.