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Assessing the Feasibility of Using Apple Vision Pro While Performing Medical Precision Tasks: Controlled User Study
Hamraz Javaheri1, Vitor Fortes Rey1,2, Paul Lukowicz1,2
1Department of Embedded Intelligence, German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Trippstadter Str. 122, Kaiserslautern, 67663, Germany, 49 631 20575 4190.
JMIR XR and Spatial Computing
|December 4, 2025
Summary
The Apple Vision Pro (AVP) shows potential for medical tasks, but current usability issues like longer task times and higher cognitive load necessitate further development for clinical use. Precision in suturing performance was comparable across devices.
Area of Science:
- Medical Technology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Surgical Simulation
Background:
- Next-generation video-see-through head-mounted displays (HMDs) like the Apple Vision Pro (AVP) are emerging with potential medical applications.
- However, rigorous controlled studies assessing AVP's usability for precision-based medical tasks are lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility and usability of the Apple Vision Pro (AVP) for real-world medical precision tasks.
- To compare AVP's performance against the Microsoft HoloLens 2 (MHL2) and a baseline (no HMD).
Main Methods:
- A controlled user study involving 20 healthcare professionals performing three suturing techniques.
- A within-subject design comparing AVP, MHL2, and baseline conditions.
- Mixed methods approach including quantitative metrics (task time, performance, usability, cognitive load, VR sickness, presence) and qualitative interviews.
Main Results:
- Participants took significantly longer to complete tasks with AVP compared to MHL2 and baseline (p<.001).
- Suturing performance showed no significant differences across interventions (p=.76).
- AVP resulted in significantly higher cognitive load (p<.001), virtual reality sickness (p<.001), and lower usability scores (p<.001) compared to MHL2 and baseline.
Conclusions:
- The Apple Vision Pro (AVP) demonstrates potential for non-time-sensitive medical applications or those prioritizing digital content.
- Current usability limitations, including increased task completion times and cognitive load, require further optimization for widespread clinical adoption.
- While AVP did not significantly impact suturing performance, its usability challenges warrant careful consideration.
