Description
This Kalorama Information report covers the market for virtual reality and augmented reality systems related to medical education and training.
The market for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) products and services in medical education and healthcare training is predominately based in surgical simulators. Virtual reality and augmented reality technology has developed into a comprehensive tool in the surgical workflow – assisting training, rehearsal, and surgical performance in operating room (OR). The growing volume and variety of minimally invasive (MIS) or laparoscopic surgical procedures within U.S. healthcare has spurred a number of companies to introduce associated simulators. Software modules can be developed and released on existing simulators to train users on new MIS techniques and procedures.
Markets in this report include:
- Surgical Stimulation Market
- Other Medical Training VR/AR
Other data in the report includes
- Products on the Market
- Trends
- Market Leaders
- Company Profiles
- Market Limiters and Drivers
- Forecast to 2022
- Company Revenues
The term “virtual reality” is used in different contexts. Broadly, virtual reality is the means or capability to visualize and manipulate, or otherwise interact with, digital data representative of a real-world entity or environment. Through virtual reality, a real-world entity or environment is represented as the virtual environment (VE). Within the healthcare industry, VR technology is able to produce VEs such as an operating room, surgical site, patient anatomy, or therapeutic simulation.
Far more common in healthcare than immersive VR systems are VR systems that replicate the sense of sight by generating 3D images or perception of depth. Virtual reality also allows for the manipulation of VEs to provide visual information unavailable through unassisted sight such as color highlighting, image segmentation, partial transparency, changes in image perspective, and automated feature identification and analysis. With these capabilities in VE manipulation, VR is able to provide users additional insights through a virtual model that are unavailable through unassisted viewing of the anatomy or patient.
Augmented reality (AR) is also commonly known as “mixed reality” as it integrates, injects or superimposes virtual elements and visualizations over the real world. On the latest hardware systems, AR commonly takes the form of holographic projections visible only to the user.
Virtual reality and augmented reality technologies and products for the healthcare industry may also be defined through their capabilities of immersion, navigation and interaction with VEs or virtual objects.