Virtual Reality -- Michael Phillips AARP

Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality are finally gaining traction due to technology advancements, affordability and critical mass within the ecosystem. The potential benefits to the aging process are enormous and we are beginning to have visibility into the future impacts. But we can’t get there unless we innovate in community – unless we collaborate. Innovators and catalysts are academics, technologists, doctors, entrepreneurs, executives, students, policy advocates, experience designers and early adopters.  We all have to work together to lift the market and co-create the future.

So how will lives be impacted?

Social interactions in VR allow visits with family & friends where geography, mobility and costs are no longer obstacles. This is more than just the next iteration of Skype. People are playing games, traveling and meeting new people in visually engaging environments. Immersive visitation with people who are physically distant is still maturing, but we can easily see how it might impact loneliness and increase inter-generational connections as older populations increase.

Similarly, shared VR experiences promote social engagement and adventure. A company called Rendever is already allowing synchronized VR experiences for small groups to journey together to exciting places or revisit memories, all under the control of a facilitator. Group VR experiences are especially meaningful in senior care facilities where mobility constraints cause many activities to be prohibitive. Residents are going on safari, walking down their childhood block and even travelling to space.

Managing stress, depression, phobias and addictions might become the greatest health-related use case for immersive technology in the future. VR has the power to shift our cognitive state by tricking our brain into believing we are experiencing a real situation. We can teach people to manage that cognitive state in a safe environment, overcoming phobias and emotional disorders. Stanford is deploying mobile VR kits after large earthquakes to address PTSD, with success. Disorders treated with VR include phobias, autism, ADHD , eating disorders, psychosis and dementia. We need new approaches to mental health because facilities are clogged and anti-psychotics are over prescribed. VR is showing great promise in mental and emotional wellness. 

Pain reduction is another area where we see important results in hospital settings, and has potential for in-home chronic pain reduction. By distracting the pain centers of the brain by activating other areas through an immersive engaging experience has proven to be beneficial in sickle cell, difficult births and other painful conditions. Not much research has occurred on chronic pain, but presumably the results might be similar. There is a lot of interest in this area because of the opioid epidemic as well.

Rehabilitation and exercise is an area where VR can support a holistic plan. Physical therapy can be boring and painful. Immersive physical therapy has several advantages including measurable results, pain distraction, not dependent on an onsite therapist and it can be fun. 

Medical applications will be impactful in direct and indirect ways. Every medical device is being reinvented as part of the current digital health revolution, and immersive technologies are an anchor-point. Clinicians, staff and home health providers have access to amazing immersive training programs including holographic visualizations, empathy POV experiences and in-procedure visual assistance. Patients are provided pre-surgery interactive immersive tours in hospitals to reduce stress before a procedure. Also, VR/MR platforms are beginning to provide more accurate assessments, especially in cognitive diagnostics and motion/movement analysis. As a medical device, VR/MR platforms are only in their infancy.

A personal digital care platform built on VR/MR technology will one-day provide continual health monitoring and AI-enabled predictions. Patients can then be connected to a clinician. When the benefits of a MR platform is combined with AI health monitoring and analysis, a completely different approach to wellness comes to light. Also, sharing of health data with telehealth professionals through data visualizations and connected health will help support some of the healthcare challenges that are on the horizon.  

And finally, virtual travel and entertainment will allow people to visit locations that are far away and enjoy immersive entertainment experiences. For many people, mobility and cost prevents travel and live events. With VR, we can revisit places we love or maybe haven’t visited in many decades. An immersive experience like attending church, a concert or a sporting event can bring great joy. Studies find that travel has a direct impact on health levels and has long-lasting positive effects, but no studies have been are available yet on the effects of virtual travel.

So what are the obstacles?

·      Research gaps exist / further validation is required for health applications

·      Complexities in set-up and usability

·      Which platform(s) will success / Oculus vs HTC vs Hololens vs X

·      Perceived as a gaming platform / It’s a toy for kids

·      Investment dollars are scarce

·      Using VR is sometimes overwhelming or causes dizziness

·      Awareness. Many don’t even realize the capabilities

·      Distrust in data privacy

·      Out-dated policy, approval processes and compliance guidelines

So what is the VR killer app? 

The greatest power of VR is probably its ability to invoke a cognitive state with visually and auditory engaging content. We probably have not uncovered all of the benefits yet, but with collaboration we may discover new untapped benefits of improving lives by altering the mind for positive results.

In summary, immersive technologies are now progressing very quickly and the impacts are coming into focus. In order for us to realize optimal benefits for older generations we will all need to work together to eliminate obstacles and promote the opportunities that impact lives.