Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)

Question 1

What is virtual reality?

Answer 1

an entirely IMMERSIVE process with a VR glass that covers the eyes entirely

completely digital environment that is FULLY ENCLOSED with no sense of real world

Question 2

Define and distinguish the concepts of immersion and presence in VR.

Answer 2

immersion:
- OBJECTIVE level of sensory fidelity (can be adjusted and quanitified/measurable)
- extent to which your SENSES are engaged
- depends only on the qualities of the software and display tech

Presence:
- SUBJECTIVE psychological response to VR system
-feeling of being in a world that exists outside itself

Question 3

What are the 3 subsections of “presence” in VR?

Answer 3

3 subsections
a. spatial presence–> sense how you feel in space
b. involvement–> interest to engage in work
c. realness –> sense that environment is real or not

Question 4

What are the healthcare fields that have been most influenced by VR?

Answer 4

-Clinical skills training –> med students and cadevers
-Medicine–> treat phantom limbs
- Mental health therapy –> PTSD
- Motor and cognitive skills rehabilitation
- Neuroscience
- Physical and
occupational therapy
- Psychology
- long-term care

Question 5

What are cons of using VR in healthcare?

Answer 5

• high costs
  -VR addiction –> seen in gaming
  -Disorient users –> confusion, balance probs
  -lack of proper trials –> has not been able to demonstrate it’s effectiveness
  -insufficient training

Question 6

How is AR different from VR?

Answer 6

Augmented reality is…
- enhancement of the real-world environment
-INTERACTIVE experience –> places object into real world environment but does NOT take you out of external world
-real world with digital information display

ex: google glass

Question 7

What are the main areas of healthcare application for AR?

Answer 7

• surgery assistance –> aware of organ location example
• virtual collaboration –> follow instructions to perform surgery given by specialist
• guiding new mothers –> breastfeeding counselling
• patient education–> help educate about their condition
• human body visualization–> understand the body and how it works

Question 8

What are pros and cons of using AR in health sciences education?

Answer 8

Pros:
- Allows incorporation of virtual objects into a real environment (to enrich reality, not replace
it).
- Promotes student immersion in the teaching content.
- Improves understanding of invisible or difficult to visualize objects or phenomena.
- Relatively low cost
-easy access
- Stimulates collaborative learning and self-learning.
- Facilitates learning and skills acquisition, regardless of user experience.
- Offers 3-D visualizations of anatomical structures.

Cons:
- difficult to use and handle (e.g., smart glasses).
- Does not allow tactile feedback in the study of anatomy.
- Symptoms such as discomfort, fatigue, boredom, nausea, headache, blurred vision or
double vision.
- Lack of content developers. (Need experts to develop AR-based interactive teaching
materials.)

Question 9

What is merged (or mixed) reality (MR)?

Answer 9

• blend of physical and digital worlds
• allows users to see and immerse themselves in the real world even as they interact with a virtual environment using their own hands

-interact with and manipulate both physical and virtual environment

-ex: used to design hospital layouts to make sure its user friendly for staff and patients

Question 10

In what areas of healthcare is the evidence for effectiveness of VR, AR and MR the strongest?

Answer 10

in PSYCHOLOGY for treating addictions, anxiety, phobias, and PTSD

also in pain management, physical rehabilitation, and mental health rehabilitation

• say to require a less immersive approach so patients are aware of their physical context in order to be effective –> therefore, less immersion is appropriate for some types of problems more than total immersion