Augmented Reality and Its Significance in Healthcare Systems

Abstract

Augmented reality and virtual reality are terms often used together and even interchangeably sometimes without knowing their actual meaning. Augmented reality (AR) enhances the real world by mixing and overlapping digital objects with the real world whereas virtual reality (VR) is a completely different world created in a virtual space. VR can be experienced with wearables; but AR needs a device as simple as a phone and it's also wearable. In this chapter, AR is discussed and explored in a detailed manner. With its rapid evolving time, AR will be more common than it is now. It already is a part of everyone's life with the help of applications like Google Lens and Snapchat. AR has been experimented on for a while and the first spine surgery on a patient has been performed by John Hopkins neurosurgeon on June 8, 2020, using AR headsets. In this chapter, the types of extended reality (XR) and their differences. AR technology used in the study of anatomy, medical surgeries, pharma study, MedTech, and case studies of AR implementation in the field of medical surgeries is discussed.