Redmond, WA– Last year, one of the most recognizable and notable trends we uncovered was that people from all across the globe were becoming multi-screen users, physicians included. Staying glued to their mobile phones, tablets, and computers all while still trying to relax after a long workday (likely staring at a computer screen). Many new technologies have emerged hoping to make more of a seamless connection that merges life and technology in a way that doesn’t distract from our already distracted lives.
With the Google Glass Explorer project officially kaput (for the time being at least), and virtual reality headsets popping up from every direction, it’s hard to tell where the future of virtual and augmented reality is heading. But Microsoft’s new product may be leading the way for an entirely new type of immersive experience. The Microsoft project is called Hololens. A project that even most people that work at Microsoft hadn’t even heard of until it surfaced in Wired magazine.
It’s not Microsoft’s version of Occulus Rift
And it’s definitely not just a cool headset that we throw on to play a video game or navigate a virtual world.
Microsoft is indeed taking an adventurous leap into the augmented reality space, but with quite a different scope than most of the other big players. A scope that aims to make augmented reality a useful tool that can be more intrinsically tied to our everyday lives and bring us all closer together.
How Can Healthcare Use it?
Although currently, it’s still very much so in a development stage, the application for tapping into the healthcare space could be quite exciting. And potential opportunities for Hololens in the healthcare space are already being explored.
Some initial possibilities include:
physically overlay X-rays or MRI scans onto patients
virtual care
training
3D medical monitoring
guided examinations
About the Author:
As Managing Director of Innovation and Insights for Syneos Health Communications, Leigh is responsible for building and scaling a global team of healthcare experts who together help life science leaders better understand the complex lives, influences and expectations of their customers. Specifically, they uncover actionable insights that fuel empathy and creativity; lead co-creation events that let marketers learn from peers, trends, and new possibilities; and help clients identify the most valuable and useful new customer experiences to create.
Leigh has worked with Fortune 1000 companies to craft their digital, mobile, social and CRM strategies for nearly 20 years.She’s worked for category-leading agencies in retail, public affairs, B2B technology, and higher education. Prior to moving to Syneos Health Communications, she held several leadership roles at our largest agency, GSW. There, she founded an innovation practice fueled by the zeitgeist and spearheaded digital and innovation thinking across the business.
Leigh has taken a special interest in complex healthcare products that can change lives in meaningful ways. She was recently a strategic lead on the 3rd largest launch in pharmaceutical history: Tecfidera. Before that she had keys roles with Eli Lilly Oncology, Abbott Nutrition, Amgen Cardiovascular, and Eli Lilly Diabetes.
A critical part of Leigh’s work is trends and new ideas. Every year, she convenes a group of trend watchers from across our global network to identify the shifts most critical to healthcare marketers. This year, she led over 250 experts to experts to focus on the most important changes in the commercial, consumer, marketing, digital and healthcare landscapes. (See reports at trends.health)
Leigh is a sought-after writer and speaker. Recognized as one of the most inspiring people in the pharmaceutical industry by PharmaVoice and Top 10 Innovation Catalysts of 2017 by MM&M, Leigh also was recognized as a Rising Star by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) for her overt passion, industry thought leadership and significant contributions in new business, strategy and mentoring.
