October 19, 2007 - Healthcare virtual reality (VR) applications have experienced double-digit growth both worldwide and in the U.S. since the turn of the century, and the 2010 U.S. market for virtual reality in surgery, medical education, therapy and other areas is expected to grow to $290 million, according to “Virtual Reality Market in the U.S. Healthcare Sector: Markets for Remote Surgery, 3D Modeling, Pain Distraction and Other Applications,” a new report from life science research firm Kalorama Information.
Long the driving force in the entertainment, gaming and engineering industries, virtual reality applications have revolutionized the global healthcare industry. More accurate and sophisticated than conventional two- dimensional scans, VR applications provide opportunities to perform medical tasks in a risk-free environment and make training assessable to large numbers of students. Additionally, VR simulators allow medical professionals to remain up-to-date on the latest technical procedures required in their profession.
Current VR applications assist in numerous modalities from pre-operative planning and robot-assisted surgery to medical curricula to teach anatomy of body parts and the visualization of medical data that can be integrated and simulated into 3D models to gather insights into the cause and effects of injuries. VR is even finding uses in therapeutics for pain and depression to replace or reduce pharmaceutical usage in these cases.
Kalorama Information says the report provides a comprehensive look at the current U.S. market for VR applications including growth factors and trends, forecasts, and a demand-side analysis demonstrating the drivers for VR applications.
For more information: www.marketresearch.com