HTC Vive is carving out a novel position in healthcare, creating digital actuality headsets and investing in medical prolonged actuality (XR) applied sciences and firms.
Dan O’Brien, president for the Americas at HTC Vive, sat down with MobiHealthNews to debate HTC Vive’s place in healthcare and what traders ought to prioritize when funding medical XR ventures and rising applied sciences.
MobiHealthNews: How is HTC Vive working inside healthcare?
Dan O’Brien: In case you take a look at the model, it is a blue triangle that stands for know-how, innovation and humanity. That is the model promise, what we’re truly engaged on and options we have been engaged on since day one. Healthcare is a type of verticals that we felt like we may make a distinction, whether or not it was coaching and simulation, 3D visualization and precise therapeutics.
We instantly began working with doctor groups and clinician groups who had an thought. One of many early ones was Surgical Theater, which is a 3D visualization of MRI scans and most cancers clusters, permitting surgeons to have a 3D view of a surgical procedure they had been going to arrange for. That was 2016. So, we have been within the healthcare house for fairly a while.
We’ve additionally had some large-scale deployments through the years with corporations like Penumbra. We’ve different companions like PeriopSim, Cinemax, XRHealth, VRpatients and others. A few of them we’ve invested in as an organization. A few of them, we’re simply partnered with and we co-sell an answer to the market.
However we’re nonetheless working in all of these verticals as we speak. Coaching simulation is without doubt one of the greatest vertical use circumstances that we actually get to make an enormous distinction. We will get coaching via considerably quicker. One hour of coaching might be executed in quarter-hour.
And so, it’s extremely efficient, after which the opposite one we see as a very good information level is the discount of errors. So, upwards of 9 instances fewer errors by surgeons, as a result of they’re training again and again. We’re beginning to see now the place they’re constructing simulations for affected person interactions as properly, which is de facto good.
MHN: Meta has had bother solidifying itself in healthcare as a result of alleged HIPAA violations. Why is HTC Vive so assured about its transfer into healthcare not having a damaging impact on the corporate?
O’Brien: I can see that that is an organization that has data-privacy challenges and a enterprise mannequin that is designed to eat that information. We do not acquire lots of that information, and we do not have a data-mining enterprise mannequin.
Once we work with, whether or not it is monetary companies, the federal authorities, power and a few of these different extra labeled or extremely safe areas, we’re the default machine, as a result of we do not mine the information. We defend the information. We encrypt the information. We encrypt the communication between the headsets.
We even have particular ISO certifications only for medical affected person information dealing with. So, as data is dealt with within the headset, that data goes again to no matter ISO or hospital community that is utilizing these merchandise. We’ve the certification for having the ability to transmit that information. We do not contact it or seize it, however we securely move it to the place it is imagined to be, in order that no one else can truly contact it.
We have invested in these issues as an organization – affected person dealing with and information dealing with. Healthcare is a pure vertical for us to make an enormous distinction. We’re working with the VA, we’re working with very massive hospital networks, and so we’re engaged on superior methods to carry much more options into the market. So, it is an space for us to double down.
MHN: HTC Vive invests in numerous XR corporations. What ought to traders contemplate when deciding whether or not to fund a medical XR firm?
O’Brien: While you take a look at a number of the corporations, they could have their information and metrics, however their efficacy is like, “Oh, properly, persons are having fun with that.” And it is like, properly, that is nice. Individuals who play Beat Saber take pleasure in gentle sabers.
From an investor’s standpoint, they actually have to take a look at their efficacy. Is there vital efficacy? We all know of corporations which can be engaged on particular PTSD restoration and midbrain blood-flow functions, the place the headset is now the supply system for the restoration or the remedy.
However it’s a must to be very particular in going, “Listed below are corporations which have medical information.” They’re exhibiting the precise efficacy of their resolution. Here’s a clear TAM [total addressable market]. Listed below are 9 million veterans we are able to construct options for.
On the whole, it’s a must to take a look at the actual information these corporations are engaged on, as a result of some are simply engaged on feel-good “psychological well being.” I feel that phrase is used very abusively. However actually understanding, does that staff perceive when an individual is in a psychological well being disaster? What’s that disaster? When they’re at a cognitive deficiency and after they’re truly in disaster.
Once we take a look at what we have executed with the house station and Commander [Andreas] Mogensen, and the European Area Company, and the work that he did, all of that was measured information of when he was within the headset when he was on the train bike. It was quite simple measurements, however we had been measuring the efficacy of decreasing stress, rising the general cognitive state of being able to dealing with all of the duties from that day. As a result of, if you wish to be in a irritating setting, stay in house. That is a high-stress setting.
So, I take a look at all these eventualities and go, let’s be very purposeful in understanding the businesses that basically wish to make a distinction.
