Apple executives envision doctors wearing Apple Vision Pro while performing surgery

AppleInsider

An internal video of Apple executives discussing Apple Vision Pro revealed what some interesting uses of the device might be, including health care and education.

Apple Vision Pro could be used by doctors

Apple Vision Pro has been marketed as a consumer device with 3D movies, Apple Arcade games, and general multitasking. However, executives have higher ambitions for the device based on an internal video shared with employees.

Bloomberg obtained a transcript of the video, which featured Apple executives Mike Rockwell and Alan Dye discussing Apple Vision Pro's development. At one point, they were asked what "cool" ways people could use the product, and Rockwell's reply was ambitious, to say the least.

"Oftentimes, surgeons struggle to look at displays during procedures, where information is spread out," Rockwell said. "Apple Vision Pro could bring all of that together and hopefully improve patient outcomes."

Apple's brief showcase at WWDC 2023 was all we've really seen of the device and its use cases, and nothing mentioned enterprise solutions. Companies could purchase the device for use with specially developed applications, but such use cases haven't been revealed or discussed yet.

Another small tidbit about employee incentives was shared in this report. Normally, employees can get a 50% discount on newly launched products, but Apple Vision Pro is only getting a 25% discount.

Employees also get a $500 credit to use on Apple products each year, which can also be applied to the headset. All in all, an Apple employee could walk away with Apple Vision Pro for $2,100 before taxes.

Apple Vision Pro is up for pre-order on January 19 at 8 a.m. ET. It ships to customers on February 2.



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steve_jobs

Me as a “Uber CEO!”envisioned John hitch cooker cooking a Guinea Pig. 

mikethemartian

There is no way a hospital will allow a consumer product to be used in a safety critical application.

Xed

mikethemartian said:

There is no way a hospital will allow a consumer product to be used in a safety critical application.

I do agree that there's a lot that needs to happen before this could ever be considered as a surgical aid, but note that MS HoloLens already offers healthcare as one of its supported industries.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens/industry-healthcare

entropys

The software would have to be written. Ditto CAD.

Apple will have to pony up the cash to developers for this to happen.  Mind you, if Apple does help CAD developers wallow in loot, that might mean software like Solidworks will be available for Macs too.

tyler82

They can use it to do neck surgery on each other after wearing these all day. From what the early reviews say, it's quite heavy.

StrangeDays

tyler82 said:

They can use it to do neck surgery on each other after wearing these all day. From what the early reviews say, it's quite heavy.

There are no early reviews out. Some limited use impressions, that’s it. 

dewme

If Apple teamed up with someone like Medtronic, Siemens, GE Healthcare, J&J, or one of the other big players with deep knowledge and experience in the medical systems domain it’s possible that they could somehow get involved in some way. Possible but improbable. 

A closer to home and more immediately achievable goal may be something along the lines of a Vision Pro app that provides guided assistance for the repair of Apple’s own products that subscribe to the right-to-repair initiatives. 

I’ve always found YouTube videos to be quite useful for a number of DIY projects that involve complex assembly and disassembly steps. It’s one thing to watch a video of someone else doing a repair such as a battery or screen replacement on an iPhone or iPad, but a Vision Pro guided tour that stepped through the repair process from a deeper first-person perspective would kick things up a notch. 

Ultimately, having the Vision Pro guiding your live actions, with precision hand, tool, and eye tracking, while doing the repair may be possible. It would have to be done extremely well and safely because I would be a bit nervous using a tool like a heat gun or soldering iron with a headset strapped to my face. But it’s not totally unprecedented because I often wear an OptiVISOR magnifier headband when doing delicate work. 

In any case, this seems more achievable in the near term and would have immediate value within Apple current ecosystem. 

jellyapple

Let Apple Executives be the first patients.

kurai_kage

Xed said:

mikethemartian said:

There is no way a hospital will allow a consumer product to be used in a safety critical application.

I do agree that there's a lot that needs to happen before this could ever be considered as a surgical aid, but note that MS HoloLens already offers healthcare as one of its supported industries.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens/industry-healthcare

A couple years ago I had a doctor come in wearing a Google Glass and go over some records.  We chatted briefly about his experience using it, and he said the hospital was in a pilot program to examine the use of augmented reality tech.  

MplsP

Many/most surgeons wear loupes to give them better resolution. Apple Vision would not only preclude that but would probably compromise resolution. 

It may happen in the future but in its current form it won't.

chadbag

mikethemartian said:

There is no way a hospital will allow a consumer product to be used in a safety critical application.

The company in work for sells a surgery solution for a very specific sort of surgery that uses the MS Holo Lense or whatever it’s called.  I don’t know the details — it’s a different division and I’ve only been part of the company for 2 years after we got acquired — but I’ve seen a video and a round table discussion on it.   It is pretty cool. 

Medical devices in the US are highly regulated and as long as the Vision Pro can pass the regulatory hurdles there is no problem using it in a hospital.  

chadbag

designr said:

I've never doubted that there could be various vertical industry niches that could use this product.

The questions and challenge is: Is this Apple? Apple transformed itself into a consumer electronics company. It's not to say it can't or won't do enterprise, government and niche stuff. It just seems way outside of its wheelhouse. It's not been Apple's game.

Apple would not be a first party seller of the Vision Pro in the medical field. They’d partner with a company or three that does this sort of thing and knows how to get stuff past the FDA regulatory hurdles. 

Any use of the Vision Pro would be a very specific use case.  Each use case probably needs its own regulatory approval.  For example, a knee replacement surgery would be one use.  It would not be a generic surgical enhancement tool.  But be a very specific use case that they then get through the regulatory process.