Enthusiasm around virtual and augmented realities is high and innovative companies are already fighting for the first place in this sector. Extended reality first made its appearance in the gaming industry, but today we see it in military, medical, engineering, educational, and all sorts of various sectors. Here are the five startups that are paving the way towards a more extended future in different directions.
1. X-ray vision goggles
Extended reality had the most impact on the healthcare sector. According to Statista, in 2019, 35% of work hours in the health and social services industry could be augmented through the use of XR tech. One such technology is giving the doctors an X-ray vision.
Augmetics is an American company that has been working on AR since 2014. Their product, Xvision, is designed for spinal surgeries. With the special headsets, doctors can see a 3D X-ray of the patient’s spine while they’re operating on him.
The first actual operation with Xvision was held in June 2020. You can see how the tech works on their homepage. There are big expectations for the project, and the company has already raised $25 Million in funding rounds.
2. VR for patients
In the healthcare sector, extended reality has found its use not only for the doctors but also for patients. Vivid Vision is a good example. The company works on a VR program that helps cure the lazy eye in kids.
While Xvision is only now getting some actual traction, Vivid Vision is already in use in around 400 clinics. The treatment involves fun VR games for kids that, in the background, help the lazy eye to get more active. It is used together with other treatments and has had a significant impact on the patients so far.
3. Bringing stories to life for entertaining reading
As we already mentioned in the previous article, storytelling turned out to be a good use-case for this technology. Bringing various scenarios to life with tablets, smartphones, or VR has become quite a trend.
The augmented reality app Wonderscope is one of the most successful examples. The project belongs to the storytelling company Within, which mainly operates in the VR space.
Wonderscope is an exception, and quite a useful one indeed. It was Awarded “Best Learning App” at the 2020 Kids Screen Awards, and in 2019, the app also won a Children's BAFTA for its inaugural story, A Brief History of Stunts by Astounding People. Overlapping virtual elements like characters over the real world make reading a fun and engaging endeavor for kids. The app provides a handful of stories – like the adventures of red riding hood or an educational trip to the cosmos.
Currently, the app is accessible in the Apple store only for devices running on IOS 11 or newer.
4. Mixed Reality in schools
Another company oriented on education in kids is called Zspace. Zspace is working on creating mixed reality a reality in schools. They provide educational institutions with specialized laptops and headsets to turn boring lessons into fun adventures and experiences. The tech’s biggest advantage is that it allows students to work together, promoting collaboration in schools.
5. Virtual training
Apart from healthcare and education, extended reality has found adoption in training space as well. Strivr is a company that has been working in this direction since 2015, starting at first as a sports training program, and later on broadening its operations in healthcare, customer service, and beyond. The project has already raised $50 Million in funding since its inception.
Strivr’s most notable project yet was training the employees of Walmart. In 2019, they worked with over a million employees, increasing work efficiency by 30%.
You can read more about the history and main challenges of extended reality in this article. Although it still faces many bumps on the road, the above startups are good examples of how efficient and beneficial the technology really is. The more startups we see working on different forms of XR, the more precise its future will become.
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5 AR/VR startups that we actually need
16 October 2020Enthusiasm around virtual and augmented realities is high and innovative companies are already fighting for the first place in this sector. Extended reality first made its appearance in the gaming industry, but today we see it in military, medical, engineering, educational, and all sorts of various sectors. Here are the five startups that are paving the way towards a more extended future in different directions.
1. X-ray vision goggles
Extended reality had the most impact on the healthcare sector. According to Statista, in 2019, 35% of work hours in the health and social services industry could be augmented through the use of XR tech. One such technology is giving the doctors an X-ray vision.
Augmetics is an American company that has been working on AR since 2014. Their product, Xvision, is designed for spinal surgeries. With the special headsets, doctors can see a 3D X-ray of the patient’s spine while they’re operating on him.
The first actual operation with Xvision was held in June 2020. You can see how the tech works on their homepage. There are big expectations for the project, and the company has already raised $25 Million in funding rounds.
2. VR for patients
In the healthcare sector, extended reality has found its use not only for the doctors but also for patients. Vivid Vision is a good example. The company works on a VR program that helps cure the lazy eye in kids.
While Xvision is only now getting some actual traction, Vivid Vision is already in use in around 400 clinics. The treatment involves fun VR games for kids that, in the background, help the lazy eye to get more active. It is used together with other treatments and has had a significant impact on the patients so far.
3. Bringing stories to life for entertaining reading
As we already mentioned in the previous article, storytelling turned out to be a good use-case for this technology. Bringing various scenarios to life with tablets, smartphones, or VR has become quite a trend.
The augmented reality app Wonderscope is one of the most successful examples. The project belongs to the storytelling company Within, which mainly operates in the VR space.
Wonderscope is an exception, and quite a useful one indeed. It was Awarded “Best Learning App” at the 2020 Kids Screen Awards, and in 2019, the app also won a Children's BAFTA for its inaugural story, A Brief History of Stunts by Astounding People. Overlapping virtual elements like characters over the real world make reading a fun and engaging endeavor for kids. The app provides a handful of stories – like the adventures of red riding hood or an educational trip to the cosmos.
Currently, the app is accessible in the Apple store only for devices running on IOS 11 or newer.
4. Mixed Reality in schools
Another company oriented on education in kids is called Zspace. Zspace is working on creating mixed reality a reality in schools. They provide educational institutions with specialized laptops and headsets to turn boring lessons into fun adventures and experiences. The tech’s biggest advantage is that it allows students to work together, promoting collaboration in schools.
5. Virtual training
Apart from healthcare and education, extended reality has found adoption in training space as well. Strivr is a company that has been working in this direction since 2015, starting at first as a sports training program, and later on broadening its operations in healthcare, customer service, and beyond. The project has already raised $50 Million in funding since its inception.
Strivr’s most notable project yet was training the employees of Walmart. In 2019, they worked with over a million employees, increasing work efficiency by 30%.
You can read more about the history and main challenges of extended reality in this article. Although it still faces many bumps on the road, the above startups are good examples of how efficient and beneficial the technology really is. The more startups we see working on different forms of XR, the more precise its future will become.