Augmented reality (AR) in the healthcare industry improves patient outcomes by supporting effective treatments and improving clinical procedures. It solves challenges like quality medical education, connected remote collaboration, and increased surgical precision. This technology in combination with virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR) solves patient anxiety problems before actual surgery and provides pain management through rehabilitation.
For instance, US-based startup IRIS XR develops a collaborative AR platform that streamlines surgical training and real-time medical device adoption. Similarly, Danish startup SkinChange.AI uses AR and artificial intelligence to help users monitor skin health to identify potential skin cancer risks through image recognition algorithms.
As the applications of AR in the healthcare industry continue to evolve, stakeholders must integrate these emerging innovations into their operations to optimize research capabilities, enhance data-driven decision-making, and address the increasing demand for immersive healthcare solutions. Read the full article now!
Why should you read this report?
- Gain insights into the top 9 applications of AR in healthcare.
- Learn about two practical use cases for each Application.
- Meet 9 innovative startups advancing these applications.
FAQs: Applications of AR in Healthcare
What are some applications of AR in healthcare?
AR finds applications in various areas of healthcare, enhancing both diagnostics and treatment processes. Surgeons use AR overlays of patient anatomy during complex procedures to visualize internal structures, improve precision, and reduce risks.
Medical training institutions apply AR for realistic simulations that allow students to practice surgical techniques without live patients. AR also supports remote collaboration by enabling specialists to view and guide procedures from distant locations. Further, AR-based rehabilitation tools aid patients in recovering motor functions through interactive and gamified therapy sessions.
How does augmented reality help in healthcare?
Augmented reality enables healthcare professionals to improve decision-making and patient outcomes by providing real-time information directly within their field of view. During surgeries, AR provides surgeons a three-dimensional visualization of organs, which minimizes the need for invasive procedures and shortens recovery times.
In diagnostics, AR enables accurate imaging by superimposing data from scans which aids physicians in making precise assessments. It also enhances communication between doctors and patients by simplifying explanations of conditions or treatment plans through interactive visuals.
Key Takeaways
- Surgical Assistance and Planning
- Use Cases:
- Surgical Procedure Visualizatiion
- Surgical Training and Simulation
- Guided Navigation
- Startup to Watch: mSurgery
- Use Cases:
- Medical Education and Training
- Use Cases:
- Enhanced Anatomy Learning
- Patient Interaction Training
- Emergency Response Training
- Startup to Watch: IRIS XR
- Use Cases:
- Telemedicine and Remote Collaboration
- Use Cases:
- Remote Consultations
- Virtual Collaboration
- AR-powered Telemedicine
- Startup to Watch: SkinChange.AI
- Use Cases:
- Assistance for Visually Impaired Patients
- Use Cases:
- Object Recognition and Navigation Assistance
- Enhanced Visual Perception
- AR-based Reading Aids
- Startup to Watch: Xander
- Use Cases:
- Neurocognitive Therapy
- Use Cases:
- Cognitive Rehabilitation for Stroke Patients
- Anxiety and Phobia Treatment
- Memory Training for Dementia Patients
- Startup to Watch: Tycho Medlink
- Use Cases:
- Rehabilitation
- Use Cases:
- Physical Therapy
- Motor Skill Recovery
- Balance and Proprioception Training
- Startup to Watch: Hapquitous
- Use Cases:
- Patient Education and Engagement
- Use Cases:
- Chronic Disease Management
- Medication Instructions
- Disease Visualization
- Startup to Watch: Xploro
- Use Cases:
- Mental Health Treatment
- Use Cases:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Exposure Therapy
- Depression Management
- Startup to Watch: NEVARO
- Use Cases:
- Emergency First Aid
- Use Cases:
- Real-Time Guidance for CPR
- Wound Assessment and Treatment
- Emergency Responder Training
- Startup to Watch: Medico XR
- Use Cases:
Where We Get Our Data From
StartUs Insights gathers data through its exhaustive Discovery Platform, covering information on 4.7+ million startups, scaleups, and tech companies globally, alongside 20K+ emerging technologies and trends. The Discovery Platform accelerates startup and technology scouting, trend intelligence, and patent searches, offering thorough insights into technological advancements.
By leveraging the trend intelligence feature for this report, we identified emerging technologies within specific industries. This process allows us to uncover patterns and trends, and pinpoint relevant use cases and the startups creating solutions for each scenario. Additional capabilities and information can be found at StartUs Insights Discovery Platform.
Top 10 Applications of AR in Healthcare Industry [2025 & Beyond]
1. Surgical Assistance and Planning
Augmented reality offers applications that enhance precision, efficiency, and patient outcomes. AR facilitates pre-surgical planning and visualization by enabling surgeons to visualize patient anatomy in 3D. Further, AR facilitates surgical training and simulation by providing medical students and experienced surgeons with immersive, risk-free environments to practice their skills.
Additionally, AR-guided navigation systems enhance surgical precision by providing real-time guidance and instrument tracking. Surgeons acquire critical information, such as patient vitals and anatomical landmarks, directly in their field of vision by using AR in healthcare workflows. This approach improves surgical outcome and minimizes tissue damage while performing surgeries.
Dive Deeper:
- Noteworthy Example: Researchers from University of California uses augmented reality glasses to perform spine surgery. This approach allows to visualize patient’s spine in 2D and 3D without an incision.
- Financial Landscape: AR-based surgical assistance and planning startups receive an average of USD 5.1 million in funding.
Startup to Watch: mSurgery
Spanish startup mSurgery offers an immersive surgical training platform for remote surgical assistance. It ensures minimal signal latency, high image quality, and an interactive view of the operation room. The platform has three modes of operation LIVE, iWebinar, and iVOD. LIVE mode allows medical staff to broadcast the surgery directly from the operation room while iWebinar permits participants to experience surgery as if they are present in the operating room in real-time.
iVOD mode allows the user to visualize the recorded content in the video library of the mSurgery platform. It combines real-time video streaming, and interactive features to facilitate peer-to-peer training sessions. The startup offers multi-angle viewing, real-time communication tools, and a continuously updated repository of surgical techniques. Further, mSurgery supports 3D streaming from endoscopes, and microscopes and records surgical procedures in an immersive format.
2. Medical Education and Training
Integration of augmented reality (AR) technology with workflow enhances medical education and training that offers immersive and interactive experiences to improve learning outcomes in healthcare industry. In anatomy education, AR applications like HoloHuman and FlexAR allow students to visualize and interact with detailed 3D models of the human body.
AR facilitates virtual patient simulations that allow medical students to practice communication skills and clinical diagnosis in a safe, and controlled environment. It also fosters emergency response training by allowing first responders to practice life-saving techniques on virtual patients overlaid on physical manikins. Further, AR headsets provide real-time guidance during emergencies that connects paramedics or volunteers with remote medical experts for immediate assistance and instructions.
Dive Deeper:
- Noteworthy Example: The University of Central Florida College of Nursing implements AR-based training sources for nurses. For example, nurses visualize what is happening inside the patient’s body during a heart attack or stroke using AR simulation.
- Financial Landscape: AR startups advancing medical education and training receive an average funding of USD 1.5 million.
Startup to Watch: IRIS XR
US-based startup IRIS XR develops a patented collaborative AR platform for sharing real-time content across multiple devices. The platform supports operating room education, surgical procedures, and medical device adoption and modifies them into interactive simulations for healthcare training.
It improves healthcare outcomes by fostering interaction between surgeons, nurses, and technicians. The platform’s content is accessible regardless of location, reduces the training time of team members, and builds confidence in them for optimal outcomes. Further, IRIS XR reduces the risk of medical errors for medical professionals and accelerates the sales cycles for medical device companies through its engaging AR experiences.
3. Telemedicine and Remote Collaboration
AR-powered telemedicine solutions provide visual explanations of treatment plans and medical conditions. Virtual collaboration enhances complex procedures by providing real-time guidance and expert assistance to surgeons remotely. Remote surgeons utilize augmented reality (AR) technology to navigate healthcare treatment procedures by projecting visual aids into the surgeon’s field of view. This approach of immersive interaction encourages understanding, minimizes miscommunication, and improves decision-making.
Dive Deeper:
- Noteworthy Example: A study by Carbone et al. develops a tele-ultrasound system that allows rural hospital clinicians to contact consultants for guidance. Using this telemonitoring approach, the remote consultant views the live video of the user’s environment and ultrasound sequences and overlay annotations or a cursor on the ultrasound imaging seen at the local site.
- Financial Landscape: AR-based telemedicine and remote collaboration bag an average of USD 1.7 million in funding.
Startup to Watch: SkinChange.AI
Danish startup SkinChange.AI develops a telemedicine application that allows users to monitor their skin health through augmented reality and AI. The company’s technology prevents skin cancer through image recognition algorithms to analyze user-submitted photos of skin areas. The application has templates to guide the user regarding the process of taking skin images, which is supported by AR to ensure good-quality of images.
By comparing two photos of the same skin area, AI points out the difference in detecting changes and supports regular skin health monitoring. The app provides automated reminders for periodic skin checks, secure storage of skin images, and personalized recommendations based on detected changes. SkinChange.AI addresses the gap between self-examination and professional dermatological care by assisting users to take proactive steps in managing their skin health.
4. Assistance for Visually Impaired Patients
Visually impaired patients benefit from augmented reality (AR) in the healthcare industry, which enhances their independence and quality of life. AR devices combine computer vision and spatial mapping to provide patients with real-time visual assistance and contextual information. Object identification and navigation support systems use simultaneous mapping and positioning algorithms to generate 3D room structures in real-time.
The recognized objects such as furniture or specific products are communicated to the patients through voice descriptions or vibrations. AR glasses improve visual perception by adjusting the brightness, contrast, and color schemes of the real-world view to make objects visible. It improves edge detection and depth perception by converting spatial information into color-coded, highly contrasted visual patterns. AR-based reading aids magnify text in real time which allows users to adjust the font size, contrast, or background colors based on their specific needs.
Dive Deeper:
- Noteworthy Example: A capstone research project shows the development of an accessible tool for people with low vision or blindness. It enhances obstacle sonification, keyword indoor navigation, and text recognition for visually impaired people.
- Financial Landscape: AR startups focussing on assistance for visually impaired patients receive an average funding of USD 2.3 million.
Startup to Watch: Xander
US-based startup Xander offers Xander Captioning Glasses that translate speech into text and display captions of what others are saying in real time through augmented reality. It follows the design of Vuzix Shield which allows users to wear these glasses only when they need them and features a titanium front and UV protection. This wearable works on the principle of ‘sight for sound’ and has tiny microphones present in them.
It solves hearing loss problems by combining technology with sensory substitution superimposed in the field of the user’s view. These smart glasses are lightweight and allow the wearer to follow conversations while looking directly at the speaker and surroundings. The glasses do not require any combination of external devices to work like a smartphone or strong WiFi signal for data transfer and make the wearer feel more confident in interactions.
5. Neurocognitive Therapy
Neurocognitive treatment powered by augmented reality (AR), creates immersive and interactive experiences by fusing real-world situations with computer-generated sensory input. This technology finds application in treating individuals suffering from diseases like stroke, traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative disorders. AR-based workouts assist patients in improving their memory, attention, and executive functions.
AR also delivers treatments for phobias and anxiety disorders. Through the use of augmented reality exposure therapy (ARET), patients face their anxieties in a safe, virtual setting. In addition, AR provides cognitive stimulation and memory training for dementia patients. Through interactive worlds created by AR programs, patients improve their problem-solving, spatial awareness, and memory recall abilities.
Dive Deeper:
- Noteworthy Example: BTS-Nirvana is an AR system designed for neuro-rehabilitation for post-stroke patients. It allows patients to perform physical exercises using virtual screens which targets specific cognitive abilities. This approach improves focus on attention, memory, and executive functions.
- Financial Landscape: AR-based neurocognitive therapy startups receive an average funding of USD 1.5 million.
Startup to Watch: Tycho Medlink
UK-based startup Tycho MedLink combines augmented reality in healthcare trials and real-world evidence into an application that offers clinically proven, personalized brain exercises to stroke survivors. This approach enables patients to regain neuro-cognitive functions such as problem-solving, attention, and memory through immersive training activities. These activities promote rehabilitation in remote setups and improve the therapy options in rural areas. Tycho MedLink combines AI and augmented reality to deliver cognitive care at lower costs and provides patients with improved customer service.
6. Rehabilitation
AR enhances the field of rehabilitation in healthcare by offering interactive and immersive experiences that enhance the patient’s recovery process by combining real-world surroundings with digital overlays. AR-powered systems project virtual objects and targets into the patient’s actual surroundings during physical therapy sessions. These systems track their progress using motion-tracking cameras and sensors, giving therapists real-time input so they can modify therapy regimens.
AR technology supports regaining motor skills by enabling focused interventions that support brain plasticity and functional recovery. This method aids in the development of new brain pathways and the recovery of lost motor abilities. Training in proprioception and balance enhances the patient’s sense of balance and spatial awareness as a result of AR integration.
Dive Deeper:
- Noteworthy Example: St. Jude Research Hospital implements AR technology to create immersive environments for pain distraction and management. This resulted in a 50% reduction in pain scores and cost savings on pain-relieving drug
- Financial Landscape: AR-powered rehabilitation startups bag an average of USD 2.9 million in funding.
Startup to Watch: Hapquitous
Japanese startup hapquitous expands the possibility of senses through augmented reality in the healthcare processes to support diagnosis and virtual simulations. The company’s products include Pain Compass, ADio, and iNems which support rehabilitation. This approach supports the treatment of central sensitization and chronic pain syndromes using sensory capabilities. It facilitates rehabilitation using motion sensors and adaptive feedback mechanisms. By combining physical therapy with AR, the company’s rehabilitation programs improve patient engagement, track patient progress, and accelerate recovery time.
7. Patient Education and Engagement
By combining AR technology with workflows, medical institutions provide interactive and visual learning resources by superimposing digital data onto the physical environment through the use of smartphones, tablets, and head-mounted displays. It shows patients how chronic diseases develop over time and aids patients to better understand the illness condition. AR offers instructions on when, how, and how much to take medications.
In addition, this visual aid lowers prescription errors and increases adherence to recommended schedules. AR-enabled applications promote disease visualization for patients by making them interact with 3D models of their organs. It allows patients to comprehend how their sickness is progressing, and see how different treatment options will affect them. Patients gain a clearer understanding of medical information and make more informed decisions about their care with the use of AR.
Dive Deeper:
- Noteworthy Example: Case Western Reserve University enables patients to interact with 3D models of the human body using AR technology. This approach provides a more engaging way to learn about human anatomy.
- Financial Landscape: AR startups advancing patient education and engagement receive an average funding of USD 7.4 million.
Startup to Watch: Xploro
US-based startup Xploro supports patients’ healthcare journey by improving patient engagement and treatment experience through gamification, augmented reality, and AI. The company’s product Xploro Tour supports the pediatric healthcare experience through storytelling, reducing anxiety, and making medical therapy more manageable. The platform enhances augmented reality in healthcare solutions through immersive storybook experiences in areas such as radiology, sedation, oncology, outpatient surgery, and sleep studies. Through features such as avatars, virtual hospital tours, and a chatbot, the platform guides users about their healthcare journey.
8. Mental Health Treatment
Augmented reality (AR) advances cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), depression management, and exposure therapy. AR provides patients with immersive experiences that let them practice real-time behavioral modification and cognitive restructuring within the framework of CBT. Using AR, anxiety-inducing stimuli are exposed in a secure setting to engage patients with virtual representations.
AR promotes exposure therapy by allowing patients to interact with soothing or uplifting augmented reality experiences. By simulating pleasurable activities or offering visual signals for mindfulness exercises, these therapies assist in breaking the pattern of unfavorable thoughts and behaviors. AR technology enhances depression treatment by increasing patient engagement through gamified elements and mindful relaxation techniques.
Dive Deeper:
- Noteworthy Example: Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center developed XAIA (extended reality artificially intelligent ally) which augments the work of mental health professionals. It features an AI-powered digital therapist that operates in a virtual environment.
- Financial Landscape: AR startups advancing mental health treatments receive an average funding of USD 7.8 million.
Startup to Watch: NEVARO
Portuguese startup NEVARO develops digital solutions for mental health, well-being, and performance by leveraging physiological biomarkers and gamification techniques. The company’s technology measures and monitors mental health by analyzing biomarker data to provide actionable insights, aiding users in improving their overall mental well-being.
NEVARO’s solutions include gamified experiences and serious games, along with therapeutic tools like exposure therapy in VR/AR, immersive mindfulness, and other cognitive-behavioral therapies. By focusing on measurable outcomes, NEVARO helps patients engage in effective self-monitoring, enhances therapeutic processes, and supports mental health professionals with advanced tools for optimizing treatment and performance. Its value lies in offering tangible, science-driven methods for managing and improving mental health.
9. Emergency First Aid
By superimposing medical instructions into the user’s field of view, AR technology enhances emergency first aid responses. During CPR, when performing chest compressions, AR systems project visual indications onto the patient’s body and assists in maintaining proper rate of compression. AR enhances patient outcomes in the management of wounds by superimposing anatomical information and emphasizing important areas of focus. By utilizing AR equipments, emergency responders interact in real time with specialists and obtain the knowledge and skills they need to carry out for medical procedures.
Dive Deeper:
- Noteworthy Example: Vuzix, in collaboration with Philips, develops AR smart glasses for paramedics. They allow emergency responders to livestream their view to remote doctors or specialists.
- Financial Landscape: AR-based emergency first-aid startups bag an average of USD 7.3 million in funding.
Startup to Watch: Medico XR
Indian startup Medico XR offers solutions for medical education using AR technology and pharma marketing solutions. The company’s interactive patient education solutions utilize AR/VR to provide an in-depth understanding of the patient’s present medical condition and treatment options.
Also, it offers emergency first aid training resources to healthcare professionals through virtual simulations which refines their skills and improves patient care. It covers scenarios like surgical procedures and patient interaction addressing the individual needs of patients. The company’s XR therapy treats mental health problems like PTSD, ADHD, and Alzheimer’s disease. It offers AR-based rehabilitation solutions to engage them in targeted exercises in a controlled environment.
Don’t Miss Out on the Latest Healthcare Innovations
Top investors like Techstars, Elevate Ventures, 1up Ventures, 8vc, and 100 Unicorns support startups focusing on AR applications in the healthcare industry. This funding majorly spans seed, pre-seed, angel, accelerator/incubator, and early-stage VC/Series A rounds. The average funding per round stands at USD 4.4 million, which supports early-stage startups developing AR-led healthcare solutions.
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