Samsung is planning to develop various mental health diagnosis tools for hospitals using its mobile virtual reality technology. The South Korean electronics giant has teamed up with Gangnam Severance Hospital and VR content maker FNI for the development of such tools.
The plan is to use Samsung's Gear VR virtual reality headset, FNI's VR content development technology, and the Gangnam Severance Hospital's medical data to make programs that would help patients. The companies would make chairs and diagnostic kits as physical products and a software application that will be used to the assess psychological condition of a patient.
Samsung is planning to use the Gear VR headset, the Gear S3, the S Health app, and its AI-powered voice assistant Bixby for the development. These mental health diagnostic tools will focus on cognitive behavior therapies for suicide prevention and psychological assessment of patients who are in need.
Healthcare organizations around the world are using VR headsets in various therapies. Last year, Gear VR-based Solis VR headset was rolled out to care homes in Australia. It featured videos that triggered positive emotions in dementia patients. Google's VR headset Daydream VR was used in Australian hospitals to relieve loneliness and isolation of long-stay patients who feel homesick.
