How Will VR, Alexa, and Other Tech Impact Medtech?

The client list for Worrell is literally a who’s who in Medtech.

For decades, the Minneapolis-based firm has worked to ensure devices are both attractive and easy to use, putting an extra emphasis on designing products that can reduce the likelihood of medical errors.

Now, as part of its design process, Worrell is beginning to study how consumer technologies such as voice-enabled devices like Amazon’s Echo are finding their way into healthcare and Medtech.

In this interview, CEO Kai Worrell and Kristen Shardlow, the company’s director of user experience, explain how inexpensive tools such as the Amazon Echo could rebuild bonds between patients and healthcare providers, while also helping Medtech companies manage clinical trials.

Virtual and augmented reality technologies also represent a huge opportunity for Medtech companies, such as Osso VR, a company we profiled in the past.

“Voice is really powerful,” Worrell asserts. “But right around the corner are all of these toys that use voice but also combine visual inputs as well.” The applications may start in the surgical suite, but as technology gets less expensive we might see such tech in the home as well.

Shardlow says, “The speed at which all of this is unfolding” makes it difficult to project how quickly these technologies could be absorbed into mainstream healthcare. But, she adds, “It’s safe to say healthcare is not going to be the same.”

Contact Worrell here with any development needs.