Apple presented its mixed reality glasses in June of this year and it is expected that they will be available in the United States in the first months of 2024. While it finishes preparing its launch on the market, and as explained by The Information, the company studies that this device can be used to diagnose and treat mental health problems, without ever replacing the figure of a specialist in these issues such as a psychologist or psychiatrist.
These glasses include sensors and cameras that, for example, are used to track eyes, since eye movement is key to interacting with the interface of this device. But the Apple division that is developing these glasses is blindly confident and believes that its technology is so precise that it can obtain data from the eyes beyond their mere movement.
Those responsible for Apple’s Vision Products Group believe that they can detect the emotions of their wearer and become very useful in detecting “schizophrenia, autism, depression, brain damage or even post-traumatic stress disorder,” according to The Information. Obviously, Apple does not expect its device to replace the work of mental health specialists, but it does hope that it can be of help.
“Members of Apple’s Vision Products Group, including its leader, Mike Rockwell, have spent a lot of time discussing the possibilities for health issues in glasses and have hired experts in this field to explore such features for the device,” it says. in The Information
In any case, everything is in a very embryonic phase, especially if you take into account that it is not yet possible to buy the Vision Pro either in the United States or in Europe where, in the best of cases, they will not arrive until the end of 2024. On the other hand, in order to use this device for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, it will have to go through a demanding inspection process by various health organizations around the world.
If this option finally becomes a reality, the Vision Pro will not be the first Apple device with an application in the health field. The Apple Watch already includes functions in this regard, such as monitoring sleep, heart rate, controlling medication, the menstrual cycle or recording mood.
The Apple Vision Pro, when it finally becomes available, will have an unfriendly price of $3,500. In any case, in recent days it has been known that the company is currently working on the development of a more accessible version that will have a price that will range between 1,500 and 2,500 dollars, which will eliminate the external EyeSight screen and use an iPhone processor instead of the Mac chip, in addition to using fewer sensors and cameras.
