In manufacturing, the supply chain manager is responsible for the flow of goods and services, including all processes that transform raw materials into final products. One critical aspect of this is inventory management. In the most rudimentary (but surprisingly still common) scenario, inventory managers are tasked with counting and logging each piece of inventory, comparing these with the amounts needed, and determining what items need to be replenished, and when. Although on the surface, this appears to be a relatively straightforward task, a deeper examination suggests that inventory management places a heavy load on the cognitive system in the brain, and thus is prone to error.

Consider the inventory manager standing in front of the first collection of items. From a cognitive neuroscience perspective, one first has to count each item. This involves fixating on the first item and incrementing a counter in working memory from 0 to 1. Then an eye movement and attention switch must be initiated from the first item to the second item and the counter must be incremented to 2. Another eye movement and attention switch to the third item ensues, and the process is repeated.

Any time working memory load and executive attentional demands are taxed, one is more likely to make an error
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Critically, the inventory manager must follow some systematic approach to the eye movements and counting process to ensure that they do not miss any items or count items twice. The process of counting and systematic shifts of eye fixation places a heavy burden on working memory and attentional processes. Next, the inventory manager must rehearse the final count in working memory while shifting attention from the actual inventory to the inventory log. On the log, they must find the appropriate location, then write the number down that they have been mentally repeating. This number must then be compared with some threshold number and a decision must be made whether to order more of that inventory item or not, and that decision must, in turn, be logged. The inventory manager moves on to the next inventory item, again in some systematic fashion to ensure counting all of the inventory, and repeats the process all over again.

The cognitive neuroscience research is clear that each of these repetitive steps requires an enormous amount of cognitive capacity (in the form of working memory) as well as cognitive energy (in the form of executive attention). Any time working memory load and executive attentional demands are taxed, one is more likely to make an error and miscount, double count, or forget the count completely and have to start over. Because this process is error-prone, it is impossible to know if the inventory counts are correct and where errors might be.

When it comes to inventory management, the advantages of a hands-free, wearable device should not be underestimated
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To optimize and increase the efficiency of inventory management, the cognitive load on working memory and attention must be reduced. Augmented reality (AR) tools offer significant promise for efficient inventory management because they reduce the cognitive load, and utilize the manager’s visual field and visualization processes in the brain.

Consider the same task, but where the inventory manager is wearing AR glasses. They enter the inventory room and visually scan it. Using visual assets such as text or colored arrows, the AR display directs them to the first set of items. They fixate each item and either manually count the items, or the AR system automatically counts the items. This value is then input into an electronic system either through eye fixations to locations on the AR glasses or through verbal commands.

Budgetary constraints can determine the sophistication of the AR algorithms to be used
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When the inventory is low, a warning is presented and the individual tags that inventory for immediate replenishment, again through eye fixations or verbal commands. Throughout this whole process, the manager is looking toward the inventory with minimal load on working memory and few attention switches. The glasses then direct the individual to the next item and the process is repeated. The path taken through the inventory is optimized to require the minimum number of steps to complete. Attention switching is almost nonexistent because the counting and tabulating tool are always on the AR screen. The cognitive load is minimized because the system is doing most of the calculating and tabulating. The number of physical steps taken by the employee is minimized and optimized by the system. In a nutshell, it works the way our brains work, creating an optimal environment for inventory management with a reduced likelihood of error.

If your organization is considering an AR inventory tool, they come in many forms and budget ranges. Although hand-held AR devices are more budget-friendly than hands-free devices, when it comes to inventory management, the advantages of a hands-free, wearable device should not be underestimated, as the ability to reduce eye movements and attention switches is far superior with a wearable device.

If you are considering do-it-yourself AR authoring tools, be mindful of the risk of cognitive overload
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Beyond that, budgetary constraints can determine the sophistication of the AR algorithms to be used. For example, whether counts are manual or automated, and whether the path through the inventory space is determined by the inventory manager or is optimized by the AR system. Consideration must also be taken to the human factors of the system. Augmented information can reduce the cognitive load, but can also overload the user with unnecessary information.

Look for vendors who address these issues specifically and can present data to support the effectiveness of their offering. If you are considering do-it-yourself AR authoring tools, be mindful of the risk of cognitive overload. Good experimental testing and modification to optimize your tool are in order. Your goal is to provide users with “what” they want, “where” they need it, and “when” they need it.

Tech Trends offers a broad range of Digital Consultancy services to guide companies, individuals, and brands in effectively leveraging existing and emerging technologies in their business strategy.

Todd Maddox is Science, Sports and Training Correspondent at Tech Trends, and the CEO of Cognitive Design and Statistical Consulting. Follow him on Twitter @wtoddmaddox

The post Report: Managing the Supply Chain With AR appeared first on Tech Trends.

Medical devices are essential for safe and effective prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of illness and disease. Many are used in the patient’s home allowing patients to lead normal lives, and to address their health needs on their own or with loved ones. Critically, high-quality education and training on these devices is required to avoid complications resulting from incorrect care and maintenance. For example, the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) system commonly used to treat obstructive sleep apnea, is a complex system that requires sterilization on a daily basis to avoid infection. In addition, poor cleaning and maintenance of a colostomy bag can be life-threatening. Finally, medical devices such as in-home peritoneal dialysis machines to address kidney disease, and insulin infusion pumps to treat diabetes are central to patient care, but these systems must be maintained to avoid complications. Although the existence of these medical devices increases the patient’s freedom and quality of life by allowing them to be treated at home, medical personnel are not readily available should something go wrong. This makes quality education and training critical to success.

High-quality education and training on medical devices is required to avoid complications resulting from incorrect care and maintenance
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By far the most common approach to medical device education is to have patients read documents describing the device and outlining the steps needed to care and maintain the device. Patients are expected to study and memorize the steps so that they can effectively care and maintain the device and avoid complications. This approach leaves it to the patient to determine proficiency and leaves the patient at risk when proficiency has not been achieved. With more complex systems, such as a peritoneal dialysis machine, document training will be supplemented with classroom and hands-on training with an expert. Although clearly superior to document training alone, this is time-consuming, costly, and is difficult to scale.

Patients are expected to study and memorize the steps so that they can effectively care and maintain the device and avoid complications
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The neuroscience of learning and performance suggests that this traditional approach to medical device training is sub-optimal for at least two reasons. First, document training focuses almost exclusively on cognitive learning, when what is needed is broad-based experiential and behavioral learning. Second, hands-on training with an expert, although effective, is rarely extensive enough to ensure broad-based proficiency.

In this report, we discuss the neuroscience of learning and performance. We show why traditional approaches to medical device training are sub-optimal and can leave patients vulnerable to complication. We also show how immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) hold great promise for optimizing medical device training.

The neuroscience of learning and performance suggests that this traditional approach to medical device training is sub-optimal
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As outlined in the figure below, the human brain is comprised of at least four distinct learning systems: experiential, cognitive, behavioral and emotional. As alluded to by Einstein, experience is at the heart of learning, and forms the foundation of VR and AR. The experiential system represents the sensory and perceptual aspects of an experience, whether visual, auditory, tactile or olfactory. Because every experience is unique and is immersive, this adds rich context and nuance to the learning. These enhance generalization and transfer of learning. The critical brain regions associated with experiential learning are the occipital lobes (sight), temporal lobes (sound), and parietal lobes (touch).

Hands-on training with an expert, although effective, is rarely extensive enough to ensure broad-based proficiency
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In this report, we discuss the neuroscience of learning and performance
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The cognitive system is the information system. This is the “everything else” that Einstein noted. The cognitive system processes and stores knowledge and facts that usually come in the form of text, graphics, or video. The cognitive system is truly amazing and is more developed in humans than in any other organism, but it relies on working memory and attention that are limited resources and form a bottleneck that slows learning. More information comes into the system and is available to the learner (the green arrows) than can be processed (the red arrow). This system encompasses the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Importantly, this system is slow to develop and starts to decline in middle age when health issues begin to arise.

The behavioral system in the brain has evolved to learn motor skills. It is one thing to memorize the steps needed to care and maintain a medical device, but it is completely different (and mediated by different systems in the brain) to know how to perform those steps. The behavioral learning system is fascinating, but its detailed processing characteristics are beyond the scope of this report. Suffice it to say that processing in this system is optimized when behavior is interactive and is followed in real-time (literally within milliseconds) by corrective feedback. Behaviors that are rewarded lead to dopamine release into the striatum that incrementally increases the likelihood of eliciting that behavior again in the same context. Behaviors that are punished do not lead to dopamine release into the striatum thus incrementally decreasing the likelihood of eliciting that behavior again in the same context.

This broad-based neural activation leads to a highly interconnected, context-rich set of learning and memory traces
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The emotional learning system in the brain has evolved to facilitate the development of situational awareness — the ability to read nuance in a situation, to know what comes next, and to deal effectively with stress, pressure, and anxiety. This system affects processing in the cognitive and behavioral systems and helps patients learn to care and maintain medical devices under stress or pressure, or when “things just aren’t going right”. The critical brain regions are the amygdala and other limbic structures. Emotional learning is at the heart of situational awareness.

Using an insulin infusion pump as an example, let’s explore the traditional approach to training. The patient starts by reading documents that outline step-by-step how to care, maintain, and use the insulin pump. Then the patient may receive some hands-on training where they observe as an expert cleans and sets the pump up for usage. The patient may be given the opportunity to demonstrate the steps to the expert while receiving feedback. Because hands-on training is so time-intensive and costly, document and do-it-yourself training is usually emphasized.

These highly interconnected memory traces will be slower to decay over time leading to better long-term retention
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From a neuroscience perspective, this approach starts by engaging the cognitive system as the patient reads documents and attempts to memorize the steps. Because the infusion pump is a 3-dimensional object and the system is dynamic (pushing insulin into the body), it is challenging to fully understand how the system works when the information being processed by the patient is 2-dimensional, static, and usually text-based. The patient must convert 2-dimensional static information into a 3-dimensional dynamic mental representation in the brain that accurately reflects the operation of the infusion pump. The cognitive effort needed to do this is enormous. Given the fact that working memory and attention are limited capacity resources, this process with be slow, challenging, and error-prone.

During the hands-on training, the patient can “experience” the system in action while watching an expert. This combines experiential learning with cognitive learning. When the patient is given a chance to care and maintain the device while receiving corrective feedback from the expert, behavioral learning is added to the mix. Although effective, behavioral learning is gradual and incremental and proficiency takes extensive practice, usually more than is provided in traditional training settings. In addition, it is rare that uncommon situations are trained.

Because XR training tools are available 24/7 the patient can have unlimited practice, and can train and test themselves under a broad range of environmental conditions
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At some point, the patient is deemed “ready” and they are allowed to take the infusion pump home. It is at this stage when the patient is at the greatest risk. They have a basic understanding of the care and maintenance of the infusion pump, but do not have extensive experience, and lack confidence. The brain tells us why. All of the training has been sequential and disjointed. Training starts with documents that train the cognitive system. Experience is then added to the mix, with behavioral training occurring last. What the patient really needs is for cognitive, experiential and behavioral learning to occur simultaneously, and in the environment where the infusion pump will be used (i.e., in the home). In addition, they need situational awareness training to deal with cases in which they are under stress or pressure, or when things are not going according to plan.

Now consider an immersive approach to infusion pump training. Suppose the patient dons a VR headset and is immersed in a 360 experience with an expert who has used an infusion pump for years. The patient can watch as the expert demonstrates and verbally describes the step-by-step procedures needed to care and maintain the infusion pump. The patient can view this from a third-person perspective, but also from the first-person perspective. The expert can demonstrate common pitfalls and how to address them, while describing them verbally. The expert can do all of this while demonstrating a calm demeanor. The patient can view the VR experience and can complete knowledge checks at the end to ensure that they have the requisite knowledge. They can view the experience as many times as they like until they are confident in their own skills.

With XR training, the patient can view the experience as many times as they like until they are confident in their own skills
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To train the behavioral aspects of infusion pump care and maintenance, one could utilize an interactive VR setup, or an AR solution. Imagine using your tablet or a hands-free AR device that uses computer vision to identify the make and model of your infusion pump. The AR system uses visual assets such as arrows, highlights, text and such to guide you step-by-step through the care and maintenance of the system. As each step is completed, you are rewarded with success and move on to the next step in the process. You can practice the process as many times as you like, and even under time pressure.

From a neuroscience perspective, this immersive VR/AR approach engages all four learning systems in synchrony. In AR, assets are providing the necessary cognitive information. The learning is happening in real-time and through experience, with the patient generating the relevant behaviors and being rewarded or punished. This broad-based neural activation leads to a highly interconnected, context-rich set of learning and memory traces. These highly interconnected memory traces will be slower to decay over time leading to better long-term retention. Because these VR and AR training tools are available 24/7 the patient can have unlimited practice, and can train and test themselves under a broad range of environmental conditions. If they are unsure of a step, they simply pull out their VR headset or tablet, start the VR or AR software and are guided through the relevant steps.

From a neuroscience perspective, this immersive XR approach engages all four learning systems in synchrony
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Gone will be the days where medical device training for patients is inadequate, and patients are at risk of complication. With immersive technologies, patients can be given standardized and highly effective training from day 1. They can obtain experiential familiarization and practice as many times as they like. They can receive training on rare, but life-threatening situations so that they are prepared for anything. Because these immersive technologies broadly engage multiple learning systems in the brain in synchrony, the patient will obtain a strong knowledge base and behavioral repertoire that have been honed and testing. Patients will be more satisfied and confident, and fewer complications will arise.

With immersive technologies, patients can be given standardized and highly effective training from day 1
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For companies looking to get into Immersive technologies such as VR/AR/MR/XR our Virtual Reality Consultancy services offer guidance and support on how best to incorporate these into your brand strategy.

Todd Maddox is Science, Sports and Training Correspondent at Tech Trends, and the CEO of Cognitive Design and Statistical Consulting. Follow him on Twitter @wtoddmaddox

The post Report: XR Medical Device Training appeared first on Tech Trends.

Todd Maddox delves into the Neuroscience behind immersive technologies’ unique ability to make us experience things from another person’s perspective.

Merriam-Webster defines empathy as “the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another…without having these fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.”

Any profession that requires interpersonal interaction, such as education, retail, food service, and call centers, is better served with strong empathy
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That is a lot to unpack, but it is clear that empathy is about much more than an explicit cognitive understanding of someone’s situation. It is more about an emotional, experiential and visceral understanding as if you have “walked a mile in someone else’s shoes” and have shared their experiences. Empathy also shows in one’s behavior. An empathetic individual uses open body language and a verbal tone that shows genuine behavioral intent. Empathy is something that you can see in another’s action.

An empathetic individual uses open body language and a verbal tone that shows genuine behavioral intent
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In this report, I review the psychology and neuroscience of learning and show that virtual reality (VR) has the potential to build empathy in individuals. As outlined above, this requires training at an emotional, experiential and behavioral level, not just at a cognitive level. Empathy building is facilitated by immersive experiences that are rich in context and emotion and allow one to “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes”. As I show below, VR meets these challenges.

Empathy is something that you can see in another’s action
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Empathy is important in life and in many professions, and it is especially important in professions that help people in need or people under duress. For example, empathy is critical in healthcare, social work, senior care, and law enforcement, to name a few. In fact, any profession that requires interpersonal interaction, such as education, retail, food service, and call centers, is better served with individuals having strong empathy. Anytime someone could “use a friend”, “someone to listen”, or “someone to care and connect with”, empathy is a must.

Although there is likely some genetic component to empathy, as there is with so many things, many believe that it can be trained
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Some people seem to naturally have empathy, and others seem not to. Although there is likely some genetic component to empathy, as there is with so many things, many believe that empathy can be trained. Empathy training is clearly challenging though because this is not a skill that requires a simple cognitive understanding. Rather, empathy is an emotional skill that requires shared experience in the sense that one can “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, and can behave accordingly.

Empathy training is about training a person, and every person’s actions are directed by their brain. Thus, to understand how to effectively train empathy, one must understand the psychology and neuroscience of learning.

“Learning is an experience. Everything else is just information”

Albert Einstein

This is an insightful quote from Albert Einstein that is supported by the neuroscience of learning and is especially relevant to empathy training.

As outlined in the figure below, the human brain is comprised of at least four distinct learning systems. As Einstein so eloquently stated, experience is at the heart of learning. The experiential system has evolved to represent the sensory aspects of an experience, whether visual, auditory, tactile or olfactory. Every experience is unique, adds rich context to the learning and is immersive. The critical brain regions associated with experiential learning are the occipital lobes (sight), temporal lobes (sound), and parietal lobes (touch/smell). Experiential learning is especially important when it comes to empathy. The more one can vicariously experience the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another, the more empathetic they will become. If one can literally “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” they get this vicarious experience.

Empathy building is facilitated by immersive experiences rich in context and emotion that allow one to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes
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One can experience a situation from any vantage point; Providing empathy, watching another provide empathy or receiving empathy
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The cognitive system is the information system. It processes and stores knowledge and facts using working memory and attention. Critically, these are limited resources and form a bottleneck that slows learning with more information coming in and available to the learner (the green arrows) than can be processed (the red arrow). This system encompasses the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. This is the “everything else” aspect of learning that Einstein alluded to. With respect to empathy, this might involve memorizing the Merriam-Webster definition, knowing explicitly that eye contact is important, or that it is important to be understanding.

The behavioral system in the brain has evolved to learn motor skills. This is an amazing system and one that builds the “muscle memory” that drives empathetic behaviors. The detailed processing characteristics of this system are fascinating but are beyond the scope of this report. Suffice it to say that the critical brain structure for behavioral learning is the striatum, and processing in the striatum is optimized when behavior is interactive and is followed in real-time (literally within milliseconds) by corrective feedback. Behaviors that are rewarded lead to dopamine release into the striatum that incrementally increases the likelihood of eliciting that behavior again in the same context.

emotional learning, when combined with context-rich experiences, builds rich repertoires of empathetic understanding and behavior
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Behaviors that are punished do not lead to dopamine release into the striatum thus incrementally decreasing the likelihood of eliciting that behavior again in the same context. This system links rich experiential contexts (represented by the experiential learning system) and emotions with the appropriate behavioral responses. It is one thing to know the definition of empathy, to know that eye contact is important, and to know that you need to show understanding, but it is completely different (and mediated by different systems in the brain) to know how to show empathy with eye contact and behaviors that demonstrate true understanding.

The more one can vicariously experience the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another, the more empathetic they will become
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More than anything, it is the emotional learning system in the brain that builds the interpersonal understanding, awareness, and sensitivity that are at the heart of empathy and an understanding of our and others’ behaviors. The critical brain regions are the amygdala and other limbic structures. The detailed processing characteristics of this system are less well understood than the cognitive and behavioral skills learning systems, but emotional learning, when combined with context-rich experiences, builds rich repertoires of empathetic understanding and behavior.

The emotional learning system in the brain builds the interpersonal understanding, awareness, and sensitivity that are at the heart of empathy and an understanding of our and others’ behaviors
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It should be clear from this brief review of the psychology and neuroscience of learning, that training empathy is a challenge. Memorizing definitions, and an explicit cognitive understanding of empathy is not sufficient. Watching video of examples of empathetic and non-empathetic behavior is better, but even these do not represent immersive, context-rich experiences that elicit strong emotions. Empathy simulation and role-play training offer a step in the right direction because they are interactive, involve emotion-laden situations and behavior, but even here it is often difficult to suspend the reality of who you are and who your role-playing partner might be. In addition, people differ in their willingness and ability to role play. Finally, simulation and role play are time-consuming, costly, and not scalable.

This is where VR comes in. VR is time- and cost-effective, and is scalable. One can experience numerous VR scenarios and can repeat them as many times as one likes. VR has the potential to build the empathy that is so desperately needed.

VR is time- and cost-effective, and is scalable
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One can experience numerous VR scenarios and can repeat them as many times as one likes
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Consider a healthcare setting and a nurse-in-training. As any seasoned nurse will tell you, the classroom does a good job of training the technical aspects of the job, but not the interpersonal. However, suppose this nurse-in-training was given empathy training in VR, along with their traditional classroom training. Using VR, this nurse-in-training might be transported into the middle of a busy emergency room and shadow a seasoned nurse explaining a patient’s condition to their distraught spouse. Using voice-over, the seasoned nurse might explain how they are showing empathy to soothe the concerns of the spouse. The nurse-in-training is in the situation and can feel the emotions. They can combine the information provided by the seasoned nurse with the behaviors they are observing, all within an emotion-laden, realistic experience.

A nurse-in-training might be transported into the body of a patient just coming out of anesthesia following surgery
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This engages multiple learning systems in synchrony and will build empathy quickly and effectively. Analogously, the nurse-in-training might be transported into the body of a patient just coming out of anesthesia following surgery. They might experience one situation in which their nurse shows strong empathy and another situation in which their nurse does not. These behaviors are being directed at the nurse-in-training, while they embody a patient. This “walk a mile in my shoes” experience offers the first-person perspective that one needs to build empathy.

VR has the potential to build the empathy that is so desperately needed
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One can imagine similar VR empathy building scenarios for social workers, senior care professionals, law enforcement, retail, food service, and education to name just a few.

VR is immersive, and with high-quality content, one can experience almost any empathy-building situation. The experiential learning systems will be highly engaged and the learner will have a sense of presence. One can experience a situation from any vantage point, whether the one providing empathy, one watching another provide empathy or the receiver of empathy. Thus, one can obtain an emotional understanding from multiple perspectives. A cognitive understanding can emerge, but it is a byproduct and not the primary avenue of training. Emotion-laden experiential learning builds a deep emotional understanding of empathy, while simultaneously building a strong repertoire of empathy-related behaviors.

VR is immersive, and with high-quality content, one can experience almost any empathy-building situation
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For companies looking to get into Immersive technologies such as VR/AR/MR/XR our Virtual Reality Consultancy services offer guidance and support on how best to incorporate these into your brand strategy.

Todd Maddox is Science, Sports and Training Correspondent at Tech Trends, and the CEO of Cognitive Design and Statistical Consulting. Follow him on Twitter @wtoddmaddox

The post Report: VR as an Empathy Builder appeared first on Tech Trends.