Most of us probably don’t remember, but driving is weird. It’s an unnatural action that evolution generally hasn’t accounted for. There’s nothing in our evolutionary history that’s prepared us for the series of manual movements and coordination required to drive a car, or a truck. The closest we have is animal husbandry, but ask any equestrian and they’ll tell you that there’s a considerable difference between steering a horse and driving a car. But we’ve managed both, and we do it through time, practice and experience and repetitions.
Airline pilots get simulation time. Ditto for truck-drivers. It’s to make sure they get some experience with the controls so they don’t end up a burning wreck on the channel 4 news.
Surgeons and doctors also have years of training, skills labs and lots of simulation experience before they even step foot inside an operating room. And that’s in established countries. For the underprivileged, the disenfranchised and the world’s global poor, the resources simply aren’t there.
Therein lies the opportunity for the Vuzix Corporation (VUZI.Q), a supplier of smart glasses and augmented reality technology and products, which has partnered with the Children of War Foundation to increase the access to medical and surgical education by offering the use of Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses, in an attempt to connect healthcare professionals and surgeons in service to disadvantaged populations in coordination with United States-based teaching hospitals.
“Children of War is excited to partner with Vuzix as our smart glasses supplier to assist our organization to carry out our mission of delivering transformational medical and surgical education through the use of Vuzix smart glasses technology. We can now provide support more quickly and be in places that COVID is preventing access, all at a fraction of the cost,” said Amel Najjar, founder of Children of War.
Founded in 2019, the children of war foundation’s mission has been to provide healthcare, medical education and infrastructure needs for children and healthcare professionals directed effected by the ravages of war, natural disaster, climate change, poverty, isolation and migration challenges. They’ve had some successes, having had a direct impact on 13,000 lives through their assistance and partnership in implementing sustainable development goals.
The Children of War foundation’s ability to act by mobilizing medical teams has slowed down considerably due to travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is where the opportunity for Vuzix and AR essentially comes in. Now they can use the advanced smart glass technology and connectivity and expand their reach to almost literally anywhere, connecting team members to its net. This is accomplished courtesy of their partnerships with not only Vuzix, but also Novick Cardiac Alliance, Bernard Mevs Hospital Haiti, Ohana One, and multiple teaching hospitals both in and beyond the United States, each delivering access to remote medical and surgical education.
The foundation has improved clinical capabilities at multiple hospitals over the past ten years through the development of programs to connect mentor healthcare professionals and experts with prospective mentees in economically disadvantaged regions, thereby supporting the growth of programs in the areas of pediatric surgery, neonatal health, surgical innovation and mental health.
“We are very pleased to support Children of War Foundation’s mission and their network of healthcare professionals to deliver medical and surgical education through the use of Vuzix Smart Glasses. To bring this kind of help to the world where and when it is needed is something Vuzix is proud to support,” said Paul Travers, president and CEO of Vuzix.
As for this company themselves, they’ve made a respectable showing in the past quarter, having climbed steadily month after month from $2.25 in May to close today at $4.47.
The market size for this particular bit of a technology is anticipated to reach USD$3.66 billion by 2026, up from $849 million in 2019. The anticipated growth rate is 27.6% from 2020-2026. Most of this is anticipated to come from the gaming industry, but this technology’s other functional aspects are expected to grow alongside.
—Joseph Morton
