Apple has reportedly contemplated the use of its Vision Pro headset to treat and even diagnose some mental health conditions, according to a new report from The Information.
According to the report, engineers within Apple aim to use the headset’s sophisticated set of cameras and sensors to analyze the wearer’s facial expressions. Such measurement would then be used to detect certain mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, stress, and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
To treat those conditions, Vision Pro could then emit certain sounds and display images that aim to improve the wearer’s feelings. Moreover, the headset’s eye-tracking cameras can also be used to judge the wearer’s expression and current emotional state, otherwise known as a person’s “affect.” Affects can be used as an early sign of several mental conditions including autism, schizophrenia, depression, and brain damage.
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The Information adds that Vision Pro’s engineering group leader Mike Rockwell and other members have spent a lot of time discussing a viable approach to implement those features, hiring many health experts in the process. However, a big obstacle currently remaining is that Apple cannot market and release medical features without prior clearance from regulators, making it seem unlikely that such features will be released anytime soon.
Apple has also explored other features to screen for and diagnose physical health problems, the report adds. Engineers within the company discussed using Vision Pro’s infrared eye-tracking cameras to detect swelling in the eyes’ blood capillaries, which could be an early sign of serious health complications like heart failure. Other contemplated features include measuring pupil dilation, and a tool to estimate body weight variations of the headset’s wearer.
The report finally stresses that many employees within Apple are skeptical of the viability of many of those features in the first place, warning that the company could be too ambitious with its plans and that those features will never be as good as proven medicine and other dedicated diagnosis and treatment equipment.
