A new UK report on XR and healthcare

Executive summary

Welcome to your weekly briefing on the metaverse and spatial computing. Here are your snippets to sound smarter in meetings this week:

• Top stories: The University of Liverpool commissioned a national research report mapping UK organisations developing and deploying XR technologies for healthcare.

• This week’s stories: Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez has detailed the “Infinite Bernabéu” VR project with Apple, which will bring ultra-high-fidelity stadium access to fans worldwide through a Vision Pro documentary captured with over 30 specialised cameras, releasing next year (more below)

Top stories

The University of Liverpool commissioned a national research report mapping UK organisations developing and deploying XR technologies for healthcare.

• What did it find? The report found that XR in UK healthcare is moving from research into practical use, with universities adopting it far more widely than NHS Trusts. Adoption is strongest in training, mental health, and rehabilitation, though promising areas like dementia and PTSD remain under-explored. Progress is driven by funding and better technology, but hampered by weak procurement, patchy evidence, and unclear regulatory and scaling pathways.

• Other key findings are below:

This week’s stories

• The Gwynedd and Môn Youth Justice Service has introduced VR-based training during Operation Sceptre to help reduce knife crime, using immersive scenarios to influence behaviour among young people referred by police.

• Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez has detailed the “Infinite Bernabéu” VR project with Apple, which will bring ultra-high-fidelity stadium access to fans worldwide through a Vision Pro documentary captured with over 30 specialised cameras, releasing next year.

• The Rural Minds Project, led by rural doctors Dr Daniel James, Dr Richard West and Dr Jordan Tsigarides, uses VR headsets to simulate farming-life stressors and raise awareness of mental health and suicide risks in agriculture among GPs and medical students.

• Varjo and REISER Simulation and Training have achieved pre-qualification from the German Federal Aviation Office for the REISER H145 D3 Mixed Reality Helicopter Simulator under EASA’s Special Conditions framework, advancing MR integration in certified aviation training.

• XPANCEO has established a Scientific Advisory Board chaired by Nobel Laureate Sir Konstantin Novoselov to guide its development of ultra-thin smart contact lenses that integrate XR, health monitoring, and advanced optical functions into an invisible, next-generation wearable interface.

• Yubá Experience, the premium Málaga restaurant, has begun testing Meta Quest 3 headsets to let diners virtually explore global destinations during meals, aiming to integrate immersive travel experiences into future events and group bookings.

Note: The Immersive Wire is run by Tom Ffiske, who also works at Accenture. The contents of the newsletter should not be regarded as Accenture’s views.

All spelling mistakes are deliberate, actually.