For many, giving blood is a stressful experience. To tackle this, Samsung and healthcare company Abbott have developed an immersive meditation demo using the Samsung Galaxy XR headset. According to TechRadar, Samsung employees in South Korea recently had the opportunity to give blood while experiencing the XR meditation, and the company plans to expand the program globally with events scheduled for the US and Malaysia.
Meditation Demo and Upcoming Blood Drive
World Blood Donor Day prompted the demonstration. The next activation will take place at the Augmented World Expo (AWE) in Long Beach, California, from June 15 to 18, where attendees can participate in a four-day blood drive co-hosted by Samsung and Abbott. The author, who undergoes regular blood draws for a medical trial, noted that such an immersive XR experience would help reduce pre-needle anxiety.
Three Ideas for Everyday XR Applications
The article proposes three areas where XR could make mundane activities more engaging:
| Application | Description | Target Users |
|---|---|---|
| Gamified Exercise | XR glasses that work with any gym equipment, offering a virtual coach, treadmill routes, or a rival avatar to compete against. | Fitness enthusiasts, gym-goers |
| Reading Companion | An XR app using eye-tracking to verify reading progress, help with word pronunciation, provide visual cues, and suggest similar books. | Students, parents, teachers |
| Chore Motivation | MR apps that show cleaned areas, turn tidying into a rave that plays only while cleaning, making chores less tedious. | Households, individuals |
These ideas leverage existing trends, such as VR meditation on flights and VR in education, to transform routine tasks. The author emphasizes that while the concepts are not supremely immersive, they could help readers of all ages engage more deeply with activities like reading.
Implications for Enterprise Technology
Although the examples focus on personal use, the underlying technology — XR with eye-tracking, mixed reality overlays, and gamification — has potential applications in workplace wellness, employee training, and productivity. For instance, meditation tools for stress reduction could be deployed in high-pressure environments, and gamified exercise could encourage employee fitness. However, the source does not provide specific enterprise implementations or results.
The article concludes by noting that the future of XR depends on developments from companies like Samsung, Google, Meta, Apple, and others.
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