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We are used to thinking of virtual reality as a technology for entertainment and gaming, but its potential is far larger. In this article, weāll use six success stories to show how VR can help fight stress during the pandemic, create better healthcare, and even reduce discrimination in society.
VR as a key factor of social development
VR has a stronger emotional impact on people than video or text; it also helps to absorb and retain new information better. This makes virtual reality a powerful tool for solving many urgent issues.
Here is what the prominent Polish VR creator Piotr ÅĆ³j has to say about it:
āVR is one of the most crucial issues of social development in our time as it touches every crisis of the modern world. Escapism, alter-ego, depression, anti-social behavior, porn addiction, gaming addiction, suicide and suicide prevention, a lack of empathy for others and the dehumanization of society. In all of these cases VR has great impact potential.ā
By the way, there is even an association called VR for Good and spearheaded by Oculus. It promotes the use of VR in healthcare, charity, heritage preservation, and so forth.
We have selected the most interesting and innovative VR solutions in three fields: Covid-19 pandemic relief, medicine, and problems of inequality.
Stress and loneliness generated by Covid-19
The economic downturn wasnāt the only crisis caused by the pandemic: its psychological effects are just as important. Losing oneās loved ones or oneās job, spending months closed within the four walls, inability to meet with friends, the fear of falling ill: all these factors produced severe stress in hundreds of millions of people.
Multiple studies demonstrate the scale of the issue. For example, a recent article in Lancet concludes that as little as ten days of social isolation can have a negative psychological impact that will last for up to three years. Meanwhile, a survey conducted in the US in December 2020 showed that 42% of people are suffering from the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Hereās where VR comes to the rescue. Unlike computer games or TV, virtual reality lets users meet and communicate with other people āfor realā ā even if under the guise of avatars, or digital twins. The possibilities go far beyond simple chatting: users can engage in various activities together, such as playing games or attending virtual concerts. No messenger or video calling service can offer such immersive and interactive experiences.
The slogan of the Sensorium Galaxy digital metaverse is āthe future of the sensesā, meaning not only hearing and sight, but also movement and emotions. The first world of the metaverse, called PRISM, features remote planets and a lot of excellent electronic music. PRISM will host concerts by famous artists, who will perform as avatars, looking like near-exact copies of their physical selves.
Sensorium Galaxy is a cross-platform environment, so even those who donāt have a VR headset will be able to watch a concert, meet and communicate with other avatars, as well as chat (and even flirt) with NPCs powered by an advanced AI.
It will be possible to buy tickets for the VR concerts with a 20% discount using the native SENSO tokens . The built-in store already features over 20 different avatars, plus cabins on the virtual Sensorium Starship. The pilot concerts are scheduled for the fall-2021, and the first artist to perform will be David Guetta himself, one of the biggest stars of electronic music on the planet. Meanwhile, SENSO tokens themselves are already available on such crypto exchanges as KuCoin, Poloniex, etc.
This platform is aimed at psychologists and therapists. Mental health professionals can choose among a large number of immersive scenarios depending on the patientās characters and the specific issue, be it depression, anxiety, addiction, phobia, etc.
Virtual reality allows therapists to simulate various trigger situations and help patients overcome their fears. For example, someone who is afraid of heights can experience sitting on the edge of a virtual roof. There is even a scenario where all the avatars wear surgical masks to help recreate the atmosphere of the pandemic.
Healthcare and patient support
VR use cases in healthcare can be divided into several categories: training programs, psychological assistance, and social issues.
1) Training programs
VR is a very cost-efficient way to teach healthcare professionals to use complex medical equipment. Such machines can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and fixing them is very expensive. Thus, itās much better if newbies can first practice with an exact VR copy of a machine before they proceed to operate the real thing.
Moreover, a hospital might have just one or two machines of a certain type (such as an MRI scanner), and they are in constant use, making it difficult to find a time slot for a training session. By contrast, a VR training program can be organized anywhere and for any number of participants.
Of course, creating a VR model can be expensive, but as more and more VR studios are entering the market, the costs of modeling are going down. Perhaps one day all complex hardware will come bundled with a virtual ātwinā.
Medical treatments and first aid are another type of VR-enabled learning programs. They are particularly relevant for surgeons, since surgery protocols are constantly updated and any mistake can be fatal.
This VR surgeon training platform helps users learn the latest techniques, including robot-assisted surgery. The product has even won a research grant from the US Air Force.
2) Psychological assistance for patients
Many of us are scared of complex medical exams and treatments, often because we donāt understand how they are done: indeed, people tend to be afraid of the unknown. A VR demonstration can guide a patient through all the steps of the upcoming intervention and even show what will happen inside their body. This techniques works very well with children: for example, the Kingās College Hospital in London already uses a virtual MRI simulation that features cartoon characters.
VR has an even greater potential in assisting those who are in pain and suffering: cancer patients, those undergoing physiotherapy or recovering after a surgery, and so forth. A VR experience can take a patient on a magical journey, allowing them to enjoy adventures and forget about pain, even if itās just for a short while.
Virtual Dream was created by the aforementioned VR developer Piotr ÅĆ³j to provide VR equipment and content for childrenās cancer hospitals, hospices, and care centers.
Racism, chauvinism, aggression ā how can VR possibly resolve these social and ideological problems? As it turns out, there are many experimental solutions that help people to feel and empathize with the suffering of others ā or simply get to know that āotherā who previously elicited fear or hatred. Here are a couple of good examples.
Celine Tricart, who directed this VR experience, was amazed to find out that refugees tend to hold onto the keys from their old houses even when they know that the houses had been destroyed and they would never live in them again. The Key is a poetic interactive journey in search of a new life.
The experience doesnāt feature any dry numbers or shocking images. Rather, the viewer is led to feel the same emotions as a refugee: disorientation, loss, and hope. Instead of pity, the user learns to feel respect for the refugees and a desire to do something for those who have left their homes forever.
Case study: Bear River, a Nation
Contemporary Native Americans, especially youngsters, are losing the link to their traditional culture. This film, made using the 360-degree video technique, helps restore that link through traditional stories told by the elders and visit the places sacred to the Bear River nation.
The Covid-19 pandemic became a catalyzer for VR, pushing the industry to explore new use cases. The solutions and experiences mentioned in this article arenāt just ideas or proposals, but products that are already working or ready for launch. VR as a power for the social good is quickly becoming reality ā and its impact is far from virtual.
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