Scientists create ‘virtual worlds’ to aid patient recovery
Scientists are developing virtual worlds to help hospitalised trauma victims and those who cannot go outdoors experience the outside world and recover faster.
Researchers from the School of Electronic, Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Birmingham are using sights, sounds and smells to create scenarios that can be viewed on large-screen TVs, video projectors and even head-mounted displays located in hospital wards, care homes or rehabilitation centres.
The idea is that patients can explore sensorily-rich simulated rural and coastal worlds, helping them to relax, aiding their recovery, or simply keeping their minds and imaginations active. The move follows a number of studies conducted in real-world settings that have shown patients exposed to even very simple 'green' scenes, such as a group of trees from a hospital ward window, require less painkilling medication and convalesce much faster than those who do not have such a view.
This technology could be made available to anyone who, for whatever reason, is in hospital, bed-bound or cannot get outside
The Birmingham scientists are basing their first offerings on a short section of the South Devon coastline and a reservoir area within the Dartmoor National Park, both representative of peaceful and picturesque parts of the UK countryside.
Professor Bob Stone, chairman of Interactive Multimedia Systems, and lead investigator, said: "This technology could be made available to anyone who, for whatever reason, is in hospital, bed-bound or cannot get outside. They will be able to get the benefits of the countryside and seaside by viewing the virtual scenario on screen. Patients will be free to choose areas that they want to spend time in. They can take a walk along coastal footpaths, sit on a beach, listen to the waves and birdsong, watch the sun go down and, in due course, even experience the smells of the land and seascapes almost as if they were experiencing the outdoors for real.
"As researchers, we are keen to understand what effect our virtual environments have on patients and will be carrying out further studies into arousal levels and reaction. In the summer we will start to test this on a large number of people so we can measure biofeedback and make any changes or improvements to the scenario we have chosen."
The team is working with Dr Jamie Hacker Hughes, head of defence clinical psychology, with a view to using the therapeutic systems on injured military personnel.