Monthly Archives: August 2021

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common but often misunderstood anxiety disorder. The condition is characterised by repeated unwanted thoughts or sensations, known as obsessions, accompanied by urges to repeat an action over and over to alleviate the thought, known as compulsions. Some people with Pure O OCD only experience the obsessions, without the compulsions alongside them.

While all people exhibit habitual behaviour and experience intrusive thoughts, the actions associated with OCD are beyond control of the person experiencing them and can cause distress and interfere with their quality of life.

Most cases of OCD fall into one of four general categories: contamination, a fear of dirt and germs often accompanied by compulsive cleaning behaviours; checking, where a person will repeatedly check things like doors being locked or ovens and light switches being switched off; symmetry and ordering, a compulsive need to have things arranged in a certain way; and ruminations and intrusive thoughts, where a person will obsess over a certain line of thought that can sometimes be violent or disturbing.

The thoughts are intrusive, theyre constant and that fear is transformed into actions where they might do a particular behaviour, like counting, to try and negate that feeling, says London Anxiety Clinic owner and senior consultant Mike Ward. Patients want to be able to learn to adapt and reduce that level of obsession and compulsion.

Ward, and other therapists like him, have been using virtual reality (VR) therapy to help patients with OCD for several years now. The condition is known to respond well to exposure response prevention (ERP) therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), making it an ideal candidate for this kind of treatment.

ERP is a form of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) that encourages patients to engage with their obsessive thoughts without carrying out their associated compulsions. The treatment will start with placing the patient in situations which cause a tolerable level of anxiety and gradually build up to settings they find more difficult, helping them to relieve their distress and prevent their compulsive responses.

A person who experiences contamination OCD, for example, may find themselves unable to use a public bathroom or unable to do so without carrying out compulsive behaviours, such as washing and drying their hands a set number of times due to their obsessions about germs and dirt. ERP would see them gradually exposed to this triggering setting, starting with lower exposures until they are able to tolerate it without carrying out compulsions.

ERP is one of the most effective treatments for OCD and is an area where VR therapy can prove especially useful. Wearing a VR headset, patients can enter simulated situations that trigger their OCD symptoms in a safe and controlled environment.

VR therapy can be used in a number of ways to help people with OCD. A patient may choose to have a few sessions of VR therapy as part of a traditional course of ERP to help them prepare to face their triggers in a real-life setting. Their therapy may also be entirely VR-based, for example if their OCD involves a fear of flying and the cost of getting a flight is prohibitive. Far from being a poor relation to carrying out in-person exposure, Ward says the VR treatment can still have a significant impact on patients.

Clients are pleasantly surprised, they dont realise that the VR is so real, he says. Thats the experience we want with the VR, it creates a sort of meta state where were able to think about our thinking and observe how the body is responding to a stimulus.

VR therapy company Psiouss head of health and science Iris Stracke says VR therapy comes with several distinct advantages compared to real-world ERP, which can help therapists have a better understanding of the progress their patients are making.

It is said that the gold standard for OCD is exposure therapy and this is one of the areas where VR is especially useful for several reasons, says Stracke. One of them is that it allows for standardisation and control, because with OCD and its specific triggers its very helpful in therapeutic settings for the therapist to know how many triggers there are and when and where they will occur. Its also useful to track the therapeutic progress, because you have very clear standardised benchmarks.

Another advantage of using VR over normal exposure therapy for OCD is that you can repeat exposure as many times as you want in the exact same setting. You also have complete control over the parameters between sessions; there are no surprising variables and you can personalise it to the specific patient.

The VR healthcare market is expected to be worth $30.4bn by 2026 according to Fortune Business Insights, having been valued at just $1.56bn in 2018, with the therapy aspect having a significant part to play in this explosive growth. University of Oxford spinout Oxford VR is using the technology to help patients overcome anxious social avoidance and a free, VR-enhanced treatment plan has been launched by the UK NHS to help patients with needle phobias prepare for their Covid-19 vaccination.

The efficacy of VR therapy for OCD hasnt been studied extensively. Psious is reportedly setting up a multicentre study with Oxford Medical School, Brown Medical School and Kings College London to study the effects of its platform on patients, which features numerous scenarios for different mental health conditions that are specific to or repurposable for OCD.

Psious founder & CEO Xavier Palomer says: OCD is one of the disorders that has been growing due to Covid-19. The fact that you need to wear masks, wash your hands, social distancing, thats a really good mix of ingredients to boost the number of people suffering from OCD.

Even before Covid-19, the mental health sector was really struggling to deliver all the services needed. We need tools to help this growing number of patients and I truly believe that technology is a very good candidate to help this growing demand. VR is one of the key players in this space.

Optical System Design and Development for Medical Industries

28 Aug 2020

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VR therapy for OCD can enhance the delivery of exposure response prevention - Medical Device Network

Five physical challenges offer free sweaty fun for enthusiasts of all ages

'A Drop Over Lok Fu' features the first-ever virtual reality skydiving experience that uses the breath-taking setting of Hong Kong's cityscape

Special drinks and gym passes from merchants add a cool and electrifying splash to the summer

HONG KONG, Aug. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dive into a sizzling summer holiday with Lok Fu Place. To promote a green and healthy lifestyle to the widest possible audience, Lok Fu Place is organising the 'SPORTIVAL' campaign, which combines a sports gala with a carnival to celebrate an active summer. Kicking off on 31 July, SPORTIVAL will turn up the heat on sporting fun with exciting games and the first-ever virtual reality (VR) skydiving experience featuring Hong Kong's cityscape, creating memories for energetic, fun-loving jocks of all ages.

The large-scale SPORTIVAL campaign organised by Lok Fu Place combines a sports gala with a carnival to promote a green and healthy lifestyle.

Five Physical Challenges to Beef up Your Muscles

During the campaign, the outdoor leisure area in Zone B of Lok Fu Place will be transformed into a free fitness boot camp, where five physical challenges (bouldering, vertical wall climbing, slacklining, standing high jump and quintuple steps) will be open to all. The five checkpoints for these challenges will have gradations of difficulty, offering multi-level trainings for participants of different ages and fitness levels to boost their muscular power, stamina, balance and vertical leap abilities.

Shoppers with $200 or more of net spending* via electronic payment methods during the campaign period are each eligible to get one 'SPORTIVAL Fast Pass' and one day pass for Physical Fitness & Yoga Lok Fu. Holders of the Fast Pass can join the 'Weekly Physical Challenge' to score points at the checkpoints. The top three challengers on the weekly scoreboard will win fabulous prizes!

'A Drop Over Lok Fu' in a VR Skydiving Experience

Complementing the physical challenges is a VR skydiving experience that offers a virtual drop from 10,000 feet above the ground into the pulsating heart of urban Hong Kong the first such experience of its kind. Try out 'A Drop Over Lok Fu' and glide over the stunning Victoria Harbour and steer your way through the sky to land in Lok Fu Place while enjoying the familiar cityscape of our home city from an unusual perspective thanks to the state-of-the-art VR headset.

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This unique VR skydiving experience, enjoyed from the comfort of an armchair, is available for redemption with cumulative spending of $300 or more at Lok Fu Place via electronic payment methods*.

After a day of adrenaline-pumping activities, enjoy a slice of the great outdoors in the urban farm adjacent to the event venue, where seasonal greens such as edible sunflower, winter melon and hairy gourd are planted. Meanwhile, Fullhouse Kitchen at Lok Fu Place is joining hands with 'Taiko no Tatsujin' to present a special seasonal drink exclusively for the summer holiday to quench your thirst after a fun day out.

Terms and conditions apply. The programme is subject to change without prior notice.

For more details about the event, please visit Linkhk.com.

*Electronic payment methods include Credit Card, EPS, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, Tap & Go, AlipayHK, WeChat Pay, Octopus or other mobile payment applications

About Link

Link Real Estate Investment Trust (Hong Kong stock code: 823), managed by Link Asset Management Limited, is a leading retail-focused REIT in the world. Listed in 2005 as the first REIT in Hong Kong, Link has been 100% held by public and institutional investors and is a Hang Seng Index constituent stock. From its home in Hong Kong, Link manages a diversified portfolio including retail facilities, car parks and offices spanning Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, London and Sydney. Link seeks to extend its portfolio growth trajectory and grasp expansion opportunities in different markets in pursuit of our medium-term target Vision 2025. For details, please visit https://www.linkreit.com/.

SOURCE Lok Fu Place

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Lok Fu Place Presents the Summer 'SPORTIVAL' Campaign - Virtual Reality Skydiving over Urban Hong Kong - Yahoo Finance

Miami Cancer Institute has teamed up with healthcare technology manufacturer Reimagine Well to create a virtual-reality experience for MR patients where staying perfectly still is rewarded in a gaming simulation.

"This Xbox-style educational game is a part of pre-MR acclimation. First, the patient can explore an MR suite in an Xbox-style environment on the laptop. The patient then puts on the VR headset and lies down. The headset can measure tiny movements of the head, and the game gives feedback to the patient (and staff) about their stillness," Roger Holzberg, founder of Reimagine Well, told HCB News.

One of Reimagine Wells Experiential Education programs, the VR-based MRI Stillness Game comprises three levels that are timed to last the duration of the scan. The aim is to fill black and white worlds with vibrant colors, which is achieved by the patient keeping still. The first level is the rainforest, followed by a balloon fiesta and then a coral reef.

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In addition to lowering anxiety and creating better patient experiences, the game is expected to reduce the need to reschedule appointments and increase facility throughput by shortening the duration of MR scans.

"For the hospital, when a patient is still, sequences do not need to be repeated, or MRs rescheduled," said Holzberg. "For patients, studies are suggesting that repeated sedation is harmful in young children. A strategy of preparation with experiential education has lowered the mean age of sedation at Nebraska Medicine from age ten to three."

Video games are becoming more common as tools to prepare and reduce anxiety in patients. They also are being used to teach clinicians practices that help enhance care and hospital operations. Level Ex, a video game manufacturer, for example,

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Using virtual reality to gamify (and reward) stillness for MR patients - DOTmed HealthCare Business News

Cyber security, 5G, drones and virtual reality are the technological developments expected to have the biggest impact on real estate in the next two years, according to a National Association of Realtors survey.

The survey also found that 36% percent of agents spend $50-$250 per month on technology, while 23% spend more than $500.

The figures released Tuesday stem from 3,104 online responses to a June survey of NAR members. About 1.4 million real estate agents the vast majority of U.S. home sale professionals are dues-paying members of the Chicago-headquartered NAR.

Thirty-one percent of agents surveyed believe 5G will have the biggest impact in the next 24 months. Meanwhile, 30% named virtual reality as the most likely to impact real estate on a day-to-day basis.

The survey also examined the current use of technology by agents, finding that the most valuable tools used in the past 12 months were eSignature, local MLS apps/technology, social media, lockboxes, and video conferencing.

Indeed, agents are on social media more than Charli dAmelio. Ninety percent of agents use Facebook in their day-to-day operations, followed by Instagram (52%), LinkedIn (48%), YouTube (24%) and Twitter (19%).

Less clear is whether real estate agents are big believers in social media or just feel they have to be on. Fifty-four percent of respondents said they use social media, because, well, They are expected to have a presence on social media.

That said, social media does top the list of where real estate agents generate leads, with 52% of respondents saying they get their tips from one of the aforementioned websites and apps. The agents customer relationship management system was the second best tech source for leads, responsible for 31%. The salespersons affiliated Multiple Listings Services site contributed to 28% of where the next deal may land.

The survey includes a statement from NAR President Bob Goldberg that, The pandemic has caused more of our members to use social media and video to creatively market themselves and their properties.

However, the majority of agents do not use video in marketing. Of those surveyed, 37% said they used it, while 29% said they dont, with the remainder stating they dont deploy video but they plan to do so going forward.

One intriguing question is whether real estate brokerages are providing agents with the technology they need. Basically every single brokerage today bills its value proposition as providing talented agents with the tools they need to maximize their productivity.

And, according to the survey, brokerages are largely delivering. Sixty-four percent of agents either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that their brokerage provides technology tools needed to be successful. Only 13% disagreed or strongly disagreed with 23% stating they neither agree or disagree.

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Drones, 5g, and VR dot future of real estate tech - HousingWire

From gaming to entertainmentto training, Georgia companies have been pushing VR/AR space forward over the years.

Now, two different Georgia universities are using VR to improve our health and wellness, which is estimated to be a $11 billion by 2026.

We heard from a Georgia Tech graduate commercializing a VR meditation program to address critical mental health gaps and from the team behind a SCAD initiative to help those going through hospice care.

One Create-X startup is taking a zen approach while entering the fast-moving VR space.

Matthew Golino earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Georgia Tech, and worked previously as a software engineer for General Motors. During this classwork in the HCI program, he tells Hypepotamus that his interest in VR as an emerging medium converged with his experience in meditation.

Meditation, he says, became a more central part of his life during his graduate work. Throughout the course of his thesis, Golino spoke with expert and novice meditators alike on a quest to better understand how the practice of meditation is both taught and learned.

The result was eight meditation lessons taught completely through VR, aptly named ZenVR.

15 Georgia Tech students used the VR technology and educational modules during the prototyping phase.

We had people come in twice a week for 20 to 30 minute long classes. And by the end of the year, we were seeing these statistically significant increases in a number of mental health metrics. A lot of masters projects kind of end therebut given my personal interest, it was my belief that this could make an impact.

After completing the Create-X program last year, the team joined the Oculus Start Program.

ZenVR can now be downloaded in the Oculus Quest store.

For Teri Yarbrow, Immersive Reality Professor at SCAD, a new VRx Immersive Therapy program on campus is a combination of academic and personal passions.

I am a VR evangelist, Yarbrow tells Hypepotamus. I have been working with Hospice Savannah and the Steward Center of Palliative Care for more than two years. It began with a woman with stage 4 pancreatic cancer who wanted to skydive as a bucket-list request. She was too ill to skydive, so we brought her skydiving via VR. It was quite liberating for her as jumping out of a plane, and skydiving is a great metaphor for letting go and embracing the end-of-life experience.

As SCAD grew its BFA program in immersive reality, tangible applications took center stage. While students in the class were introduced to VRs role in commercial, architectural, fashion, gaming, engineering, experimental and medical fields, Yarbrow says students were particularly drawn to the medical opportunities.

18 students on campus have been involved in the project as far, which harnesses VR to alleviate pain, reduce anxiety in patients, and provide positive engagement for hospice patients. SCAD has created three unique experiences:

Virtual reality has proven effective in reducing pain, anxiety, stress, depression, dementia, Alzheimers and enhancing the quality of life. For those in palliative care or hospice who are bed-bound or confined to wheelchairs, this can be quite miraculous and life-enhancing. Our students visit patients at Hospice Savannah and Hospice Homecare. Based on the patients condition and specific requests, they implement VR experiences, adds Yarbrow.

Yarbow adds that she sees emerging opportunities to bring this technology out of the classroom even more. The FDA has now validated immersive VR therapy with a designation: Medical Extended Reality, MRX. This will create many career opportunities. Our goal is for SCAD to be a leader in the emerging field of immersive health, and, armed with the understanding of all facets of the design process and professional experiences even before graduation, our students will be at the forefront of creating the next generation of immersive medical experiences.

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What's Next In VR? Southeast Entrepreneurs Use Tech To Boost Wellness - hypepotamus.com

In the middle of the pandemic, the Portland Art Museum managed to score a partnership with one of the biggest events in the art world.

Last September, the museum and NW Film Center hosted the only U.S. exhibit of the Venice Biennial, a 126-year-old art festival and one of the most prominent in the world. For 10 days, the Portland Art Museum was home to the Venice Biennials virtual reality competition, Venice VR Expanded.

Now, the competition is about to return to Portland for the second year in a row. The Portland Art Museum announced today that it is one of the exhibitions 14 international satellite venues, and still the Venice Biennials sole U.S. outpost.

There are over 30 virtual reality films from 21 countries in this years show. The immersive works range from animated to nonfiction, and from story-focused to abstract experiences.

Like last year, a ticket gets you a one-hour time slot to explore dozens of VR headsets and their respective programs. The event will be held in the museums Fields Ballroom, and local duo Mobile Projection Unit will deck out the space with vibey lighting and projection art.

Venice VR Expanded will take place Sept. 1-19. Tickets go on sale in late August.

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The Venice Biennial's Only U.S. Exhibit Is Returning to the Portland Art Museum This Year - Willamette Week

The Department of Science and Technology Education within the Faculty of Education at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), has introduced a virtual and augmented reality (AR) research hub to accelerate innovation in the education field.

The new VARSTEME hub seeks to play a key role in educating the next generation of researchers and practitioners, by creating one of Africas primary academic centres dedicated to virtual reality (VR) and AR in science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) learning, according to UJ.

Located at Auckland Park Kingsway campus in Johannesburg, the hub will support research and education initiatives with a potential to deliver game-changing breakthroughs in the STEM field, says UJ.

It will bring together an interdisciplinary team of UJ faculty, graduate students and postgraduates taking up studies in VR and AR.

We have great expectations for the hub and believe this can be a significant feature of the faculty and the university for research and teacher education, says UJ professor Umesh Ramnarain, HOD of science and technology education.

In December 2020, UJ was invited to do a presentation on the activities of the VARSTEME hub at the fifth Europe-Asia Symposium on Simulation & Serious Games for Education. It was the first invited presentation from an African country.

The hub will be officially launched today during a virtual opening ceremony.

The recognition of technology-enabled learning that has been forced due to the pandemic is opening doors to learning opportunities that are unprecedented in human history, and the development of VAR technologies is a marker for the future of basic and higher education delivery in the country, notes UJ.

In SA and other emerging markets, AR and VR applications remain niche tools for scientific research. The goal of the VARSTEME hub is to equip pre-service and in-service teachers with knowledge and skills in the use of advanced learning technologies, it adds.

Associated to this goal, is the research agenda to pursue studies on the efficacy and pedagogy of the two technologies.

UJs VARSTEME hub is well-placed to assume a key leadership role in exploiting the affordances of VR and AR, not only in South Africa but on the African continent as a whole, says professor Yiyu Cai, professor from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, programme director of the Strategic Research Programme of VR and Soft Computing, and professor in charge of the Computer-aided Engineering Labs at NTU.

Through VARSTEME, international collaboration can be developed for next-generation education research.

The UJ VARSTEME hub builds on the Virtual Campus Tour, which uses VR with AR to help people navigate the campus maps online. UJ also has the Virtual Graduation ceremony and online systems for graduates, which include digital certificates, electronic academic records and the graduation selfie picture feature.

More here:

UJs virtual reality hub to advance STEM education - ITWeb