The joint project with Sheffield Hallam University, Age UK and technology provider Pixelmill Digital aims to improve quality of life for over-60s
Virtual reality technology developed in the UK will help tackle loneliness in older people by letting them interact safely online.
They could get involved via games, music and avatars as part of the Planet WellBeing project, which aims to improve quality of life for over-60s. Over half of this age group are at risk of social isolation, which can have a drastic impact on their physical and mental wellbeing.
But now the joint project with Sheffield Hallam University, Age UK and technology provider Pixelmill Digital is working on a solution. The Mirror joined a consultation session with some of the pensioners who are helping dream up the tech that will eventually be rolled out on the market â and could even be prescribed by GPs.
The group are trying out existing VR devices that allow them to paint on canvases and climb up walls while watching graphics on their headsets â and their joy is contagious. Stephen Crane, 77, a retired actor living in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, laughs as he reaches out for the next rock on his climbing wall. “It’s absolutely brilliant,” he says afterwards. “I was daunted at first, but this is fantastic.”