Fostering Social Connections: Virtual Reality Villages for Elderly Well-being

By Dr Silpaja Chandrasekar, PhDMar 8 2024Reviewed by Susha Cheriyedath, M.Sc.

In a paper published in the journal Applied Sciences, researchers tackled addressing social isolation among older people by incorporating emotional and aesthetic elements into designing a virtual reality (VR) social space. Collaborating with architects and artists, they developed VR experiences to enhance communication and positive emotions for older individuals.

*Important notice: arXiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

Through innovative methodologies and technologies like VR, artificial intelligence (AI), and visual analysis, they created a virtual village named "Cap de Ballon." This village featured public spaces inspired by picturesque locations and private spaces modeled after actual apartments, resulting in a concept appreciated for its utility and creativity by elderly users.

Related Work

Previous research has extensively examined the challenges posed by global demographic shifts, particularly the growing elderly population, emphasizing the urgency of addressing social isolation among older individuals. In addition to social isolation, other challenges include ensuring adequate healthcare services, addressing financial insecurity, combating ageism and discrimination, and promoting intergenerational integration.

Comprehensive VR Implementation Methodology

Researchers embarked on a comprehensive approach within the methodology section, leveraging the expertise of artists and engineers to address the needs of elderly individuals. They aimed to cultivate an interactive VR social environment conducive to stimulating intellectual engagement and fostering communication. Through iterative design cycles involving artists, end users, architects, and software engineers, a prototype VR installation was created, informed by interviews and 3D models of elderly living spaces. Subsequent steps included prototype implementation, measurement collection, sentiment analysis in VR hotspots, user evaluation via questionnaires, and iterative design adjustments based on user feedback and sentiment analysis.

Human participants, comprising 10 autonomous elders aged 60 to 85 living independently in Paris, France, were involved in the project. Informed consent was obtained from all participants, ensuring transparency and understanding of data processing procedures. The VR prototypes were evaluated through qualitative interviews, focus groups, and questionnaire assessments, focusing on usability, emotions, social interaction, and creativity. The study emphasized adherence to ethical guidelines, with personal identification data anonymized during the evaluation process, and adherence to GDPR requirements for photo and video materials.

Image sentiment analysis and behavioral analysis were employed to assess emotional responses and stress levels within the VR environment. By leveraging convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for sentiment analysis and employing a hidden Markov model (HMM) for stress detection, researchers adopted a multimodal approach to understanding user experiences comprehensively. The fusion of sentiment analysis and behavioral data provided insights into user engagement and emotional states, contributing to design refinements and optimizations.

The implementation methodology encompassed various tools and techniques to gather user requirements, reconstruct indoor environments, design the virtual village's exterior, and develop the VR tool. Researchers conducted focus groups, interviews, and online workshops to understand user expectations while utilizing a mobile mapping platform to facilitate the creation of 3D models for architectural redesign. Computer-aided design (CAD) software was used for exterior village design, incorporating elements from open-source photogrammetry models. Unity was employed to develop the VR platform, optimizing mesh simplification and texture map baking to enhance real-time performance. The researchers outlined the system requirements for the VR platform, ensuring compatibility and optimal performance on Windows 10 systems with specified hardware configurations.

VR Village Development

The collaborative VR application, "Cap de Ballon," was developed to facilitate multiple users' immersion in a shared VR environment, enabling collaboration and interaction with virtual objects. Utilizing Steam VR ensured broad compatibility with various VR devices, allowing users to log in, create meeting rooms, and engage with others seamlessly.

Inspired by Maurice Benayoun's project "Last Life," the VR world of "Cap de Ballon" aimed to address sociability issues among seniors by providing a platform for them to share their life experiences and interests. The village, resembling a 3D environment, incorporated elements from different real-world places, fostering memory stimulation and social connections among seniors and their friends and family.

The VR village featured various thematic neighborhoods, each representing different interests selected by seniors. Through colored windows displaying user-generated content and identifiable landmarks, visitors could navigate the town and engage with shared memories, events, and hobbies. Inside the houses, seniors could gather in smaller groups to discuss specific topics, enhancing social interaction and connection.

Seniors participated in the village's co-creation, contributing content such as videos and pictures depicting their daily lives and special events. Their contributions, along with the integration of sound from videos, enriched the immersive experience and underscored the collaborative nature of the project, fostering satisfaction and adherence among seniors.

Conclusion

To sum up, this study revealed seniors' enthusiasm for engaging with VR and their inclination to create content for virtual environments. Their active participation in shaping the virtual village demonstrated a desire for interactive and social experiences. Image sentiment analysis confirmed high levels of acceptance among participants. Evaluation of the VR platform highlighted its effectiveness in stimulating creativity, enhancing social connections, and eliciting positive sentiments.

Despite limitations such as small sample sizes and methodological constraints, future efforts will focus on expanding participant numbers and incorporating advanced techniques like physiological signal processing to enhance emotional detection. Overall, the findings suggest promising prospects for the virtual village concept in positively impacting seniors' social and emotional well-being.

*Important notice: arXiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.