{"id":20918,"date":"2017-07-05T16:44:31","date_gmt":"2017-07-05T20:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/?p=20918"},"modified":"2021-05-21T12:21:16","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T16:21:16","slug":"university-of-birminghams-virtual-reality-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/university-of-birminghams-virtual-reality-beach\/","title":{"rendered":"University of Birmingham\u2019s Virtual Reality Beach Reduces Stress and Helps with Rehabilitation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A long walk on the beach is emotionally and physically healing. The warm white sand, beaming sunlight, and calming tones of crashing waves lower stress levels and help to relieve anxiety. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, trips to the beach via virtual reality have been proven to provide similar healing and stress-relieving attributes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2013, the University of Birmingham\u2019s Human Interface Technologies Team, led by Professor Bob Stone, created virtual reality technology to alleviate pain in hospital patients by means of distraction therapy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Virtual Natural Worlds for Supporting the Recovery of Intensive Care Patients\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nCMZ1J3YGY4?list=PL3jwpz8y63iGVQVj1XTt9GzaWtV4ubwkp\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The researchers were intrigued by the potential of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">virtual restorative environments <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(VREs), which are \u201cthe recreation of locations and scenes that, by virtue of their natural beauty and peacefulness, may significantly help to reduce the body\u2019s reactivity to stress and restore cognitive or attentional capacities,\u201d explained Stone. Researchers chose Wembury beach, which is just south of Devon, England and titled the project Virtual Wembury.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Virtual Wembury was originally developed to aid patients with a variety of psychologically-related conditions, such as PTSD, depression, attention deficit disorder, pain, and sleep deficit. It was geared to benefit those \u201cwho may be unable to access and experience real natural environments, including those in hospitals, hospices, civilian\/military rehabilitation centres and care homes,\u201d said Stone. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This technology was first introduced to hospitals as a part of Project REVERE (Restorative Virtual Environments for Rehabilitation). Researchers tested if virtual scenes of nature could improve sleep quality for patients in Intensive Care Units. Results did show improvement in sleep quality, and all reactions were positive; however, the researchers concluded that the outcomes weren\u2019t statistically significant.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20919\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/image2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"572\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cSince the original REVERE project, the Virtual Wembury scenario has been extensively modified to focus more on rehabilitative applications for patients recovering in Intensive Care Units, as well as continuing the research addressing the restoration of cognitive well-being using virtual scenes of nature,\u201d said Stone. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Virtual Wembury in Hospital Trials<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Researchers are currently engaged in two trials at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and Birmingham Heartlands Hospital.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the trials, REVERE Breathe, is used to help rehabilitate patients recovering from gastrointestinal surgery. Those recovering from such surgery are advised to practice deep breathing exercises to reduce the chances for post-surgery lung infections. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTraditionally, to encourage this, patients are provided with basic (non-electronic) devices such as the Spiroball\u00ae, an incentive volumetric exerciser, which provides visual feedback by means of a ball levitating between two markers within a plastic cylinder when the target inspiratory volume is met,\u201d explained Stone. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20916\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/image3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"423\" height=\"322\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Traditional methods fail to incentivize patients. They don\u2019t record performance and progress or show how frequently patients use the device. The REVERE Breath system uses a digital spirometer called the Vitalograph Pneumotrac\u2122 to measure maximum inspiratory capacity. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe output from the Vitalograph Pneumotrac\u2122 is used to control a 3D representation of a Mediaeval catapult (or \u2018trebuchet\u2019), located on the cliff top within the Virtual Wembury scene,\u201d explained Stone. \u201cAs the patient inhales, the catapult is \u2018primed\u2019 and, on cessation of inhalation, a virtual rock is propelled towards a group of small boats moored offshore (the range of which can be altered according to the patient\u2019s changing levels of inhalation performance). The patient\u2019s ability to score points during the game is dependent only on their ability to take a deep breath (aiming to increase their maximum inspiratory capacity with each effort).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second trial, REVERE Move, is used to prevent a condition called Intensive Care Acquired Weakness (ICAW). As patients spend long amounts of time in bed\u2019 their muscles progressively weaken. To prevent muscle wastage\u2019 most hospitals use an in-bed cycling device called the MOTOmed<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While this device can serve to fight ICAW, it fails to provide performance feedback or distract patients from the pain. So in an attempt to improve pre existing technology, researchers combined MOTOmed with virtual reality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20914\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/image1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"412\" height=\"368\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe REVERE Move enhancement to the MOTOmed trainer presents patients with a third-person (\u2018over-the-shoulder\u2019) view of a recumbent cycle with avatar, located on the pathway in Virtual Wembury,\u201d said Stone. \u201cAs the patient pedals in the real world, a low-cost cadence sensor mounted onto the MOTOmed chassis records pedal revolutions per minute, and the VR system translates this into recumbent cycle speed and distance travelled.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The patients are required to complete a pre-defined virtual cycling course in Virtual Wembury in as short of time as possible. The next day patients will cycle through the course again with a \u201cghost avatar\u201d (representing their past performance) next to their current avatar. Through this method, patients are aware of their progress and can actively work towards increasing their leg strength. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Virtual Wembury in Dental Care <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, a team of researchers at the Universities of Birmingham, Plymouth, and Exeter have <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.birmingham.ac.uk\/news\/latest\/2017\/06\/vr-beach-improves-patient-experiences.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">studied the effects of Virtual Wembury on patients undergoing dental procedures<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at Torrington Dental Practice in Devon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Patients were randomly selected to either take a virtual stroll through Wembury beach or walk around a virtual city. Results showed that those who virtually visited Wembury beach experienced less pain and anxiety, and were positive about their experience a week later. Those who \u201cwalked\u201d through the city setting did not experience similar benefits. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Health and geographical factors limit people\u2019s access to nature. While VREs, such as Virtual Wembury, can\u2019t physically place people on the beach or on a nature trail, they can induce similar healing effects. \u201cNatural environments are good for people,\u201d said Dr. Sabine Pahl, associate professor in psychology at the University of Plymouth. \u201cThey improve mood, reduce stress, enhance wellbeing. But not everyone can go and enjoy natural environments at all times. So the idea was to bring nature indoors, to provide these benefits.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What is Next? <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The use of VR has progressively developed into a successful form of distraction therapy. It demonstrates the brain&#8217;s extraordinary ability to overcome physical pain, anxiety and stress. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Pahl recognizes the growing possibilities for VRE technology. \u201cThere is huge potential for using it in other medical contexts,\u201d she said. It can be used in almost every treatment where patients have to lie or sit still. \u201cI expect this technology will be used widely in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A long walk on the beach is emotionally and physically healing. The warm white sand, beaming sunlight, and calming tones of crashing waves lower stress levels and help to relieve anxiety. Now, trips to the beach via virtual reality have been proven to provide similar healing and stress-relieving attributes. In 2013, the University of Birmingham\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":20922,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[231,232,619,230,229,630,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-news","category-technology","category-mind","category-news","category-lead-stories","category-virtual-reality","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/virtualbeach.jpeg",830,533,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/virtualbeach-224x144.jpeg",224,144,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/virtualbeach-300x193.jpeg",300,193,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/virtualbeach.jpeg",830,533,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/virtualbeach.jpeg",830,533,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/virtualbeach.jpeg",830,533,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/virtualbeach.jpeg",830,533,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Jackson Schroeder","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/author\/jackson-schroeder\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A long walk on the beach is emotionally and physically healing. The warm white sand, beaming sunlight, and calming tones of crashing waves lower stress levels and help to relieve anxiety. Now, trips to the beach via virtual reality have been proven to provide similar healing and stress-relieving attributes. In 2013, the University of Birmingham\u2019s&hellip;","featured_media_src_url":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/virtualbeach.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20918\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}