One of the great things about the Internet is that it connects people who, in the past, have had a hard time keeping in touch. In researching the phenomena of medical amputees rehabilitating and re-integrating into their home communities, it has been shown that peer support is a real key to the process.
This is where virtual world technology has stepped in as a perfect fit. The geographic boundaries are broken down, issues are addressed like body identification and self expression, and training scenarios for everyday things like going to a grocery store are properly simulated.
Doug Thompson and Remedy Communications seem to have approached the project right, taking as much feedback as possible not just from clinicians but also from the program participants. This has become a great support system with full web integration and social networking technologies, and is being rolled out for military veteran amputees and their families.
One thing that Doug mentioned during the presentation was that they discovered a need for this system with veterans from conflicts as far back as Vietnam. It’s good to know that there is continued support for those who have given so much.
I’ve long been a fan of the work Virtual Ability Inc. (VAI) has done creating one of Second Life’s most flawless and in-depth orientation experiences. They’ve firmly established themselves as innovators in the field and so, when I find out about projects they’ve been a part of, I pay attention.
This is why I took notice when Doug Thompson mentioned in conversation that Remedy Communications had worked with them on a project funded by the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) of the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC). (There was a full press release about the project, linked here.)
For virtual environment geeks, this is a nice look at a use of the “behind-the-firewall” solution Linden Lab provides. For everyone else, however, this is a good look at why virtual environments are meaningful in the first place and how they can make all the difference to those using them.
Join us today at 2pm PST (10pm GMT) in Second Life for this latest session of Virtual Worlds Keynote. Question and answer period will immediately follow this quick 10-15 minute presentation.
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To join us in Second Life, you’ll need to do the following:
Go to SecondLife.com, create an account, and install the software.
Log in through the Second Life software using your user name.
Click here to be teleported to our studio before 2pm Pacific.
You would be shocked at how much time and effort goes into planning your supermarket experience. Stock isn’t just tossed up onto the shelves by category, but careful work goes into how to lead people’s eyes across the products and onto what they need to move the fastest. There’s an entire art and science at play that you’re a participant in every day, even if you don’t know it.
Every shelf is designed ahead of time using a “planogram”, which is a drawing of the shelf showing exactly where each product goes. The thing is, up until this point this has all been done on paper. Justin Bovington of Rivers Run Red came up with a much better way to plan shelves that work: use a 3D environment.
This week, Justin is going to showcase and explore the potential of virtual worlds in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and Retail Sector. Taking it beyond meetings and collaboration: An exploration of how Rivers Run Red are developing immersive solutions and applications.
Join us today at 2pm PST (10pm GMT) in Second Life for this latest session of Virtual Worlds Keynote. Question and answer period will immediately follow this quick 10-15 minute presentation, so make sure you are there!
—
To join us in Second Life, you’ll need to do the following:
Go to SecondLife.com, create an account, and install the software.
Log in through the Second Life software using your user name.
Click here to be teleported to our studio before 2pm Pacific.
Last night Anders Grondstedt, President of The Grondstedt Group Inc., gave us some fantastic insight into how million-dollar ideas were developed at Schneider Electric and IBM. Executives from a number of locations were able to engage with each other and really work creatively by using a virtual environment. Costs were kept low, and productivity was even higher than usual for a meeting of this type.
Machinima is real-time animation using games and virtual worlds. NYC based Global Kids have enriched the art-form with their social issue work, all created in Teen Second Life. Draxtor Despres talked to participants and staff at GK as well as enlightens us with some machinima history and….the FUTURE….
Lots of goodness here: Draxtor, Global Kids, and a good run-down of a specific application of virtual environments. I’ll follow this up in the next few days with a good video about using Machinima for training if I can find the one I’m thinking of.
Do you know the video I’m thinking of? A general promo of Machinima for training applications? If so please leave a comment.
