Virtual Reality Design for Palliative Care is a pilot course in RISD’s Illustration Department that gives students an opportunity to design complex VR experiences using headset-based equipment (HTC Vive) with tracked controllers that allow for interactive navigation within the Unity game platform. Come see the projects. Please RSVP via eventbrite.

Students create form using 3-d modeling software such as Blender and ZBrush, or with real-time virtual painting programs such as Tilt Brush or Masterpiece VR. Actions within Unity are controlled by scripting in C#. These actions include navigation, animation, physics properties such as gravity and collision, and the ability to manually interact with virtual objects.

The purpose of our work is to provide palliative experiences for patients facing health-related challenges such as chronic pain, addiction, physical immobility and limited life expectancy. The course has professional input from medical professionals and we gain insight from direct testimony of their patients. We work with clinicians from Butler Hospital, The Meadows Edge Recovery Center, The Children’s Integrative Therapies, Pain Management and Supportive Care program at Rhode Island Hospital, McVay Physical Therapy and Hope Health Care Hospice.

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Our Projects this semester have included:
– Distraction therapy for pediatric injections, in which brief VR experiences divert the attention of a child receiving an injection
– Palliative refuge for patients with opiod use disorder–providing recovering addicts with either an exciting or calming virtual experience that allows them to cope with the onset of sudden craving
– Virtual reality for physical therapy– using body trackers to project a patient’s body into virtual space to address phantom limb syndrome, and to practice movements in an engaging environment such as skiing
– Palliative care for the terminally ill– working with hospice care professionals to increase the quality fo life for physically and emotionally challenged end-of life patients.

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Get Tickets Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/risd-class-projects-virtual-reality-design-for-palliative-care-tickets-61356843972

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Come as you are. We gather to learn and connect with each other, problem solve and brainstorm, drink and eat. This particular meetup does not include any refreshments.
We’re looking forward to meeting you!

These meetups are free and open to the public.