Ontario Tech University’s dementia memory research is adding conversational artificial intelligence to virtual-reality sessions intended to help people revisit meaningful experiences and connect with those around them.
The Oshawa university described the work on November 10. Dr. Winnie Sun, an associate professor in its Faculty of Health Sciences, leads the project with input from people living with dementia and their caregivers.
The approach builds on reminiscence therapy, which uses prompts such as photographs, music and videos to encourage people to recall experiences. In the VR Memory Project, participants can explore virtual settings selected around their interests and personal histories.
Conversation joins the virtual experience
The newer AI component is intended to keep a conversation going during those sessions. Rather than simply presenting a scene through a headset, the system encourages participants to discuss and reflect on memories.
Possible experiences include places associated with childhood, favourite travel destinations, familiar music and family photographs. The team is also incorporating sensory prompts, including scent, to make the experience richer.
The university says maintaining relationships and reducing isolation are important goals. The announcement describes ongoing research and development; it does not announce a broadly available clinical service or establish that the technology treats or reverses dementia.
Participants help shape the design
People living with dementia are collaborators, not only users of the equipment. Community participant Bea Kraayenhof has worked with the team and described feeling immersed and relaxed during the virtual experiences, according to the university’s report.
PhD candidate Sarah Pistritto is among the researchers contributing to the work. The project combines health-sciences expertise with engineering and game-development knowledge, allowing the team to develop and test ideas across disciplines.
Sun leads the Wellness Innovation in Neuro-Aging Lab and is co-research director of the Advancement for Dementia Care Centre, a partnership between Ontario Tech and Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences in Whitby.
Her team’s emphasis is on whether technology responds to the needs identified by participants and caregivers. The dementia memory research is therefore being developed through a co-design process rather than assuming that a more elaborate device automatically improves a person’s experience.
The November 10 release does not provide a recruitment timetable, a cost for participation or a date for wider availability. Readers seeking details about the research can consult the university’s announcement below.
