There’s not much that I can say to set this video up other than it’s just one of the incredible possibilities that virtual reality brings. UploadVR spotted it first. C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital used the Oculus Rift, with a hand from Game Start School and the Mott Golf Classic, to take kids that are stuck in crappy hospital situations to another place. A far off land. Maybe inside of a game. But the important part is, it got them “out of the hospital.”
This is something that is very personal to me, as I first got really interested in VR and AR while I was getting a stem cell transplant at UCSF this year. I was locked on a floor, and sometimes in my room, for weeks at a time. I’ll share that story another day, but please do spend a few moments watching these kids get the thrill of a lifetime. And more importantly, out of their hospital bed if only for a moment.
At the beginning, one kid screams “I’m on top of the world!”
You’re welcome for the tears of joy.
Virtual reality is here to stay and it’s more important than just playing a game or watching a boxing match in a more immersive way. It could, and will, change lives. Imagine this kind of happiness in children’s hospitals everywhere, all of the time. Then think about how doctors can train for surgery virtually. Pretty amazing stuff, eh?