Immersive sleigh experience for paediatric children developed by Insight Enterprises branch Digital Innovation
Insight Enterprises has developed a virtual reality-based gaming offering for Tampa General Hospital (TGH) paediatric patients for two years in a row. The project was released on December 12, through the Digital Innovation division of the company; formerly called Cardinal Solutions.
The immersive development is fundamentally a virtual reality-powered feature that enables children currently admitted to the TGH Children’s Medical Center, make the most of the holiday period. During the event, Oculus Go, Oculus Rift, and smartphone virtual reality headsets were distributed to the children and their loved ones. The company has plans to help the participants get into a full-fledged immersive experience via “Holiday Madness”, a VR-based game. The volunteers are in for a thrilling joyride on Santa’s sleigh as they accompany him to the North Pole.
The VR experience was crafted by Matt Fedorovich, National Lead for Immersive Technology at Insight. He was also the brain behind the previous year’s holiday game, which involved children gearing up to fight flying gifts flung from cannons. Last season’s development signified a new impetus for growth for the Digital Innovation department of Insight. Till then, the division was known for creating customised applications involving extended reality (XR), to develop the quality of communication and collaboration between business organisations and their consumers.
Fedorovich remarked regarding the development, stating that the idea for a holiday virtual experience picked up speed after he had seen a write up regarding the positive impact of VR on hospital-centric therapy. He started envisioning how similar technology can be used to make admitted child patients happier at least during the holiday season. Fedorovich further elaborated that his development idea was in line with the vision of Insight to enhance young lives through the incorporation of advanced technology.
Wileska Rivera, the mother of a child patient at the TGH, and also a past employee of the company, remarked that the virtual reality development was helpful in keeping children in good spirits.
Rivera explained that the gaming experience created a positive impact on her daughter, as it inspired her to look past her existing health problems. She expressed delight regarding the development and how it helped her close ones lighten their moods during the holiday.
Insight’s associates in Tampa also distributed free toys to the yearly TGH Angel Tree initiative, which would go to the Hillsborough County Foster Angels.
According to Fedorovich, the 360-degree virtual experience, which involved full body movement, was inspired by the colourful imaginations of children, and how receptive they were to the latest technology.
Fedorovich elaborated certain viewpoints based on his observations. He observed that the children were reluctant to take off the headsets, and the entire experience also had a considerable impact on their family members too. The parents of the patients were visibly intrigued by the constructive nature of the technology. It also made Federovich satisfied regarding the company’s efforts in the immersive space.
