Lundbeck - nOH VR/AR Experience
Link Health Group approached Atticus Digital with a project for Lundbeck, targeted at healthcare professionals who worked with patients with Neurogenic Orthostatic Hypotension (nOH). The purpose of the project was to demonstrate to healthcare professionals the symptoms of nOH to increase awareness and create empathy for their patients. Atticus used augmented reality (AR) to deliver the experience via VR headsets.
Neurogenic Orthostatic Hypotension (nOH) is a rare disorder that is defined as low blood pressure that occurs when standing up. When blood pressure drops, symptoms include dizziness, lightheadedness, blurry vision, fainting, and fatigue. Atticus was tasked with simulating these effects in VR.
Challenge:
To provide a live view of the users surroundings and augment this view with a sense of blurred vision and dizziness whilst providing AR graphics to simulate blood pressure and heart rate monitoring.
One issues that we needed to figure out was how to match the mobile camera’s field of view (FOV) to the headset’s FOV to create an accurate depiction of the viewer’s current environment. We then needed to overlay real time video filters and shaders that would create the symptoms for the experience. These needed to be used to create the most accurate simulation of nOH.
The application needed to be delivered in a short time frame for an event in the USA.
Solution:
Our developers were able to match the mobile and headset FOV through educated guess work, creating a 360 degree view of the user’s current environment. They were able to modify the video and shader filters to accept the source texture to the video feed, creating a realistic experience of nOH.
Due to the time constraint on delivery, our developers had to work to deliver the app on time for the event in the USA.
Outcome:
The application begins with the user moving from a seated position to a standing position. From the standing position they experience a pre-syncope episode, which is simulated with slight shaking of the camera, blurriness, tunnel vision, and a gradual fade to black.
The simulation includes an ECG animation across the top of the screen and blood pressure numbers in the bottom corner. When the simulation begins, the heart rate goes up slightly and the blood pressure drops. A manual override is in place to allow the user to start, stop, and exit the application at any time.
The nOH experience was used at a main health event using Samsung Gear VR headsets and google cardboard, that latter of which 100 were given out with an option to download the application via iOS and Android.
