C.1: Improved self-management with virtual reality companions

Context and objectives

Contact: Elke Brucker-Kley (ZHAW) & Prof. Dr. Thomas Keller (ZHAW)

The heart of RealCo is a Conversational Agent (CA) visualized by a humanoid avatar. The avatar combines verbal, paraverbal and non-verbal communication to provide counseling sessions for people with diseases such as chronic kidney disease or diabetes whenever they need it. The aim of the proposed solution is to complement human counseling with an affective virtual companion.

To exploit the emotional qualities of CA and the potential of fully immersive VR, conversations with RealCo have the following features:

Individualized educational information on the topic of the condition to increase empowerment and autonomy to make informed decisions.
Actionable shared agreements, planning and reminders to turn information into action.
Motivational support to help people deal with fatigue and emotions such as frustration or anxiety.

These interventions aim to increase autonomy and self-efficacy and thus reduce the risk of complications. This in turn allows healthcare organizations to spend time on personal consultations for less standardized topics.

Planned results

Users of this solution use a lightweight all-in-one VR headset (such as an Oculus Quest or HTC Focus) to meet and converse with this CA in an individualized virtual space. RealCo's multi-device architecture enables use in all everyday situations: If no VR headset is available, the conversation can take place using a tablet or smartphone.

Contribution to overall innovation

The main innovation is the development of a simulation that does not yet exist in this form and is based on a holistic modeling approach. This will make it possible to take on several perspectives and shed light on the challenges in the context of the respective discipline from their point of view. The added value of the project lies in particular in the holistic and strategic approach to digital transformation. The focus is on the application of various management tools and performance indicators, ultimately with the aim of supporting stakeholders in the development of their advisory and training services.

Knowledge contributions from the project

No news available.

Partners

Success is based on a solid partnership, which is why a large number of partners are involved in the project, whose participation guarantees its overall success:

Institut für Wirtschaftsinformatik (IWI)

The Institute of Information Systems (IWI) at the ZHAW contributes to the scientific and organizational framework with project management and comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge. The IWI is responsible for requirements management and architecture design as well as the orchestration of the technical implementation partners.

Ateo GmbH

We are one of the Swiss pioneers in the field of virtual reality and have been working with this medium since 2013. We are passionate about creating exciting experiences using the latest technologies. With our team of specialists in game design, development, interaction design, graphic design and illustration as well as a partner network of content creators, we create beautiful, stable digital products that are easy to use.

EI-T GmbH

EI-T GmbH is a consulting and software development company. It advises its customers on the use of information technologies and leads challenging projects to success. The concept for success is the many years of experience of its employees and the combination of expertise in consulting, project management and software development.

Abteilung für Nephrologie des Kantonsspitals Aarau (KSA)

The KSA is the largest central hospital in the Mittelland region. The Department of Nephrology treats patients with kidney disease at three locations (Frick, Zofingen and Aarau). The department is one of the largest centers for the treatment of dialysis patients. Optimizing the education of patients with chronic kidney disease is a scientific focus of the department, which is headed by Prof. Stephan Segerer, MD.