Seeing is believing for these virtual pilgrims

RIYADH: Once a year, millions of Muslims from all walks of life make their way to Makkah to perform one of the five pillars of Islam.

The journey can be demanding, with pilgrims spending days walking long distances. Unfortunately, the taxing experience can lead to injury or health problems, and some are unable to complete the pilgrimage.

Last year, SyncVR Medical partnered with King Abdullah Medical Complex in Jeddah to bring their virtual reality application, SalaamVR, to injured and hospitalized pilgrims, allowing them to experience a virtual Makkah. The project is expected to continue in KAMC in Jeddah this year.

Floris van der Breggen, CEO of SyncVR Medical, told Arab News: “We work with quite a few different countries, including Germany, UK, Denmark, etc. I think the openness from the people in Saudi Arabia was the most open mindset that I have experienced.

“If someone uses the technology for the first time, they don’t only see the value of what they’re seeing at that moment, but they also see the future.”

Overseen by a nurse, patients using the technology are immersed on the road to Makkah, seeing all the relevant Hajj spots such as Muzdalifa, Mina, Mount Arafat, and the Kaaba, which they witness from sunrise to sunset while surrounded by other virtual pilgrims.

The whole trip takes no more than 10 minutes, after which they are offered an opportunity to virtually visit other places in the world, swim with dolphins, or venture into a jungle.  

Pilgrims can receive medical attention, while also enjoying Hajj experience.

When tested on pilgrims who sought medical treatment for extreme fatigue or dehydration, infections, or even sprained ankles, the pilot program’s results were promising.

Of the overall patients’ questionnaire scores, the average was 8.86/10 for how likely they are to use extended reality as a preferred method for pain and stress management in future medical procedures.

Patients also scored the technology an average of 8.9 for the extent of the XR experience to enhance their sense of relaxation and well-being.

SyncVR also facilitates the introduction of virtual and augmented reality in healthcare, with education apps that supplement staff education, surgery and anatomy training, nursing simulation training, and patient education.  

“People are very keen to influence things (here) and are way less conservative than other countries,” van der Breggen said.

“What has been really challenging is the key innovation hurdle, which is that you’ve shown that (the technology) works, everyone has that thirst about it, it can basically be used tomorrow. But then it still needs to come into clinical practice; management needs to accept it. That just takes quite a long time.”

The medtech company was established five years ago with the aim of using virtual reality to enhance social experiences, and broaden the technology’s sphere beyond the video gaming industry.

One of its first projects was designed for cancer patients, using the technology to alter their emotional state while undergoing chemotherapy.

“Of course, these patients are overwhelmed by their cancer, thinking about their life and how to spend it. What we did was provide VR headsets, and it worked so positively there. Instead of patients being completely silent and in a negative state, they were uplifted and started talking to each other and escaped those negative thoughts,” van der Breggen said.

“Their life, however long or short it will be, can be really meaningful, and that’s what a virtual reality experience can bring.”

SyncVR Medical was one of many companies that took part in the 2023 HealthTech Innovation Summit and Expo in Riyadh, where it exhibited an all-in-one application platform to help patients. From hardware to software, the company’s products can help with pain anxiety, stress reduction, rehabilitation, and medical education through immersive simulations.

Originally based in one hospital in the Netherlands, SyncVR Medical now supplies 200 hospitals across Europe with its health technology, and aims to be the largest platform for extended reality healthcare on the continent. The SalaamVR application is the firm’s introduction to the Saudi market.

“This technology, by giving a completely different experience and taking them to a new world, has a primary effect on the brain. That effect is the same in the Netherlands as it is in Saudi Arabia, Canada, Australia or Vietnam. The market (in Saudi) may be a bit smaller, but that’s where we’d have an impact,” van der Breggen said.