Researchers from the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences have created a novel interactive VR system[1] to be used by patients when undertaking an MRI.
In a new paper published in Scientific Reports[2], the researchers say they hope this advancement will make it easier for those who find having a MRI scan challenging such as children, people with cognitive difficulties or those who suffer from claustrophobia or anxiety.
In normal circumstances, MRI scans fail in up to 50 percent of children under 5 years of age, which means that hospitals often rely on sedative medication or even anaesthesia to get children successfully scanned.
To provide patients with an immersive VR environment, the researchers developed a special VR headset that can be safely used inside MRI scanner.
The headset is designed to be light tight, so that the user cannot see their surrounding environment at all and is unaware of visual reminders of their position.
Once the system is properly positioned, the system’s projector is immediately live, providing immersive content and the VR experience is then continuous from that point onwards until the patient is removed at the end of the examination.
The researchers say this and other measures are highly effective at removing the sense of being inside the MRI scanner, as their visual scene is completely replaced with the VR environment and through creating congruence with the other sensations that are perceived during MRI examinations such as scanner noise, table movement and table vibration.
Currently, there are no other such MR compatible systems which combine a VR presentation system with intuitive interaction in this way.
By simply looking at objects or areas in the VR environment, the user can navigate through the virtual world, to select content such as films and games, play games and to initiate or terminate a video link to their companion/carer.
The latter means that an anxious patient can interact at will with a companion or carer at any time during their examination via a webcam with microphone and a display monitor installed in the console area.
The researchers say the next steps for the system is to develop content and test it with patients.
[1] View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8K5-1ZT4Z5w
[2] doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95634-y
