April 8, 2020 – MyndVR, a provider of virtual reality (VR) solutions for senior living communities, has today announced its partnership with Pico Interactive and Littlstar to donate VR headsets to senior care communities in all 50 US states to help combat the effects of social isolation due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
As senior living facilities are forced to shut their doors to non-medical personnel, MyndVR states that the National Academies of Sciences is reporting that social isolation has been associated with a significantly increased risk of premature mortality from all causes. The partnership will help combat this during the challenging times ahead.
Each community selected will receive a free headset along with training and support, and a one-year subscription to the most senior-friendly content available on the MyndVR network.
“We are so grateful to Pico Interactive and Littlstar for teaming up with us to donate this amazing, life-enriching program to seniors in care communities across the country,” said Chris Brickler, CEO of MyndVR. “It’s important that the AR/VR industry steps up in this isolation crisis, and we plan to deliver MyndVR to communities in need in all 50 states.”
The face inserts on Pico’s headsets are designed to be easy to clean and hygienic for mass use. MyndVR provides training on how to properly sanitize each headset between uses by including print instructions and video tutorials to show where it’s most important to clean and best materials for sanitization. MyndVR also includes alcohol wipes to ensure each care community has proper sanitizing material.
Commenting on the partnership, Will Winston, Western Sales & Partnerships Director at Pico, said: “We are excited to be part of this initiative, to deploy our headsets to seniors across the country who are dealing with the effects of social isolation”. He added, “Our simple and easy-to-use design makes our hardware some the most durable and sanitizable solutions for virtual reality headsets on the market.”
Finally, Littlstar co-founder and CEO Tony Mugavero, said: “We are thankful to have this opportunity to partner with MyndVR to deliver 360-degree, immersive VR content directly to seniors across the country who are currently facing social isolation because of Covid-19”. Mugavero added, “The opportunity to expand the world virtually can bring so much happiness and comfort.”
MyndVR is asking for communities interested in the program to visit www.myndvr.com/Covid-19 for more information and to submit an application. For those who might want to contribute and expand the company’s 50-community donation, please visit www.myndvr.com/donate.
Video credit: MyndVR/YouTube
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.