Virtual Forest for Dementia Patients using Kinect and Unreal 4 Engine

Dementia is a growing problem of today’s population. To see someone diagnosed with it, or with its most common form, Alzheimer’s, is a hard experience to handle. Most people cannot handle watching a once bright person dwindle away into a shell of the person they once knew, or that their beloved family member may not remember who they are.

A group in Australia is seeking to make the lives of dementia patients easier by temporary respite through a virtual scene. Using the Kinect 2 technology of Xbox One, and the Unreal 4 engine, Opaque Multimedia and Alzheimer’s Australia Vic are raising money through crowdfunding in the hopes to bring this virtual world to life for those suffering Alzheimer’s.

Not only will the environment provide a respite to dementia patients, the project aims to help caregivers and professionals to gain insight into the dementia patient to provide better care to those suffering.

Little details are known outside of the intended scope of the project at this time. The group will be at the Game Developer’s Conference being held this week in San Francisco.