Empathy XR:

The Empathy XR project represents a step forward in healthcare education, leveraging immersive technology to transform how empathy is taught.

The vision was to create a virtual reality (VR) experience that allows healthcare students to step into the shoes of patients living with accessibility challenges, such as visual impairment or hearing loss, within a realistic GP surgery setting. The team set out to develop an immersive experiential learning tool that can fundamentally reshape attitudes and understanding in clinical practice.

In less than two months, the development team were able to create a proof-of-concept prototype that demonstrates the concept and feasibility of this method as a tool for healthcare training and simulation.