A new era of access to medical visits has opened thanks to an innovative collaboration between the State1 company and the University of Cagliari, which has as its first case study the prisons and the ASL of the province of Nuoro. The project, which uses advanced virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies, is revolutionizing the way inmates access healthcare services, overcoming logistical difficulties and reducing costs associated with transportation and security.
Founded in 2022, State1 is the first company in Italy to have developed a platform for companies with immersive services where users can enjoy 360-degree immersive experiences. Led by Andrea Bandera (CEO), Alessandro Loi (CFO) and Daniele Argiolas (CTO), the company aims to become a leader beyond national borders in creating immersive solutions that can transform the way we work, learn, shop, we have fun and take care of our health.
Over the last year, State1, with the collaboration of the professor of the University of Cagliari Alessandro Spano, had the opportunity to present its projects and studies on XR technology. Precisely these meetings gave birth to an important cutting-edge project which immediately found the support of the ASL of Nuoro as its first experiment.
One of the great challenges for the ASL of Nuoro was to facilitate access to healthcare services for the inmates of the Mamone prison, a community isolated not only geographically – with the nearest hospital 54 km away – but also for their prison conditions.
The project consists in the creation of a platform capable of solving these problems through the use of VR viewers that allow doctors, nursing staff and patients to interact in an immersive space as if they were physically present in the same place. This innovative approach not only ensures more accessible care, but also significantly reduces costs. In the case of prisons, it is possible to guarantee anonymity and all-round privacy protection, allowing the doctor to take on the appearance of an avatar and not be recognizable by the patient (in this case the prisoner).
How do visits work specifically?
The doctor puts on the headset in his office and starts the session. On the other hand, the nurse or healthcare worker on duty goes to a special room with the patient who is left alone and observed by the guard from outside.
Compared to traditional video calls, VR technology offers a feeling of real presence, allowing anyone who uses it to feel physically present and close to the other person. Currently, the system is mainly used for rehabilitation, psychology and consultancy, but with the necessary modifications it can also be applied to all other medical fields.
During the field test phase, the product received very positive feedback despite initial skepticism from doctors due to their unfamiliarity with these devices.
The product has already attracted the interest of other state bodies and private clinics and can be implemented for private and public medical practices and companies in the medical sector (pharmaceuticals, etc.), reducing distances and becoming a tool suitable for multiple uses.
Participation with public bodies has not been without challenges, but the great success of this initiative demonstrates the potential of these technologies to improve access to health services in challenging contexts. The collaboration with the ASL of Nuoro is only the beginning of a path that could bring benefits to many other communities or private entities in the future.
Today, State1 continues to develop innovative solutions that promise to revolutionize not only the healthcare industry, but many other areas as well.
What are the potentials of this technology?
The future potential of State1’s immersive products is enormous: new features are expected to be implemented, making this tool increasingly unique and sophisticated.
Many companies are interested in implementing technology for various activities: from education to training, from corporate meetings and consultancy to immersive shopping, and much more. Numerous case studies are visible at this link.
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