Meet FocusVR-ADHD, one of the promising projects selected in the 1st CORTEX2 Open Call. This extended reality (XR) solution is developing an immersive therapy platform that brings patients and therapists together in real-time, regardless of their location. With its unique combination of cognitive training and integrated teleconferencing, FocusVR is rethinking how ADHD therapy is delivered, especially in underserved or remote areas.
Keep reading to discover how FocusVR-ADHD is reshaping digital therapy.
Q: How would you describe FocusVR-ADHD in one sentence?
A: FocusVR is an innovative virtual reality platform designed to improve ADHD therapy by combining immersive cognitive training scenarios with seamless teleconferencing capabilities, fostering deeper engagement and enabling real-time interaction between patients and therapists, regardless of location.
Q: What problem are you solving? What makes your solution unique?
A: FocusVR addresses the challenge of physical distance between therapists and patients, which often limits access to consistent and effective ADHD therapy, particularly in underserved or remote areas.
What sets FocusVR apart is its ability to bridge this gap through a virtual reality platform that combines immersive cognitive training with integrated teleconferencing. This innovative approach enables real-time interaction between patients and therapists, making therapy more accessible, personalised, and engaging, regardless of geographical constraints.
Q: What are FocusVR-ADHD’s main objectives?
A: The key objectives of the FocusVR project include the development of four immersive training scenarios tailored to address core ADHD symptoms such as attention, memory, emotional regulation, and executive functioning. Additionally, the project aims to integrate the advanced CORTEX2 system to enable teleconferencing features, ensuring seamless and real-time interaction between patients and therapists. A crucial part of the initiative is conducting clinical trials to validate the effectiveness of the solution, ensuring it meets the highest standards of therapeutic impact and user experience.
CORTEX2 support programme progress
Q: What have you achieved so far?
A: So far, the FocusVR project has achieved significant progress in several key areas. The team has developed comprehensive UX and UI designs tailored for both therapists and ADHD patients, ensuring the platform is intuitive and user-friendly. Four immersive therapeutic scenarios have been designed, each addressing specific ADHD challenges such as attention, memory, emotional regulation, and executive functioning. These scenarios have been crafted with input from psychological experts to ensure their effectiveness in therapeutic contexts.
The integration of the Rainbow SDK into the Unity engine has also made promising advancements, with initial tests of teleconferencing functionality between therapists and patients proving successful. While this milestone is not yet fully completed, these early trials provide a strong foundation for the next steps in development. Additionally, the implementation of the first therapeutic scenario is well underway, demonstrating the team’s capability to translate conceptual designs into functional, immersive VR experiences.
Q: How is participating in CORTEX2 supporting FocusVR-ADHD?
A: Participating in CORTEX2 has been pivotal for the FocusVR project, particularly through access to the Rainbow SDK. This technology is essential for enabling teleconferencing within the virtual reality environment, allowing real-time interaction between therapists and patients, which is a core feature of our solution. The ability to integrate such advanced communication tools directly into the VR platform has significantly enhanced the project’s potential to make ADHD therapy more accessible and engaging. The support from CORTEX2 has been invaluable in helping us incorporate these critical functionalities into our system.
Q: What are your next steps within the programme?
A: Our next steps within the CORTEX2 programme include the full integration of the Rainbow SDK to enable seamless teleconferencing functionality and secure data handling within the FocusVR platform. Additionally, we aim to complete the full implementation of the first therapeutic scenario and prepare a comprehensive demo for presentation. Following this, we will focus on implementing the remaining three scenarios, each addressing specific ADHD challenges, such as improving attention, emotional regulation, and executive functioning. These will be followed by rigorous clinical testing to evaluate the platform’s therapeutic effectiveness, usability, and impact on patient outcomes. This phase will provide critical insights to refine the system further and ensure it meets the highest standards for deployment in real-world therapeutic settings.
Learn more about FocusVR-ADHD and stay updated on its progress!
Want to explore more XR innovation? Browse all our supported projects on the CORTEX2 website: