The implementation of the mixed reality Submergence technology as a complimentary therapeutic mental healthcare solution

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This feasibility study will explore the implementation, feasibility & potential of Submergence as a complementary therapeutic mental healthcare solution.Squidsoup's Mixed Reality (MR) technology [_Submergence_][0] is an exploration of penetrable volumes of light, created using hundreds of strands of individually addressable LEDs to map volumetric 3D virtual architectures into a shared physical environment. It inhabits the borderlands between reality and virtuality creating an immersive space neither fully real nor digital. The experience is deliberately abstract, representing imagined forces, auras, or energy flows, deliberately inviting personal interpretation while also eliciting clear emotional and subconscious responses.By sequentially turning lights on and off, movement and presence can be suggested. With higher resolutions, brightness and hue control and increased scale, form can emerge, shadows can be cast, the volumes of light can be walked inside and one's entire sense of space and place can become transformed.Submergence is a robust tried & tested experience that has been developed over the course of 10 years, it has been experienced by millions of people all over the world from galleries to festivals. The experience shows potential as a capability within healthcare with antidotal evidence suggesting that it improves wellbeing and encourages collaborative behaviour._"An all embracing and restorative experience. Something so beautiful. Rare to find something my non verbal daughter with Downs Syndrome could enjoy. It spoke her language". Audience member._Digital artists Squidsoup in partnership with Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will examine:a) the implementation, locating and installation of Submergence within a clinical setting b) the potential therapeutic benefits of Submergence in a clinical setting c) the feasibility of clinical staff working with the Submergence technology as a complimentary therapeutic solution. d) the business model, the market opportunity & stakeholders to implement the Submergence technology as a complimentary mental healthcare solution.This cross-sector collaborative study will feed into the growing body of research exploring the potential of XR technologies within healthcare. The project team will run an analysis to explore what is feasible, write a report & gather know-how to disseminate across the healthcare & creative sectors to demonstrate a new pathway to improve mental health & wellbeing.This project will explore the opportunities, challenges & limitations of Submergence, gathering quantitative data by working directly with patients & staff, initially at the care of the elderly ward and then at the paediatric mental health room in Gloucester Royal Hospital Emergency Department.[0]: https://www.squidsoup.org/submergence