Students of the Białystok University of Technology created an interactive game that helps to empathize with the problems of people suffering from memory disorders. In this way, young researchers from the Vector science club want to show the difficulties faced by people with dementia.

Students created a virtual model of an apartment as a part of the game, which thanks to VR technology and special goggles allows understanding the specificity of dementia in a suggestive way. The project is aimed at the families of people suffering from this disease and helps them understand the problems of those who suffer from memory disorders.

The game is interactive. The user can move and touch various objects while moving around the apartment. He is also faced with the difficulties of everyday life that allow him to empathize with the situation of sick people. Example? The courier delivered the book to us, but as we have a dementia problem, we ordered it again.

“Our goal is to show what people with dementia have to deal with. The difficulties include performing basic activities, as well as loneliness”, says Tomasz Dąbrowski from the Vector science club.

The members of the club consulted their ideas with colleagues from the psychology department of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (UMK). This helped direct their further work. Joint activities are also undertaken with students of the Faculty of Architecture of the Białystok University of Technology.

“We are currently working on the basis of the scenario we received from the Nicolaus Copernicus University. However, the models themselves or the background design – this is all our invention. We did not have any specific guidelines, so we could be creative” emphasizes Michał Dorosz from the Vector science club.

“The project is almost finished. Models of the apartment and surroundings are ready. The code and the last details are being refined. One of the companies that offered them a paid internship and mentoring has already noticed the students’ involvement”, added Dorosz.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński