The Next Evolution of Healthcare

10/05/2022 – About the Topic

Who really likes to go to the doctors office anyhow? Choosing the music you get to listen to during a dental appointment was a wonderful distraction from the cleaning. Then there was video content and now there is immersive technology to help ease the woes of medical procedures. 

Most of us not only welcome the relaxation of these distractions but are eager for it. Especially helpful for younger patients that have not had as much practice at dissociation, virtual reality offers a way to distance ourselves from the anxiety of medical procedures. As more solutions are being created, more observations, evidence, and further studies show how immersive technologies such as virtual reality can be used to reduce anxiety and even pain. 

Wednesday, October 5th, 2022, bring your patient experience with as we learn from both those in the medical field that work directly with patient perspectives, those who are creating immersive technology solutions for patients, as well as those who are keenly knowledgeable of both. We hope to see you at The Next Evolution of Healthcare | AWE Nite Chicago on October 5th at 5:30pm CDT (6pm CDT in Virbela).

Panel Members

The Next Evolution Hosts

Matt Wren will be moderating the discussion in person while Caroline Dennis will be hosting the virtual portion in Virbela. Matt is the CTO for BUNDLAR and founder of The Next Evolution event series and VRAR Chicago. Caroline is entrepreneur, startup advisor, and advocate from Two-Degrees.io and XRWomen.

What’s the Format

Times in Central Daylight Time (CDT)
5:30-8:30pm at 1871 for the In-Person Program
6:00-8:00pm in Virbela for the Virtual Program

5:30-6:15pm – Networking & Technology Demonstrations

6:15-6:30pm – Introductions & Welcome

6:30-7:10pm – Panelist Presentations

7:10-7:45pm – Panel Discussion with Q&A

7:45-8:30pm – Networking & Technology Demonstrations

We will start with informal networking, then host a panel discussion to answer audience questions, and we end with more networking. We keep it simple and informal – this meetup is about you, our members, and not just a soap box for the host, presenters, or our sponsors. Come and get your questions answered, take your next step in Immersive Technology.

Attending The Next Evolution

Attending in-Person

1871 | 222 W Merchandise Mart Plz | Suite 1212

For our Physical Venue, 1871 can be found in Suite 1212 on the 12th floor of theMART, which is located on the North side of the river between Wells and Orleans. For easy access, enter through the Orleans entrance on the west side of theMART and take those elevators to the 12th floor. All guests will need to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination and photo ID to enter. 

Watching the Live Stream

Primary Live Stream | https://awe.live/sessions

Secondary Live Stream | facebook.com/VRARChicago/live_videos

People can join by watching the scheduled live stream where we will field questions from!

You will need to register to gain access to AWE.Live.

Attending Virtually

Virbela | Virtual Environment | virbela.com/download

We encourage folks to join us in the virtual environment Community Hall by downloading the Virbela open campus client at virbela.com/download. See more about getting started and navigating Virbela below.

The Virbela virtual environment resembles a physical space, so you will be able to talk with other attendees prior to the start of the presentations. To get to the Community Hall once in Virbela, you click the GO TO menu on the top left of your screen >> Pavillion >> Community Hall. We suggest that you arrive no later than 6:00pm and we will get started promptly at 6:15. Please try to get familiar with the technology prior to the day of the meetup, as we will be unable to provide support during the event.

Signing up for Virbela

Virbela is available on mac, windows, rift and vive.

First, you will want to create your account and then download the program onto your computer by going to their registration page. For Rift and Vive, it should be pretty straightforward in their interface.

• You will need to verify your email address
• Create an avatar
• Log into their “open campus”

Once logged in and in the Virbela open campus area, walk around with your arrow keys and then click the Go To menu on top left of the screen. Our program will be in the Conference Hall, so you will need to click that option to join us.

System Recommendations

• PC or Mac, Windows 7 SP1+ or newerMac OS X 10.11 or newer
• Headphones and a microphone
• Power cord plugged in for extended use

Entering the Virtual Venue – Conference Hall

• Log into Virbela
• Click Go To menu on top left of your screen
• Select Campus Locations
• Select Conference Hall

VRAR Chicago Virtual Environment Code of Conduct

Open microphones and/or not using headphones can create an echo effect that can negatively affect others’ experiences

• Please use headphones if you can.

• Keep your microphone on push-to-talk (using the number 1 key)

• Act as if this is a space that you are in physically!

• For the Questions and Answers portion
  • Click “Raise Hand” on bottom of your screen
  • Wait to be called on
  • Ask your question
    • Press the 1 key and hold it to open your mic
    • Ask your question and wait a moment
    • Release the 1 key

Virbela Tricks

• Press and hold the 1 button to open your microphone to speak
• Pressing the spacebar unlocks your view or “head” to look around
• You can click someone’s name and click Go To and automatically walk to them
• Your Go To menu lets you raise your hand, wave, or even dance!
• Click the screen menu on top of your screen once in the Conference Hall to select your preferred ‘view’ to enjoy the program.
  • You can toggle between these selections during the program