Rendever, the company behind Tilt Brush-based multiplayer Quest app MultiBrush (2022), has secured nearly $4.5 million in grant funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), which the company says it will use to bring its elder-focused VR experiences to the home care market.

The studio says in an announcement the latest funding includes $3.8 million for the Thrive At Home Program and an additional grant to build a caregiver support network in VR.

“These funds will pave the way for Rendever to bring their technology to the large majority of individuals and caregivers who are aging in place and lacking in structural social support,” the studio says.

Rendever is currently partnered with the University of California in Santa Barbara, research organization RAND, and home care service Right at Home.

The company says these organization will help it conduct studies to evaluate the effectiveness of VR technology in building relationships across living environments. The aim is to reduce social isolation, improve mental health, and enhance overall well-being in elders. Additionally, Rendever maintains studies gauging the impact of caregiving tools, including its recent Dementia & Empathy training program, will continue as a result.

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“Our Phase II trial has shown the power of VR to effectively build and enhance family relationships across distances – even across country lines. The future of aging depends on technology that effectively reshapes how we experience these core parts of the human experience as we get older,” said Kyle Rand, Rendever CEO. “We know there’s nothing more holistically impactful than our social health. Over the next three years, we’ll work across the industry to build the next generation of community infrastructure that delivers real happiness and forges new relationships, all while driving meaningful health outcomes.”

While Rendever currently offers VR-assisted therapy for both senior living and healthcare facilities, the company is currently assembling a beta pilot in certain geographic regions in the US to test its forthcoming in-home offering.

Additionally, the company announced it’s adding Sarah Thomas to its Board of Directors, an expert on aging and venture partner in the AgeTech industry.

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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Christian Schildwaechter

    TL;DR: boring tech can have some exciting uses for the right target group. And it is "boring tech", even if they try to sell it like some revolution.

    Even though this might seem rather primitive, mostly 360° video or even just 360° photos, with some very simple interactive games that make simple casual games look like game mechanic masterpieces, this is both valuable and important. And not the first time gaming tech is used to reactivate elderly users.

    The Nintendo Wii gained unexpected popularity in retirement homes that bought tons of them, esp for "Wii Sports Bowling". It is a minimal physical activity, allowing people with very limited mobility to participate in a social activity, and a lot of fun. It would be better for everyone to go for a walk for one hour each day, but even the slightest bit of movement will count for improving health, and playing "Wii Bowling" with others is way more stimulating and interesting than sitting down and watching TV. There are a number of scientific papers about how the Nintendo Wii can support physiotherapy, help with balance and general aerobic training, providing extra motivation that is otherwise hard to come by.

    And there are already a number of successful uses of VR in all sorts of therapy. There are some obvious ones, like exposure treatment for acrophobia/fear of heights with less cruel variants of Richie's Plank Experience, but also some surprising ones. A clinic in AFAIR GB that specializes in caring for burn victims used VR as an anti pain treatment, putting patients into an icy virtual 360° environment. This actually reduces pain, and it is not just a placebo effect, but the body reacting to a perceived cold environment by closing pores on the skin and reducing blood flow through it to preserve heat, which in turn numbs down the pain receptors in the destroyed skin causing severe discomfort to the patients.

    And of course virtual travel is great for people who can no longer travel themselves, and there are again studies how much this can lighten the mood. It doesn't even have to be some visually high quality experience like "Brink" on Quest. "Wander" providing a VR view of rather grainy and static Google Street Map images is more than enough, and at least for me this has been the by far most popular demo of VR when showing either the Go or Quest to elderly persons, which are a lot more hesitant with anything requiring standing up, things potentially causing nausea, or moving while blinded by a headset, because their balance isn't that good anymore, and falling would be a serious health risk.

    As this is about a grant from the US NIH, it is still mostly about research and evaluating VR for use in elderly care. But there is no doubt also a big market for this, less focused on the latest tech or performance, and much more on ease of use, comfort and just providing some positive experiences. Nothing particularly thrilling for someone familiar with VR, still a great opportunity for people faced with a diminishing number of other opportunities. But of course the CEO couldn't resist to spew some marketing BS that would be more fitting for selling the concept to investors than for a systematic attempt to evaluate the techs possibility:

    “We know there’s nothing more holistically impactful than our social health. Over the next three years, we’ll work across the industry to build the next generation of community infrastructure that delivers real happiness and forges new relationships, all while driving meaningful health outcomes.”

    Go home, you're drunk. "Walkabout Mini Golf" can already do all that and more.