Music Therapy in VR for People with Quadriplegia (Ben Loveridge)

Music Therapy in VR for People with Quadriplegia
Ben Loveridge, Immersive Media Coordinator (VR/AR), University of Melbourne
People with quadriplegia are disproportionately rurally and regionally located, at high risk for social isolation, and face numerous barriers to accessing music therapy (MT). They also face significant risk of illness due to paralysis of the primary breathing muscles. Research demonstrated that face-to-face group singing therapy improves breathing, voice, mood, and social connectedness for people with quadriplegia. However, latency issues make online live group singing impossible via current videoconferencing options. Ben Loveridge explores testing the feasibility of a low-latency audio and VR platform to deliver online group singing interventions to explore the accessibility and acceptability of this mode of service delivery for people with limited mobility.

Ben Loveridge is the Immersive Media Coordinator (VR/AR) at the University of Melbourne, assisting with integration of spatial technology in teaching and research across the University. He coordinates activities in the Learning Environments VR lab as well as provides technical and development consultation to staff and students through workshops and masterclass sessions. In 2017 he was inducted as an Institute Fellow (Virtual Reality) at the Networked Society Institute. The Music Therapy in Virtual Environments project was as a finalist in the 2017 National Disability Awards and reached the 2018 iAwards national finals in the Infrastructure and Platform Innovations of the Year category.