University in Mexico created “Vaccine against loneliness”

The Autonomous University of Querétaro (UAQ)in central Mexico, created the “Loneliness Vaccine,” an immersive reality technology to address the effects of isolation caused by the covid-19 pandemic and other long-term mental health issues.

The technological tools of the “vaccine” were created by students, teachers and researchers of mechatronics and architecture from UAQ in cooperation with psychologists and experts from Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the University of Colima.

Luis Alberto Morales, project manager, he explained to EFE that this was born many years ago, when they identified the need to develop tools that would evoke pleasant emotions in patients and, on the other hand, measure the effect of these emotions on the body.

That’s why they created “Vaccine against loneliness”which included the development of 10 real and hyperreal virtual scenarios, which induce positive and measurable situations through the response of the human body through vision and hearing.

“More than 10 years ago, we started working with the Faculty of Psychology of UNAM, a group that is quite enthusiastic about technology. We started to study emotions,” also said the engineering coordinator at the UAQ San Juan del Río campus.

“We must remember that a human being, before being rational, is emotional. Therefore, we started working precisely on how to identify emotions in a human being, based on these physiological signals that are generated mainly by thermography,” he added.

How is immunization carried out?
The application of the “Loneliness Vaccine” begins with a test to identify the problem to be solved, such as stress, anxiety, depression, the grieving process, among other conditions.

The team then decides which environments to use among 10 immersive scenarios created by developers to address these conditions.

Each patient will have a QR code that will allow him to enter these scenarios from his mobile phone, which will be uploaded to the web platform for carrying out the treatment, either in the office with his therapist or remotely.

“If the person is in need, they take their kit home and monitor it, and that information will go to their cell phone, the person with mental health, and they may be monitoring them,” Morales explained.

Between “awareness” and immersion
In addition to virtual scenarios, training is provided based on a meditation technique called “mindfulness” or “full awareness”, aimed at centering a person in the present with a short breathing exercise.

In accordance with the “mindfulness” technique, experts suggested eight treatments, but with the “Vaccine against loneliness”, in addition to immersive spaces with real and hyperreal scenarios, the process can be cut in half.

In other words, with four sessions they will be able to get results that would traditionally be achieved with eight.

“We are betting on four weeks with this immersive part, they are accompanied by music and guided by these ‘conscientiousness’ exercises so that they can regulate their breathing,” explained María Luisa Balderas, UAQ teacher and in charge of the application. EFE tools for awareness.

“Already designed or redesigned environments help us get that part and get them into that environment where we can give that treatment to be able to pay attention to loneliness, depression, stress, anxiety and, in addition, the intention of the environment to attract people’s attention,” he added.

Of the 10 developed scenarios, five are children’s, due to the colors and music, and there is also a geriatric scenario, the house of memories, in which there are silhouettes of maternal grandmothers.

Mexican students are innovating
Francisco Sánchez is a postgraduate student in mechatronic science at UAQ and was in charge of developing the Android application for this vaccine.

He also provided a device for measuring the temperature of the fingers of the hand, which is sent to the application for analyzing the impact of the vaccine on the body.

“This is so we can validate the operation of those environments, see how the temperature changes throughout the session,” he explained.

Although the “Loneliness Vaccine” is already being implemented at the UAQ campus in Querétaro, it is still being refined so that it can be delivered this year to mental health professionals who choose to incorporate these tools into their care processes.