Herault: Startup FeelU puts virtual reality at the service of the elderly

VR was first developed for fans of action and video games, and is also suitable for more vulnerable audiences, such as the elderly and/or disabled (and their caregivers or companions). This is the task the startup has given itself for three years feel yoHeadquartered in Saint-Martin-de-Londe (Hérault).

“The immersive experiences that virtual reality enables can have many positive effects on an elderly audience or those with mobility difficulties.exposes Virginie Vernier, co-founder of FeelU. Over the course of three years, our company has created “tours” that allow them to take walking tours, and their health no longer allows them to access them.

And so the startup offers a catalog of about fifty immersive experiences lasting about seven minutes. They are all made in-house, can be seen on a proper helmet, and can be controlled by an assistive third party from an app provided by the company. “We offer two new content every month, one aimed at relaxation, and the other featuring discovering a place or trade.”

Each “journey” is completed by interactive bubbles, which provide additional explanations for the images shown. “Our goal is to take the old man by the hand and take him for a walk.” The startup catalog includes diving in Malaysia, discovering Sète, Ile de Nantes, or several typical regional villages.

150 “Good Aging” organizations

The benefits of these “journeys” in virtual reality are numerous. Working with specialists in aging, FeelU confirms the psychological benefits (reducing stress and pain) of its products, reducing isolation … “The main thing in showing our films is to create social bonds for the elderly.”

Concretely, the company offers its equipment to nursing homes, CCAS, contributor organizations, home help agencies… basically aging well. Caregivers can show films to groups during assigned events, or in the room for more vulnerable individuals.

“The interest of the collective animation is to allow exchange between members, not to lock them in the helmet.” Thus, the presented activities last an average of two hours (at the discretion of the institution’s employees), and include the screening of two films, to which are added activities and discussions between the participants. The startup guarantees upfront support for the caregivers, offering them turnkey events themselves.

Each of the client organizations is billed at €2,500 annually for a ‘virtual reality kit’, including a tablet, two headphones and a year’s subscription to the FeelU catalog. “We launched the service in early 2021 in the region, but the isolation caused by the Covid crisis quickly generated national demand. Today, there are 150 organizations involved across France.”

The startup is developing it, notably by relying on artificial intelligence to create a recommendation system for its content. Plan to raise money for this at the end of the year.