DAVENPORT, Iowa — The experience of donating blood can be nerve-wracking for many people. ImpactLife in Davenport is looking to help those who are apprehensive or nervous about donating find a way to relax during the process.
With that in mind, ImpactLife is now offering Mixed Reality headsets for blood donors. The glasses allow the wearer to navigate the virtual world using just their eyes.
"A wisp appears before me and starts explaining what the objective is of the game, which is essentially to plant a magical garden using nothing but your eyes," ImpactLife's Community Development Advocate, Alex Burkamper explained. He wore the headset while donating blood on Wednesday, Oct. 18. "It's asking me to catch some butterflies that are roaming around the screen. In order to do that, I follow some arrows on the screen to find where they are."
While in the digital world, the donor is always fully aware of their surroundings. Their eyes are also always visible, so the person drawing blood can monitor and interact with them.
"What differentiates mixed reality from virtual reality is you maintain your sense of awareness of your surroundings. You're far less likely to get motion sickness," Burkamper said.
ImpactLife has a limited number of devices available, so the mixed reality will only be available at select blood drives and donation center events. Eventually, the donation center hopes to expand the headsets' use.
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