Our vision is to democratize elderly care by giving this group ownership over their life experiences and activities. The Biosfär is a welfare innovation relying on mixed digital and physical realities to deliver IMAX-like experiences for elderly with dementia. Our product is both a media installation and a pedagogy, breaking down physical and mental barriers to activate all human senses and experiences. With the help of mixed digital technology, Biosfär allows access to and control over daily activities otherwise unavailable to elderly living in assisted care facilities.
After 2+ years of testing and participant observation, we have developed 4 concepts and a platform of workshops that fill human needs and are tailored to elderly with dementia. This includes (1) therapy, (2) lifelong learning, (3) story sharing and (4) festive social gatherings. In this time, we've brought residents to never before seen trips, into boat-building workshops, and down memory lane. This has led to 3 - 5x the amount of participation in daily activities at nursing homes, ventures into uncharted territory and one resident who began to speak after being diagnosed mute.