From philosophy to VR and chemotherapy: we presented the project to the public at the Research-focused event in Milan
Last weekend, the TIMELAPSE team presented the project to the public for the first time at the MEETmeTonight 2024 event, organized by five Milanese universities as part of the European Researchers’ Night, with the aim of bringing the general public closer to the world of research, science, and innovation.
Among shows, talks, and workshops on research topics aimed at people of all ages, on the afternoon of Saturday, September 28th, we presented the TIMELAPSE project in the EU corner, specifically dedicated to discovering EU-funded research, starting with an evocative object.
Philosophy vs Virtual Reality vs Chemotherapy
Of course, we couldn’t help but choose a Virtual Reality headset as our starting object, posing a question to the audience: what does VR have to do with philosophy? And with chemotherapy?
The answer lies in the history of our project, born from an idea by Dr. Federica Cavaletti during her research under the ERC Advanced Grant AN-ICON, and brought to fruition thanks to the ERC Proof of Concept funding, which rewards research projects with commercial and social innovation potential.
Three seemingly different fields, but thanks to the opportunities offered by the European Union, they have found a fruitful synergy in the three project partners: AN-ICON (University of Milan), Khora, and the IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori Foundation (University of Milano-Bicocca).
From theory to practice
We explained to the public how the mission of TIMELAPSE to develop, test, and launch a VR application capable of accelerating the subjective passage of time during chemotherapy is rooted in research.
The theoretical models focused on the manipulation of time perception will serve as a guide for the app’s production, identifying a series of ideal content features that we will combine with the needs of the end users, which will emerge during participatory design meetings.
Bringing Research out of the University
A Proof of Concept like TIMELAPSE is an example of how research can create virtuous collaborations between different institutions and find practical applications in professional contexts.
After completing the first phase of theoretical development, the TIMELAPSE team is preparing to “step outside” the university to begin the first phase of clinical studies at the San Gerardo Hospital in Monza, where we will involve a sample of patients, caregivers, and medical staff in three participatory design meetings (in collaboration with experts from SEGE srl).
Stay tuned for more updates on the project’s developments!
