Virtual Reality to Make MRIs Less Scary

A London hospital is using VR to make medical testing more comfortable for children.

King’s College Hospital teamed with the Google Play Specialist team to create an app that—when worn before an MRI—helps kids understand the procedure through an immersive VR experience.

The app provides a 360-degree view of the process while a radiographer explains how it works—including what happens during and after the scan, The Next Web reported.

If you’re lucky enough to never have had one, MRIs require the patient to remain perfectly still. This can be understandably difficult for kids. 

According to King’s representatives The VR technology allows children to feel as though they are inside an MRI scanner and experience what it will be like on the day. 

Children have the opportunity to get accustomed to the loud tapping noises that happen during the scan…as well as learning that they need to keep still for the duration of the scan.