29.8.2017
- Mobile game Sea Hero Quest, downloaded nearly 3 million times in just over a year since its release, has been upgraded to Virtual Reality Technology (VR)
- Two-minute play by each player collects the amount of data corresponding to a five-hour lab research
- VR technology has enabled a deeper and more intuitive diagnostic assessment of orientation problems that are the first symptoms of dementia
Today in Berlin, an upgrade was presented of Sea Hero Quest mobile game, an important part of the broad anti-dementia initiative launched by Deutsche Telekom and led in Croatia by Hrvatski Telekom, in the virtual reality environment (VR), which makes Sea Hero Quest VR the first VR A game that will aid scientists fight dementia.
Dementia is one of the greatest health challenges facing mankind. According to data from the Alzheimer's Disease International, almost 50 million people today suffer from dementia worldwide, and since the disease is rapidly progressing and every three seconds a new patient appears, it is assumed that by 2050 more than 130 million people around the world will suffer from it. According to the latest data from 2015, more than 86,000 people in Croatia live with dementia.
Sea Hero Quest VR uses virtual reality technology to improve dementia research. The game is based on breaking through the labyrinths of islands and glaciers, and allows expert, through two-minute game, to translate each player's movement into scientific data. Only one gameplay collects the amount of data that corresponds to the five-part lab research. Scientists are convinced that this research, now further supported by virtual reality technology, will enable the development of precise diagnosis and effective treatment of patients living with dementia.
The project was initiated and led by Deutsche Telekom, in partnership with University College London, the University of East Anglia and Alzheimer’s Research. The game itself was developed jointly with independent game designers, Glitchers.
Sea Hero Quest way launched in 2016 and since then was downloaded nearly 3 million times. Thanks to its popularity, the scientists that research dementia got the biggest data base ever collected, generating the equivalent of over 12,000 years of lab based research. The largest previous study comprised only 599 volunteers. Sea Hero Quest thus established as well the first global benchmark for human spatial navigation and forming the largest dementia study of its kind in history.
Sea Hero Quest VR presents scientists with the opportunity for cross validation of the data collected by Sea Hero Quest mobile. In addition, the newest VR technologies, gave scientists navigational data that is 15x more precise.
Loss of spatial orientation, even in known areas, is one of the first symptoms of dementia. Dementia is a collective name for symptoms that occur when brain cells stop functioning properly. This occurs within specific areas of the brain that can affect the way of thinking, remembering, and communicating. There are many different forms or causes of dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and contributes to dementia in 60-70% of cases.
Scientists discover the potential for dementia by identifying and diagnosing the assessment of orientation problems. Sea Hero Quest VR will provide more precise and intuitive measurements in situations where people are not sure where to go and for example stop and look around. Such movements could not be recorded in the "classic" format of video game or mobile game.
Sea Hero Quest VR has been developed to work with the Samsung Gear VR and will be available for free from August 29, 2017 via the Oculus mobile platform.
Sea Hero Quest mobile is globally available to download for free via the App Store and Google Play.