Depok-Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly being used in various fields, including in the health industry, such as in surgery practice in Germany, psychotherapy, to stroke rehabilitation. As one of the higher education institutions that has a study program in the health sector, the Vocational Education Program at the Universitas Indonesia (UI) has also contributed to innovating the development of VR technology. In mid-2022, UI Vocational developed a virtual laboratory with the application of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mix virtual reality (MVR) as a teaching factory called SADEWA VR Lab (Stimulating and Developing Excellent Wellness Accomplish).
SADEWA VR Lab has the advantage that it can be used as a practicum learning tool; unlimited space and time flexibility; efficiency of usage time because the five applications can be run in parallel; the application is designed to be easily accessible and user friendly; as well as applicable for clients who experience neurological problems, movement/motor limitations, and also cognitive, both for children and adults.
In addition to education and practice, the virtual application facility will also be applied directly as a therapy program for patients at the Vocational Wellness Center (VWC) Clinic, which is a therapy clinic at UI Vocational. It is hoped that the development of VR technology can enrich the real application of applied health science, especially occupational therapy, physiotherapy and hospital administration.
(Photo: Sahid explains the function of the VR Lab for patients)
Padang Wicaksono, S.E., Ph.D, Director of the UI Vocational Education Program, said that the virtual laboratory was developed based on applied health science which includes Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Hospital Administration study programs at UI Vocational. “This VR laboratory is a manifestation of UI Vocational’s commitment to digital technology innovation efforts in the process of developing education and lecture curricula for students. So, we hope that UI Vocational students will be able to become the best graduates who have high competence, as well as the latest insights on information technology in accordance with the specific scientific fields they study,” said Padang.
Muhammad Hidayat Sahid, A.Md.OT., S.KM., M.Epid., the person in charge of implementing the SADEWA VR Lab as well as a lecturer at the Occupational Therapy study program, explained that the virtual laboratory will become a center for information technology to develop immerse, metaverse, and other digital technologies, such as non-fungible tokens (NFT) or decentralized finance (DeFi). He said, “Of course, the development of this laboratory is carried out to support the development of applied education science at UI Vocational. All processes that occur when users use VR/AR applications at SADEWA VR Lab can be monitored through a special landing page. So, students can also access and listen anywhere, anytime, and are not limited by space and physically.”
(Photo: One of the demonstrations of using VR at SADEWA VR Lab)
In using VR and AR applications, it is necessary to pay attention to safety and prevention from aspects of using VR that require assistance from professionals — such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and related health professionals. VR application users are advised to check vital signs before and after use. In addition, the recommended duration of using VR is between 10-30 minutes or depending on the user’s condition, and requires consideration from professionals.
Another aspect that needs to be considered is that professionals who accompany users must carry out periodic checks on the user’s state of consciousness and endurance when using VR applications. Other considerations related to security and prevention will be given by professionals regarding the profile, conditions and problems faced by the user. If the user feels dizzy, nauseous, or other complaints, it is necessary to stop using VR and immediately consult with a professional companion.
(Photo: Monitoring conducted by DPASDP UI on SADEWA VR Lab)
SADEWA VR Lab is an educational support facility developed through the support of the Remote & Virtual Lab Innovation Development Grant from the Directorate of Academic Development and Learning Resources (DPASDP) UI. On October 31, 2022, DPASDP has also monitored the virtual laboratory. A total of five VR applications are being tested and will become pilot projects from the laboratory, namely VR Eating (recovery of eating activity independence); VR Dressing (recovery of independence from wearing clothes); VR Lego (application for exploration of playing lego); VR Mobility (recovery of functional mobility activity independence) which will be equipped with AR Postural Screening; and VR Front Office/Hospitality (an application for conducting customer service skills training in health institutions).
