Virtual reality applications made in the Basque Country to increase the autonomy of people with intellectual disabilities
- The Basque Down Syndrome and other Intellectual Disabilities Foundation is working with TECNALIA to implement technological tools that help people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities to try out everyday tasks in a safe environment, in order to learn to cope with any complications that may arise.
- To do so, they have developed experiences that use virtual reality glasses and mobile devices to simulate everyday experiences, such as travelling on the metro or putting on the washing machine.
Bilbao. 19 February 2025. Unforeseen situations in everyday tasks are among the main causes of insecurity and disorientation for people with intellectual disabilities. For this reason, the Basque Down Syndrome and other Intellectual Disabilities Foundation (FSDPV) has worked with TECNALIA research and technological development centre to develop applications based on virtual and augmented reality technology, which help people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities practise their problem-solving skills for everyday tasks in a safe, controllable and repeatable environment. These applications use virtual reality glasses and mobile devices to simulate everyday experiences, such as travelling on the metro or putting on the washing machine.
The FSDPV has incorporated these experiences into its training plan to increase the autonomy of people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and to help them resolve unforeseen situations that make them disoriented, insecure or unable to react in different public and private contexts. The FSDPV currently has a team of 92 professionals and 85 volunteers supporting 650 people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and 1,370 family members. In addition to TECNALIA, the Association for the Promotion of Social Technology, APTES, has collaborated in this initiative, as a benchmark in hybridisation projects between technology and the social sphere, along with Metro Bilbao, as a facilitator of the virtual reality experience on how to travel by metro.
"Travelling by Metro" and "My Washing Machine"
The FSDPV and TECNALIA have developed three applications to date. The first of these is a virtual reality experience called "Viajo en Metro" (Travelling by Metro) in collaboration with Metro Bilbao. It narrates in first person the route from the Basque Down Syndrome Foundation's facilities to the Casco Viejo metro station and the metro journey to Moyúa metro station and vice versa. Using virtual reality goggles, the person is accompanied by a support figure who will give instructions on what to do along the journey: how to cross the street, how to take the lift to access the metro, how to go through the ticket machines, how to get into the carriage, how to recharge the Barik travel card to gain access or how to pay attention to the different messages that can be heard over the metro’s public address system. Furthermore, different unforeseen situations that may occur on the journey have been introduced into the experience to guide the person when asking for help and to show him/her what to do in the event of breakdowns or delays on the metro, so that he/she knows how to deal with them and provide a suitable solution, depending on the case.
The second experience, called "My Washing Machine", uses virtual reality to show the process of doing the laundry, from sorting the clothes until the end of the washing process. Guided virtually by a support figure, the person learns how to treat stains, how to put detergent and fabric softener in the right place in the wash box and how to select the right programme. This experience has also introduced different unforeseen situations that may occur when operating the washing machine, such as malfunctions or a leak, so that the person can understand how to deal with them. This experience is going to be included in the training actions for autonomy, within the Etxeratu programme. The FSDPV's Etxeratu programme has two homes, where people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities live independently with support.
The FSDPV and TECNALIA have developed a third application, also focused on the experience of putting on the washing machine, but this time the person is guided with the help of augmented reality. Using mobile devices, such as tablets or mobile phones, this application provides interactive help during the tasks required to put on the washing machine, explaining the process step by step and supporting the virtual reality experience that has previously been addressed.
This technology is based on TECNALIA's own development, a platform called Kayrox, which enables immersive augmented and virtual reality applications to be created by non-experts. TECNALIA has provided training on the use of Kayrox to FSDPV professionals so that they can autonomously expand the library of experiences based on augmented and virtual reality in the future and hence help people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in other everyday situations.
From now on, the FSDPV will continue adapting these tools and developing new experiences that will enable them to recreate new situations to expand the possibilities to support people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. To do so, TECNALIA has supported the FSDPV in the acquisition of virtual reality glasses, a 360º camera for recording virtual experiences, as well as the licence to use the Kayrox platform.
