But virtual reality is actually just the latest in technologies helping them. Kinect, Microsoft's motion gaming sensor, has been used to help patients recover from painful operations. She was particularly struck by the potential for VR therapy to help seniors with loneliness after trying it out at a game developer's conference. When his wife saw a video of him reacting to the therapy, Kim said, she nearly began to cry. Even Kim is not completely sure, but she does have a theory: Immersing some patients in a virtual world stimulates their brains in a variety of ways.

Source: New Zealand Herald November 18, 2016 16:06 UTC