Inventors: Arina Zinoveva, Viktorija Koluzajeva & Dr Maria Cristina Cioffi
The inventors are aiming to address the challenges faced by temporary and permanent residents in the UK who speak English as a foreign language. These range from language anxiety and fear of negative judgement to avoidance of social situations. Such challenges not only affect the day-to-day life of the individuals, but are also significant obstacles to their cultural integration.
They have designed a set of tools called Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Cultural Integration (VRET-CI) which aims to allow people to practise and improve their skills in a safe virtual environment. The approach uses Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) principles in conjunction with a 3D VR environment to improve people’s confidence and cultural integration. The system can be used in professional contexts (to improve work performance) and also in social contexts.
The inventors have developed an early version of the tools, and are now at the stage of verifying that this will meet the needs of the users in different contexts, what the best routes to market might be, and how the provision of the tools might be funded.
The i-Team’s challenge will be to investigate other similar products and current approaches to cultural integration, to see where VRET-CI can add most value, as well as to investigate which scenarios most commonly trigger feelings of anxiety for people who speak English as a foreign language. They will identify and interview relevant industry experts to allow them to look at a range of market segments, which could include commercial companies, language teaching environments, local government and the NHS, and hence recommend the best route to market for the inventors.