Metaverse Virtual Social Center for the Elderly Communication During the Social Distancing

Hui Liang, Jiupeng Li, Yi Wang, Junjun Pan, Yazhou Zhang, Xiaohang Dong

Abstract: BackgroundThe lack of social activities among the elderly due to physical limitations can result in loneliness and depression. The spread of COVID-19 has made it difficult for the elderly to conduct stable social activities, increasing feelings of loneliness. The metaverse is a virtual world that mirrors reality. This allows the elderly to overcome the constraints of reality and perform social activities stably and continuously, providing new ideas for alleviating loneliness.MethodsBy analyzing their needs, a virtual social center framework for the elderly was proposed in this study. In addition, a prototype system was designed according to this framework. The elderly can socialize in virtual reality with metaverse-related technologies and human–computer interaction tools. Additionally, a test was conducted jointly with the chief physician of the geriatric rehabilitation department of a tertiary hospital.ResultsThe results demonstrated that the mental state of the elderly who had used the virtual social center was significantly better than that of those who had not used it.ConclusionsThus, virtual social centers can help relieve loneliness and depression among the elderly with increasing global epidemics and an aging society. Hence, they have promotional value.