Seven-Minute VR Experience Reduces Student Stress and Exam Anxiety

A new study from City St George’s, University of London, demonstrates that a seven-minute VR intervention can significantly reduce stress and exam anxiety among students. Researchers recruited 131 healthcare students and randomly assigned them to experience a relaxation programme either through VR headsets or smartphones over five consecutive days. The programme combined breathing exercises, visualisation, positive coping strategies, and immersive audiovisual environments. Although both groups experienced improvements, VR participants reported significantly greater reductions in stress and anxiety, alongside increased calmness and happiness. These benefits also included lower perceived stress levels at a two-week follow-up.

The findings highlight VR's potential as an accessible and effective tool for supporting student mental health. Notably, 89% of VR participants reported meaningful emotional benefits, compared with just 34% of smartphone users. Students described feeling more focused, confident, and capable of managing academic pressures, with some reporting improved sleep and productivity. Researchers suggest that short, immersive VR sessions could be integrated into educational well-being programmes, providing students with practical stress-management strategies before anxiety becomes overwhelming. The study demonstrates the promising role of immersive technologies in promoting psychological well-being and academic resilience.

More information:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/seven-minute-virtual-reality-intervention-helps-students-tackle-stress-and-exam-anxiety/ar-AA2fGgdF

Gene Therapy and Special Goggles Restore Limited Vision in Blind Patients

Scientists have developed an experimental treatment combining gene therapy with specialised goggles to restore limited vision in people affected by retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disease that progressively destroys the retina’s light-sensitive cells. The treatment uses optogenetics, a technique that introduces a light-sensitive protein called ChrimsonR into retinal ganglion cells, enabling them to respond to light. Special goggles capture visual information and convert it into pulses of amber light that stimulate these modified cells, allowing visual signals to reach the brain. In a study, seven of ten participants experienced improved light sensitivity, demonstrating the potential of this approach to partially restore sight.

The results represent a promising advance in treating inherited blindness. Four of eight participants who completed behavioural testing could perform basic visual tasks, such as locating doorways or following lines, while wearing the goggles. However, the restored vision remains limited, with participants unable to recognise faces or read text. The treatment also requires an intact optic nerve to transmit visual information to the brain, restricting its suitability for certain forms of blindness. Despite these limitations, researchers consider the findings an important proof of concept and hope that further improvements will enable more sophisticated visual abilities.

More information:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cells-detect-light-blind-vision

Brain Implants Offer New Hope for Restoring Speech

Scientists are developing brain implants that help people who have lost their ability to speak due to conditions such as ALS, Parkinson’s disease, strokes and brain injuries. BCIs, detect electrical signals from the brain and use artificial intelligence to translate them into words or speech. One remarkable example is an ALS patient who received brain implants in 2023. Technology has allowed him to communicate nearly two million words, reconnect with his family and participate in everyday conversations. Researchers are also developing systems that can produce speech almost instantly, bringing them closer to restoring natural communication.

Despite these breakthroughs, technology remains experimental and faces challenges, including high costs, invasive surgery, limited portability and occasional inaccuracies in translating brain signals. Scientists are working on smaller wireless implants and more advanced AI systems that could reproduce natural speech patterns, emotions and gestures. Although widespread availability is not guaranteed, researchers believe these innovations could dramatically improve the quality of life for people with severe speech impairments, restoring not only their ability to communicate but also their independence and personal connections.

More information:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/brain-implants-restore-voices-injuries

XREAL 1 Pro+

REAL has officially launched its new flagship augmented reality glasses, the XREAL 1 Pro+, priced at $599, introducing several improvements over the original One Pro released in 2025. The updated glasses feature significantly brighter Sony micro-OLED displays, increasing peak brightness from 700 to 1,200 nits, alongside AI-powered High Dynamic Range technology for enhanced image quality. The device retains its 1920 × 1080 resolution per eye, 57-degree field of view, 120Hz refresh rate, and proprietary X1 spatial computing chip. Additional enhancements include a redesigned ergonomic nose pad system for improved comfort and stability, while maintaining Bose-powered audio and 3DOF spatial tracking.

A notable advancement is the improved real-time 2D-to-3D content conversion, which now operates at 60 frames per second instead of 30, enabling smoother immersive viewing experiences. Although the XREAL 1 Pro+ resembles standalone smart glasses, it still requires a USB-C connection to compatible smartphones, laptops, or gaming devices. The glasses also support optional six degrees of freedom (6DOF) tracking through an external accessory. Available from October 15, 2026, the XREAL 1 Pro+ represents an incremental but meaningful upgrade, focusing on visual quality, spatial viewing, and user comfort rather than introducing an entirely new hardware platform.

More information:

https://roadtovr.com/xreal-1-pro-plus-release-date-price/

The Walking Robotic Hand

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed an innovative autonomous robotic hand capable of walking on its fingers while simultaneously performing manipulation tasks. Unlike conventional robotic systems that require separate mechanisms for mobility and object interaction, this approach transforms a commercially available five-fingered robotic hand into a self-contained mobile robot. Using AI and reinforcement learning, the researchers trained the hand in simulation to navigate different surfaces, maintain balance, recover from falls, press keyboard keys, and push objects. Equipped with a compact onboard computer, battery, and motion sensors, the robotic hand successfully traversed 14 different surfaces, achieved an average walking speed of 9 centimetres per second, and demonstrated autonomous object manipulation. Its learning framework addresses the challenges posed by the hand's asymmetrical structure, enabling coordinated finger movements for both locomotion and manipulation.

The research introduces a promising direction for autonomous modular robotics, where individual robotic components can dynamically switch between different functions rather than remaining permanently assigned to specific tasks. Potential applications include industrial maintenance, inspection of confined environments, search-and-rescue operations, and advanced robotic manipulation in spaces inaccessible to conventional robotic arms. By combining mobility, dexterity, and intelligent control within a single compact platform, the technology could contribute to a new generation of adaptable, multifunctional robotic systems. Nevertheless, challenges remain regarding autonomous perception, navigation, mechanical durability, and reliability in complex environments. The broader vision is to develop robotic architectures in which individual components can operate independently or collaboratively, improving flexibility and adaptability across real-world applications.

More information:

https://spectrum.ieee.org/walking-robotic-hand

ViWAS Presentation - Future of Virtual Worlds

I participated in the 7^thmeeting of the European Commission’s Virtual Worlds Steering Group, held on 8 October 2026, delivering a presentation entitled “Future of Virtual Worlds: ViWAS – Virtual Worlds Skills Academy.” The presentation explored the rapidly evolving landscape of virtual worlds, highlighting advances in Extended Reality (XR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), immersive displays, spatial computing, digital humans, and intelligent virtual environments. Particular emphasis was placed on their transformative potential across education, cultural heritage, healthcare, industry, and digital collaboration, alongside critical challenges related to interoperability, accessibility, technological limitations, privacy, and sustainability. Prof. Liarokapis also introduced the ViWAS (Virtual Worlds Skills Academy) project, which aims to address Europe's emerging digital skills gap through innovative learning pathways, a pan-European competence and qualification framework, interoperable learning infrastructure, and inclusive educational opportunities for learners, educators, and professionals.

The presentation highlighted the initial research activities of ViWAS, including its Baseline Data Research Phase 1, focusing on identifying skills requirements and engaging stakeholders from industry, higher education, and vocational education and training. A key scientific contribution was the Extended Six-Dimensional Framework for Intelligent XR Learning Environments (6D-XR Framework), which integrates learner characteristics, pedagogical design, immersive representation, contextual environments, adaptive intelligence, and ethical and sustainability considerations. The presentation also introduced the project's emerging XR learning ecosystem and demonstration platform, illustrating how AI-supported personalisation, open educational resources, and interoperable technologies can facilitate accessible and future-ready immersive education. Through its participation in this European-level dialogue, CYENS reinforces its commitment to advancing responsible virtual worlds technologies, strengthening European digital competences, and fostering collaboration between research, education, industry, and policymakers.

More information:

https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/meetings/consult?lang=en&meetingId=76421

Wearable Human Body

Engineers at Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering have developed a wireless system that allows wearable devices and tiny medical implants to communicate directly through the body’s tissues. Called SWANS (Smart Wireless Autonomous Networking System), the technology takes inspiration from the nervous system and uses the body’s natural ionic conductivity to transmit small electrical signals. Unlike conventional Bluetooth or NFC connections, which struggle to penetrate tissue and require relatively large antennas and substantial power, SWANS enables sensors and therapeutic devices located in different parts of the body to coordinate without being physically connected or positioned close together.

The researchers demonstrated the approach by creating a network of sensors and neural interfaces that coordinated limb movement in an animal model. Because the system requires very little power, implants can be made smaller than 3 millimeters, potentially allowing them to be inserted using a syringe rather than surgery. Sensors could eventually detect biological changes and automatically instruct another device to deliver medication, stimulate a nerve, or perform another therapeutic action at the appropriate location. Researchers vision SWANS as a step toward personalized bioelectronic medicine in which distributed sensors, wearables, and implants work together to monitor health and deliver treatments when needed.

More information:

https://coe.gatech.edu/news/2026/09/engineers-connect-health-wearables-and-implants-using-body-network

Smart Contact Lens Measures Stress Through Tears

Researchers have developed a lab on a contact lens capable of detecting serotonin in tears, potentially enabling continuous, noninvasive monitoring of stress and other physiological changes. The soft, reusable hydrogel lens incorporates flexible graphene and silver electrodes, with ferrocene helping it selectively detect extremely low serotonin concentrations. Laboratory tests showed sensitivity well below typical serotonin levels found in human tears, while experiments involving 10 volunteers found that tear serotonin decreased after stressful public-speaking and mathematics tasks. Testing on an anesthetized pig also demonstrated serotonin detection without signs of short-term irritation or infection.

The technology could eventually shift wearable health monitoring beyond physical measurements such as heart rate and temperature toward continuous biochemical sensing. Researchers have already produced a proof-of-concept wireless version using NFC for battery-free sensing and smartphone data transmission. However, substantial validation and safety testing remain necessary, particularly to understand how tear serotonin varies among individuals and relates to blood biomarkers and clinical assessments. Future versions could simultaneously measure serotonin, cortisol, and other molecules, potentially turning contact lenses into wearable platforms that provide a richer picture of stress and physiological health throughout everyday life.

More information:

https://spectrum.ieee.org/serotonin-stress-smart-contact-lens