The problem of lying down in a world built for sitting up
Virtual Reality for Clinical Use shows real 360º video: a beach, a forest, a familiar place. The heart of the experience is the horizon: when it's level, the brain relaxes and accepts the scene. When it's tilted, discomfort, and often motion sickness, follows.
The problem is that most systems assume the person is sitting or standing. In a bed-bound or reclined patient, the head sits at 30º, 45º or even 90º from vertical. The horizon looks tilted, the world looks crooked, and the session becomes uncomfortable for exactly the people who would benefit most.
What lying-down mode does
RVer's lying-down mode aligns the horizon of the experience with the patient's actual head angle. The headset's normal re-centre only handles which way you face and is gravity-aligned: it can't do this. RVer goes further: it tilts the whole world (video, menus and panels) to the angle the person is in.
The result: the image looks level at any tilt, and every 360º scenario works with no need to film "lying-down" versions. Each angle is effectively a new variation of the same content.
Lying-down mode is enabled per session and turns off automatically at the end. While active, it hides the movement and cognition modules, a bed-bound patient isn't doing guided exercise, keeping the interface simple for the team.
Where it makes a difference
- Palliative care: escape, comfort and reminiscence for those who no longer leave the bed.
- Post-operative: distraction and relaxation in the first hours and days, without sitting the patient up.
- Dialysis and long treatments: filling reclined-chair hours in a calming way.
- Dentist chair and procedures: easing anxiety in positions that aren't upright.
In all of these, the goal is the same: bringing a moment of calm to people whose position would otherwise leave them out of conventional Virtual Reality.
RVer's role
RVer is a Class I Medical Device (base product, registered in EUDAMED and with INFARMED (Portugal), EU MDR 2017/745). It doesn't replace clinical care, but it complements it, as a non-pharmacological option and under the team's supervision. Lying-down mode is one of the ways it makes that therapy reachable for as many patients as possible, whatever position they're in.
Lying-down mode is one piece of a bigger picture: accessibility in virtual reality.
On reaching people who never leave their room, see a care home activity plan.
Frequently asked questions
Does Virtual Reality work with bed-bound patients?
Yes. RVer's lying-down mode aligns the horizon of the experience with the tilt of the head, so the image looks level even with the patient at 30º, 45º or 90º: in bed, in a reclined chair, during dialysis or post-op. It applies to every 360º scenario and is enabled in the settings.
Does lying-down mode reduce motion sickness?
It removes one of the main causes of discomfort in Virtual Reality: a misaligned horizon. By following the head's tilt, it keeps the image stable and natural. As always, start with short sessions and stop if dizziness or discomfort appears.
Do you need special content to use lying-down mode?
No. The same 360º video works at any angle: 0º, 30º, 45º or 90º. There's no need to film lying-down versions: each tilt is a variation of the existing content.
Which clinical settings benefit most?
Palliative care, post-operative recovery, dialysis, long treatments in a reclined chair, and procedures in non-upright positions. In all of them, the goal is comfort and distraction for patients who can't sit up.