Exploring the Convergence of XR and AI Potential in Healthcare: The TOMMI Project Case Study

In recent years, the AI-powered revolution in healthcare has been met with enthusiastic praise. Many innovative projects aim to reshape the healthcare experience by leveraging AI to enhance tools that provide personalized care, utilizing data that is quickly collected and analyzed. Possibilities for AI integration are being analyzed, in the case of TOMMI, a product by Softcare Studios, a virtual reality (VR) experience designed for pediatric patients. The relational environment of the patients, often complicated by a level of stress so high it can interfere with their ability to manage or even accept treatment, serves as a key setting for the experimentation of new tools. There is here an interesting argument to be made: even though highly technological, non-pharmacological solutions represent a radical turning point in the perception of the body and in the creation of more inclusive care environments with fewer side effects compared to the use of medications, it could be argued that, in this case, their success negates the same Cartesian dualism body/soul that still powerfully shapes mainstream discourses and from which they issue, as it shows a deep, intimate connection between them which can be tapped through imaginal, non-rational instances the aim is to explore the effects of new technologies, particularly AI and VR, on scientific progress and the sociological and psychological aspects of healthcare.