Dallas company uses virtual reality to help with therapy, memory care

The catch: They never left their chair. It was all virtual reality.

Why it matters: Dallas-based Mynd Immersive has created VR technology to help Americans with therapy, loneliness and memory recall.

How it works: The technology comes with a VR headset and tablet.

• While wearing the headset, the participant experiences the sights and sounds of scenarios filmed by the Mynd team.
• In the recreational version of the technology, named the Great American Elderverse, people can skydive, complete a puzzle, attend a concert or tour a new city.
• The therapy version is more scientific. For example, people can catch butterflies for shoulder rehab or navigate an obstacle without tripping.

The intrigue: Residents at Umphress Terrace, a Dallas retirement community, will get to share the Elderverse headset for the next three years. After last week's trial, they were already planning their next virtual adventure.

• "It gives me hope, because technology is scary to them," Angie McWhirter, Umphress Terrace's program director, tells Axios.
• "I'm hoping that if they find the comfort and the fun in this type of technology, then maybe they won't be as scared of online banking. Maybe they won't be scared of all the things their phone can do for them."

Flashback: Mynd co-founder Chris Brickler directed and produced films in Los Angeles for more than a decade.

• After seeing gamers use VR headsets in 2015, he wondered if VR could help with the dementia that many of his relatives had experienced. He moved to Dallas to launch Mynd.

What they're saying: "It's really intended to connect these folks with nature, with music, with all these connections that they've lost over time — and provide joy and comfort while reducing anxiety and stress," Brickler tells Axios.