Over Coffee® is on holiday hiatus. Please enjoy this reposting of one of our top episodes of 2023.

This post and podcast are for informational purposes only, and are not intended as medical advice. Please contact a mental-health professional with any questions.

Congratulations to SAS SOCIALDREAM President Thierry Gricourt, winner of a CES® 2024 Innovation Award!

We had the honor of talking with Thierry, earlier this year. His SOCIALDREAM virtual-reality application is all about helping others.

Specifically, SOCIALDREAM, based in Lyon, France, offers 360-degree virtual-reality videos, which Thierry creates. The goal is supporting mental health and well-being, for a wide range of clients in different circumstances.

For patients with limited mobility, the videos provide a means of traveling to other places for escape and mental well-being For the general public, Thierry offers videos that not only aid in dealing with stress, but are customized to each individual user.

There’s also an immersive game for autistic children, to help them learn.

The innovation goes a step farther.

As an engineer with twenty-five years' experience in industrial design, Thierry has also used his expertise in the creation of a lighter and more user-friendly headset: DREAMSENS.

Described on its website as "the first smart multi-sensory immersive headset", DREAMSENS' is designed to be suitable for long-term use, as well as being comfortable for anyone wearing glasses.

SOCIALDREAM and DREAMSENS should be available in the U.S. within the next two years. Meanwhile, Thierry, will be exhibiting in the Eureka Park® area during CES® 2024, in Las Vegas, January 9 - 12.

Thierry shared the story of SOCIALDREAM, explained some of the applications and offered a timeline for the availability of the software and the DreamSens hardware in the United States.

(And since Thierry speaks no English and our French is severely limited, we very much appreciated his providing an interpreter! Warm thanks, both to Thierry for his patience with our limitations, and to filmmaker Ariane Tourneur for doing the honors!)