Community Sensory Projector

The environment

The sensory projector provides a range of fun activities without requiring additional equipment. For example, anyone can have a game of interactive football without requiring a physical ball made of plastic or rubber which would end up in landfill when it's past its best. Additionally the rock pool game, which is one of the most popular bits of software on the projector, means that people can interact with a relaxing, watery environment without disturbing an existing ecosystem.

Activity, health and leisure

Our project promotes activity amongst people of all ages and abilities. Many of the people who come to our centre have a variety of disabilities, additional needs, and health conditions which mean they struggle to interact with the physical world or require support with their cognitive needs. The sensory projector has enabled people to engage with games and software that promote activity, health, and communication. We purchased multiple suites of applications to suit the members who come to our centre, including the Older Care suite and Special Educational Needs & Disabilities suite. As an example, it has helped us to improve services for vulnerable individuals as we have used the projector to hold quizzes for some of our senior members. This has cognitively engaged people and has been popular, and we're looking forward to new updated software coming soon to include a wider range of questions to keep the activity fresh. In some of our classes with younger members of our community, it encourages communication as they happily ask for their favourite games, and encourages co-ordination as they try and splat berries to make a smoothie or clear away clouds to show a beautiful sky. As the sensory projector is always switched on and ready to use, it is often used for leisure by people visiting our centre to use the restaurant, or waiting for classes, activities, or events to start. People love to explore and play with this new technology, and it never fails to spark joy with those who interact with it. Having the projector as part of our equipment has helped our members to have more conversations, cooperate during gameplay, and focus and pay attention learning to use the equipment. The Mobii interactive table projection system means that applications can be projected flat to the floor, or can be used on a table, so it has been used by people of all physical abilities at our centre. There are no extra trip hazards while playing games. Being able to adjust the speed of games means that it can be fun for everybody to achieve a winning score in a game of footie! The sensory projector has enabled siblings and families to play together in a new way that incorporates everyone's needs and abilities. In the coming months, we will be increasing our advertisement of the sensory projector and inviting local schools to come down to our centre with small groups of children with disabilities and additional needs to engage with the sensory projector. The most popular programme on the sensory projector with all ages is the rock pool, which shows fish swimming around in a small pool and responds to touch by rippling and splashing. This software promotes relaxation and improves mental health and wellbeing amongst people of all ages, as it allows them to take time out to interact with a simulated natural environment. It is a peaceful distraction when other things in their life might feel overwhelming. The pleasure people experience when interacting with this software has been commented on repeatedly.