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.

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

During our conversation, 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!)

On this edition of Over Coffee® we cover:

• How Thierry first became interested in virtual reality, as an area in which he wanted to use his talents;

• The story of SOCIALDREAM;

• One of Thierry’s most memorable experiences from his early days creating SOCIALDREAM;

• How our translator, filmmaker Ariane Tourneau, first came on board with SOCIALDREAM:

• Thierry’s experiences working with clients and observing how VR created positive emotions:

• A closer look at the headset, DreamSens, which Thierry created to go along with his content;

• How a healthy adult can use SOCIALDREAM;

• A closer look at a program developed to help students with autism;

• Thierry’s creative process, as a filmmaker;

• How the real-time customizable element of SOCIALDREAM works, for individual users;

• How the project has helped Thierry to grow most, creatively;

• Thierry’s vision for SOCIALDREAM and DreamSens for the next five years.

(Headed for CES® 2024? Come by and see what SOCIALDREAM and DreamSens are all about, in the Eureka Park startup area’s French pavilion in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region!)