Hatsumi

Hatsumi is a company that develops playful, new and innovative approaches to improve physical and mental health that integrates immersive technology, storytelling, and design. Its core product, Bodymapping, is a virtual reality adaptation of the arts and health research method, body map storytelling, which assists to help patients feel seen, heard and better understood.

The program enables people to non-verbally communicate the embodied experience of pain and emotions onto a 3D body using 3D drawing tools and sound. By making invisible experiences visible, Bodymapping is creating a new paradigm in non-verbal communication, through enabling invisible experiences to become visible. It cultivates a new sense of self-awareness and understanding that can lead to more accurate diagnoses and subsequent support.

Hatsumi recently joined the CreativeXR 2020 cohort, supported by Arts Council England and Digital Catapult, to develop the project further.

Hatsumi is the brainchild of Sarah Ticho who is the producer, curator and founder of the company. Sarah is an avid community developer and through her work with organisations including Immerse UK, The International VR Healthcare Association and XR Safety Initiative Medical Council, continues to create opportunities to bring together practitioners across academia, healthcare and the creative industries to explore the future of immersive technology and games in health. Within her role at Immerse UK, she has developed a number of conferences, webinars and whitepapers raising awareness of the potential of interactive media in managing pain, supporting mental health, physical recovery and medical education. She is the producer on Deep, a breath controlled VR experience to manage anxiety that was developed in collaboration with the Games for Emotional and Mental Health Lab, Radboud University. Her ultimate aim is to create global adoption of inclusive games and interactive media as a tool for preventative and curative care. She is dedicated to creating new opportunities for collaboration, modes of distribution and ensuring the ethical and data standards are developed to protect the patients they are designing for.