GreenTouch - XR in occupational therapy for the ecological handprint

Project Lead: Elisabeth Frankus
Team: Carina Liersch, Florian Winkler, Barbara Angleitner
Duration: 2024–2027
Funding: FFG
Cooperation: AIT GmbH, FH St. Pölten ForschungsGmbH, Future Minds OG, IMC FH Krems GmbH, in scope GmbH


According to the WHO, the climate crisis is the greatest global health risk and requires changes in social practices and everyday habits. In healthcare, especially in occupational therapy, professionals have been expected since 2018 to develop climate skills and actively contribute to environmental management. The GreenTouch project aims to support occupational therapists in the development and application of climate skills with the help of Extended Reality (XR). A co-creatively developed XR prototype will help the target group to find client-centered solutions for dealing with the effects of climate change.

The potential of XR technologies to increase climate literacy will be analyzed through comprehensive evaluation in terms of applicability, user experience, usability and interaction possibilities as well as transferability to other professions in the social sector.  

The results of the project contribute to the achievement of SDGs 3, 4, 12 and 13 and offer practical solutions, which are summarized in a didactic concept and a final policy brief.

More details in the IHS blog (in German)