Xiaopeng Zhao, a professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering, was selected to receive an a2 Pilot Award from the Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratories (AITC) for the project MUSICARE-VR: Music Intervention with Virtual Reality for Alzheimer’s Care.
MUSICARE-VR is in collaboration with Darina Petrovsky, an assistant professor of nursing at Duke University.
As of 2023, the Alzheimer’s Association estimates that the number of older adults with some form of dementia in the United States stands at 6.8 million. The number is projected to rise to 13.8 million by 2060.
Studies have shown that music interventions can have positive impacts on the cognitive, physical, and emotional aspects of the well-being of people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (PwADRD). 
Zhao’s project aims to develop a novel system that incorporates the benefits of music intervention with the connective abilities of virtual reality. The project will harness the power of AI-enhanced music intervention, delivered through the immersive medium of virtual reality, to enhance the well-being of PwADRD and improve the social connectedness between them and their caregivers.
Zhao and Petrovsky are developing the system using Unreal Engine 5, optimized for the Meta Quest 3 VR headset. Skilled interventionists will lead music intervention sessions, guiding PwADRD through customized sing-along activities. AI technology will adapt the music interventions in real-time, based on the user’s emotional and physiological responses.
The national a2 Pilot Awards competition is hosted annually by the a2 Collective and funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, through the AITC for Aging Research program. NIA has earmarked $40 million to fund technology demonstration projects that utilize AI approaches and technology to improve care and health outcomes for older Americans, including persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and their caregivers.
The a2 Collective comprises three collaboratories centered at Johns Hopkins University (JH AITC), the University of Massachusetts Amherst (MassAITC), and the University of Pennsylvania (PennAITech). Each AITC supports pilot projects focused on healthy aging and AD/ADRD. Zhao’s grant was through PennAITech.
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey (865-974-0683, rpotkey@utk.edu)