Microsoft : Mixed reality apps from Actimage help those with autism safely prepare for the real world

When the 12-year-old girl walked, she routinely looked down at her feet, not ahead. It was not unusual for her, or for others who have autism. Eye contact with the world around them can be a challenge.

But using a HoloLens mixed-reality headset and an application called Pop Balloons, the girl felt more comfortable looking ahead. The app rewarded her with points when she found and popped balloons with her finger, and the faster she got at popping them, the more points she scored. Most importantly, as she used the app, she became more aware of her surroundings, improving her motor and relational skills.

Pop Balloons is one of five applications created by Actimage as part of its Hol'Autisme suite to help those with autism improve their motor skills and learn social skills. It's not the only work Actimage does. The company's broad portfolio includes mobile apps, cloud services, data intelligence, project coaching, machine learning, user experience design, motion design and DevOps.

'Innovation today is really increasing the capabilities of people with disabilities, and Actimage is probably one of the best partners in mixed reality to help people with disabilities,' says Philippe Trotin, accessibility lead at Microsoft France, who has worked with Actimage to develop the programs.

Mixed reality merges the real and virtual worlds. Using a HoloLens means being able to visualize, hear and interact with virtual elements while you're in the real world. You see what surrounds you in real life, but holograms are added to the view. In the case of Pop Balloons, you're looking to pop them in the real world, but the balloons themselves are holograms. It is an effective - and safe - setting in which to explore and learn.

Three years ago, Actimage became one of the first companies to develop applications for HoloLens, starting with Pop Balloons. It came at a time when the government of France was working to improve the country's health policies and social attitudes about autism, something previous administrations had not done.

'Actimage is leveraging digital technologies that are a great help for people with autism to develop and progress in their daily lives,' says Lucas Ninard, Actimage business project consultant. 'We want to help provide them with tools and fill the gap between them and the rest of the population.'

Actimage's Hol'Autisme suite is being tested in clinical studies in research and medical facilities, including the Cognacq-Jay Foundation and the Ellen Poidatz Foundation, which are trying to learn more about degrees of autism. One of Actimage's new programs, JobNow, just started being tested by the government agency Pôle Emploi, which helps those who are unemployed find jobs and get financial assistance.

The application is meant to help those with autism get past a big hurdle in the hiring process: that first interview with a person from a company. In France, employers with at least 20 employees must have workers with disabilities represent at least 6 percent of their total workforce, including full- and part-time employees.

JobNow uses a virtual coach to conduct a practice interview, asking the candidate questions about his or her background, experiences and goals. In real life, such an interview can be stressful for someone with autism, exponentially so than for those who do not have autism.

'One statistic that was a starting point for us with Job Now is that in France, 98 percent of people with autism are unemployed,' says Ninard.

Microsoft's Trotin says that when most young people pursue their first job, 'Typically, they will go to a company - they are going to interview with one, two, three, maybe 10 companies before being hired,' and they expect it to be a potentially lengthy process.

'It is much more difficult for a person with autism because they are not sure how to prepare for that first job interview,' he says. 'Maybe they will go on to another job interview somewhere else. But then, if that doesn't go well, they will stop looking for work, feeling their disability won't help them succeed, and that they will never find a job.

'JobNow can provide an environment where they can enhance their potential of such meetings with HR people, to be well prepared, to reduce the level of stress, because they will have in front of them a hologram and not be judged by the hologram,' he says.