With the Black Cross The largest paid music festival in the Netherlands and the largest motocross event in the world starts today. Traditionally there is much more to experience during this weekend than just music and motorcycles, and that is certainly the case this year. Festival visitors can contribute to the development of various innovations in the coming days. For example, by experiencing what it is like to have dementia in virtual reality (VR) or by participating in The Digital Data Divide – a festival experience around big data. These innovation tests are supervised by Innofest.
This weekend it’s time for Zwarte Cross: the largest paid music festival in the Netherlands and the largest motocross event in the world;Visitors can experience what it’s like to have dementia in virtual reality;The Digital Data Divide is a festival experience where visitors can discover what the future could look like with the increased role of personal data.
Experience what it is like to have dementia with virtual reality
It is expected that one in five Dutch people will eventually develop dementia. As people continue to live at home for longer, the chance of encountering someone with dementia is increasing – whether in the supermarket, on the terrace or at the hairdresser’s. Researchers at Avans University of Applied Sciences have developed a virtual reality test case in which you can experience what it is like to have dementia in different situations. The dementia experience in VR has already been tested by informal carers and nursing students, among others, and now by the general public of the Zwarte Cross.
Cindy de Bot, associate professor of Prevention within Nursing Care at Avans University of Applied Sciences, is looking forward to the test days. “By letting people experience for themselves what it is like to have dementia and discussing it with each other, we hope to create more awareness and empathy. You want people with dementia to be able to participate in society for as long as possible. It is therefore important that there is more knowledge about the disease and its symptoms, so that a dementia-friendly society is created,” says De Bot. The researchers are also curious to what extent VR is a good way to introduce people to a condition such as dementia.
VR Dementia is on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Playa Exoticana.
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The Digital Data Divide: what does the future of data look like?
From health apps to smartwatches: we are collecting more and more data about ourselves. This often makes life easier, but in some areas also more dangerous. At the festival experience The Digital Data Divide, visitors can discover what the future full of personal data could look like. Will it be a utopia in which everything goes perfectly or will a dystopia await us?
People with backgrounds in gaming, healthcare, research, ethics and education are involved in developing The Digital Data Divide. The initiator is Sjors Groeneveld, senior lecturer in Living Technology at Saxion University of Applied Sciences. “We developed this festival experience to explore in a fun and accessible way how we can raise awareness about the increased role of data in our lives. This is badly needed, because in addition to all the advantages, the massive collection of data can also have a downside and there are questions about ethics, privacy and responsibility,” says Groeneveld. The presence at Zwarte Cross enables the researchers to test the festival experience with a wide and diverse audience. “This way we can see whether participants are being made to think and whether the experience is a good tool to start the conversation about data.”
The Digital Data Divide can be found on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Playa Exoticana.
Coldplay: more extravagant than ever and with half the CO2 emissions
Earlier, band Coldplay announced that it would no longer go on a world tour, due to the major impact on the climate. They came back to that: they perform 133 shows around the world.
Circular solar panels and mobile battery for food trucks
In addition, there are two other innovations at the festival to collect feedback from visitors and crew. Biosphere Solar can be found at the festival campsite. This startup, which originated from TU Delft, develops circular and repairable solar panels, thus combating the increasing waste stream from solar panels. Camping guests can charge their smartphone with solar energy at their Solar Charging Station.
The entrepreneurs of Rent a Battery are standing on the backstage area with their PowerTrolley. This mobile and modular battery of 5 kWh should provide food trucks with energy and thus offer an alternative to the polluting diesel generators that are still often used. During the Black Cross, the crew tests how user-friendly the battery is.
All tests are supervised by Innofest and made possible by collaboration partners Regiergaan SIA, Good morning, Avans University of Applied Sciences in Saxony.
2023-07-21 10:00:00
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