Kids test fun features at the new Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford

Recently, a small group of children got a sneak peek of the nearly finished new hospital building, set to open this December.  These children of Packard Children’s employees were recruited for a very special job, to test a feature – a huge digital interactive wall – that will be available to families on the ground floor lobby.

The kids were captured by the giant screen as they tested it in groups, they loved creating rainbows between their hands and beckoning a friendly sea lion under water.

The wall is made up of floor to ceiling 4K high resolutions screens, with sensors positioned at the base that read the movements of those standing in front of it. On the screens are what’s called Adaptive Healing Environments, created by San Francisco based company, Ouva. These immersive sensory environments allow multiple participants to interact with the environment by moving their bodies. From standing on the shoreline to under the sea, children can engage in a variety of multisensory activities, like playing in the sand, looking through binoculars and sounding horns from the lighthouse.

“The sensory experience serves to entertain but also to relax and reduce stress,” said Susan Kinnebrew, MA, CCLS, Director of Child Life and Integrative Therapies at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. “This was an opportunity to see how children engage with the technology and helps us understand how we will ensure the best experience for patients of all ages.”

The interactive wall is housed within the new Story Corner, which will serve as a space for activities and play time when the new hospital opens.  The Story Corner is adjacent to the Broadcast Studio, where children will have the opportunity to create multimedia content and have the ability to broadcast across in the hospital’s closed-circuit SmartTV system, called PackardVision. Kinnebrew’s Child Life team will run operations in the Story Corner and are excited for the potential of the interactive wall to engage with patients and siblings.

“This is going to be hugely popular for play and we also know there is opportunity to use it therapeutically,” said Kinnebrew.

The visiting kiddos also got a chance to explore the new Dunlevie Garden which sits between the new and existing hospital buildings; is a sprawling landscape of kid-sized hills and curving pathways that encourage exploration.  The garden houses a collection of life-size animal sculptures; habitats for kids to discover; a giant sundial and a walkable labyrinth.

“Seeing kids in this space really brought it all to life,” said Jill Ann Sullivan, RN, MSN, Vice President of Strategic Space Planning.  “We know we’ve created some extraordinary spaces that will truly bring joy to families while they are here.”