Just in time for World Blood Donor Day, Abbott and the Blood Centers of America are rolling out a mixed reality experience for use during blood donation.

Through its partnership with Blood Centers of America (BCA), Versiti Blood Center is one of the first in the country to offer the new technology to donors.

Among those to partake in the new experience was Asa Abushamt. Wearing the headset while sitting in a donation lounger at the Aurora Donor Center, Abushamt, 23, described what he was seeing.

“I’m seeing a lot of trees, gardens, flowers, which is really nice,” Abushamt said.

“We all know what virtual reality is and we've seen that in an immersive area where you're not aware of your surroundings,” said Amy Smith, area vice president & director of Donor Services Operations for Versiti Blood Centers of Illinois. “This is very different. As you can see, there are see-through goggles that are there. You can see all of your surroundings. When you put it on, you're well aware of everything that's going on. So you're safe through the donation experience, but what it does is it provides a calming effect as you go through your blood donation."

Using the headset, donors can visit a digital world where they are encouraged to build a garden, with a voice named Willow as their guide.

“Her voice is really sweet and calming almost,” Abushamt said.

The garden experience is the only one offered now, but the creators, Chicago-based Abbott and Blood Centers of America, are already working to expand.

“BCA and Abbott have already started working on 2.0, with more to come, but just really, how do you make sure that that donor comes back?” said Jennifer Kapral, senior vice president of Strategic Sourcing and New Business Development for Blood Centers of America.

BCA and Abbott created the headset to solve problems plaguing the blood donation industry.

“How do we get younger donors in our door to start with us and stay with us? And then how do we also make blood donation cool?” Kapral said.

High school and college-age donors are down 50% since the pandemic started.

“We've seen a decrease of 30% of our blood donor population in donors under the age of 30,” Smith said. “So we're really trying to get those high school and college students back in and providing this innovative experience we're hoping is going to intrigue them to come in, give this a try and then be donors for life.”

Versiti Blood Center locations in Aurora and Tinley Park are the first two locations in the Chicago area offering the mixed reality experience.

For more information or to sign up to donate blood, visit www.bethe1donor.com/mixedreality.