Oxford care home residents trial virtual reality walking

The headsets are connected to seated treadmills that allow users to explore real places

Care homes in Oxford have been harnessing virtual reality (VR) technology to help improve the wellbeing of their residents.

Forty people have been taking part in the trial that has helped them "walk" up to 3km (1.8 miles) using VR headsets attached to seated treadmills.

The headsets allow them to explore real places and even meet up with friends.

The 17-month trial has been run by Oxfordshire County Council's Innovation Hub and Oxford start-up ROVR Systems.

The scheme has been trialled at Fairfield Residential Home in Summertown and Auditcare's Mon Choisy care home in Kennington.

DeeDee Wallace, of the Innovation Hub, said: "It brings the world into them, making their world bigger - and if you think about dementia, they can access neighbours and unlock memories by having a VR experience."

Charles King, CEO of ROVR Systems, said: "We need to live longer better, not just live longer, so we need to be active and the way we do that is maintain physical activity and social connection."

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].