Cigna to use Microsoft HoloLens to make health screenings fun

Microsoft HoloLens BioBall

Cigna will use Microsoft HoloLens technology for health screenings in the form of BioBall, a new, fast-paced interactive game that helps players learn their blood pressure and body mass index (BMI).

“The evolution of personal health and technology is something that has tremendous impact on everyone. We’re the first to harness the new HoloLens technology for health screenings, and we believe BioBall can revolutionize how people view the process,” Stephen Cassell, Cigna’s chief brand officer, said in a statement.

BioBall will be available at Cigna-sponsored public events throughout the country. A portable, pop-up version of BioBall also is rolling out for use at Cigna’s client locations for those employers who request BioBall for their onsite clinics or other employee events.

In order to use BioBall, participants receive assistance from a trained BioBall expert, starting with the registration process where their blood pressure is taken and they learn how to use the game. The players hold a light bowling-size ball in a one-minute race to capture all the images that flash on a screen before them. The BioBall senses a player’s pulse, which determines the ball’s movement, and uses responsive lighting to connect the game experience with the player’s heartbeat. Once players finish the game, they immediately receive their health numbers privately on their headsets. An email with health suggestions is sent immediately to the email address that players provide when they register.

Microsoft HoloLens is the world’s first self-contained holographic computer. It runs Windows 10 and can immerse the user into a mixed reality world, merging the physical and virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualizations where physical and holographic objects co-exist and interact in real time.