Penumbra Teams Up with Honor Everywhere to Bring US War Memorials to Aging Veterans
ALAMEDA, Calif., Nov. 10, 2023 — Everyday, memories of the people who served in World War II, Vietnam, and the Korean War are disappearing from living history. Virtual reality companies from around the world have teamed up in a program called “Honor Everywhere” to ensure the memorials are still accessible to these aging and terminally ill men and women via immersive stories.
“We are proud to be part of Honor Everywhere’s immersive video collective, providing meaningful experiences to aging Veterans so they are able to commemorate their time serving their country,” said Gita Barry, president of Immersive Healthcare at Penumbra, Inc. “Immersive technology is powerful, as we know in healthcare, and what better way to harness its potential than to provide these moments of reverence to those who have served.”
Only 119,500 of the 16.1 million Americans who fought in World War II are alive as of 2023 according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs statistics. These men and women are no longer able to physically travel to see their memorials in Washington, DC. Programs like “Honor Flight” provide these men and woman in person flights to the nation’s capital to visit their memorials but now, some of these aging Veterans are now too frail to make the trip in person.
Honor Everywhere in partnership with Honor Flight and virtual reality (VR) companies from across the nation is an open sourced, free video collective that includes immersive virtual reality stories of the World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Arlington Cemetery, USS Nimitz, and Women in Military Service Memorials. The stories are narrated by Veterans most of whom have since passed away, but their memories live on forever in virtual reality.
Penumbra’s REAL® System along with ArborXR, BehaVR, Cleanbox, Healium, ManageXR, Mynd Immersive, Neurorehab VR, Rendever, USC Institute for Creative Technologies, Waya Health, XRhealth, and 18Loop will share or contribute content to the immersive video collective. From the comfort of their living rooms, VA homes or assisted living centers, Veterans are virtually transported to Washington, DC – just as if they were there in person – where they can tour the war memorials that commemorate their service and honor their fallen comrades. In the virtual tours, Veterans can hear the sounds of the Rainbow Pool, watch the changing on the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery, and even tour the USS Nimitz while deployed in the Pacific Ocean.
Anything in virtual reality pales in comparison to seeing the memorials in person alongside your fellow Veterans. But for some of these 80- and 90-year-olds, VR may be their only option left to experience them.
Know a Veteran who wants a virtual tour of their memorial? Reach out to [email protected], your local Honor Flight hub, or the VR companies listed above. Honor Everywhere is also available for download as an app on most virtual reality, mobile IOS and Android (2D version) stores by searching “Honor Everywhere”.
About the REAL Immersive System Platform
Penumbra’s REAL Immersive System is a platform of products that leverages virtual reality to deliver engaging, immersive healthcare designed to promote better health, including furthering functional skills, cognition and stress management. Built on advanced technology with a growing library of VR-based activities and experiences, the REAL Immersive System platform is comprised of two product solutions: REAL y-Series™ for clinical rehabilitation and REAL i-Series™ for wellness.
For more product information, please visit www.realsystem.com. For information regarding safety and risks, please visit https://www.realsystem.com/usermanual/ and https://www.realsystem.com/yseries-brief-summary/.
About Penumbra
Penumbra, Inc., headquartered in Alameda, California, is a global healthcare company focused on innovative therapies. Penumbra designs, develops, manufactures and markets novel products and has a broad portfolio that addresses challenging medical conditions in markets with significant unmet need. Penumbra supports healthcare providers, hospitals and clinics in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.penumbrainc.com and connect on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Important Safety Information
Additional information about Penumbra’s products can be located on Penumbra’s website at http://www.penumbrainc.com/healthcare-professionals. Prior to use, please refer to Instructions for Use for complete product indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, potential adverse events and detailed instructions for use. Risk information can be found here.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for historical information, certain statements in this press release are forward-looking in nature and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us. Our business and operations are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and, consequently, actual results may differ materially from those projected by any forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those projected include, but are not limited to: failure to sustain or grow profitability or generate positive cash flows; failure to effectively introduce and market new products; delays in product introductions; significant competition; inability to further penetrate our current customer base, expand our user base and increase the frequency of use of our products by our customers; inability to achieve or maintain satisfactory pricing and margins; manufacturing difficulties; permanent write-downs or write-offs of our inventory; product defects or failures; unfavorable outcomes in clinical trials; inability to maintain our culture as we grow; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; potential adverse regulatory actions; and the potential impact of any acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or investments we may make. These risks and uncertainties, as well as others, are discussed in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on February 23, 2023. There may be additional risks of which we are not presently aware or that we currently believe are immaterial which could have an adverse impact on our business. Any forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and assumptions regarding future events and are applicable only as of the dates of such statements. We make no commitment to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may change.
Contact
Jennifer Heth
Penumbra, Inc
[email protected]
510-995-9791
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SOURCE Penumbra, Inc.