Robert Signore, President and Co-founder of Thrive Pavilion encourages the use of spatial computing and virtual reality to create authentic connections and interactions between seniors. About Robert Robert Signore is a well-respected leader in the field of virtual reality, with a focus on using innovative technologies such as Social Virtual Reality, Spatial Computing, and the Metaverse to combat social isolation and loneliness among older adults. He co-founded Thrive Pavilion Inc, a nonprofit organization that uses the Metaverse to assist older adults overcome isolation and loneliness. Throughout his impressive career, Robert has held various executive roles in Hi-Tech and Age-Tech companies. He is committed to utilizing VR/AR technology to create meaningful connections and improve the lives of older adults. In addition to his professional achievements, Robert leads an active personal life. He is an avid runner, biker, and powerlifter, and he is dedicated to promoting social connection to improve older adults' mental and emotional well-being. With his unique blend of technical expertise and personal commitment, Robert can connect innovative technology with genuine human experiences, profoundly impacting the lives of those he serves. You can reach Robert via email at president@thrivepavilion.org, or on LinkedIn (https://linkedin.com/in/rsignore) Key Takeaways The goal of Thrive Pavilion is to provide social connection through a virtual community center in Horizon Worlds, inside the metaverse. More than 400 members from the USA and Canada currently engage in activities which are published on the website thrivepavilion.org. Members communicate through a Facebook group when not in VR. Spatial computing or virtual reality has a significant impact on older adults’ emotional and mental well-being. VR creates an emotional social connection between senior living residents like relationships in the real world. Using a Meta Quest Headset, members participate in activities as a computer-generated avatar with other members who are also avatars. All activities—including games like Uno, corn hole, bocce, darts, and mini golf, plus a theater company, health seminars and classes on aging and art—occur in computer-generated spaces. The advantage of spatial computing or virtual reality is it takes away high-tech abstractions. You interface with technology the way your body is designed to work, just as you learned to interface with the world as a toddler. A “vignette” is a three-dimensional art piece designed by an older adult and a 3D artist inside Horizon Worlds. The art piece recreates the visuals of the story, and you experience the memory as the older adult is explaining it.