I thoroughly enjoyed recording using motion capture or “mo-cap”, (despite wearing a helmet with an iphone dangling in front of me, and arm bands with sensors from head to toe!). I knew I was using my skills as a voice actor to help provide patient information in a comfortable and friendly way.

 “Mo-cap” or motion capture technology blends recording the actor in real life, (wearing sensors on the actor’s head, body core, arms, hands, feet and legs to record their movement), and translates that into animation. The movements of the actor while performing the script are transferred into a computerised form and aligned to the voice over performance.

In my case, working with the healthcare technology company, Cognitant, (whose mission is to empower patients with clear, reliable health information), I played the role of Helen, a heart failure patient advocate sharing her own experiences and educating newly diagnosed heart failure patients in simple self-care and lifestyle measures.

The module can be viewed by patients as a video on their smartphone, or as a 3D virtual reality experience through a virtual reality headset. Helen is shown to them in a pleasant sitting room which the patient can experience as if they are actually there, with Helen, talking to them one to one.