This project, whose technological implementation was conducted by the AVR Lab of the Dept. of Innovation Engineering of the University of Salento, involves an interdisciplinary group that includes Tria Corda OdV, the Lecce Local Health Authority and the University of Salento (Lecce), with the support of various associations and organisations such as ‘Il Veliero Parlante’, ‘AMA-Adozione Minori’, ‘Associazione Alessia Pallara’, ‘Michela, l'Angelo farfalla’ and ‘M.U.S.E’. 

The project ‘The Little Prince’, designed for the Paediatric Pole of the ‘Vito Fazzi’ Hospital in Lecce, aims to implement the reduction of discomfort before and during hospitalisation by using Extended Reality applications. Through research activities conducted on different thematic levels, a compartment of tools was designed to improve the physical and psychological well-being of hospitalised children. This led to the development of a Virtual Reality application that can be used with a cardboard viewer to visualise the ward before entering it; a multi-user Virtual Reality application where children, even if in distant parts of the ward, can interact with each other through playful activities; a Virtual Reality application for pain therapy, which immerses children in relaxing scenarios to reduce the stress of medical treatments or examinations; and an Augmented Reality application to experience a treasure hunt in the ward. The common thread running through all the activities is the story by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, from which inspiration was drawn for the creation of the narrative and digital settings.