New technology helps people overcome fear of donating blood

World Blood Donor Day takes place this Friday.

This is especially important as the United States is experiencing its worst blood shortage in 20 years, according to the American Red Cross.

This is partly because one in four adults is afraid of needles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But there are new technologies that help people overcome this fear.

Blood donor Maggie Schmidt used a mixed reality blood donation experience from Abbott and Blood Centers of America.

Schmidt spoke to Spectrum News 1Mercedes Williams explains how the mixed reality experience works and where it is available.

“Mixed reality technology is a lightweight headset that blood donors can wear and it is similar to virtual reality, but the difference is that you can still see your surroundings while being immersed in this virtual reality experience. By the time I was done donating blood, I hadn’t even finished building my Zen garden, and that’s the experience that Abbott and Blood Centers of America are using to help promote that.”

If you would like to try blood donation using mixed reality, you can visit bethe1donor.com/mixedreality to find a center using this technology.