A Ukrainian refugee couple have created a world-first artificial intelligence tool that enriches the lives of disabled people by giving them therapeutic virtual reality experiences.

Petro Zghirin and Maryna Kuhai fled their home city of Odessa when the Russians attacked.

They came to Australia a year ago as refugees and have since created their virtual tool with the support of refugee settlement agency AMES Australia.

Their ‘Virtual Sanctuaries’ project aims to enrich the lives of people with disabilities through transformative virtual experiences via the creation of a virtual reality hub that offers meditation and mindfulness activities.

So far, the project has created a Christian cathedral and a Buddhist temple that people can visit and experience. 

“Our mission is to create a virtual environment that fosters spiritual growth and exploration, offering guided meditations, teaching from respected leaders and interactive ceremonies,” Petro said.

“Our goal is to create a friendly environment where disabled people can communicate and interact like everyone else – fostering a sense of unity and eliminating feelings of being different.

“We think the project could help people affected by the war in our own country,” he said.

Maryna said the project mixed architecture with virtual reality technology.

“We started this journey after arriving in Australia from war-torn Ukraine a year ago and we are excited about the future,’ Maryna said.

“We both have architectural backgrounds and a love for crafting spaces that transcends borders

“For us, creation is boundless. It’s not about money, we are passionate about shaping spaces that inspire, elevate, and transform lives,” she said.

The couple say AI-based virtual reality technology could create new ways for people to interact with each other and communicate.

To fund the Virtual Sanctuaries project, Petro and Maryna have also created a world-first artificial intelligence tool that takes prospective property buyers on personalised, interactive virtual tours of properties for sale.

The tool, called ‘Adam’, merges cutting-edge virtual reality (VR) technology with advanced artificial intelligence (AI).

It has the potential to reshape the real estate industry by offering prospective buyers an immersive VR experience guided by an intelligent virtual assistant.

It could become innovative way to view, evaluate and ultimately purchase properties. And a visit to Adelaide’s St Peter’s Cathedral gave them the idea for the virtual sanctuaries project.

“Coming to Australia really gave us the opportunity to create this because we participated in a business coaching program,” Petro said.

“The government funded program gave us the time to turn our idea into reality,” he said.

“What we have created so far people find amazing and we are grateful for the opportunity to do this and for the support from AMES and the Australian Government,” he said.

The couple say that coming to Australia sparked to their foray into VR and AI technology.

“We started this journey after arriving in Australia from war-torn Ukraine a year ago and we are excited about the future,’ Maryna said.

“We both have architectural backgrounds and a love for crafting spaces that transcends borders.

“For us, creation is boundless. It’s not about money, we are passionate about shaping spaces that inspire, elevate, and transform lives,” she said.

“Our journey began in war-torn Ukraine. Faced with violence and uncertainty, we decided to leave everything behind and seek refuge in a foreign land.

“Australia ended up becoming our sanctuary, offering the promise of a fresh start and the hope of a brighter future.

“But at first the reality was loneliness, financial struggles, and a sense of purposelessness.

“But at that visit to St Peter’s, our first-ever church service, we were captivated by the choir and the pastor’s words.

“It inspired us to create the sanctuaries offering people solace. We have crafted virtual spaces, starting with a Christian cathedral, with intricate details and a sense of awe. We now have a commitment to expand on this,” Petro said.

The couple’s home Odesa is an historic seaport on the Black Sea and its historic city centre is World Heritage listed.

In early 2022 as part of their attempted invasion of Ukraine, Russian troops bombarded Odesa with cruise missiles. They destroyed both the city’s military infrastructure and residential buildings, killing eight people and wounding another eighteen people.

The city has suffered further aerial attacks that destroyed regional infrastructure facilities and cut power to thousands of households and businesses.

Russian warships also shelled the city port and the attacks continued into 2023 with tens of thousands of grain, earmarked for export, destroyed.

Architectural monuments have been damaged, the city’s cathedral mostly destroyed.

Experience Petro and Maryna’s Virtual Sanctuaries here:  https://youtu.be/y6OAyM80thI?si=zsCkHLKcZmfdpnkE

See how ‘Adam’ works here: https://youtu.be/la27z66-Hm4