Even seniors like virtual reality, whether it is flying in a plane, soaring over mountains or playing with puppies.

The metaverse was a key theme during this year's CES tech gathering in Vegas.

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook parent company Meta, is on the witness stand in a California courtroom as part of the U.S. antitrust regulators' effort to stop the tech giant from buying a virtual reality startup.

Meta Quest Virtual Reality Experience featuring ILMxLAB’s Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge Coming to Disney Springs

A California university and a Florida senior community are teaming up to see whether virtual reality can help the emotional well-being of older people.

She put on the headset, and was immediately transported to a beach scene, where a soothing voice guided her focus and breathing. She never forgot she was in labor, but the VR visuals and the disembodied voice helped her calm down and shift attention away from her pain. Across the country from her, Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital in Santa Rosa, California, has a dozen headsets, including one that patients can use during the early stages of labor and for common in-office gynecologic procedures. It included 27 women using VR headsets during unmedicated contractions and found that the technology may be effective for helping with pain and anxiety during labor. CEO Matthew Stoudt says more than 130 hospitals are currently using his company's VR platform in regular medical practice, including Santa Rosa Memorial and Cedars-Sinai.

It's also gaining more attention for helping patients during physical therapy, including for one local teen in a wheelchair. in Omaha, and is using VR in his sessions. Young has seen progress with Marty since he started using VR. Ewing says he will continue using VR in hopes of getting out on the field once again. "It's going to continue get me stronger, and I hope to continue to get stronger and regain function for sure."