Intercultural Roots and EcoGPX Ltd launch 'Extending Nature' as a new digital enabled therapeutic

LONDON - Sept. 12, 2025 - PRLog -- Intercultural Roots for Public Health (IRPH), in collaboration with digital innovators EcoGPX Ltd, announced the official launch of the Extending Nature (XN) project. This £300K+ initiative, part-funded by the Innovate UK Mindset Extended Reality (XR) for Digital Mental Health Programme and over £100K private investment, is designed to support adults living with GAD by blending human movement and engagement in nature with a new kind of technology.

The launch comes alongside a major UK government announcement (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/smart-glasses-and-ai-filter-apps-among-new-tech-to-transform-the-mental-health-of-millions) recognising XN as a key project in a new push to transform mental health with technology. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Health and Social Care, and Innovate UK highlighted the project as a leader in "low-cost innovations that support people's mental health." They noted how the project, is "linking extended reality with physical activities to connect people with nature and support adults living with generalised anxiety."

At the heart of the project is PLACES by EcoGPX®, a placed-based technology that opposes the "extractivist tendencies of big tech." Instead of pulling users into placeless virtual content, Places allows contributors to "place" geolocated media in their physical location, creating a "socially augmented reality."

"We are modelling a new regenerative approach to co-design," said Dr. Alex Boyd, Project Director. "The magic happens in the 'ecotone,' that messy middle where technology, ecological thinking, and embodied practice meet. We are building a minimalist technological form to create something playful, beautiful and with real-world impact, and we invite organisations to join us."

The Places app has already been successfully piloted in creative residencies and used in Coventry to provide a window into local culture and organisation's work, and to help newly arrived young people connect with their city. The team is now working to refine the app with new XR features and plans to introduce business-to-business and business-to-government applications.

The project's interdisciplinary team, committed to an ethical framework, includes experts in digital technology, regenerative and ecological design, embodied research, disability & EDI, and mental health. The XN project stood out in the competitive Mindset programme for its commitment to building from the grassroots up, ensuring its technology is accessible and relevant to people with a lived experience of anxiety.

• Extending Nature: A project that leverages technology to create embodied experiences in nature, improving health and wellbeing.
• Intercultural Roots: A not-for-profit charity that promotes ecological public health. www.interculturalroots.org
• EcoGPX Ltd: Place-based technologies for real-world experiences. www.ecogpx.com
• Innovate UK: Part of UK Research and Innovation and UK's innovation agency