When 17-year-old Bryce Wagner’s mother nearly died from COVID, her hospital and recovery experience exposed a problem that Wagner could not stop thinking about. While medical care kept his mother alive, the illness separated her from something that she had often leaned on to bring her solace: time in the outdoors. Even after leaving the hospital, Wagner’s mother remained bedridden, and she experienced depression and feelings of isolation.
Witnessing his mother’s longing for the sounds, sights, and sensory experience of being in nature, Wagner developed the idea for Ecovision Services, a groundbreaking virtual reality (VR) solution that offers full multisensory immersion, combining visual, auditory, and olfactory technologies to revolutionize patient care.
“We want to reach beyond transporting users visually,” says Wagner. “We’re making nature feel more immersive and potentially more useful in patient care.”
Virtual experience inspired by his mother
Even at his young age, Wagner holds several roles, including programmer, entrepreneur, inventor, and tireless advocate. His work with Ecovision Services has allowed him to combine all of his strengths into one project.
The program pairs virtual nature experiences with guided meditation and a separate scent device that adds an olfactory dimension to the platform. The patent-pending scent device has been designed to connect with VR headsets via Bluetooth.
“The additional sensory layer is central to Ecovision’s approach,” says Wagner. “It allows us to create a sensation that distinguishes our system from those that just provide sight and sound.”
Through the Ecovision Services system, users can feel as if they are spending a day at the beach or taking a walk through the woods, complete with the sights, sounds, feel, and scents of those environments.
The goal is not simply to provide a relaxing form of entertainment. Per Wagner, the system can reduce stress and anxiety and provide a distraction from pain for patients, homebound and bedbound people, as well as children and teens in stressful situations, such as foster care.
Putting Ecovision to work
For Wagner and the team behind Ecovision Services, the project is not just an exploration in entrepreneurship for a group of innovative teenagers. The Ecovision platform has already been through its paces.
Wagner conducted a study with Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business during final examinations that showed a substantial reduction in stress among those using the Ecovision VR system. He is also investigating the various settings where the system can be most effective. Recently, Atria Research Institute in New York is launching a study comparing Ecovision with cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety. Wagner has even brought the system to the Moffitt Cancer Center for use in a pediatric oncology program and has planned a rollout through After-School All-Stars’ regional chapters to help teenagers experiencing anxiety and depression.
These efforts all seek to strengthen the same underlying position: an immersive encounter with nature could become a practical tool for supporting emotional well-being. Wagner hopes that as Ecovision Services evolves, a better understanding of the different groups that they can help will develop as well.
A student of life
As a senior at Carrollwood Day School in Florida, Wagner is still cultivating his education as he builds his various ventures. Currently, he is pursuing the International Baccalaureate Diploma and Carrollwood Day School’s first Entrepreneurship Diploma, a program he helped design.
His interest in helping others has defined his time at the school. In ninth grade, Wagner founded the Entrepreneurship Business Investment Team, or EBIT. The program now includes a founder-and-executive speaker series, internships, a digital certification curriculum, and a Youth Advisory Council connecting students with companies.
Wagner’s own internships and extracurriculars illustrate his multifaceted interests, landing at the intersection of business, public service, and entertainment. Wagner has had experience with After-School All-Stars, Charitybuzz, the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, Congressman Gus Bilirakis’ office, the Austrian World Summit, and Magnolia Pictures. At Charitybuzz, he built the company’s native iOS app.
Over time, Wagner has become an experienced programmer, even developing an AI-based QSAR program dealing with food safety — another project focused on helping others.
Bryce Wagner’s wider impact
At 17, Bryce Wagner has managed to turn personal experience into a successful venture. Through Ecovision, he is combining VR with sound and scent to bring nature closer to people who cannot reach it themselves, whether because of illness or other life circumstances. His broader work in advocacy and invention reflects a desire to recognize unmet needs and offer practical solutions.
As his various ventures move forward, Wagner remains focused on how empathy can spark great ideas and technological advancements.
