VRETcity - BRAINVR

Project Goals

The aim of this project is to create a virtual reality (VR) application designed for exposure therapy of specific phobias (e.g. fear of heights, claustrophobia or aviophobia), agoraphobia or social phobia placed in a complex virtual city environment. The city environment is chosen because the symptoms of patients with phobias are often tied to situations typical of the city environment (e.g., fear of heights, fear of traveling on public transportation, fear of interacting with other people, etc.).

Our application should serve mainly as an adjunct to classical cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It uses the principle of VR exposure therapy (VRET), during which clients are repeatedly and deliberately confronted with feared stimuli related to a given phobia.

VRET therapy serves mainly as a therapeutic aid in preparing the client for exposures later performed in real space and real situations.

The project is a collaboration of the National Institute of Mental Health with the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics and the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering of CTU with the financial support of the ÉTA programme of the Czech Technology Agency (TL03000223).

VR environments

Subway

Hospital

Airport

High-rise building

Example of VR scenarios

Acrophobia

The main element of the exposure scenario designed for people with acrophobia (fear of heights) is the roof of the high-rise building and the glass elevator on the side of the building. The building has a total of 84 floors, and on each of these floors it is possible to exit the elevator into a glass corridor and enter a small balcony located at the end of the corridor. Other adjustable parameters, such as the height of the railing, can be adjusted during the session.

Social phobia

The environment of the cinema, consisting of a projection screen and a row of seats, is especially designed for social phobia. The scenario includes settings for different levels of difficulty, characterised by increasing numbers of virtual characters, participant seat position and changing audience reactions.

Agoraphobia

The main environment for people with agoraphobia is the subway system. The subway contains several stops through which the wagon passes, allowing the user to get off and move around the platform environment. The transfers are labelled so that the user can orient themselves in the scene. To escalate the difficulty of the scenario, it is possible to increase the number of virtual characters around the user or to trigger unexpected stressful situations (e.g. subway jams).

Aviophobia

For the fear of flying, an airport environment has been designed that can be reached by metro. The airport contains two floors - the first floor is used for check-in, the second floor is accessible via escalators and includes security screening, pre-boarding waiting and the interior of the aircraft. The scenario continues with the departure of the aircraft, which is coupled with an animation of the aircraft changing location and the subsequent landing option. Various stressful situations can be selected, such as turbulence or pilot announcements.

Claustrophobia

The main element of the exposure scenario designed for people with claustrophobia is the elevator. The high-rise building contains several elevators of different types and sizes, associated with visual and auditory stimuli and the possibility of presenting disturbing situations. Another environment for people with claustrophobia is the underground parking garage, some floors are only accessible by elevator.

Phobia of contagion and medical facilities

For fear of medical facilities and procedures, the hospital environment, containing the reception and various departments (including blood draws or dentists), is designed. The reception area is frequented by medical staff and other visitors, and the environment contains other elements related to the hospital and infection, such as discarded test tubes or dirty toilets.