2019
VR is becoming increasingly common in the treatment of phobias. Together with our project partner Phobius we created a VR application as a supporting medium for the treatment of Ornithophobia (fear of birds).
With virtual exposure therapy patients can face their fears in a safe enviroment which helps them overcome their fear. Our project partner Phobius is specialized in treating phobias using Virtual Reality applications or 360° videos. Many different solutions are available but in case of Ornithophobia, only 360° videos are available. These videos are not ideal as they become predictable soon and the birds do not react to the patient.
Interactive applications facilitate the treatment of phobias. Since there was no interactive VR application to help treat Ornitophobia, we made one.
To create an ideal solution, we first interviewed therapists from Phobius to understand how fear works and how VR can help treat patients.
Furthermore we read a lot of reports and watched videos from affected people to further gain understanding of the target group. Many Ornithophobia patients are particularly afraid of pigeons. Pigeons are associated with dirt, disease and unpredictable behaviour.
After gaining enough insight, we created a first concept where therapists can choose a level for the patient depending on how far they have come in the therapy. The concept included 5 levels with different behavior (liveliness, fluttering) of the birds. As the therapy progresses, the birds would be more lively, fly around more often and come closer to the patient.
We quickly realised that this concept is not ideal for our purpose. Birds always behave the same, no matter how afraid someone is. To adapt the therapy to the patients‘ individual needs we needed to give the therapist the opportunity to influence the fear inducing factors. These factors must be implemented as plausibly as possible to trigger the fear in patients. In the example of Ornithophobia, the fear inducing factors are the movement, the sound, the look of the birds and the unpredictable behaviour.
With our application therapists can adjust how many pigeons are visible in the virtual environment and how close the pigeons can come to the patient. The fact that the virtual pigeons react to the patient is a feature that makes the application particularly valuable for therapy. Different scenarios allow for a therapy that is tailored specifically to the needs of the patient. In one scenario, the patient can move around freely and approach the pigeons in his/her own pace. In the “seated” scenario the patient is virtually sitting at a table – unable to walk away but still able to look around while pigeons are approaching.
The app was created for the HTC Vive and is free to download at https://vrtherapyaustria.itch.io/ornithophobia
From the beginning of the project, I was responsible for the close coordination with our project partner and was highly involved in the development of the concept. I also supported our project manager with the coordination of deadlines and meetings and keeping track of the development progress.
My main task was the design and development of the virtual environment. For this, I created custom assets by modelling and texturing 3D objects using Autodesk Maya and Substance Painter. I was also responsible for implementing the assets in our Unity scene.
I also experimented with various layouts of the backyard to find the right size (too confined and we might have triggered claustrophobia). Preparing and conducting the tests with our project partner was also part of my tasks. Since the application is meant to help treat patients with anxiety disorder we were not allow to test with patients directly.
The application is currently in use through our project partner, who keeps us updated about successes achieved with their clients.
Team:
Alisa Feldhofer, Huang Chen, Samuel Kreuz, Andrea Schwarzbauer
In partnership with Johannes Lanzinger from Phobius