Our Virtual Reality machine is intended to help those deal with a mental illness as well as for others to be able to look into the world of someone else dealing with mental illness, allowing them to relate. The device not only educates others on the physical, emotional and psychological tolls that mental illness has on people, but also it is Virtual Reality therapy for those trying to overcome their issues. The user is able to place the headset on and be immersed into a world exposing them to their fears in hopes to help them overcome their issue with exposure therapy. Our device surpasses other VR devices that are already made because it adapts and reconfigures to each user individually. As the patient moves through each therapy session, the machine stores feedback information. This allows the device see how the patient reacted, see what intensity the patient was exposed to, and see how it can be modified next time to further assist the patient in overcoming their fears. Devices already on the market have pre- programmed demos and therapy sessions that each of their patients walk through, but each person is unique in their own way. Our device adapts to each individual and their specific needs to make their therapy sessions as successful as possible.
The device has potential to be implemented in classrooms, hospitals, psych wards, counselors offices, personal use, doctors offices, etc. Our device is so universal and marketable to so many places because of the multiple things it is intended to be used for as mentioned previously. To start off, the idea would be mainly targeted to larger institutions that specialize in the study and research of mental illness. Another main target for marketing would be the medical field. Colleges, Graduate Programs, research facilities, and psychiatric centers. Considering that this device will range more on the pricier side it would be wise to implement it into larger facilities first. As it is more commonly used, updated, tweaked, and becomes more familiar then we would be able to drop the prices of certain models and open them to more public markets. As technology advances and becomes more updated models will become less and less expensive, making them not as much of a ‘luxury purchase’.
The long term goal is to be able to use this device in schools and universities as an education device regarding mental illness. On top of that, we also envision this device being used in psychiatric centers and medical offices just as they would use an X-Ray or MRI machine. Just like any other device as research continues and knowledge expands our creators will work with scientists and specialists to update the programs and information in the models. We can work with companies all over the world to aim for a sleeker design, better graphics quality, and update the demos to make the ultimate Virtual Reality experience for the user. Our goal is to have this be accessible to any person or loved one that needs to be educated on the illness or be able to overcome their illness themselves.
Phobias today are on the back burner of something that people learn about or have a full idea about what they actually are. The Theory of Phobias by Sigmund Freud is the best way to educate the public about phobias and the best way to cure them today. The Theory of Phobias is the central observation that the fears and phobias didn’t occur to an arbitrary group of objects or situations associated with trauma, but rather are most likely to occur to objects and situations that were dangerous to the pre- technological man (Mineka, Ohman). There are many types of phobias that have this full effect on people it being fear of spiders, flying, snakes, or anything you can think of that’s life threatening. There were 3 studies done that would rate the person on a 5 point scale. Any of the studies that had to do with anything dangerous or life threatening to the person they would always get a 5 on the scale. The exact opposite it was when it wasn’t anything dangerous or life threatening the person would end up on a 1 on the scale. Out of 200 cases most of the clinical phobias scored at a 4 or 5. The way this research can be implemented with our Virtual Reality experience is that for our patients’ first time being in this simulation we can grade them on a scale of 1 to 5 from their first visit to their last. Through this test the patient’s scale of fear should either start at a 4 or 5 and then plan to have it end at a 1. Through the VR we will be able to change up each simulation depending on the patient’s phobia, and have every time the consistent scale to try and make them overcome their fears.
As the new age of Virtual Reality grows, there are many new devices and new technology that comes with it. VR has come a long way starting with flight simulators, and working its way up to headset devices that connect with your iPhone through an app. The VR device that we have developed is a highly expensive headset unit with audio/mic built in and two hand controls. We wanted to give the most realistic feeling possible for users. This VR device is relatively expensive and usually only owned by medical therapist. They whole system is based around creating an atmosphere to help people overcome their mental illnesses/phobias. You will feel like you’re actually there being able to interact with people through a mic and being able to touch and move objects with hand held controls. After meeting with your medical therapist, they will go through multiple sessions in this VR devices to help you become more comfortable with your illness. The therapist also is connected to this device through his computer to measure progress and monitor the interactions. We have not created a scenario for every mental illness yet, just the most common ones that people struggle with.
SPEC
Built in audio
Built in mic
Resolution – 2160 x 1200
Two hand held controllers
High power sensors.
Overall, our Virtual Reality will be the best in the market because we incorporate a lot of research. The research that’s taken on this VR is through other psychologists’ research and from patients experience through our VR. This experience for patients is recorded by a scale, by what they feel, and by their last session. This will help many places conquer their patients’ phobias and fears. Our VR will be pricey but eventually will get cheaper, and many places will be able to use this for research. Although it can be used for research, this experience can take time to cure the patient.
Works Cited
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