Team Members: Lize Choo, Daphne Liu, Janet Chen, and Michael Goh.
Video Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpJSWe6NH9c
About: The goal of this project is to help patients overcome their phobia with exposure therapy. Exposure therapy involves the exposure of the patient to their feared object without any danger to overcome their distress overtime. We picked the three most common fears, spider, snake and height. The target audience is 12-18 years old, as most phobias develop at the age of 11. Parents, doctors or professional can guide through the process using the app. The project is built with Unity, C++, Google VR SDK, and Google Cardboard.
We can work with psychologists, pediatrician, and researchers on the topic of phobia therapy amongst children. We can easily pair the project with additional hardwares such as Muse and Fitbit to keep track of the changes in patients' physical response (i.e brain waves, blood pressure, heart rate). Doctors would be able to view real-time statstical data on their website to identify any improvements. The amount of time patient stays in the scenario and their qualititative feedback can also be noted.
The fundings of the project can be divided into two parts: 1) governmental 2) commercial. This research project, to investigate the impact of Virtual Reality on combatting phobias, can apply for funds by agencies such as Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The comprehensive list of funding sources can be found at: http://www.cpa.ca/researchers/researchfunding/funders. We can also gather funds commercially. For example, we can collaborate with snake or spider repellent companies to demonstrate their products at the end of the scenes or put ads on the windows of skyscrapers.
Spider- Arachnophobia, or the fear of spiders, is the most common animal phobia around the world. Nearly 31% of U.S population suffer from Arachnophobia.
Snake- Ophidiophobia, or the fear of snakes is the second common phobia affecting 1/3 of human population. It alters people's lifestyle as they avoid outdoor activities, hiking, and travelling.
Height- Acrophobia is the fear of height or fear of falling that causes sufferers to be highly agitated above ground, and interferes with their abilities to leave the environment.
http://www.fearof.net/top-10-phobias-of-all-time/
Congratulations on facing your fears! Having a phobia is perfectly normal and you are not alone in this! You can choose to seek professional help with phobias counsellors and psychologists near you or share your stories on online platforms. Identify your fears and determine your own methods to confront your fears. Good luck!