Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) developed using immersive or semi-immersive virtual environments present a usability problem for practitioners. To meet practitioner requirements for lower cost and portability VRET programs must often be ported onto desktop environments such as the personal computer (PC). However, success of VRET has been shown to be linked to presence, and the environme...

OBJECTIVE The present study compared the effectiveness of a virtual reality (VR) simulator for training phlebotomy with that of a more traditional approach using simulated limbs. BACKGROUND Phlebotomy, or drawing blood, is one of the most common medical procedures; yet, there are no universal standards for training and assessing performance. The absence of any standards can lead to injuries a...

The following letter describes two pilot studies testing the feasibility of immersive virtual reality therapy on pediatric patients with unilateral lower limb complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). In these studies, patients completed target-hitting tasks in virtual reality using novel avatar bodies. Patients completed all sessions without adverse effects and both patients and parents were enth...

Virtual reality exposure therapy is slowly becoming a viable option for therapists. For virtual reality systems to be used in the daily practice of therapists, their usability needs to be taken into consideration. This paper describes the current state-of-the-art in interfaces for these systems, and describes several proposals for improving the design of these systems. An exploratory evaluation...

The fear of public speaking is one the most common social phobias causing anxiety problems in many people. In this context, project focuses on developing a tool capable helping mental health professionals using virtual reality as controlled environment expository therapies, case applied to Glossophobia. To enhance creation self-control mechanisms these patients, use explored with aid Neuro and ...

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been estimated to affect up to 18% of returning Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans. Soldiers need to maintain constant vigilance to deal with unpredictable threats, and an unprecedented number of soldiers are surviving serious wounds. These risk factors are significant for development of PTSD; therefore, early and efficient intervention options must ...