Explore and describe the possibilities of using virtual reality technology in the field of phobias research. Focus on the impact of immersion and the visual quality of virtual environments.
Design and implement a VR application for the simulation of a phobia-sensitive environment. The application will contain one „training“ and one „testing“ environment that could trigger different “natural” phobias (e.g., Acrophobia or Nyctophobia) and common interaction techniques (locomotion, interaction with objects). The development will focus mainly on visual aspects of virtual environments, such as realistic graphical assets and lighting conditions.
Part of the thesis will be a user study focusing on the immersion and believability of such virtual environments. The student will conduct and evaluate the user study with at least 10 participants.