CyberPsychology & BehaviorVolume 1, Number 4, 1998Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

The Virtual Reality Therapy System: VRT-2002

DENNIS BECKER, Ph.D.,1 and MAX M. NORTH, Ph.D.2

INTRODUCTION

In February 1993, just a few months after thediscovery of virtual reality (VR) potential for

the treatment of psychological disorders by Dr.Max North et al.,1'2 the world's first inexpen¬sive prototype of the Virtual Reality TherapySystem (VRT-2002) was developed. Whereasthe major goal was to assist millions of peoplewho unfortunately suffer from psychologicaldisorders, Dr. North's team concentrated inmodifying this prototype to a Plug and Playsystem that can be easily implemented andused by novice computer-oriented psycholo¬gists and researchers in the field. Dr. North'sresearch team also focused on affordability ofthe system. After a few years of extensive re¬

search and negotiation with several hardwareand software experts and vendors, they wereable to accomplish their goals and offer an ef¬fective and safe VRT system for $10,000 thathas reliability and flexibility of use.

The North team's pioneering VRT researchand development of their VRT-2002 series havebeen recognized worldwide by many peopleincluding researchers and scientists in the field.In 1996, Dr. North's team won the prestigiousCyberEdge Product of the Year Award for theirinnovative VRT research.

DEFINITION OF VRT

VRT is a technology that enables the patientto enter computer-generated worlds and inter-

^RTALK, A division of The Speech ImprovementCompany, Inc., Boston, MA.

2Developer of VRT-2002, Virtual Reality Therapy Cen¬ter, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA.

act with them through sight, sound, and touch.VRT differs from traditional therapy in thatcomputer graphics and various display and in¬put/output technologies are integrated to pro¬vide the patient with a sense of presence or im¬mersion. VRT can be used to overcome some

of the difficulties inherent in the traditionaltreatment of psychological disorders. In gen¬eral, VRT adds the advantage of greater effi¬ciency and economy in delivering a variety oftreatment situations, which might have been ei¬ther difficult or impossible with the traditionaltechniques.

The major focus of VRT is to assist the pa¬tient in reducing self-reported anxiety and inencountering the anxiety-evoking situations.Essentially, the focus of VRT is to allow the pa¬tient to have more control over psychologicaldisturbances and their symptoms. For more in¬formation on VRT, readers may refer to the Vir¬tual Reality Therapy Book1 written by Dr. North'steam.

DESCRIPTION AND FEATURES OF THEVRT-2002

Since 1993, the VRT-2002 have been devel¬oped and extensively tested by Dr. North, thepioneer of VRT, and his research team in theworld's first VRT center at Clark Atlanta Uni¬versity in Atlanta, Georgia. So far, over 200 sub¬jects with various psychological disorders havebeen treated at this center.

VRT employs the use of the VRT-2002 seriessystem, which contains a head-mounted dis¬play with a head-tracking unit and tactile de¬vices to produce visual, auditory, and tactilestimuli. Specific VRT scenes are used for a mul-

401

402 BECKER AND NORTH

titude of situations. VRT-2002 provides a safeand effective environment for research and /orservices.

VRT-2002 uses a high-end, Intel Pentium-based computer that contains advancedgraphic and audio cards (e.g., Diamond). It ac¬

cepts a variety of head-mounted displays (e.g.,CyberEye series, Virtual I/O series, MRG se¬

ries, VR series, etc.); it also accepts a variety ofposition tracking devices (e.g., Polhemus,Asention, CyberTrack, etc.) and a variety ofcustomized software for treatment of differentpsychological disorders. In general, VRT-2002is a powerful and flexible system that can beused for either research/development or fortreatment of patients in clinical situations. Notethat neurofeedback (e.g., Biograph & Procompfrom Thought Technology) and other periph¬eral devices can be integrated into the system.

SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS FOR THEMENTAL HEALTH FIELD

The VRT-2002 has been used effectively andefficiently for various psychological disorders.The brief list of VRT treatments includes thefollowing:1. The treatment of agoraphobia (scenes of a

series of balconies, empty room scene, darkbarn scene, dark barn with a black cat scene,covered bridge scene, elevator scene, canyonwith series of bridges scene, series of bal¬loons scene, etc.).

2. The treatment of acrophobia or fear ofheights (balconies series scene, coveredbridges over a river, series of bridges in a

canyon scene, balloons over a city, etc.).3. The treatment of the fear of flying (a virtual

helicopter flying over a virtual city, a bal¬loon flying in formation with several otherballoons over a virtual city).

4. The treatment of the fear of public speaking.This treatment was developed in collabora¬tion with The Speech Improvement Com¬pany and directed by Drs. Dennis Becker,Paula Borkum Becker, and associates (vir¬tual auditorium with virtual audience visualand audio response).

5. The treatment of obsessive-compulsive dis¬

order (a scene comprised of a room with va¬rieties of furniture and a room with specificobjects. The latter world is under develop¬ment by Immersive Inc. under direct super¬vision of Dr. North's team).

6. The treatment of attention deficit disorder(under development).

Please note that a few other uses of VRT totreat psychological disorders are under inves¬tigation by Dr. North's team and others in thisfield. As the research matures, all the additionalsoftware will become available to users.

VRT-2002 TECHNOLOGY SITES

In addition to the VRT center in Atlanta, TheSpeech Improvement Company in Boston is ex¬

tensively and successfully using the VRT-2002system for treatment of patients who sufferfrom fear of public speaking, and a privatetechnician in Sweden is using the system foragoraphobia at this time. Currently, severalhospitals and professionals from Canada, Italy,England, and Israel are negotiating for con¬

tracting the VRT-2002 system and necessarytraining.

THE VRT-2002 PATIENTS' EXPERIENCE

The patients' experience with VRT-2002 andVRT technique has been tremendously pleas¬ant and fruitful. Here is an excerpt from TheSpeed Improvement document to show what a

patient experiences during the treatment of fearof public speaking situation:

This virtual reality system gives speakers theexperience of being placed in front of a virtualauditorium which gradually fills with virtualpeople. Simulation of a room and crowd noise,including laughter, commentary, and applauseis created and experienced as part of the treat¬ment session. The symptoms experienced bythe speaker during the session mirror thosethat most speakers feel during a presentationin front of a large group. They include increasein heart rate, lump in the throat, dry mouth,sweaty palms, creaking voice and difficulty inbreathing. A specially trained coach monitors

VRT-2002 403

and guides the session, introducing appropri¬ate speaking techniques. Periodic SUDS re¬

ports are provided to closely monitor pro¬gressive behavior and reaction. Five to eighthour-long sessions are conducted during thetreatment. Individual progress dictates thelength and intensity of each session.

health settings. As VRT improves and our un¬

derstanding of this innovative human-com¬puter interface deepens, we expect significantinnovations in new modality to psychologicaltreatment.

REFERENCES

INTO THE NEXT MILLENIUM

The VRT-2002 and underlying research are

constantly being refined. The major goal of thedeveloper is to offer an inexpensive, flexible,and reliable system while increasing function¬ality and usefulness of the system.

VR has an exciting and promising future intreating many psychological disorders. Theability to control almost all of the patient's en¬vironment allows the professional to monitorand treat the disorder in a unique way, whilepermitting the patient to actively participate inthe treatment. This technology has applicationpotential in both mental health and physical

1. North, M.M., and North, S.M. (1994). Virtual environ¬ment and psychological disorders. Electronic journal ofVirtual Culture, 2(4).

2. North, M.M. (1996). The Virtual Reality Therapy Book. IPIPress.

Address reprint requests to:Dennis Becker, Ph.D.

VRTALK—A division ofThe Speech Improvement Company, Inc.

1614 Beacon StreetBoston, MA 02446

E-mail: vrtalk@aol.comWeb Site: www.speechimprovement.com