At VR1 BAU, the first university investment in the field of virtual reality in Turkey, a virtual solution to fear of heights is being developed with the project 'Use of virtual reality (VR) in the treatment of fear of heights’.
The study, conducted within the scope of projects prepared in VT1 BAU, which is established last year at BAU Galata Campus with the cooperation of Bahçeşehir University (BAU) and CRYTEK, is now at the pilot phase. Describing the details of the project prepared for the treatment of fear of heights using virtual reality, Bahçeşehir University Psychology Department lecturer Dr. Türküler Aka said, "Fear of height or other fears that come out in our everyday life are part of our lives. Most of the time we can live by ignoring these fears. But sometimes these fears come to such dimensions that one can then need treatment. There may are people who are unable to travel due to fear or airplanes.”
“WE WANTED TO BREAK NEW GROUND IN TURKEY”
Aka, who says that they are investigating the treatment methods in the field of psychology in particular, said; "With the method we call exposure, an instant confrontation is being made with the object or situation the person is afraid of. It may be difficult to apply this method when considering fear of an airplane, or a dog or a cat." Aka, who expressed that the idea of using this method in the treatment of the fears has emerged with the progress of technology abroad, especially in the field of virtual reality; said, "Starting from this, we wanted to break new grounds in Turkey. We wanted to carry out a joint study with such a laboratory built in university's premises, and as a starting point we addressed the fear of heights."
HOW WILL THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE BE?
Providing information on how the work will be implemented, Aka said:
“We have an elevator scenario. In this scenario, we can make a personal adaptation. The person enters the building first and stands at the door of the elevator. Based on the percentage of the fear ratio, the person can go to the first floor, the second, or the upper floors. The elevator is covered with glass and you can see outside. Therefore, you can experience the height by looking down from the side of the glass. In this way, we thought about creating a treatment plan covering about 20 minutes. We are now in the pilot phase. After these studies we will see what is missing and what can be added. Then we will try to reach people who are afraid of heights but are not significantly influenced by it in their daily life. After we see the effects on them, we will try to treat the problem with those who have serious difficulties in this regard."
TR
