Anton Treskunov

A Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy Application for Iraq War Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is reported to be caused by traumatic events that are outside the range of usual human experiences including (but not limited to) military combat, violent personal assault, being kidnapped or taken hostage and terrorist attacks. Initial data suggests that 1 out of 6 Iraq War veterans are exhibiting symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD. Virtual Reality (VR) exposure treatment has been used in previous treatments of PTSD patients with reports of positive outcomes. The aim of the current paper is to present the rationale, technical specifications, application features and user-centered design process for the development of a Virtual Iraq PTSD VR therapy application. The VR treatment environment is being created via the recycling of virtual graphic assets that were initially built for the U.S. Army-funded combat tactical simulation scenario and commercially successful X-Box game, Full Spectrum Warrior, in addition to other available and newly created assets. Thus far we have created a series of customizable virtual scenarios designed to represent relevant contexts for exposure therapy to be conducted in VR, including a city and desert road convoy environment. User-Centered tests with the application are currently underway at the Naval Medical Center-San Diego and within an Army Combat Stress Control Team in Iraq with clinical trials scheduled to commence in February 2006.

A Virtual Iraq System for the Treatment of Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is reported to be caused by traumatic events that are outside the range of usual human experience including (but not limited to) military combat, violent personal assault, being kidnapped or taken hostage and terrorist attacks. Initial data suggests that at least 1 out of 5 Iraq War veterans are exhibiting symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD. Virtual Reality (VR) delivered exposure therapy for PTSD has been previously used with reports of positive outcomes. The current paper is a follow-up to a paper presented at IEEE VR2006 and will present the rationale and description of a VR PTSD therapy application (Virtual Iraq) and present the findings from its use with active duty service members since the VR2006 presentation. Virtual Iraq consists of a series of customizable virtual scenarios designed to represent relevant Middle Eastern VR contexts for exposure therapy, including a city and desert road convoy environment. User-centered design feedback needed to iteratively evolve the system was gathered from returning Iraq War veterans in the USA and from a system deployed in Iraq and tested by an Army Combat Stress Control Team. Results from an open clinical trial using Virtual Iraq at the Naval Medical Center-San Diego with 20 treatment completers indicate that 16 no longer met PTSD diagnostic criteria at post-treatment, with only one not maintaining treatment gains at 3 month follow-up.

The Flatworld Simulation Control Architecture (FSCA): A Framework for Scalable Immersive Visualization Systems

Abstract : Motion Picture sets are traditionally built using decorated modular wall components called flats. The FlatWorld project (Pair et al., 2003) at the University of California Institute for Creative Technologies merges this practice with immersive technology by creating a system of displays coupled with physical props which can be scaled to simulate entire buildings and streets. A single room prototype FlatWorld system was developed in 2001. The software developed for this prototype was not scalable beyond the simulation of a single room environment. In 2003, the FlatWorld Simulation Control Architecture (FSCA) was developed to support multiple digital flats in arbitrary configurations. The FSCA facilitates digital flat training scenarios which can be scaled from the simulation of a single room up to a complete city block. The architectures flexibility allows it to easily interface with a variety of 3D graphics engines and display devices.

Optical Sight Metaphor for Virtual Environments

Optical sight is a new metaphor for selecting distant objects or precisely pointing at close objects in virtual environments. Optical sight combines ray-casting, hand based camera control, and variable zoom into one virtual instrument that can be easily implemented for a variety of virtual, mixed, and augmented reality systems. The optical sight can be modified into a wide family of tools for viewing and selecting objects. Optical sight scales well from desktop environments to fully immersive systems

Semi-Automatic Surface Scanner for Medical Tangible User Interfaces

Mixing real and virtual components into one consistent environment often involves creating geometry models of physical objects. Traditional approaches include manual modeling by 3D artists or use of dedicated devices. Both approaches require special skills or special hardware and may be costly. We propose a new method for fast semi-automatic 3D geometry acquisition, based upon unconventional use of motion tracking equipment. The proposed method is intended for quick surface prototyping for Virtual, Augmented and Mixed reality applications (VR/AR/MR), where quality of visualization of scanned objects is not required or is of low priority.

Fast geometry acquisition for mixed reality applications using motion tracking

Mixing real and virtual elements into one environment often involves creating geometry models of physical objects. Traditional approaches include manual modeling by 3D artists or use of dedicated devices. Both approaches require special skills or special hardware and may be costly. We propose a new method for fast semi-automatic 3D geometry acquisition, based upon unconventional use of motion tracking equipment. The proposed method is intended for quick surface prototyping for virtual, augmented and mixed reality applications where quality of visualization of objects is not required or is of low priority.

Real binoculars with virtual functions for mixed environments

Though often desirable, the integration of real and virtual elements in mixed reality environments can be difficult. We propose a number of techniques to facilitate scene exploration and object selection by giving users real instruments as props while implementing their functionality in a virtual part of the environment. Specifically, we present a family of tools built upon the idea of using real binoculars for viewing virtual content. This approach matches user expectations with the tools capabilities enhancing the sense of presence and increasing the depth of interaction between the real and virtual components of the scene. We also discuss possible applications of these tools and the results of our user study.n This paper is an extended version of earlier work presented at the 4th International Workshop on the Tangible Space Initiative[5].