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PhobiaXR

Timeline:  December 2024 - February 2025

Role:  Team Lead & Lead Developer

Ideated, designed, and developed a VR-based phobia exposure therapy simulation that integrates live heart rate data from any smartwatch to dynamically adjust environmental intensity based on user stress levels.

Led a college team to finish in the Top 1% out of 2200+ submissions at the All India XR Creator Hackathon 2024-25, a national-level competition open to startups, professionals, and students, conducted over 3 months across 3 competitive rounds.

 

I handled majority of the VR and Unity development while also managing the team and coordinating the project.

Project Overview

  • The user wears a smartwatch. Live heart rate is read from the mobile phone's companion app using text detection, implemented using OpenCV.​

  • When the user's heart rate rises above 120 bpm in any of the three main scenes, the game enters "Panic Mode".

  • In the Panic Mode, the intensity of the simulation is significantly reduced. The user is provided with guided breathing instructions and calming music to help them regain their composure. . Visual cues are also given to regulate breathing, including icons and a soft blue pulsing post-processing effect.

  • We have developed separate scenes for each phobia: Claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), Acrophobia (fear of heights), and Nyctophobia (fear of the dark)

  • Claustrophobia: The user is placed in an elevator with walls that gradually shrink. As the user's heart rate increases, the walls slow down and eventually stop shrinking. When the user enters Panic Mode, the walls begin to expand to reduce the intensity. To complete the challenge, the user must remain inside the elevator until the walls fully close in, without panicking. Meanwhile, minigames are provided to help distract the user from the shrinking elevator.

  • Acrophobia: The user is placed on the rooftop of a building during a zombie apocalypse. Armed with a gun, the user is encouraged to walk to the edge of the roof to shoot the zombies roaming below. The zombies not only encourage the user to approach the edge themselves, but also serve as a distraction - keeping the user engaged in the task of shooting and helping them momentarily forget their fear.

  • Nyctophobia: The user is placed in an empty house. There was a sudden power surge which caused the circuit board to trip and for all the lights to go out. The user has to use a torch to explore the house, find the circuit breaker, un-trip the switch and then switch on all the lights to complete the challenge. The house is initially pitch dark other than the beam of the flashlight but as the user's heart rate goes up, the ambient lighting of the house increases.

My Contribution:

  • Created 3 environments for 3 different phobias

  • Integrated real-time heart rate detection using OpenCV for adaptive exposure therapy

  • Implemented the strategy pattern for elevator behaviour based on stress levels

  • Developed VR mechanics and interactions

  • Created a tutorial system

  • Engineered a modular, extensible audio system

  • Implemented asynchronous scene loading for seamless transitions and improved performance

  • Used GPU instancing to reduce draw calls and improve performance

  • Implemented multiple heart rate input types which the user can seamlessly switch between

  • Utilized Singleton and Observer patterns to ensure a modular, scalable, and maintainable architecture

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