In order to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder in soldiers, an engineering student from the University of Pittsburgh has used an Oculus virtual reality headset to simulate environments. The researcher, Jennifer Patterson, hopes that therapists and doctors will learn more about how virtual reality can help people recover from PTSD.
How can virtual reality systems be used to treat PTSD?
Patterson’s research involves using software that creates virtual environments. For example, if a soldier is afraid of certain settings like a road in the desert or a city with Middle Eastern architecture, the headset can simulate those places. Hopefully, after some virtual time in synthetic environments, the soldier will stop avoiding similar ones in real life.
What other medical uses have been found for virtual reality headsets?
This is not the first use of virtual reality in medical treatment. In the past, researchers have used the Oculus headset in treatments and studies ranging from the treatment of glaucoma to easing pain in burn victims. One of the main advantages to the Oculus system is its affordability. Unlike medical headsets and simulators ranging from $30,000 to $300,000 in price, the Oculus headset is available for developers from $350 to $400. The medical headsets are still needed in certain studies due to their ability to accurately detect sensitive movements and be mounted on other places than a patient’s head. Yet, the Oculus Rift and other cheaper virtual reality headsets are still quickly taking the place of the more expensive medical units.
What does the future hold for virtual reality headsets?
Facebook has purchased Oculus for $2 billion last year in anticipation of the rise of virtual reality. Mark Zuckerberg thinks virtual reality is the next major computing platform, and he’s taking steps to ensure that. His company plans to make the headsets available in 2016, but developers have had access to prototypes since 2013 in order to stimulate app creation. In fact over, 100,000 headsets have already been distributed to developers. Other tech companies, such as Sony, Samsung Electronics, Microsoft, Google, and HTC are seeking to get in on the market. Some, like Sony’s system, will be solely for video games. Others, like the Oculus Rift, allow scientists and developers to make their own software. Future studies will pit headsets from different companies against each other and see how well they can aid research and recovery.
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