A sample VR image with psychophysiological data shown at right.
Biofeedback makes a perfect combination with VR therapy, as anxiety stimuli are made visible very quickly.
MONTREAL, Canada (PRWEB)
March 14, 2023
Thought Technology, an international leader in the field of psychophysiological monitoring equipment, has been selected by VR Coach to provide a biofeedback element for their VR Coach smart system for virtual reality therapy. The partnership will highlight the benefits of combining biofeedback with VR therapy to enhance the individual methods.
One of the main uses of VR therapy is in the treatment of phobias. According to current science, confrontation with fear stimuli is considered the most effective training method. However, it is difficult, time-consuming and expensive for therapists to seek out the appropriate stimuli in “real life” with patients. The VR Coach smart system provides everything the clinician needs to get started with VR therapy and offers various software options that allow specific situations to be produced at the touch of a button. All training can take place within the practice and effective exposures can take place much more often, resulting in even more effectiveness.
The addition of Thought Technology’s eVu TPS® sensor allows the client to see their stress response and how their body is reacting to the fear stimuli in real time. The sensor detects and transmits three highly researched measurements of psychophysiological health: heart rate variability, skin conductance and temperature. This information can be displayed as a bar or line graph within the VR training screen. Both for therapists in the control software as well as for patients in the VR goggle. As training progresses, the stress response is visibly decreased.
Launched in 2016, the eVu TPS® sensor is an innovative tool that relays the user’s biometric data to the eVu® Senz companion app on an Android and IOS smartphone or tablet. It is widely used by biofeedback practitioners as a home training device that provides their clients with an accurate and immediate gauge of stress, focus, relaxation and recovery.
“We know the addition of our instrumentation will offer great benefits to VR Coach users by providing a window into their clients’ psychophysiological condition,” said Helen Mavros, Director of Sales and Marketing at Thought Technology. “VR therapy has emerged as a promising tool to help clinicians address a number of conditions and VR Coach is at the forefront of innovation in the field. We are proud to partner with them in this endeavor.”
VR Coach founder, Michael Altenhofer commented, “Thought Technology is known internationally as a pioneer in the field of biofeedback and they were an obvious choice of partner when we decided to add a biofeedback component to the VR Coach smart system. Biofeedback makes a perfect combination with VR therapy, as anxiety stimuli are made visible very quickly. We are excited to have our product included in Thought Tech’s portfolio and look forward to introducing their existing and new customers to VR therapy.”
About VR Coach GmbH
VR Coach Ltd. was founded in Austria in 2019 by Michael Altenhofer together with additional partners from the fields of clinical psychology and neuroscience. The vision was and is to develop innovative and highly interactive content for virtual reality therapy in order to be able to perform effective exposures both easily and quickly in any private practice or clinic.
About Thought Technology Ltd.
Founded in 1975, Thought Technology is the world’s leading biofeedback and physiological instrument manufacturer. Its products are used as an essential part of many therapeutic treatments and clinical assessment protocols in over 85 countries and are used by tens of thousands of clinicians in thousands of medical institutions.
Always supportive of new research and development ideas, Thought Technology Ltd. has encouraged a number of special interest groups and clinicians to create cutting edge applications for its instrumentation. Thought Technology Ltd. equipment is now being used in telemedicine, web-based monitoring and biofeedback, sports training, research in human-machine interface, physiology-driven multimedia environments and virtual reality. Constantly striving to improve the quality of the products and services, TTL has obtained, and maintains, ISO 13485, and CE certification for the organization and products.
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