Publicação
PhobiAR, an artefact of augmented reality to support the exposure therapy of specific phobias
| Resumo: | Phobia is a type of anxiety disorder defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Currently, exposure therapy is the most practiced method to treat phobias, although it comes with limitations. We can reduce these limitations by combining Augmented Reality techniques with exposure therapy. Its benefits are a decrease in costs, versatility of the process, and full control of the procedure by the therapist. As shown in multiple research, Augmented Reality has obtained interesting results in the therapy of psychological disorders serving as a foundation for the development of this project. The recent technological advances in the field also allowed for easier access to Augmented Reality which is accessible to use even in old smartphones. The goal of this Master’s dissertation was to develop an artefact in conjunction with psychologists who treat phobic patients, to create a program to support the therapy of phobias with a gradual exposure system. Their help was essential to understand the most important features needed for the platform. The platform was deployed in the informatics department servers, which could be accessed by everyone that had internet connection. Multiple psychologists were invited to test the platform by following a user guide created and give their technical feedback in the end. The results gathered were positive, which proves the viability of this system as an extension to the current methods by providing comfort and efficiency. |
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| Autores principais: | Vilas Boas, Raul |
| Assunto: | Augmented reality Virtual reality Anxiety disorder Phobia WebAR Gradual exposure 3D models Realidade aumentada Realidade virtual Transtorno de ansiedade Fobia Exposição gradual Modelos 3D |
| Ano: | 2020 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade do Minho |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho |
| Resumo: | Phobia is a type of anxiety disorder defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Currently, exposure therapy is the most practiced method to treat phobias, although it comes with limitations. We can reduce these limitations by combining Augmented Reality techniques with exposure therapy. Its benefits are a decrease in costs, versatility of the process, and full control of the procedure by the therapist. As shown in multiple research, Augmented Reality has obtained interesting results in the therapy of psychological disorders serving as a foundation for the development of this project. The recent technological advances in the field also allowed for easier access to Augmented Reality which is accessible to use even in old smartphones. The goal of this Master’s dissertation was to develop an artefact in conjunction with psychologists who treat phobic patients, to create a program to support the therapy of phobias with a gradual exposure system. Their help was essential to understand the most important features needed for the platform. The platform was deployed in the informatics department servers, which could be accessed by everyone that had internet connection. Multiple psychologists were invited to test the platform by following a user guide created and give their technical feedback in the end. The results gathered were positive, which proves the viability of this system as an extension to the current methods by providing comfort and efficiency. |
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