EON Icube virtual therapy shown safe, effective

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Press release: Results of Virtual Reality-based Psychotherapy Research at BBU, Romania Using EON Icube are Released

  • Virtual reality therapy as effective, or more effective, than traditional therapy
  • Is less risky for patients
  • Will, in the future, become standard practice

IRVINE, Calif. – EON Reality, the world’s leading interactive 3D visual content management and virtual reality software provider, is proud to announce that Babes-Bolyai University (BBU) in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, today released the results and conclusions of the Matrix Platform.

Led by Professor, Ph.D., Daniel David, at the International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health at BBU, the Matrix Platform utilized EON Reality’s immersive EON Icube environment throughout the project to examine the efficacy of virtual reality treatments over more traditional methods of psychotherapy.

The EON Icube, is a four-wall immersive system reminiscent of Star Trek’s holodeck. (Image courtesy EON Reality.)

The study is a virtual reality-based psychotherapy project studying online therapy for social anxiety and computer mediated psychological interventions in child and adolescent anxiety disorders. After five years of research, the following observations were collected:

  1. The psychotherapeutic interventions using virtual reality technology (i.e., 3D) have most of the time the same efficacy as the classical forms of psychotherapy (i.e., evidence-based treatments). Some studies even show that, under certain circumstances, interventions through virtual reality can be slightly more effective than the classical interventions.
  2. Intervention based on the broadly defined virtual technologies (e.g. online/ web/ computer/ hologram) are also typically as effective as the classical forms of psychotherapy (at least for subclinical psychological problems, various depressive and anxiety disorders).
  3. Robotic-enhanced psychotherapy (i.e., robotherapy), in the form of robotic-enhanced cognitive-behavior interventions, proved efficacious, as compared to various control conditions, for autistic spectrum disorders.
  4. Hence, the idea that the technology is artificial and can negatively affect the human relationship in the psychotherapy process is false.
  5. Generally speaking, the virtual technology augmented psychotherapy (e.g., virtual flights relating flight phobias) is often safer and it can be applied to a broader segments of population:
    • To those who do not accept the direct exposure (i.e., in vivo exposure in classical exposure therapy) to the stressful environment;
    • To those who cannot imagine (i.e., in vitro exposure) the stressful environment;
    • To those who cannot be confronted anymore with the stressful event (e.g., PTSD related to war, rape);
    • When the therapist is accessible only as a hologram or online/web/ computer.
  6. Compared to the classical psychological assessment tools (e.g., pen and paper psychological tests) the use of technology for assessment may lead to the measurement of additional and/or different psychological mechanisms.
  7. Conclusion – in the future the standard intervention and assessment approaches will be the Virtual Reality-enhanced evidence-based therapy (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy) and Virtual Reality-enhanced evidence-based assessment.

The activity of Matrix Platform can be seen from a multilevel perspective in:

  • research (e.g., academic publications and conference presentations)
  • education and relationship with the community (e.g., doctoral and master thesis; visits of people from community: social, economic, and business areas)
  • innovative clinical services to the community (e.g., clients from all over the country benefited from the innovative clinical services provided by the Matrix Platform; services were offered for free to clients involved in our controlled clinical studies)
  • prestige (e.g., invited presentations at prestigious international universities/ institutions; collaboration networks)

“The Matrix Platform is devoted to advanced frontier interdisciplinary research, seeking out new technologies to improve human mind, human potential, and human mental health and well-being,” said Professor, Ph.D., Daniel David, President and Executive Director of the International Institute, Babes-Bolyai University.

Matrix Platform project’s on-going innovative projects include iSOFIE Project – online therapy for social anxiety and iDARE Project – computer mediated psychological interventions in child and adolescents anxiety disorders.

About the MATRIX Platform

The Robotherapy and Virtual Reality-based Therapy Platform is the state of the art research, academic, and services infrastructure of the International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health at the Babes-Bolyai University, Romania. It is a part of the “Star-Gate Psy” Program to seek out new technologies to improve and develop human mind, human mental health, and human potential.

The platform is composed of five laboratories, each one equipped with immersive systems like the EON Icube environment including a “Star Trek-Holodeck” Lab, Stress Control Lab, Virtual Classroom Lab, Pain Control Lab, and a Data Lab: Robotherapy and Online Therapy.

All five top laboratories are equipped with the latest technology, supported mainly by the national and international grants of Professor, Ph.D., Daniel David. The Matrix Platform is a world-class international research environment, where top researchers and research teams from all over the world (e.g., Belgium, France, Romania, Sweden, USA) work together in various projects relating the “Star-Gate Psy” Program.

The project is set up in collaboration with leading universities, international organizations, and businesses devoted to new technologies and Virtual Reality therapy. For details see: http://www.psytech.ro

About EON Reality

EON Reality, Inc. is the world’s leading interactive 3D visual content management and virtual realitysoftware provider. EON Reality provides state-of-the-art 3D display technology for immersive and stereoscopic viewing, from portable tablet PCs and glass free stereo display systems to curved-screen and immersive rooms consisting of multi-channel projection walls. The technology foundation for developing interactive digital content includes importing the most common 3D animation formats into EON’s authoring software and creating modules and applications that can be viewed on various display systems. EON’s technology solutions enable all organizations to more effectively visually communicate, collaborate and accelerate knowledge transfer.

Industry leaders, including Atlas Copco, Bechtel, Boeing, Bombardier, Hon, Intel, Lexus, Lufthansa –Teknik, Lowell Manufacturing, Peterbilt, Samsung, Siemens Medical, Suzuki, Tobyhanna Army Depot, Toyota and Whirlpool use EON solutions to enhance the interactive user experience to effectively increase sales, better communicate product functionality and decrease the cost of service, training and technical support. Some educational institutions who have adopted EON’s technology solutions include: the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology (located on the campus of the Florence-Darlington Technical College), Old Dominion University, Marquette University, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Discovery World Museum, Oklahoma City Community College, Concord University, North Dakota State University, Texas State Technical College – Waco, El Paso Community College, University of Alabama, Hazard Community and Technical College, University of Hawaii, Lansing Community College, University of Kentucky, Maysville Community and Technical College, Miami University, Red Rocks Community College. For further information, visit www.eonreality.com.

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