Virtual Reality Air Travel Training Using Apple iPhone X and Google Cardboard: A Feasibility Report with Autistic Adolescents and Adults

Human centered design of AI-powered Digital Therapeutics for stress prevention: Perspectives from multi-stakeholders' workshops about the SHIVA solution

Background

AI-powered Digital Therapeutics (DTx) hold potential for enhancing stress prevention by promoting the scalability of P5 Medicine, which may offer users coping skills and improved self-management of mental wellbeing. However, adoption rates remain low, often due to insufficient user and stakeholder involvement during the design phases.

Objective

This study explores the human-centered design potentials of SHIVA, a DTx integrating virtual reality and AI with the SelfHelp+ intervention, aiming to understand stakeholder views and expectations that could influence its adoption.

Methods

Using the SHIVA example, we detail design opportunities involving AI techniques for stress prevention across modeling, personalization, monitoring, and simulation dimensions. Workshops with 12 stakeholders-including target users, digital health designers, and mental health experts-addressed four key adoption aspects through peer interviews: AI data processing, wearable device roles, deployment scenarios, and the model's transparency, explainability, and accuracy.

Results

Stakeholders perceived AI-based data processing as beneficial for personalized treatment in a secure, privacy-preserving environment. While wearables were deemed essential, concerns about compulsory use and VR headset costs were noted. Initial human facilitation was favored to enhance engagement and prevent dropouts. Transparency, explainability, and accuracy were highlighted as crucial for the stress detection model.

Conclusion

Stakeholders recognized AI-driven opportunities as crucial for SHIVA's adoption, facilitating personalized solutions tailored to user needs. Nonetheless, challenges persist in developing a transparent, explainable, and accurate stress detection model to ensure user engagement, adherence, and trust.

Empowering Persons with Autism Through Cross-Reality and Conversational Agents

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition that can affect autonomy and independence. Our research explores the integration of Cross-Reality and Conversational Agents for Autistic persons to improve ability and confidence in everyday life situations. We combine two technologies of the Virtual-Real continuum. User experiences unfold from the simulation of tasks in VR to the execution of similar tasks supported by AR in the real world. A speech-based Conversational Agent is integrated with both VR and AR. It provides contextualized help, promotes generalization, and stimulates users to apply what they learned in the virtual space. The paper presents the approach and describes an empirical study involving 17 young Autistic persons.

Virtual Reality Utilized for Safety Skills Training for Autistic Individuals: A Review

In recent years, virtual reality technology, which is able to simulate real-life environments, has been widely used in the field of intervention for individuals with autism and has demonstrated distinct advantages. This review aimed to evaluate the impact of virtual reality technology on safety skills intervention for individuals with autism. After searching and screening three databases, a total of 20 pertinent articles were included. There were six articles dedicated to the VR training of street-crossing skills for individuals with autism, nine articles focusing on the training of driving skills for individuals with ASD, and three studies examining the training of bus riding for individuals with ASD. Furthermore, there were two studies on the training of air travel skills for individuals with ASD. First, we found that training in some complex skills (e.g., driving skills) should be selected for older, high-functioning individuals with ASD, to determine their capacity to participate in the training using scales or questionnaires before the intervention; VR devices with higher levels of immersion are not suitable for younger individuals with ASD. Second, VR is effective in training safety skills for ASD, but there is not enough evidence to determine the relationship between the level of VR immersion and intervention effects. Although the degree of virtual reality involvement has an impact on the ability of ASD to be generalized to the real world, it is important to ensure that future virtual reality settings are realistic and lifelike. Again, adaptive models that provide personalized training to individuals with ASD in VR environments are very promising, and future research should continue in this direction. This paper also discusses the limitations of these studies, as well as potential future research directions.

Learning Experience Design and Unpacking Sociocultural, Technological, and Pedagogical Design Considerations of Spherical Video-Based Virtual Reality Systems for Autistic Learners: A Systematic Literature Review

This systematic literature review discusses the use of spherical video-based virtual reality (SVVR) as a training and therapy intervention for autistic individuals. The authors emphasize the need for an evidence-based framework with guidelines and design considerations to help developers and educators tailor SVVR to the diverse needs of autistic learners. The paper highlights the unique benefits of SVVR, such as being relatively easier to develop compared to other VR technologies and high compatibility with various devices, making it more affordable for educational settings. The authors also discuss the importance of the STP (Sociotechnical-Pedagogical) framework for evaluating and designing social aspects of SVVR interventions for autistic individuals.

The use of virtual reality and augmented reality in psychosocial rehabilitation for adults with neurodevelopmental disorders: A systematic review

Objectives

Virtual reality and augmented reality have been used in psychosocial rehabilitation for adults with neurodevelopmental disorders in recent years, to provide functional training in a scaffolded and appealing manner. This systematic review attempted to evaluate (1) how virtual reality or augmented reality technology was deployed, when used as an intervention for adults with neurodevelopmental disorders; and (2) how virtual or augmented reality-assisted psychosocial rehabilitation programs impacted on the functional domains of community living, employment and social participation.

Methods

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was adopted and a search of publications between June 2012 and June 2022 was carried out. The target groups were adults with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorders, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Interventions that targeted at least one functional domain were included.

Results

The database search generated 1,267 records and 38 studies met the inclusion criteria. Three studies utilized augmented reality while the rest utilized virtual reality. The virtual scenarios were displayed in various ways, such as head-mounted displays, computer screens, mobile devices and cave rooms. A few studies also used features such as speech recognition, eye tracking and motion-capture device to provide real-time feedback to participants during rehabilitation. Eleven studies reported interventions that addressed community living, 15 studies addressed vocational skills and nine studies trained participants in social skills or social cognition. Three studies sought to improve quality of life using virtual scenarios to expose participants to various situations. Majority of these studies reported preliminary promising results, with improvement in the functional domains addressed. However, several studies had small sample sizes and many single-arm pretest-posttest studies were assessed to be of serious or critical risk of bias.

Conclusion

Virtual reality and augmented reality are deployed in various ways to augment psychosocial rehabilitation for adults with neurodevelopmental disorders. Most interventions target skills training or strategy learning in the areas of community living, work and social participation. Preliminary positive findings of their effects on functional performance were reported. Larger and robust studies using ecologically valid outcome measures will be needed to establish their effects on real-world functional outcomes.

Systematic review registration

identifier: CRD42022335443.