The Phobos IndieGoGo campaign starts, a software aimed at the treatment of phobias, such as closed spaces, heights or certain eight-legged insects, through the use of virtual reality. The program places us in virtual environments that will help us recreate situations related to our fears, from the security and tranquility that knowing that we are in a simulation gives us.
Anxiety is one of the most frequent mental problems, affecting between 18 and 25% of the population. Several studies have shown that virtual reality can be as effective or even more than the real confrontation with our fears, such as climbing to the top of a building to face acrophobia. Phobos is a 3D platform for virtual reality-based treatments, which initially serves to treat:
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- Acrophobia (fear of heights): affects 10% of the population
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- Arachnophobia, Ornithophobia and other animal-related phobias
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- Aerophobia (fear of flying)
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- Claustrophobia
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- Agoraphobia and some types of chronic and acute anxiety in certain situations: open spaces, crowds, public transport.
The virtual environments have been designed to support the protocols of CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy. In the future, the creators intend to add environments for Glossophobia or fear of public speaking, fear of driving and an experimental scenario for multiple applications called “The Sim” of which they will give us more details throughout the campaign.
The goal is to raise $25,000 and the campaign ends on November 25. Those who contribute at least $45 will have access to the alpha that will start in December of this year. According to its creators, Phobos is a living project, which will receive updates over the coming months and years, so it is not a closed and finished platform. If we are not interested in the program but we like the initiative and want to give it our support, we can do it from $5. You also have more information and some screenshots on the creators’ website.
