Researchers have developed virtual reality (VR) systems for people with visual impairment using various audio feedback techniques. However, few studies have investigated collaborative VR systems where people with and without visual impairment can participate together. We developed a VR Showdown, similar to a real showdown game, where players with and without visual impairment can play together in a remote virtual environment. We incorporated auditory distance perception using a head-related transfer function based on the spatial position of the Showdown ball in VR. We developed two modes of VR Showdown. One is the player vs. AI agent (PvA) mode, where visually impaired people can play alone. The other is the player vs. player (PvP) mode, in which visually impaired people can play with another player in a network. The user study results showed that people with and without visual impairment enjoyed playing VR Showdown games that were well-matched.

Although virtual reality (VR) wayfinding systems are available for people with visual impairment, there is a lack of studies providing the choice of VR environments can affect their spatial information acquisition. To address these issues, we designed two VR-based wayfinding systems for people with visual impairment. We compared the efficacy of walk-in-place, where the user walks in a virtual environment by walking on a treadmill in the real world, and overground walking, where the user walks in a virtual environment by walking in a constrained analogous real walking space without walls and obstacles. By conducting user experiments on these two VR-based wayfinding systems, we evaluated how people with visual impairments acquired spatial information regarding paths and obstacles. Our results showed that people with visual impairment memorized the paths more accurately after the wayfinding with walk-in-place than with the overground walking. Conversely, they memorized the obstacles on the path more accurately after the wayfinding task with the overground walking than the walk-in-place. Lastly, we discussed the rationale for these results of task on the walk-in-place and the overground walking.

THE COVID-19 pandemic had a serious impact on the public’s mental health and may give rise to post-traumatic symptoms. As the first treatment phase, stabilization focuses on reducing psychological discomfort after experiencing trauma. Previously, stabilization was performed by imaginative guided imagery (GI) and digital audio files. However, this kind of intervention limits the patient’s imagination and ability to recall from memory. Virtual reality (VR) has been considered to have great potential in psychotherapy because of its characteristics of immersion, vividness, and interactivity. Our study proposes multimodal VR stabilization intervention that includes three stabilization techniques: light stream, breathing relaxation, and containment. We combined multisensory (thermal) stimulation and eye-tracking interaction in the VR environment. We conducted a preliminary verification of the treatment effect on groups that were at high risk of experiencing psychological trauma during COVID-19, including healthcare workers and COVID-19 survivors, and conducted a controlled experiment with a previously released audio-based trauma stabilization mobile App. The results show that VR stabilization intervention is feasible, and compared with the App group, the subjective unit of disturbance (SUD) and the objective physiological indicator, the heart rate variability (HRV) of participants in the VR group improved more significantly. Our research experience helps to enrich the research scope of VR technology in the field of trauma treatment through the evidence provided by physiological and psychological measurements.