VR Therapy Headset FOV Control for Pain Mitigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current therapy systems relying on virtual reality (VR) for pain and anxiety management are content-dependent, limiting their effectiveness in mitigating sensations, negative thinking, and emotions, regardless of the type of image content used.
Innovation Solution
A therapy assistance system that employs a VR head-mounted display with a field of view (FOV) control mechanism, narrowing the visual field to concentrate the user's consciousness on the image content, thereby facilitating therapy by intensifying the emotional response and reducing pain, negative thinking, and emotions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If VR therapy uses normal field of view display, then the user can view the image content, but the user's consciousness is not sufficiently concentrated on the image, reducing therapeutic effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the field of view (FOV) parameter of the VR display. The FOV is dynamically adjusted between a first value (wider) and a second value (narrower) to control the user's visual attention and concentration on the image content, thereby enhancing therapeutic effectiveness without requiring complex additional hardware
2Reliability
If the FOV is narrowed to concentrate user attention, then therapeutic effectiveness is improved, but the user's viewing flexibility and comfort are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by alternately switching the FOV between a first value and a second value over time. This periodic modulation of the visual field concentrates user attention during the narrowed FOV phase while maintaining viewing flexibility during the wider FOV phase, thereby achieving both therapeutic effectiveness and user comfort
3Adaptability or versatility
If VR therapy relies on content-specific selection, then certain patient groups benefit, but the system lacks universality across different patient types and conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by implementing a FOV control mechanism that can be applied across different VR therapy contents and patient types. Instead of requiring separate content selection systems for different patients, the FOV modulation technique provides a universal method to enhance therapeutic effectiveness for various patient groups including burn patients, dental patients, and anxiety sufferers
Data Source
AI summary
A therapy assistance system includes: a display device 1 configured to be mounted on a head and configured to display an image; and a control device configured to reproduce the image on the display device. The control device includes: a content storage means configured to store image content to be reproduced on the display device; and a rendition process means configured to perform a rendition process on the image content to be reproduced, which is loaded from the content storage means, so as to display the image content on the display device as an image in a virtual reality space. The rendition process means includes an FOV control means configured to perform control so as to narrow a field of view (FOV) for an image to be reproduced.