Augmented Reality Exposure Therapy with Tactile Feedback for Small Animal Phobia : Hardware Concept and User Study Design

Exposure therapy in Augmented Reality has proven its effectiveness in the treatment of small animal phobia. However, the conventional Augmented Reality Exposure Therapy confronts the user with visual stimulation only. The proposed concept called ARA aims to enhance the sense of realism by adding vibrotactile feedback to Augmented Reality Exposure Therapy. Thus, the user sees and feels the small animal, e.g., a spider crawling up his/her arm. The system includes a Head-Mounted Display and an arm-sleeve with small vibration motors, both worn by the user. A web application is used to control and monitor the therapy. ARA is a prototypical development intended as a proof of concept. An evaluation to assess whether Augmented Reality Exposure Therapy with tactile feedback performs better than a standalone Augmented Reality Exposure Therapy application is planned but has not been conducted yet.