Agora VR


VR Therapy of Agoraphobia

and Social Anxiety Disorders

[ ℜutgers Capstone Group S20-61 ]
Aryeh Ness - Daniel Nguyen - Ted Moseley - Michael Truong
Dr. Grigore Burdea

The Problem

Agoraphobia /ˌaɡərəˈfōbēə/ n. -- abnormal fear of being helpless in a situation from which escape may be difficult or embarrassing that is characterized initially often by panic or anticipatory anxiety and finally by the avoidance of open or public places.

Merriam-Webster
Avoiding public spaces and certain interactions with other people cause severe side effects such as being unable to leave one’s own home or seeking help from a medical professional.
It may sound like an uncommon problem, but Agoraphobia is actually one of the top 10 most common phobias to have. Approximately one-third of people with a panic disorder develop agoraphobia, and panic disorders affect nearly 6 million American adults every year.

It currently has no known cure, and once it occurs, it can last a lifetime.

Our Solution

Some conventional treatment methods include self-help (e.g. breathing or lifestyle changes), therapy sessions (e.g. guided self-help or cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)), or medication (e.g. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)).
People who have these disorders find it difficult or impossible to go out for help and receive treatment. In other cases, after the first few treatments, they can start to distrust the therapist or have fears of rejection.

In some cases, medication can be used as a sole treatment for agoraphobia or used in combination with therapy. However, medication can come with multiple side effects and not everyone can take them.

Credit: Oculus VR
The patient can have access to a relatively inexpensive treatment option that they can use within the comfort of their own space. The application of conventional therapy methods in Virtual Reality allows the patient to be immersed within customized environments that can dynamically change depending on the stage of treatment or severity of the disorder.

Project Scope

Our Goals


  • Virtual Scenarios in Immersive Environments
  • Multiplayer Support
  • Crowd Artificial Intelligence
  • Stress Monitoring & Tracking
  • Simulation Footage Streaming & Playback
  • Patient & Therapist Portal
  • Clinical Research Study & Research Paper

Work Plan

    Aryeh Ness


      3D Modeling
      Environment Building
      Logic Scripting
      Therapy Research

    Daniel Nguyen


      Graphic Design & Frontend
      3D Modeling
      Environment Building
      Logic Scripting
      Oculus Quest Integration
      Hardware

    Ted Moseley


      Website Integration
      User Portal & Video Feed
      Server & Backend
      Database
      Logic Scripting
      Hardware

    Michael Truong


      Database
      Server & Backend
      Logic Scripting
      Environment Building