Student showcases virtual reality research on WABI

Toni Kaplan, a University of Maine student who works in the Virtual Environment and Multimodal Interaction (VEMI) Laboratory was featured on the WABI (Channel 5) segment, “Virtual Reality in Maine: Part 2.” Kaplan is studying if virtual reality can relieve symptoms of seasonal affective disorder and anxiety. “Seasonal affective disorder is normally treated with bright light therapy and there’s a question of whether or not the light needs to make contact with the eyes to facilitate symptom relief or if there’s a more psychological component with it as well that this sort of immersion can help,” Kaplan said. She is conducting a study where volunteers will sit in front of a light therapy box for 20 minutes while wearing a VR headset, looking at a beach landscape she designed and animated, according to the report. The VEMI Lab also was featured in Part 1 of the series.