Sending U.S. Soldiers to a ‘Virtual Iraq’

Sending U.S. Soldiers to a ‘Virtual Iraq’
Computerworld (02/28/07) Havenstein, Heather

An immersive virtual reality system is being used to help soldiers returning from Iraq deal with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by exposing them to the scenarios they experienced in Iraq. The system utilizes sights, sounds, vibrations, and smells to simulate being shot at, having nearby vehicles explode, and seeing fellow soldiers being shot. Soldiers wear goggles and head phones and sit on a platform that can both vibrate and emit smells such as gun powder and burning rubber. “We’re basically trying to use computer systems to create as immersive an environment as we can,” says the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies’ Albert “Skip” Rizzo. “The sense of smell is directly tied to areas of the brain that are responsible for memory and emotion.” Such exposure is thought to lessen the symptoms of PTSD. A system operator uses a tablet PC to increase the frightening effects of the stimuli, so “a person experiences a little bit of anxiety, and they stick with it and talk about it, and eventually the anxiety extinguishes,” explains Rizzo. Of the six soldiers that have been treated using the system, four have shown “dramatic improvements” and one has even gone back to Iraq.
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