We’re excited to share that three projects from the iSpace Lab are being pre­sented at CHI 2025, the pre­mier inter­na­tional con­fer­ence on Human Factors in Computing Systems, held this year in Yokohama, Japan!

Our con­tri­bu­tions this year high­light new research on embod­i­ment in VR, fos­ter­ing emo­tional well-being through mind­ful inter­ac­tion, and devel­op­ing vir­tual real­ity expo­sure ther­a­pies grounded in cross-cultural perspectives.

Here’s an overview of the projects we’re showcasing:

Being in Virtual Worlds: How Interaction Environment and Touch Shape Embodiment in Immersive Experiences

Authors: John Desnoyers-Stewart, Alissa N. Antle, Bernhard E. Riecke
Type: Full Research Paper (CHI Proceedings)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713586
Project page: Learn more here

This research inves­ti­gates how dif­fer­ent inter­ac­tion envi­ron­ments and the incor­po­ra­tion of phys­i­cal touch influ­ence users’ sense of embod­i­ment within vir­tual envi­ron­ments. By exam­in­ing how users expe­ri­ence their vir­tual bodies and envi­ron­ments through inter­ac­tion and hap­tics, the study offers crit­i­cal insights for design­ing future VR expe­ri­ences that feel more nat­ural, immer­sive, and mean­ing­ful.
We explore how ele­ments such as object affor­dances, tex­tures, and the sur­round­ing envi­ron­ment shape embod­i­ment — and ulti­mately, how these insights can improve vir­tual real­ity appli­ca­tions in enter­tain­ment, edu­ca­tion, and therapy.

BRieFLY: Mindful Breathing and Playful Interaction to Foster Self-Connection in Mixed Reality

Authors: Deniz G. Ural, Rayne Inkster, John Desnoyers-Stewart, Faranak Farzan, Bernhard E. Riecke
Type: Work-in-Progress (Extended Abstracts)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3706599.3720237
Project page: Learn more here

BRieFLY explores how com­bin­ing mind­ful breath­ing tech­niques with play­ful inter­ac­tion in VR can foster self-awareness, emo­tional reg­u­la­tion, and self-connection. With grow­ing con­cerns around mental health, VR presents a pow­er­ful medium to deliver inter­ven­tions in engag­ing and acces­si­ble ways.
Our mixed-reality pro­to­type invites users into an inter­ac­tive envi­ron­ment where their breath­ing pat­terns shape play­ful visual and audi­tory feed­back, making mind­ful­ness more intu­itive and enjoyable.

HemisFear: A Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy Prototype Driven by Cross-Cultural Understanding of Dog Phobia

Authors: Jacob Sauer, Bernhard E. Riecke
Type: Work-in-Progress (Extended Abstracts)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3706599.3719970
Project page: Learn more here

Cynophobia — the fear of dogs — affects many indi­vid­u­als world­wide. While live expo­sure ther­apy is a proven treat­ment, it can be costly, unpre­dictable, and cul­tur­ally com­plex. HemisFear intro­duces a VR-based expo­sure ther­apy pro­to­type designed to be both cus­tomiz­able and cul­tur­ally sen­si­tive.
Drawing on cross-cultural insights into dog per­cep­tions and fears, this pro­to­type offers a safe, con­trolled envi­ron­ment for expo­sure ther­apy, poten­tially making treat­ment more acces­si­ble and tai­lored to diverse populations.

If you’re attend­ing CHI 2025, we’d love for you to come by and chat with us about these projects!
For more infor­ma­tion about our ongo­ing research into VR, well-being, embod­i­ment, and beyond, visit our iSpace Lab Projects page.