VTplus combines scientifically grounded development with clinically deployable and regulatory-compatible virtual reality systems for therapy and research. The focus lies on transferable system components for clinically relevant VR-based therapy (VRT) applications in psychotherapy, neurorehabilitation and other medical fields.
Applications under development include interventions for anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and disorders of emotion regulation, as well as approaches for the treatment of depression, neurological conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic pain. In addition, virtual environments are used in pharmacological and psychophysiological studies, for example to induce controlled stress responses or to investigate mechanisms of emotion regulation.
To this end, VTplus collaborates with well-known academic and industrial partners as well as renowned healthcare institutions. Our interdisciplinary team has many years of experience in conducting empirical research using virtual reality and builds on a strong scientific background.
From a technological perspective, VR systems using head-mounted displays (HMDs) as well as PowerWall (large-scale stereoscopic projection) or CAVE projection systems are employed, complemented by technologies such as eye tracking, brain–computer interfaces (BCI), and AI-assisted intervention control. In addition, VTplus supports research setups involving stimulation systems (e.g., olfactory, thermal, electrical, or airflow (wind) stimuli), motion simulators, and imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
The resulting technologies are developed as reusable platform modules that can be deployed across multiple clinical applications, research environments, and digital therapy scenarios.
Collaborative Research
The projects presented below illustrate how VTplus develops and evaluates new technologies together with universities, clinics and industrial partners, translating them into application-oriented system components. A key aspect is technology transfer: research results are transformed into interfaces, control modules, validated scenarios and application-ready demonstrators, enabling the expansion of the VTplus platform into additional clinical indications.
Combining virtual reality (VR) and brain-computer interface (BCI) for chronic pain therapy | VirtualNoPain
Funding Announcement: “Chronic Pain – Innovative Medical Technology Solutions to Improve Prevention, Diagnosis and Therapy.”| Term 01.07.2020 – 31.12.2023 | FKZ: 13GW0343A.
Project Site: www.virtual-no-pain.de ››
Lead Partner: VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH ››
Partners:
VirtualNoPain demonstrates the potential of the VTplus platform for VR-BCI-supported applications in pain therapy and underlines its suitability for neuroscientific and telemedical use cases.
Further information (German-language content) …
Closed-loop software system for post-stroke neurorehabilitation through personalized EEG/EMG brain state-guided virtual reality therapy paradigm | REHALITY
Subproject: “Development of a Neurorehabilitation System Demonstrator Using Virtual Reality and EEG Control” | Term: 01.04.2019 – 31.03.2022 | FKZ: 13GW0213D
Lead Partner: VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH ››
Partners:
REHALITY transferred VTplus expertise in immersive VR control and biosignal integration to the field of digital neurorehabilitation, thereby opening up a relevant application area beyond psychotherapy.
Further information (German-language content)…
Optimizing psychotherapy through agent-guided patient-centered emotion management | OPTAPEB
Publication: „Interaktive körpernahe Medizintechnik“ ››| Term: 01.08.2017 – 28.02.2021 | FKZ: 16SV7840
www.optapeb.de ››.
Lead Partner: VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH ››
Partners:
OPTAPEB extended the VTplus platform with adaptive scenario control, data processing, and biosignal-related interfaces for complex, individualized treatment pathways and interactive virtual agents.
Further information (German-language content)…
Development of an outpatient exposure therapy in virtual reality for patients with anxiety disorders | EVElyn
Funding Announcement: “Medical Technology Solutions for Digital Healthcare.” | Term: 01.10.2016 – 30.09.2020 | FKZ: 13GW0169B
Lead Partner: VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH ››
Partners:
The EVElyn project established key foundations for the further development of the mobile VT+ExpoCart3 system, validated therapeutic VR environments, and supported the regulatory registration of active medical devices.
Further information (German-language content)…
Further information on research and clinical practice
Further information and selected publications on empirical research using virtual reality – including studies from anxiety research, therapy research, safety research, neurophysiological research and experimental psychology – can be found on the page Empirical Research Using Virtual Reality.
An overview of the medical background and clinical application areas of VR therapy is available on the page VR Therapy.
Further information on the scientific evidence for Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET), including selected randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses and review articles, can be found in the article VR Therapy for Anxiety Disorders.