A Multisensory VR Exposure-Based Autobiographical Memory Retrieval System

The advent of virtual reality (VR) technology has opened new avenues for research aimed at enhancing cognitive abilities and refining therapeutic interventions for various mental health disorders. This paper describes a novel IOT-VR system that is used to explore the immersive and psychological effects of a novel multisensory VR exposure-based autobiographical memory retrieval method, juxtaposed against traditional odour-evoked autobiographical memory techniques. Incorporating 3D imagery, scent, and movement, this system elicite autobiographical recall by prompting participants with personally meaningful stimuli from periods of satisfaction in their lives. In this paper, we describe the novel IOT-VR based system. After that we describe a pilot study that tested the described system. The current work is part of Arut Research Grant no. 27/09/10/2023 “Intelligent VR system for treating autobiographical/episodic memory deficits” that involves a multidisciplinary research team consisting of researchers with computer science background and psychology backgrounds.