SpectrumVR

SpectrumVR is an ongoing research-driven project exploring how virtual reality (VR) can help children on the autism spectrum build social-communication skills in a safe, engaging environment.

Developed for the Apple Vision Pro platform, SpectrumVR recreates real-world social settings — from classroom discussions to team games — allowing students to practice conversation, eye contact, and emotional cues through guided interactive scenes.

The project also envisions a therapist-facing portal, where licensed professionals can upload, customize, and monetize training modules, extending therapy access beyond the clinic. 

Research Goals

• Design VR-based social-skills simulations that mirror everyday interactions for students with ASD.

• Study how immersive learning environments impact social engagement, emotional recognition, and self-confidence.

• Integrate AI-driven emotion analysis and voice recognition to provide real-time feedback during sessions.

• Build a content-management system for therapists, enabling them to create and share custom modules securely.

• Evaluate improvements in social reciprocity, comfort in group settings, and communication clarity through pre- and post-session assessments.

Data Analysis

• Conducting pilot sessions to capture user engagement metrics, including session duration, gaze tracking, and response timing.

• Analyzing voice interaction data to assess turn-taking, tone modulation, and response latency.

• Using computer-vision analytics to monitor hand and body movement patterns for non-verbal communication assessment.

• Comparing behavioral data with clinician feedback forms and participant self-reports.

• Developing a performance dashboard that visualizes user progress and highlights areas of improvement in social interaction and emotional response.

• Planning to use aggregate analytics to refine scene difficulty levels and personalize learning pathways.

Ongoing Activity

• Finalizing beta version storyboards for classroom, cafeteria, and team-activity social scenarios.

• Collaborating with therapists and special-education teachers to validate real-world accuracy of the interactions.

• Building the therapist-upload platform prototype to support user-generated content and subscription access.

• Integrating Apple Vision Pro motion APIs to improve realism and hand-gesture feedback.

• Preparing a technical white paper (2025) detailing architecture, early pilot findings, and scalability potential for therapeutic VR programs.