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Science for All: Scientists use virtual reality to predict anticipatory immune response

admin — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 11:34:00 +0000

Image used for representation.
| Photo Credit: Fabrice Coffrini

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Usually, scientists believe that an immune system response kicks in after the infecting pathogen has entered the body. However, a new study questioned if the brain could sense the risk of infection even before the body has been exposed to pathogens, and discovered some interesting findings.

The study, published in Nature Neuroscience on July 28, 2025 and conducted by researchers from Switzerland, Italy, and the U.K., used virtual reality (VR) to simulate exposure to infected people and found that the brains of subjects detected the threats, and triggered changes in the immune system.

The experiment was performed on 248 people. To trigger the responses, researchers created some avatars in the VR that showed clear signs of infection, as well as two control conditions, one neutral and one fearful which had an arousing but not pathogenic threatening stimulus.

Participants saw these avatars approach them in the VR and also received a touch on their face and were asked to respond to it as quickly as possible. The researchers recorded the response to these avatars in their peripersonal space (PPS) system, which is the immediate space surrounding the body where it physically interacts with the elements of the environment (think social distancing during COVID-19 pandemic – the distance was meant to avoid the exposure to the virus by not allowing in the body’s PPS).

The immune system starts to respond once an external stimulus comes in contact with the body, and the PPS and the immune system together protect the body and remove pathogens it has been exposed to. However, during this particular experiment, participants who were exposed to the infectious avatars reacted faster to the touch even when the avatar was far away. In the fearful group, a change in reaction time was noticed when the avatar was closer. There was no change in the neutral group. This showed that the brain became more alert to respond to infectious avatars, showing that the PPS system can detect and react to infection risks even when they are at a distance.

Scientists also measured brain activity while exposing subjects to avatars which confirmed that brains became more active when a potential threat got closer to the body. The results of this experiment found that the brain starts preparing the immune system for a potential threat, even when it exists only in virtual reality. It also triggers a change in the frequency and activation of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), which is a family of immune cells.

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Published – July 30, 2025 05:04 pm IST

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At Texas arts and tech festival, VR is perfectly human

admin — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 03:46:52 +0000

Niki Smit, co-director of Soul Paint, a VR experience that let users draw their emotions on their body, in Texas.
| Photo Credit: AFP

At South by Southwest — the gargantuan Texas festival for cinema, music, and tech — artists this year embraced virtual reality (VR) as a way to better connect with humanity, not escape it.

VR and augmented reality (AR) are often associated with video gaming, or the groundbreaking hardware races underway between tech titans like Apple and Meta — though with little in the way of mass adaptation.

But for inventor Niki Smit, VR is an avenue for humans to express their emotions, and explore their mental health.

After donning the usual headgear, the user of Smit’s “Soul Paint” program is invited to “paint” their virtual body, using colors and lines to explore and express their inner reality. “When I’m stressed, I clench my teeth — so I draw this pulsating red thing near my jaws,” Mr. Smit said, demonstrating the software.

“What we’ve been making here is an invitation to dive into yourself, to explore yourself,” he said.

In a massive hall dedicated to VR, demonstrations invited conference goers to watch films and test video games, faces pressed against the VR headset. But at Mr. Smit’s stand, users emerged looking visibly moved, having smeared their virtual stomachs in sickly green or their heads in gray, and dancing to free themselves from downbeat emotions.

“VR is not an extension of film. VR is not an extension of video games. We’re starting to find out it is a medium about your own human body,” said Mr. Smit.

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Meta Rebuffs Google’s Virtual Reality Tie-Up Proposal: Report

admin — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 17:33:14 +0000

Meta is talking to hardware companies about building new VR devices, said the report (Representational)

Meta Platforms decided against a partnership with Alphabet to use Google’s Android XR platform for its virtual and mixed-reality Quest headsets, The Information reported on Friday.

Google had suggested that Meta partnered with its new software platform that is being developed for virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed-reality headsets, the report said, citing a source involved in the talks.

But such a partnership could thwart Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to “own the next computational platform for AR, VR and mixed reality,” according to the report.

Meta is already talking to hardware companies, including South Korea’s LG Electronics, about building new VR devices using Quest’s software, the report said, quoting unnamed Meta employees.

Meta and LG Electronics did not respond to Reuters request for comment, while Alphabet declined to comment.

Meta’s Quest devices currently run on an open-source version of Google’s Android operating system, the report said.

Apple released its mixed reality headset Vision Pro last month.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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