NaturePill

Nature has numerous health benefits and has been prescribed to relax and reduce stress, aptly called by some as a “Nature Pill”. Thus, it is important to have access to nature, but there can be restricting factors such as distance or mobility impairments. Virtual nature is a substitute that provides these benefits, and we created a multisensory virtual forest environment that incorporates the best environmental designs to maximise relaxation. The research questions addressed and their relevant answers are as follows. Firstly, what elements should we incorporate into the design of the virtual environment in order to maximise relaxation? An open forest with a calm river and a distant waterfall, natural true-to-life structure of the plants, and complex details were the key to good design. Secondly, what is the best environmental design to incorporate the senses? We added scents that are typically encountered in a forest; sounds such as stream, songbirds, and teleportation feedback sounds; and physical props of a bench and a branch. Finally, what is the most suitable locomotion technique for our natural environment given the challenges of a fixed element in the scene, and that we want to maximise immersion while minimising motion sickness in VR? We implemented two alternative techniques: arm swinging and teleportation, the first being more immersive while the latter is less nauseating and better for alignment to the bench.