ITL

Virtual Reality Public Speaking
The fear of public speaking is widely cited as being the most common fear. It affects 80% of university students and it negatively impacts well-being, academic attainment, and career progression. Furthermore, social anxiety and the fear of public speaking are on the rise. In short, the problem is prevalent, it is getting worse, and it is capping human potential. To address this, the lab has created a first-of-its-kind platform that transforms users into skilled and confident public speakers; tailored course material develops core skills and virtual reality training environments accelerate learning and build confidence. As revealed in the leading virtual reality academic journal, Frontiers in Virtual Reality, the platform has been clinically proven to increase levels of confidence and enjoyment even after a single 30-minute session. The platform is being used in leadership programmes and will be used by healthcare providers next year. This project received Cambridge University’s Excellence Award and the Digital Health Award.

Making the Invisible Visible
This project was a response to the fact that it can be challenging to communicate climate change to the general public: the terminology can be confusing, the way in which we measure emissions can be non-intuitive, and there is a range of complicated psychological barriers (e.g. present bias, availability heuristic, pseudoinefficacy). The danger is that climate change can appear distant, insurmountable, or worse still, non-existent. A key part of the challenge is that with the human eye, we cannot see the accumulation of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. To address this, the lab is using emerging technology to better translate and visualise emissions data; they are making the invisible visible. This project received Cambridge University’s Excellence Award and the National Innovation Award.

To find out more, you can contact our Lab Director, Dr Chris Macdonald, or attend our next event: Cambridge, January 16th, 2025.