Inovaţii de frontieră

Nu doresc să prezint aici detaliat inovaţii profesionale şi academice. Ele pot fi găsite în CV-ul meu şi aici. Doresc însă să ilustrez o dezvoltare tehnologică excepţională în psihoterapie şi psihologie clinică, cu accent pe ştiinţele cognitive clinice şi psihoterapia cognitiv-comportamentală, care dă un avataj competitiv României în acest domeniu de frontieră la nivel internaţional – Platforma de Roboterapie şi Psihoterapie prin Realitate Virtuală – (Platforma Matrix). Detaliile legate de activităţile ştiinţifice şi clinice de pe Platforma Matrix le puteţi găsi aici.

Iată câteva demonstraţii video şi comentarii, aşa cum au apărut şi în massmedia naţională şi internaţională:

NAŢIONAL (pentru detalii vezi aici şi Platforma Matrix):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel David ca Hologramă: articol prezentat în Adevărul (3.12.2010).

 

INTERNAŢIONAL (selecţie)

I. Advanced VR Treatment: Increased Implementation of High End EON Reality 3D Technology in Psychological Treatment and Therapy at the UBB University in Romania

IRVINE, Calif., November 15, 2010 – EON Reality, the world’s leading interactive 3D software provider, recently installed a new VR solution for treatment and therapy at the Babes-Bolyai University (UBB) in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Earlier this year the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy/International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health by the “Babes-Bolyai – PsyTech” Psychological Clinic and “International Institute for Coaching” implemented an immersive 4 wall Virtual Reality solution, the EON Icube, for their R&D. The university runs several clinical studies on their “Robotherapy and Virtual Reality Psychotherapy Platform” related to pain control, time perception, ADHD and various phobias.

The new Holopodium equipment will be tested in rational-emotive and cognitive-behavioral group therapy and for training in psychotherapy.  „We hope – and we will test this – that the “tele-presence” it can generate is stronger than that generated by the classical videoconference system, and this is important for both therapy and training in psychotherapy.”Now the clinic expands their VR therapy R&D equipment with the implementation of a 5th EON Icube wall solution and the immersive 3D presentation surface, the EON Holopodium. Professor Daniel David at the UBB University thinks that having a five active wall will increase the presence and immersion in psychological-oriented virtual environments, which are important for the University’s psychotherapy research and practice (including psychological assessment).
„We really think – and there are preliminary data supporting this belief – that the implementation of virtual reality in evidence-based and/or evidence-oriented psychotherapeutic protocols is the way to go, and that it will move the field of psychotherapy to another level of efficacy and acceptability, especially in younger populations,” said Professor Daniel David.

A pioneer in VR treatment, Professor Daniel David, believes we will see an increased implementation of high end large scale VR technology for psychology R&D treatment and therapy; „We strongly believe this and we will push the field forward offering our support and consultation for other major Romanian institutes and clinics to develop this line of research and practice. We are interested to establish an international network to support the movement at the international level,” said Professor Daniel David.

II. Virtual reality Therapy Innovates ADHD treatment, January 5, 2010

Innovative Virtual Reality therapy promises great success for treatment and rehabilitation of ADHD symptom.

By applying techniques used in cognitive behaviour therapy into an immersive virtual environment, researchers at the Babes-Bolyai University, in Romania has developed a program that promises great success for ADHD treatment.

Professor Daniel David, a specialist on virtual reality therapy at the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy at the Babes-Bolyai University, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, has together with a team of researchers developed a new concept for  a “Virtual Classroom Intervention” system for ADHD.

Previously, the “Virtual Classroom” systems for ADHD were mainly focused on assessment rather than interventions. It is the first program for ADHD treatment that allows clinicians to use Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) techniques in an immersive, dynamic 3D environment where interaction, behavioural tracking and performance recording is possible.

An initial testing implemented by researchers David Opris, Raluca Anton, & Anca Dobrean, involving eight boys diagnosed with ADHD (6-12 years of age) and 10 non diagnosed boys, suggested that the “Virtual Classroom Intervention” system provides a cost-effective and time reducing tool for attention performance measurements and treatment, beyond the existing traditional methods.

“The ability to implement the CBT techniques designed for a real classroom in a virtual one, combined with the possibility of improved control, safety, measurements, time reducing, makes this application a very innovative one”, Professor Daniel David says. “One of the main advantages of this new program is that the procedure is highly accurate and requires a significantly shorter time compared to using a traditional approach”, David Opris adds.

The “Virtual Classroom Intervention” system for ADHD” is a collaboration project between the USC Institute for Creative Technologies, San Diego, California, USA, Digital Mediaworks, Canada and theDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy / International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Healthat the Babes-Bolyai University, Romania.

III. EON Reality Supports Leading Innovation in Psychotherapy at the BBU University in Romania

IRVINE, Calif., January 8, 2010 EON Reality, the world’s leading interactive 3D software provider, supports the Babes-Bolyai University (BBU), in Cluj-Napoca, Romania with an immersive EON Icube environment for a virtual reality therapy project. Babes-Bolyai University is the largest university in Romania, one of the most influential in Eastern and Central Europe, and it was ranked on the first place in research among the Romanian Universities in 2009 by the National Council for Scientific Research in Higher Education.

An advanced research platform developed at the Babes-Bolyai University, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy in Romania, is innovating psychotherapy with virtual reality technology. The PsyTech-MATRIX Platform is the first one in Romania and one of the most advanced systems in the world, building on „state of the art technology” and combining significant psychotherapeutic methods.

Professor Daniel David, a specialist on virtual reality therapy at the BBU, is the director of the ambitious „Star-Gate Psy” project. He has been conducting treatment and research for various symptoms such as anxiety, phobias, depression, and ADHD. „Virtual reality therapy has a lot of advantages in respect to control, safety, precise measurements, time reducing, and sometimes even cost-effectiveness, compared to traditional psychotherapy methods. Virtual techniques can be incorporated in any know form of psychotherapy, from cognitive-behavioral to psychodynamic and humanistic-existential,” said Daniel David.

„An immersive virtual reality environment is as close as it can be to a real environment. It allows us to get accurate results and control the information that the client receives in a natural setting. In a marginal performance, this type of treatment is very helpful as it facilitates us to look into more complex processes, integration and understanding of psychotherapy processes. Moreover, target behaviors and cognitions will rise in virtual environments, and we can work on that,” stated David Opris, one of the research team members.

A full installation of the Icube interactive 3D system, supplied by EON Reality, has taken place in the new building called AVALON (Advanced Virtual Application Laboratories of Napocensis), as a part of the “Star-Gate Psy” project, based on a grant from the Romanian National Authority for Research Government.

About the PsyTech-MATRIX Platform 
The platform for Robotics/Robotherapy and Virtual Reality Therapy is the state of the art research, academic, and services infrastructure at the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy / International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health at the Babes-Bolyai University, Romania. It is a part of the “Star-Gate Psy” project to seek out new technologies to improve and develop human mind, human health, and human potential.

The platform is composed of a „Center for Robot Therapy and Virtual Reality Therapy” and consists of five laboratories, each one equipped with immersive systems like the EON Icube environment including a „Star Trek-Holodeck Lab, Stress Control Lab, Virtual Classroom, Pain Control Lab, and a Data Lab focusing on using robots in psychotherapy. All five top laboratories are equipped with the latest technology, supported mainly by the national and international grants of Professor, Ph.D., Daniel David.

The project is set up in collaboration with leading universities, international organizations, and businesses devoted to new technologies and virtual reality therapy .

The new Avalon building for advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health at the Babes-Bolyai University (BBU), in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

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