A recent initiative by Australian-based virtual reality company, Liminal VR, in conjunction with the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, is using VR to test emotional responses to colours in different environments.
The technology makes it possible to reliably control variables presented in previous colour studies, taking place within carefully controlled, virtual environments featuring a single colour.
The study is being funded by Taubmans Paints and has been conducted in a range of settings, including offices at Liminal, the Florey Institute, Austin Hospital, the Victorian government’s Department of Health and Human Services, and a number of public libraries.
Liminal and Florey aim to have between 750 and 1,000 participants by the end of the year. Each participant will wear a Google Daydream VR headset and complete a psychometric test to rate their emotional responses to a number of different colours. There will be 40 colours tested in total and participants will be placed in three different virtual reality environments: a cube of pure colour, a domestic living room and a clinical waiting room.
Early next year, Liminal will be launching a consumer psychology VR platform on Google Daydream, Gear VR and Vive Focus consisting of experiences created by the Liminal team and their virtual reality partners. Liminal will make its research available to partners who develop experiences for the platform.
Meanwhile, Florey’s Deputy Director, Professor Julie Bernhardt has been focusing on how real-world environments effect the recovery process of patients who have suffered strokes. The results of the study will be published in mid-2018 with the findings being used to improve both virtual and real worlds.
