Working Group "Personalized Digital Health and Telemedicine"
VISAKI
Virtual Interaction for Supporting Children with Social Anxiety Disorders (VISAKI)
VISAKI is an innovative research project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). It aims to develop a virtual reality (VR) platform designed for children aged 8-12 diagnosed with social anxiety disorders. Combining immersive VR experiences with gamification elements, the platform creates a safe and controlled environment where children can practice social interactions, strengthen their social skills, and build resilience. The platform supports therapeutic processes through interactive scenarios such as multi-user group sessions and guided exposure exercises. It addresses gaps in traditional treatment methods, especially in rural areas with limited access to therapy, ensuring continuous therapeutic engagement even during treatment breaks.
Role of the Krüger group at UKB
The research group led by Prof. Dr. Björn Krüger at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) focuses on designing, developing, and evaluating avatars and multi-user interaction models for the VR platform. Their tasks include:
Avatar Design and Personalization: Creating avatars tailored to children’s therapeutic needs with attention to emotional expression, personalization, and inclusivity.
Game Design and Social Interactions: Developing engaging game mechanics and scenarios that facilitate real-time social interactions in virtual environments.
Data Analysis and Evaluation: Conducting in-depth data analysis on avatar interactions, user behavior, and system usability to ensure the effectiveness of the platform.
Scientific Contribution: Collaborating with clinical and technical partners to align the platform’s design with therapeutic goals, contributing to academic research and dissemination through scientific publications and conferences.
These contributions ensure that the VISAKI platform meets the highest standards of scientific and clinical relevance while promoting its real-world applicability in pediatric mental health care.
@conference{kretschmer2026a,
title = {Virtual Interaction to Promote Mental Health in Children with Social Anxiety Disorders (VISAKI)},
author = {Anett Kretschmer-Trendowicz and Florian Moser and Lena Gürster and Corinna Pippirs and Pia Maas and Anne Zeiler and Melissa Steininger and Simon Walk and Christian von Bock and Björn Krüger and Thomas Spittler},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-04-01},
booktitle = {European Congress of Psychiatry 2026},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {forthcoming},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
@inproceedings{steininger2026b,
title = {Toward Interpretable Cognitive Screening in Epilepsy: Eye Tracking in a VR Trail Making Test},
author = {Melissa Steininger and Anna Jansen and Johannes Müllers and Randi von Wrede and Björn Krüger},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-03-31},
urldate = {2026-03-31},
booktitle = {IEEE VR 2026 Workshop: GEMINI},
abstract = {Cognitive screening is a routine component of epilepsy care. Established pen-and-paper instruments such as the Trail Making Test (TMT) primarily yield summary outcomes (e.g., completion time) that provide limited insight into visual search and executive-control processes affected by epilepsy-related brain network dysfunction. We present an eye-tracked Virtual Reality TMT (VR-TMT) as a controlled research instrument that enables process-level interpretable measurements. The system synchronizes continuous eye-movement streams with timestamped task events (task start/stop and node selections) and logs gaze-to-Area-of-Interest (AOI) intersections. To reduce VR-specific confounds that can compromise cognitive interpretation, we specify concrete design guidelines for 3D stimulus geometry and the VR+eye-tracking setup (e.g., viewing distance, field-of-view placement, target size).
In a feasibility pilot (n=8) usability ratings were favorable and cybersickness was low. Building on this foundation, we outline an analysis framework that derives contextualized gaze features and evaluates their added value in explaining established cognitive screening outcomes in epilepsy cohorts.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {forthcoming},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Cognitive screening is a routine component of epilepsy care. Established pen-and-paper instruments such as the Trail Making Test (TMT) primarily yield summary outcomes (e.g., completion time) that provide limited insight into visual search and executive-control processes affected by epilepsy-related brain network dysfunction. We present an eye-tracked Virtual Reality TMT (VR-TMT) as a controlled research instrument that enables process-level interpretable measurements. The system synchronizes continuous eye-movement streams with timestamped task events (task start/stop and node selections) and logs gaze-to-Area-of-Interest (AOI) intersections. To reduce VR-specific confounds that can compromise cognitive interpretation, we specify concrete design guidelines for 3D stimulus geometry and the VR+eye-tracking setup (e.g., viewing distance, field-of-view placement, target size).
In a feasibility pilot (n=8) usability ratings were favorable and cybersickness was low. Building on this foundation, we outline an analysis framework that derives contextualized gaze features and evaluates their added value in explaining established cognitive screening outcomes in epilepsy cohorts.
