What if the calming power of the forest can be brought directly to you?
That question sparked NatureBlendVR, a project led by media design researcher Kinga Skierś at Keio University’s Embodied Media Lab. Skierś worked there with Danyang Peng, Giulia Barbareschi, Yun Suen Pai, and Kouta Minamizawa to make NatureBlendVR happen. Skierś has been exploring ways to help people better understand what’s happening inside their minds and bodies. Her approach is to positively shape internal experiences through a combination of visual, tangible, and interactive elements.
To that aim, Skierś and her dedicated team created NatureBlendVR. It is a calming, immersive VR forest where nature responds to the emotional rhythms of the user. Skierś designed this experience to promote wellbeing by immersing the user in a relaxed state.
The user steps into a quiet space surrounded by soft artificial grass, sturdy vegetation, and a glowing, haptic flower sphere. They may be someone who is experiencing stress and anxiety from their city job and other life factors. Next, as they put on a VR headset, they’re transported into a mystical forest. Stars twinkle and leaves rustle gently in the wind.
The trees and flowers in the virtual world mirror those in the physical space. This way, the user can reach out and touch the realistic, tranquil scenery.
EmotiBit, a wearable sensor that tracks the body’s physiological signals, facilitates this experience. For NatureBlendVR, EmotiBit is worn on the finger to stream heart rate data that syncs with the haptic flower sphere. As the user breathes and their pulse shifts, the flower glows and vibrates in harmony. Other elements in the forest—like a deer in the distance—subtly react, creating a layered loop of stress-relieving biofeedback.
This design is inspired by the Japanese practice of forest bathing: a mindful, meditative immersion in nature. Even better, users can now engage with the healing power of nature from almost anywhere. Now, there is no need to impose on an untouched forest and interfere with important ecosystems.
What makes this possible isn’t just creative vision and tenacity in research. EmotiBit has multiple features that boost researchers like Skierś to aim high and succeed. There are versatile placement options (from finger to foot), flexibility through open-source architecture, and data compatibility with platforms like Unity3D.
By blending immersive technology with real-time biofeedback, NatureBlendVR doesn’t just simulate nature. It invites users to reflect, regulate, and reconnect with themselves in new ways. It’s not about replacing the forest, it’s about finding another way for people to understand their mind and body.
Explore the NatureBlendVR project here.
Are you developing an inspiring project with EmotiBit? Share it with us at outreach@emotibit.com.
Images courtesy of Kinga Skierś.
Skierś, K., Peng, D., Barbareschi, G., Pai, Y. S., & Minamizawa, K. (2024). NatureBlendVR: Hybrid space interactive experience for emotional regulation and cognition improvement. SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 XR, Article 12, 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1145/3681759.3688929