VR Headset Aims to Help Treat Fear of Heights

Queen's University Belfast student develops VR platform to assist therapists in treating acrophobia.

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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Liam Harte, a computer science student at Queen's University Belfast, has spent the past three years developing a therapist-led virtual reality (VR) platform to help treat people with a fear of heights. The interactive 3D VR experience guides users through a series of height-based scenarios, starting in a virtual garage and progressing to a building site, scaffolding, and finally the top of a crane. Participants rate their anxiety levels throughout the experience, which is designed to gradually expose them to heights in a safe and controlled way.

Why it matters

Exposure therapy is a common treatment for phobias, but it can be difficult to recreate certain environments, like heights, in the real world. Harte believes VR can make the process more efficient and affordable for therapists and their patients. The study is also exploring whether interactive VR experiences or 360-degree video footage are more effective at generating a sense of height and inducing anxiety.

The details

The VR platform was developed by Harte's start-up company, Rephobia, and is being tested in a pilot study in collaboration with researchers at Queen's University Belfast. About 20 to 30 participants without a fear of heights will take part in the initial study, which is focused on testing the immersiveness of the different virtual environments rather than treating the phobia itself. The session begins in a virtual therapist's office, which serves as a "safe space" for participants, before progressing to increasingly higher scenarios. Participants complete interactive tasks at each stage to deepen their engagement with the simulation.

  • The pilot study is scheduled to begin in the coming months.

The players

Liam Harte

A 21-year-old computer science student at Queen's University Belfast who developed the VR platform through his start-up company, Rephobia.

Dr. Paul Best

A professor of mental health at Queen's University Belfast and the lead researcher on the study.

Arlene Kee

A guest who tested the VR software and found the interactive experience more anxiety-inducing than the 360-degree video.

Colm Walsh

A senior lecturer in criminology at Queen's University Belfast who tested the VR software and said it induced some anxieties he didn't realize he had.

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What they’re saying

“I would have been sick to my stomach to the point where I couldn't even face the crowd. I would be hyperventilating.”

— Liam Harte (yahoo.com)

“This isn't about VR therapy as a self-contained kind of intervention. This is about VR as a tool to assist practitioners.”

— Dr. Paul Best, Professor of Mental Health, Queen's University Belfast (yahoo.com)

“But I think how realistic the VR and the 360 programmes were - it did induce some anxieties and maybe things I didn't realise I had.”

— Colm Walsh, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Queen's University Belfast (yahoo.com)

What’s next

The pilot study with 20-30 participants is scheduled to begin in the coming months to test the immersiveness of the VR environments.

The takeaway

This VR platform developed by Liam Harte and his team at Rephobia represents a promising new tool that could assist therapists in treating phobias like acrophobia in a more efficient and accessible way, by allowing patients to safely confront their fears in a controlled virtual environment.