44 VR Start-up
how to produce those responses in more targeted ways. “We began to think: Can we trigger states of calm? Can we trigger focus? Can we stimulate more energy in the user?” Currently, the company is working on what it is internally calling its ‘Chill’ Tripp. In response to the needs of an increasingly stressed society, they are producing a VR experience aimed at inducing calm and some of the same responses that meditation brings about. The Tripp platform is designed to make it easy for users to return to the experiences regularly with personalised feedback and plans for ongoing updates. with new Tripps regularly added o ering a menu of di erent experiences – Tripps that pump you up, increase your focus or help you sleep better. Tripp’s CTO, Andreja Djokovic, contributes a scientific eye to the mix. Djokovic has a PhD in pharmacology with an emphasis on cardiology and neuroscience, though most of his career has been spent in the world of video game development. “We’re not going to make any health or medical claims until we have real validation,” says Reeves. “Right now, the team is finalising the end-to-end experience so we can get it into a lab in the next 60 days and start testing. The focus will be on what’s happening physiologically as well as neurologically. If we can identify real measurements, then we’ll use that to investigate further. It’s a constant feedback loop for us.” Tripp has also been conferring with advisers in neuroscience and studying the research available around VR and
WE HAD THIS IDEA OF TRYING TO STIMULATE DIFFERENT RESPONSES IN THE USER, RATHER THAN TRYING TO SIMULATE THE REALWORLD
neurology. Of particular interest is work by Albert ‘Skip’ Rizzo at USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies, and by Jeremy Bailenson and Walter Greenleaf of Stanford University. It’s not surprising that these experts come from the fields of medical research. The medical promise of VR has been one of the most discussed applications for the technology. Already, there are trial uses of VR for treatment of PTSD and in cognitive behavioural therapy, and the imaging and medical education possibilities in VR are enormous. TRAIN YOUR BRAIN When it comes to VR, people get fixated on 360 stereoscopic imagery and those damned goggles, but the use of sound is at least as important in creating a rich VR experience, so Tripp has brought in Justin Boreta of electronic music group The Glitch Mob to be creative director. The Tripp experiences also incorporate binaural beats as part of the secret sauce which powers TRIPP’s transformative experiences. Binaural beats – also called audio brain entrainment – are created by simultaneously playing tones of di erent frequencies in each ear. The combination of the two tones creates the illusion of a third tone at a frequency which is the di erence of the first two. Di erent frequencies can encourage brain waves to also increase or decrease in frequency through the principle of audio entrainment, which is the tendency of brainwaves to synchronise with external rhythmic stimuli. Using di erent frequencies of binaural beats, the brainwaves can be coaxed into any of the five brainwave states – delta, theta, alpha, beta, or gamma – producing states from sleep and relaxation to extreme focus. There is some controversy about the e ectiveness of brainwave entrainment through binaural beats, with some dismissing it as new age flu , but there is a decent body of research around the technique, going back to the 1970s. “Our main focus now is on the e icacy of a Tripp and making sure it makes you feel better from a qualitative standpoint,”
says Reeves. “Obviously, I want measurements on it, because that will take us to another level.” One of Reeves’ Tripp testers, 25-year-old Isabelle, is already well-impressed with her experience: “This is really going to change things for people. I don’t really like video games or play them. But in the Tripp, I felt like I just really let go. I was in the moment. As someone who gets stressed out all the time, I would use this every day.” HOOK ME UP So where do you find your local Tripp dealer? Though the team’s main focus right now is on research and on developing the Tripp content, Tripp is envisoning a multifaceted distribution model, with a recognition that location-based entertainment is becoming a key avenue for VR distribution. “Initially, we are going to work with di erent wellness centres and retail partners, where we could place a ‘Tripp Pod’, a contained lounge that will give you some privacy. People can hop into it for seven to ten minutes to decompress. We want to get it into a few locations, and then start getting user feedback.” Following that initial location-based rollout, the company’s ‘Chill’ Tripp will become available in a free public beta across VR app stores. When the company has fully developed several Tripps, they will move to a subscription model. Looking to the future, Tripp hopes to open up the platform for users to create their own Tripps and to work with partners to o er branded, premium Tripps. The company also plans to get more musical and visual artists involved in Tripp creation. The Björks of the world may soon be knocking on their door. “Obviously, we have to create a healthy business,” says Reeves, “but we’re really motivated to get something out there that potentially could really help a person and become part of their daily tool kit to boost their performance in life. “We’re excited to get these TRIPP Pods into the field and start getting people tripping.”
LET IT GO Tripp tester Isabelle felt the TRIPP enabled her to stay in the moment and cope better with stress
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