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Falling into Fears: Exploring Virtual Reality as a Fear-Reduction Training Tool for Climbers
KTH, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Media Technology and Interaction Design.ORCID iD: 0009-0009-8327-3875
Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9621-6214
LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2987-7634
KTH, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Media Technology and Interaction Design.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6571-0623
2025 (English)In: 1st Annual Conference on Human-Computer Interaction and Sports, SportsHCI 2025, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) , 2025, article id 24Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

Fear of falling limits climbers' performance and progression, particularly for beginners who must develop trust in their safety equipment and falling techniques. Traditional methods of overcoming this fear through repeated practice are time-consuming and stressful. In this paper, we explore the potential of using Virtual Reality (VR) to assist climbers' training. We conducted an exploratory experiment in which 20 climbers performed multiple falls from a height of 5 meters both with and without a VR headset, experiencing 1-2 meters of free fall. We collected qualitative data through interviews conducted before, after, and following each fall. Our findings suggest that VR is a promising tool for reducing the fear of falling, though the exact mechanisms and effectiveness require further investigation through longitudinal studies. This study opens new possibilities for using VR as a training tool in climbing education, potentially accelerating the process of overcoming the fear of falling.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) , 2025. article id 24
Keywords [en]
Climbing, Fall, Fear, Height, Mapping, VR
National Category
Health Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-377743DOI: 10.1145/3749385.3749405ISI: 001664686100024Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105023322570OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-377743DiVA, id: diva2:2045000
Conference
1st Annual Conference on Human-Computer Interaction and Sports, SportsHCI 2025, Enschede, Netherlands, Nov 17 2025 - Nov 19 2025
Note

Part of ISBN 9798400714283

QC 20260311

Available from: 2026-03-11 Created: 2026-03-11 Last updated: 2026-03-11Bibliographically approved

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Rey, RemyMatviienko, Andrii

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