Cooper VR

Team Members: Evyatar Cohen | Niv Vaknin | Naor Ladani

Project Overview: This project presents an interactive virtual reality (VR) experience aimed at improving interpersonal communication skills. Utilizing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology, it provides a safe and judgment-free environment for teenagers and individuals struggling with communication challenges to practice social interactions. Inspired by therapeutic protocols used by psychologists, the experience aims to help users enhance their ability to engage in conversations and build relationships.

Background: Effective communication is fundamental to human connection, yet many teenagers face challenges such as social anxiety or difficulty expressing themselves. This can lead to feelings of isolation and low self-esteem, affecting their overall well-being. The VR experience allows users to practice conversations in a safe, controlled virtual school setting, offering opportunities for personal growth and confidence building.

Key Features:

• AI-Powered Conversations: Users engage in conversations with AI characters, modeled on OpenAI's language model, to simulate real-life dialogue. These interactions are designed to mimic natural conversation, offering relevant responses based on context.
• Progressive Challenges: The experience features various stages that increase in difficulty, mirroring real-world social scenarios. Users start with simple tasks like small talk and gradually advance to more complex challenges, such as speaking in front of an audience.
• Therapeutic Protocol: The tasks are based on a psychological therapeutic protocol designed for teenagers in need of communication skill enhancement. These tasks are tailored to build confidence and social ease.

Technological Aspects: The project integrates OpenAI’s speech-to-text (Whisper) and text-to-speech (ElevenLabs) technologies to create smooth, responsive interactions. Characters respond dynamically, providing users with an immersive and realistic experience. Visual cues indicate when the AI is listening, processing, or responding, ensuring a seamless flow of conversation.

Future Plans: The team plans to expand the range of tasks and improve AI responsiveness, aiming to create more nuanced social scenarios, including assertive communication challenges. Additionally, user memory features will be added to track progress and personalize the experience.

This project leverages cutting-edge VR and AI technology to address real-world challenges, offering an innovative tool for improving communication skills in a safe, virtual environment.