Dr. Asge Matthiesen
Post Doctoral Researcher
Asge Matthiesen, who holds a M.Sc. Polyt. And a PhD in Virtual Reality and health and is a dynamic research professional at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), specifically affiliated with the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute and contributing to the SDU Metaverse Lab.
His academic endeavors focus on leveraging virtual reality (VR) for clinical applications, chiefly in the realm of mental health.
Matthiesen’s research fingerprints suggest a deep engagement with engineering aspects of VR, biofeedback systems, and their implications in cognitive behavioral therapy, particularly for conditions like social phobia.
Matthiesen’s scholarly output consists of contributions to conference proceedings, journal articles, and a significant Ph.D. thesis, detailing the development of a VR tool for exposure therapy aimed at social anxiety sufferers.
This particular work underscores his dedication to creating innovative clinical treatments and showcases his ability to blend technical acumen with clinical insights. His recent publications include studies on interactive 360-degree VR with biofeedback, and randomized controlled trials comparing VR exposure with traditional cognitive behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder treatment. Furthermore, Matthiesen has explored the design of VR tools in exposure therapy, presenting his findings at notable conferences, reflecting his standing in the scientific community.
For those seeking further insight into Asge Matthiesen’s academic journey and current research projects, his detailed profile at the University of Southern Denmark serves as an excellent resource.
Partnerships and collaborations
Publications
VRaid
What does sweat, and virtual reality have to do with treating social anxiety? VRaid is an ambitious collaboration between clinical and technical researcher that seeks to develop the VR8 solution, an innovative and personalized treatment for social anxiety in adults.
Through VR patients will be exposed to anxiety-inducing situations controlled by their therapist, such as public speaking. In real-time biometric data, such as heart rate, sweat and respiration levels, informs the VR system that then adapts to the individual needs of the patient.
Through artificial intelligence the biometric data is compiled into an ‘anxiety model’. Over time the system creates an anxiety model for each patient, and this knowledge is used by the therapist to estimate how challenging the anxiety-inducing situation should be. For instance, if simulating public speaking should the audience be more attentive to what the patient is saying, or would it be beneficial for the treatment to introduce an indifferent audience?
Research Interests
- Virtual Reality
- Biofeedback
- Social Phobia
- Biosensors
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
- Software Design
Courses
Learning and Technology 1 introduces theoretical knowledge of learning processes and methods to design learning systems by teaching students how to use learning theory to design and analyse learning platforms.
Game design 1 enables the students to design video games by focusing on the fundamental design aspects of developing computer games such as game mechanics, game theory, game genres, level design and much more.
Social Technology Lab strengthens the students’ creative and technical competences in the field of development of 3D computer games and simulations
Supervision of several bachelor and master students.
