Vehicle: Airplane: Comfort
Virtual Train Helmet   (+2)  [vote for, against]
Scared of flying? Take the train!

Quite simple, really. Designed to eliminate the fear of flying, the train-ride simulator built into this comfortable helmet will convince you that you are travelling by train rather than plane.
You will hear the chuggachugga choo choo of the train as you enjoy the scenery going by out the window.
Take-off and landing will seem like going up- or downhill. Turbulence will be hilly terrain.

A flashing light will let you know when it's time to stop pretending and reach for your oxygen mask.
-- lintkeeper2, Nov 12 2003

Virtual reality phobia treatments http://www.cc.gatec.../Phobia/phobia.html
Reverse form is baked [krelnik, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

http://fearofflying.com "There have been two recent studies of cabin air quality " [lintkeeper2, Oct 05 2004]

http://www.fofc.com/faqs.htm "There have been two recent studies of cabin air quality " [lintkeeper2, Oct 05 2004]

Maybe it's not all in our heads? http://www.faqs.org...art3/section-3.html
"There have been two recent studies of cabin air quality " [Klaatu, Oct 05 2004]

"Coffee? Tea? Or organophosphates?" http://www.aviation...wspage.asp?ArtID=73
[Klaatu, Oct 05 2004]

GIVE UP YOUR BAKED GOODS, [toejam] ... with flight times as long as they are, its very plausible to believe you are traveling by train ... nice, [lint] [+]
-- Letsbuildafort, Nov 12 2003


There's a researcher at Georgia Tech doing the exact inverse: using VR helmets to expose people to simulations of what they fear, so they can help overcome those fears. See link.
-- krelnik, Nov 12 2003


You could also make a "Virtual Bus Helmet". That way, people like football color commentator John Madden can travel by plane!
-- muzer, Nov 12 2003


Are we people or animals? Horses can be blinkered to ignore track-side distractions, but if we were so easily fooled, blindfolds would suffice.
-- DrCurry, Nov 12 2003


We are both, and some are easier to fool than others.
-- lintkeeper2, Nov 12 2003


As a non-flyer of commercial airlines, this won't work for me. The problem is how to get all those other passengers from breathing all of my oxygen away. Maybe put little cannulas that would blow air into the face too? Have the VR be a convertible drive through the country?

This is somewhat baked by my dentist who uses goggles with scenes of travel to keep patient's minds off the fact that he is drilling into the nerve of their tooth.
-- Klaatu, Nov 12 2003


Indeed. But make it a VR that can be programmed for various aircraft layouts, and incorporate a little pulse-doppler radar. That way you can walk around without hitting other passengers or disrupting the simulation.

And perhaps some extra video inputs, so that you can superimpose your laptop's screen over the simulated view. That way you can work at the same time.
-- Macwarrior, Nov 12 2003


//Air travel "phobias" are grounded in logical, legitimate concerns//
No, they are not. See links. Fear of flying generally stems from lack of knowledge.
-- lintkeeper2, Nov 12 2003


OOps! sorry for peeing all over you, but according to my VR helmet, this is the toilet.....
-- Micky Dread, Nov 13 2003


Least you'll be wearing a helmet if the plane crashes.
-- Twibble, Nov 13 2003


All in my head? <links>
-- Klaatu, Nov 13 2003


what happens when the battery runs out? waken to rude reality? well i liked it anyway +1
-- nomadic_wonderer, Nov 14 2003



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