Labour VR is a standalone virtual reality experience designed to support women during labour by reducing pain and anxiety.
The system immerses users in calming, New Zealand–inspired natural environments combined with hypnobirthing-based breathing guidance and affirmations. It includes two relaxing scenes — a forest and an underwater environment — where users can interact with various objects and animals, such as birds and butterflies.
The project is inspired by “Giving Birth on a Beach” (Massov et al., 2024) and supported by clinical evidence showing that immersive VR can significantly reduce perceived pain and anxiety during labour.
Features:
Role in the project: Software Engineer, Technical Designer
Organisation: Empathic Computing Laboratory, University of Auckland
Collaboration: Victoria University of Wellington
Platform: Meta Quest 3 (Standalone)
The system immerses users in calming, New Zealand–inspired natural environments combined with hypnobirthing-based breathing guidance and affirmations. It includes two relaxing scenes — a forest and an underwater environment — where users can interact with various objects and animals, such as birds and butterflies.
The project is inspired by “Giving Birth on a Beach” (Massov et al., 2024) and supported by clinical evidence showing that immersive VR can significantly reduce perceived pain and anxiety during labour.
Features:
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Immersive Environments
Natural beach and underwater scenes with adjustable distraction levels and a dynamic day–night cycle.
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Hypnobirthing Module
Breathing exercises with visual feedback (expanding bubbles, unfolding ferns) and affirmations narrated with a New Zealand accent.
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Hands-Free Interaction
Gaze-based selection, pinch/poke gestures, and head navigation for seated or semi-reclined users, enabling interaction with in-scene elements such as birds and butterflies.
Role in the project: Software Engineer, Technical Designer
Organisation: Empathic Computing Laboratory, University of Auckland
Collaboration: Victoria University of Wellington
Platform: Meta Quest 3 (Standalone)
Underwater HypnoBirthing
Forest HypnoBirthing
Tutorial:
Forest:
Underwater:
Flow Design Iteration:
UI Wireframe:
Custom Unreal-to-Unity Terrain Conversion Tool
The art team primarily worked in Unreal Engine, and part of the environment had already been built before I joined the project. Since Unity provided better VR performance, I led the migration pipeline from Unreal to Unity. To optimise landscapes, I developed a custom workflow using exported heightmaps and texture masks, along with a Unity script that automated terrain layer painting while preserving the original visual design.
other projects: