ABOUT
BRieFLY is an exploratory VR prototype combining mindful breathing with playful interaction. This 6-minute meditative experience immerses users in a mixed reality environment where shimmering fireflies dynamically respond to their movements, as illustrated in the video below.
The session begins with a 3-minute narrated breathing practice to foster relaxation and breath awareness, followed by 3 minutes of playful interaction.
The system was developed in Unity for the Meta Quest 3 head-mounted display, leveraging hand tracking for intuitive interaction and passthrough to blend virtual and physical environments as seen in the supplementary video. Hand tracking allows users to interact directly with the fireflies, eliminating the need for controllers. Meanwhile, the passthrough video feed gradually dims the real surroundings to help users transition smoothly into the mixed-reality environment. Seeing the real physical surroundings provides a grounding element that makes the experience more accessible and to prevent cybersickness.
Fireflies were chosen for their symbolic connection to nature, themes of belonging, and playful allure. The glowing purple and white hues were chosen to create a calming and meditative atmosphere. While most of the fireflies move in synchronized flock-like patterns, others float independently to mimic natural swarming behaviours. This design was intended to evoke curiosity, connection, and a sense of wonder, while maintaining a playful and relaxing tone.
The Team
Rayne Inkster
Project Lead and Interaction Designer
I am a researcher dedicated to understanding and improving mental health through innovative and exploratory technologies. Though my work is focused on understanding depression through neurophysiological recording and electrical stimulation therapies, I value a holistic and patient centered approach to research and treatment.
Deniz Ural
Project Lead, Interaction, and Sound Designer
I am an award-winning designer who is on a mission to help people heal through innovative, responsive and holistic environments and products. I value presence, empathy, connection, oneness and authenticity. The future of design is human.
Dr. Bernhard Riecke
Co-Lead and Senior Advisor
After researching for a decade in the Virtual Reality Group of the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany and working as a post-doctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute, Vanderbilt University, and UC Santa Barbara, Bernhard joined SFU-SIAT in 2008. Leading the iSpace Lab, designing and investigating emerging technologies such as Virtual Reality for positive impact on individuals and society. His research combines multidisciplinary research, design, and artistic approaches and immersive virtual environments to investigate how humans perceive, think, behave, and spatially orient in real and computer-mediated environments.
Dr. John Desnoyers-Stewart
Developer and Advisor
Dr. John Desnoyers-Stewart is an interdisciplinary artist-researcher who creates immersive installations and performances to connect people and evoke new perspectives on our shared reality.
He has exhibited his multi-user mixed reality installations, Star-Stuff, Eve 3.0, and more in over 70 exhibitions at art galleries and festivals in Vancouver and around the world. He hopes to encourage social connection and collaborative creativity, exploring positive social applications of virtual reality and better understanding the experience of embodying abstract bodies.
Dr. Farzan Faranak
Research Advisor
Dr. Faranak Farzan is the Chair in Technology Innovation for Youth Addiction Recovery and Mental Health in School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering, Simon Fraser University.
Our Partners
