BioVR Rethinks Immersion Through Biofeedback
Imagine an avatar in virtual reality (VR) that reacts to your emotions or mood, or a horror game where the storyline adapts to your level of fear as measured by heart rate or other biosignals. For researcher-turned-entrepreneur Yuchen Zhao, this vision is at the core of her work. Zhao, who recently earned her Ph.D. in Digital Media at Georgia Tech while working under Dr. Jay Bolter in the Augmented Environments Lab in TSRB, says her research “surrounds the interaction between humans and technology.” She explores how biosignals – such as heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure – can be integrated into immersive VR experiences, effectively utilizing the body’s internal data to drive the digital world around the user. What if a fitness game could feel your effort and adapt in real time? Zhao’s project, aptly named BioVR, tackles that question head-on, integrating biofeedback to make virtual environments respond dynamically to the user’s physical state.
Interaction vs. Integration
In traditional human-computer interaction (HCI), people use keyboards, mice, or touchscreens to give computers commands. Zhao’s research extends this paradigm by using internal bodily signals as a new input channel. The idea is straightforward but powerful: biosignals control the VR experience. In the case of BioVR, a user’s heart rate becomes part of the game mechanics. Zhao developed a prototype stationary bike system where a smartwatch relays the rider’s heart rate to a VR headset. As the user cycles through a virtual landscape, the program adapts the difficulty and visuals based on how hard the person is working. The virtual world responds to the rhythm of the user’s heart, creating a loop of real-time feedback between humans and machine.
From an academic standpoint, Zhao situates this work in an emerging shift from human-computer interaction to human-computer integration. In HCI, the focus has long been on designing interfaces that are efficient and user-friendly. Now, researchers talk about Human-Computer Integration (HInt) – “an emerging paradigm in which computational and human systems are closely interwoven.” The BioVR system exemplifies this trend. “Using biosignals would blur the boundary a bit; connect us a bit more,” Zhao explains, describing how linking our bodies’ biosignals with computers can make the interaction feel more seamless and intimate. In other words, the human and the computer start to function as one closely coupled system. This integration goes beyond wearing a fitness tracker; it is about creating virtual worlds that actively adapt to the user’s internal state, establishing a two-way dialogue between mind, body, and machine.
Biosignals, Framing, Ethics
One of the promises of biosignal-driven VR is its potential to influence user behavior in positive ways. Zhao’s work is inspired in part by Stanford professor B.J. Fogg’s persuasive technology framework – the study of how technology can change attitudes or behaviors through design rather than coercion. In Fogg’s model, technologies can function as tools, media, or even social actors to encourage behavior change. For instance, a fitness app can track activity data as a tool, incorporate game elements to enrich the experience as a form of media, and provide timely suggestions as a coach or social actor. BioVR builds on this idea by making the VR environment itself a persuasive coach to provide a more personalized and engaging fitness experience, rather than just presenting abstract numbers on a screen. The system might nudge you to reach a target heart rate zone by adjusting the virtual scenery or pace; if your heart rate dips, the game could introduce a challenge to motivate you to push harder. Zhao was drawn to such ideas of behavior design, asking questions like “How can this impact humans’ behavior, [and] change… humanity?” She emphasizes that new interactive media can be designed not just for entertainment, but to encourage healthier habits and sustained engagement.
Crucially, Zhao is mindful of the ethical side of this technology. Biosensors and persuasive games collect intimate data, so privacy becomes a concern. “Researchers should consider these issues of privacy and data even if markets and big companies do not,” she says. In other words, as innovations like BioVR push the envelope of personal data usage, designers must build with transparency and user consent in mind. It’s a point of principle for Zhao that the push to change behavior should empower users, not exploit them. This balanced perspective underlines how her academic grounding in HCI and media studies informs the responsible development of her startup.
BioVR: A Heart-Rate Powered Workout
At the center of Zhao’s dissertation project was a VR cycling game augmented with biofeedback – effectively a heart-rate powered workout as a case study to test the BioVR concept and examine whether it can effectively influence users’ performance and behavior. The prototype consists of a standard stationary exercise bike, a VR headset, and a smartwatch for heart-rate monitoring. As users pedal through a virtual environment (imagine a scenic trail or futuristic cityscape), BioVR adjusts the scene in response to their exertion. If the user’s heart rate drops below the age-based target threshold recommended by the CDC, the program might introduce steeper hills or cues to speed up, encouraging a shift into a higher intensity. If the heart rate climbs too high, the system can ease the virtual terrain to keep the exercise safe and sustainable. The goal is to help users maintain a moderate to vigorous exercise intensity – the level of effort doctors recommend for improving fitness – without the experience feeling like challenging work. Instead, the immersive gameplay keeps users engaged and often distracted from fatigue.
Zhao conducted a user study to test this adaptive VR fitness concept. Participants using the BioVR system spent significantly more time in their target heart rate zone and reported higher engagement than those in a traditional workout setting. Based on her tests, the VR feedback loop succeeded in getting people to exercise at a vigorous intensity for longer, all while they were absorbed in the virtual experience. By the end of the study, some users even described the session as more of an adventure than an exercise. “It felt easier and less tiring in the BioVR condition compared to the Apple Watch-only condition,” said one user. Such findings highlight how biosignal-driven design can elevate not only performance but also the subjective experience of a typically mundane cardio workout.
From Lab to Market: Building a Startup around Research
Seeing the potential of her invention, Zhao has been working to take BioVR beyond the lab. In 2024, while completing her Ph.D., she joined Georgia Tech’s startup accelerator, CREATE-X, to launch BioVR as a venture. The program provided seed funding and mentorship, helping Zhao transition from academic research to an early business plan. BioVR was showcased at Georgia Tech’s 2024 Demo Day, where attendees could see how VR and biofeedback together might revolutionize the gym of the future. With the prototype already developed and validated in her study, Zhao’s focus turned to the practical questions of product-market fit: Who would benefit most from this technology? Avid cyclists looking for a more engaging indoor workout, VR gaming enthusiasts seeking fitness entertainment, or perhaps rehabilitation clinics wanting to motivate patients? To answer these questions, the BioVR team is conducting market research and speaking with potential partners. They are exploring partnerships with fitness equipment makers and VR content studios, aiming to refine the experience and gauge how it might be packaged commercially – whether as a software platform compatible with existing bikes and wearables, or as a bundled hardware kit for gyms and homes.
BioVR Product Concept Demo Video
Zhao’s journey reflects a broader trend of researchers turning their innovations into startups. Her background itself is interdisciplinary: she earned a journalism degree in Beijing and a master’s in digital arts in Shanghai before coming to Georgia Tech. That mix of storytelling, design, and technical savvy is seen in BioVR’s concept, merging narrative engagement, technology, and human physiology. While still in its initial stages, BioVR has a clear mission to enhance the fitness experience by making it personalized and immersive. As Zhao puts it, her core motivation is to improve the intersection of humans and computers in daily life – in this case, making exercise more effective and enjoyable.
Are Biosignals the Future?
The real-world impact of this research could extend beyond just breaking a sweat. If machines can respond to our heartbeats, consider how else biosignals might be utilized: calming VR environments for anxiety therapy that respond to breathing patterns, or educational games that adjust difficulty based on a learner’s stress levels. Zhao’s work is a glimpse into such a future. By integrating our biological feedback into digital systems, she and others are redefining how we engage with technology. It’s a vision where computers don’t just passively receive commands but actively listen to our bodies’ inner rhythms. As BioVR progresses, it exemplifies the promise of human-computer integration to positively influence behavior and bolster engagement, all while keeping a human heartbeat at the center of the experience.