KALA-ART THERAPY

THE IDEA

The Kala Room (Sanskrit for "art") was designed as an art-therapy–style experience to help users overcome creative blocks and stress through self-expression. Inspired by practices that encourage inner-child play and affirmation, Kala allows users to “visualize your emotions and describe them” in a safe virtual space. The design intent was to kindle joy and self-love by literally turning the user’s feelings into art. For people dealing with acute stress or creative anxiety, the Kala room creates a positive feedback loop: affirmations and imaginative prompts lead to beautiful visuals that reinforce confidence

Technical Implementation

Technical Stack & Core Technologies:

• Unity 3D with Universal Render Pipeline (URP)

• OpenAI DALL-E API for AI-powered image generation

• RESTful API Architecture for cloud communication

• Autodesk Maya for 3D environment modeling

• Voice Recognition System for natural language input

Kala is built in Unity, using 3D models and environments created in Autodesk Maya. A spatial museum/gallery-like space was crafted to display artwork. Key technologies and techniques included:

Generative AI

Integration with the OpenAI DALL·E API allows the room to generate unique images on demand. Users speak a description of their emotion or idea, and DALL·E creates an image that fills a blank frame in the room. This relies on a speech-to-text pipeline (Meta’s Voice SDK) to capture the user’s words.

VR Interaction

Teleport locomotion (via the VR controller joystick) lets users easily navigate the gallery.

Aiming at different empty picture frames (rendered as Unity GameObjects) and holding the controller trigger captures the user’s voice input. Pressing a “generate” button sends the text prompt to the AI backend.

Visual effects:

Particle systems and shaders are used to create a magical, inspiring atmosphere around each newly generated image. After generation, the image is placed on the wall, reinforcing the sense of co-creation.

Spatialized audio & haptics

Binaural ambient sounds play in the room to evoke wonder. When the user speaks an affirmation or prompt, haptic feedback pulses through the BHaptics vest & controllers to ground the experience in the body. For example, gentle vibrotactile cues coincide with initial guided grounding session. These haptics and 3D audio cues were specifically designed to increase immersion and make the affirmation process feel more “real”.

End Results

In the Kala room, the user finds themselves in a tranquil, dreamy VR gallery/art space. They can teleport around the gallery, observing GenAI generated art works. The environment features soft, warm lighting and gentle ambient soundscapes. By pinching at a frame and speaking, the AI generates a beautiful image on that frame. Visually, the newly created art reflects the user’s emotions. Haptics reinforce positive moments: for instance, when the user affirms “I am loved,” a soft pulse on the vest or controller acknowledges the affirmation. The intended outcome is to leave users feeling joyful, validated, and inspired – as described in the design: a “transcendence of joy and self-love”. Emotionally, the Kala room aims to boost confidence and creativity, helping stress and negative thoughts dissipate through active self-expression.