VR role-play therapy helps people with agoraphobia, finds study

Sessions with virtual-reality headset helped people overcome anxiety and complete everyday tasks

It's a sunny day on a city street as a green bus pulls up by the kerb. Onboard, a handful of passengers sit stony-faced as you step up to present your pass. But you cannot see your body - only a floating pair of blue hands.

It might sound like a bizarre dream, but the scenario is part of a virtual reality (VR) system designed to help people with agoraphobia - those for whom certain environments, situations and interactions can cause intense fear and distress.