Terrified of spiders? Researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland might be able to help. They’ve developed an app called Phobys, which uses augmented reality to aid people with a phobia, or overwhelming fear, of the eight-legged creatures (known as arachnophobia). Phobys projects an image of a moving 3-D spider onto whatever a phone’s camera is pointed at, so anyone can tackle their discomfort in a controlled manner. The app has 10 levels, each one growing increasingly more intense. And it appears to help: The research team recently tested it on 66 patients and found that after two weeks, those who’d used it for as little as three hours experienced significantly less fear and disgust when asked to view a live spider. Says the study’s lead author, Anja Zimmer, “It’s easier for people with a fear of spiders to face a virtual spider than a real one.”