Virtual Reality Equipment Research Articles

A Pilot Study of At-Home Virtual Reality for Chronic Pain Patients

Chronic pain disorders are a common and expensive health problem worldwide. Available treatments for these disorders have been decreasing and new treatments are needed. Virtual reality (VR) has been used for acute and procedural pain for years but systems are only now becoming available for use with chronic pain. In this study patients with a chronic pain disorder were given the option of using either take-home virtual reality equipment for one month or take-home biofeedback equipment for one month. In the VR condition patients were oriented to the “PainCare” app but could access any free content from the internet as well. Qualitative data was gathered on 23 VR patients and 12 biofeedback patients. Pre-post measures of depression, catastrophizing and function were obtained from 17 VR patients and 8 biofeedback patients. Data found that there was a statistically significant decrease in depression and catastrophizing in the VR group but no such decrease was found in the biofeedback group. No significant increase in function was found in either group though the VR group trended in that direction. One hundred percent (100%) of the patients who tried VR reported that they thought it had helped them overall at least a little. Patient ratings of the VR equipment were more favorable than the biofeedback equipment. This non-randomized small sample study suggests that at-home VR use can be used successfully with patients to decrease the important treatment variables of depression and catastrophizing, and perhaps become a significant contribution to the treatment of chronic pain disorders.

Virtual Reality Use Among Persons With Dementia: An Integrative Review

It is not well understood how virtual reality (VR) is currently used by older adults who have cognitive deficits due to dementia. The aim of this integrative review was to examine and report on published research exploring VR use among older adults with dementia. We searched 3 data bases for publications and used Whittemore and Knafl’s methodology for data extraction. Out of 122 articles we identified 24 that met our inclusion criteria, 15 published in 2012 and later. Most articles (12) used VR for assessment, and the others used VR for cognitive training (5) and as an intervention (3) (i.e., for exercise). Sample sizes were 30 or fewer persons with dementia. There is heterogeneity in the types of VR equipment, experiences, and foci of assessment through VR use. We identify opportunities to further explore VR as an intervention for persons with dementia to improve quality of life.

Chest compressions quality during sudden cardiac arrest scenario performed in virtual reality: A crossover study in a training environment.

Potential attributes of virtual reality (VR) can be a breakthrough in the improvement of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) training. However, interference with the virtual world is associated with the need of placing additional equipment on the trainee's body. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate if it does not affect the quality of chest compressions (CCs).91 voluntarily included in the study medical students participated twice in the scenario of SCA – Traditional Scenario (TS) and Virtual Reality Scenario (VRS). In both cases two minutes of resuscitation was performed.If VRS was the first scenario there were significant differences in CCs depth (VRS - Me = 47 mm [IQR 43 – 52] vs TS - Me = 48 mm [IQR 43 – 55]; P = .02) and chest relaxation (VRS - Me = 37% [IQR 5 – 91] vs TS - Me = 97% [IQR 87 – 100]; P < .001). 97.8% of respondents believe that training with the use of VR is more effective than a traditional method (P < .01). Most of the study group (91%, P < .01) denied any negative symptoms during the VR scenario.Virtual reality can be a safe and highly valued by medical students, method of hands-on CPR training. However additional VR equipment placed on the trainee's body may cause chest compressions harder to provide. If it is not preceded by traditional training, the use of VR may have an adverse impact on depth and full chest relaxation during the training. To make the best use of all the potential that virtual reality offers, future studies should focus on finding the most effective way to combine VR with traditional skill training in CPR courses curriculum.

Can Virtual Reality Ever Be Implemented in Routine Clinical Settings? A Systematic Narrative Review of Clinical Procedures Contained Within Case Reports for the Treatment of PTSD

The evidence base for the use of immersive technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR), for the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is compelling. Despite promising results wide spread use and adoption of this technology within routine clinical practice remains limited. A lack of detailed technical guidelines might be one of the reasons that hamper such uptake. To address this gap, the current review focuses on earlier design types, namely Clinical Case Reports in order to uncover additional detail in relation to clinical presentations and unique technical procedures. Systematic searches returned 419 results with 15 studies meeting inclusion criteria. This included 13 single subject case reports studies and 2 case series, totalling 27 participants. Results show the use of VR technology to treat PTSD is mainly exposure based. When using such interventions clinicians should conduct a thorough assessment of their clients’ background, trauma memory and triggers in order to tailor the VR experience. They should also plan some early orientation work to help clients acclimatise to the new virtual environment. Gathering self-reported data every five minutes throughout exposure will help with client monitoring, alongside physiological data. The use of olfactory or tactile stimuli may also be helpful during exposure, but is not a necessity. In conclusion, the costs of VR equipment have dropped significantly in the past years making this more accessible and affordable for healthcare providers. Nonetheless, a significant gap remains regarding the use of VR interventions for PTSD in clinical practice. The dearth of qualitative data available within the case report literature, might however help to bridge this gap.

Evaluation of haptic virtual reality user interfaces for medical marking on 3D models

Three-dimensional (3D) visualization has been widely used in computer-aided medical diagnosis and planning. To interact with 3D models, current user interfaces in medical systems mainly rely on the traditional 2D interaction techniques by employing a mouse and a 2D display. There are promising haptic virtual reality (VR) interfaces which can enable intuitive and realistic 3D interaction by using VR equipment and haptic devices. However, the practical usability of the haptic VR interfaces in this medical field remains unexplored. In this study, we propose two haptic VR interfaces, a vibrotactile VR interface and a kinesthetic VR interface, for medical diagnosis and planning on volumetric medical images. The vibrotactile VR interface used a head-mounted VR display as the visual output channel and a VR controller with vibrotactile feedback as the manipulation tool. Similarly, the kinesthetic VR interface used a head-mounted VR display as the visual output channel and a kinesthetic force-feedback device as the manipulation tool. We evaluated these two VR interfaces in an experiment involving medical marking on 3D models, by comparing them with the present state-of-the-art 2D interface as the baseline. The results showed that the kinesthetic VR interface performed the best in terms of marking accuracy, whereas the vibrotactile VR interface performed the best in terms of task completion time. Overall, the participants preferred to use the kinesthetic VR interface for the medical task.

Research on the Curriculum Development of Education for Sustainable Development(ESD) from the Perspective of VR / AR assisted instruction——Take Guangdong Business and Technology University as an Example

On September 25, 2015, the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit adopted the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. Education, as one of these goals, is an important way to achieve sustainable development, the function and responsibility of Universities to foster sustainable development should be emphasized. About the curriculum development of Education of Sustainable Development(ESD), along with VR/AR virtual reality equipment technology getting gradually mature, it is a trend that VR/AR equipment used in the class of universities. Based on this background, we proposed two questions: how to integrate VR/AR equipment into ESD teaching and learning? Does the VR/AR device hybrid model have a significant impact on the effects of the ESD course? A total of 46 sophomore students from Guangdong Business and Technology University were selected to participate in the quasi-course experiment. We conducted a questionnaire survey of students, used statistics analysis, compared the pre-test data with the post-test ones and interviewed a teacher. We concluded that VR/AR virtual reality equipment can be integrated into the curriculum of sustainable development. This teaching and learning model has a significant impact on students’ grasp of the three dimensions: The cognitive, social emotional and the behavioral dimension of the curriculum of sustainable development. By integrating VR/AR into traditional classes, we can realize the virtualization of teaching environment and the liberalization of teaching space, further stimulate students’ learning motivation and practical interest, and realize situational and immersive teaching and learning.

Mood Induction Using Virtual Reality: a Systematic Review of Recent Findings

Experimental research into emotion has struggled with the lack of ecological validity of the testing paradigms. One potential way to deal with that issue is through the use of virtual reality (VR), which allows immersive experiences in controlled settings. Previous reviews have focused on the clinical use of VR, but there has been no attempt to summarise findings in relation to emotion elicitation through VR. This systematic review compiles studies that have used VR as an emotion induction paradigm. Four databases were used (Web of Science, Science Direct, PsycInfo and PubMed), with a total of 61 articles fitting the inclusion criteria. In most studies, participants were college students, with the most common emotions elicited being anxiety, relaxation, fear and joy. The VR equipment employed included the Head-Mounted Display, the Cave Automatic Virtual Environment, videogames and computers, with almost all studies using subjective measures of emotion and approximately half of them including physiological measures also. The findings suggest that VR is an effective tool to induce emotion in lab settings. Future research should focus, in particular, in the integration of subjective and physiological outcomes and ways of fostering immersion. Furthermore, exploration of the psychological mechanism of emotion elicitation using VR (e.g. embodiment) could lead to new technical advances for the research of emotion.

Virtual & augmented reality for biological microscope in experiment education

Background Mixed-reality technologies, including virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) , are considered to be promising potential tools for science teaching and learning processes that could foster positive emotions, motivate autonomous learning, and improve learning outcomes. MethodsIn this study, a technology-aided biological microscope learning system based on VR/AR is presented. The structure of the microscope is described in a detailed three-dimensional (3D) model, each component being represented with their topological interrelationships and associations among them being established. The interactive behavior of the model was specified, and a standard operating guide was compiled. The motion control of components was simulated based on collision detection. Combined with immersive VR equipment and AR technology, we developed a virtual microscope subsystem and a mobile virtual microscope guidance system. ResultsThe system consisted of a VR subsystem and an AR subsystem. The focus of the VR subsystem was to simulate operating the microscope and associated interactive behaviors that allowed users to observe and operate the components of the 3D microscope model by means of natural interactions in an immersive scenario. The AR subsystem allowed participants to use a mobile terminal that took a picture of a microscope from a textbook and then displayed the structure and functions of the instrument, as well as the relevant operating guidance. This flexibly allowed students to use the system before or after class without time and space constraints. The system allowed users to switch between the VR and AR subsystems. ConclusionsThe system is useful for helping learners (especially K-12 students) to recognize a microscope's structure and grasp the required operational skills by simulating operations using an interactive process. In the future, such technology-assisted education would be a successful learning platform in an open learning space.

RETRACTED: Application of virtual reality technology in Wushu education

With the theoretical and technical progress of Wushu education, the traditional teaching method of oral instruction and demonstration can no longer satisfy the needs of current Wushu education. To address this issue, the concept and basic characteristics of virtual reality technology were interpreted, and the effective path and challenges of applying virtual reality technology in Wushu education. The results of this study show that virtual reality technology contributes to the concrete presentation of implicit knowledge in Wushu, the construction of virtual scenes in Wushu education and the realization of a simulated self-learning system in Wushu. In the meanwhile, the application of virtual reality technology in Wushu education faces the challenges of high virtual reality equipment investment, three-dimensional modeling difficulties, huge data volume of Wushu movements and side effects after the experience of Wushu, etc.

The influence of human behavioral characteristics on soundscape perception in urban parks: Subjective and observational approaches

With an emphasis on the role of parks in urban environments, studies on soundscape, which assess sound quality, have focused on human perception. In particular, various studies have been conducted on the relationship between human behavioral characteristics and their sound environment. However, there is still insufficient research on human behavioral characteristics in the context of urban parks. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of human behavioral characteristics on perceptions of soundscapes in urban parks. Participants were asked to subjectively evaluate the soundscapes of three parks in Paris, France, using three cognitive stages: indicators (perceived audio and visual elements), emotions (semantic expression), and cognition (overall quality of the park’s soundscape). The human behavioral characteristics that the participants witnessed were categorized into whether there was social interaction, whether people remained in the park or were passing through, and what kind of activities took place. To secure high ecological validity, audio-visual information was provided to the participants using virtual reality equipment. The results demonstrated that sounds made by other people decreased the perceived tranquility or peacefulness while the experience of the park as being dynamic and lively increased. We also found that the primary determinant of park preferences was not the type of human activities but the presence or absence of people.

Effect Of Practice And Game-Related Impacts On Common Indicators Of Concussion: A Pilot Study

Previous studies have suggested that football players not clinically diagnosed with concussion may still demonstrate differences in balance and neurocognitive performance by end of season. Clinically this is important as it indicates the athlete with sub-clinical injuries that may contribute to long-term deficits. PURPOSE: A pilot study to determine if non-concussive impacts sustained during normal play at NCAA Division I football practices and spring season scrimmage are sufficient to elicit detectable changes in oculomotor (OM) and balance performance. METHODS: 23 NCAA Division I football players were recruited to this pilot study during the 2019 spring football season. Questionnaires were used to collect demographic information. Portable virtual reality equipment was utilized to measure OM performance of smooth pursuit, saccade, and vestibular ocular reflex (VOR). BESS was utilized to measure balance performance. Assessments were administered at baseline, 24-48 hours after 3 practices, and the spring season scrimmage. Shapiro-Wilkes analysis was used to assess changes in balance and OM skills in subjects across the pilot project. RESULTS: Of the 23 recruited subjects, 7 (30%) completed all assessments; however, there were missing data observations for the 7 subjects who completed all 5 assessment points. There was no significant change in balance performance (p = 0.375); one variable of smooth pursuit testing (mean phase error of left eye) demonstrated near significant changes (p = 0.0625). There was no significant change in any variables for horizontal or vertical VOR, while, one variable of horizontal and vertical saccade testing (accuracy x of left eye) demonstrated near significant changes (p = 0.0625). CONCLUSION: We found no significant detectable changes in balance and OM performance in this pilot study.

Comparison of College Students' Blood Pressure, Perceived Exertion, and Psychosocial Outcomes During Virtual Reality, Exergaming, and Traditional Exercise: An Exploratory Study

Objective: Integrating novel technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), into traditional exercise apparatuses (e.g., stationary bikes) may assist in promoting physical activity (PA) participation among young adults. Therefore, this study's purpose was to examine young adults' systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) change (BPpost - BPpre), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), enjoyment, and self-efficacy during VR, exergaming, and traditional stationary cycling sessions. Materials and Methods: Forty-nine college students (34 females; Mage = 23.6 ± 3.4 years; MBMI = 23.8 ± 3.1 kg/m2) participated in three separate 20-minute stationary cycling sessions: (1) PlayStation 4 VR; (2) Xbox 360 exergaming; and (3) traditional stationary cycling. Participants' systolic and diastolic BP change was measured by using an Omron HEM-705CP digital BP cuff. Further, RPE was assessed by using the modified Borg RPE Scale and enjoyment and self-efficacy were evaluated by using validated questionnaires. Results: A multivariate analysis of variance indicated significant differences for systolic BP change, RPE, enjoyment, and self-efficacy between the three cycling sessions (F(2, 144) = 3.3-32.4, P < 0.05, [Formula: see text] = 0.04-0.3). Specifically, participants had significantly higher enjoyment and self-efficacy and lower RPE during VR cycling compared with the other two cycling sessions despite similar or higher change systolic BP during the VR cycling session. There was no statistically significant change in diastolic BP between the three cycling sessions (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Incorporating VR equipment with traditional stationary cycle ergometers may be favorable when seeking to promote enjoyable PA in college students. To further support VR exercise's efficacy, future studies with more rigorous research designs are warranted.

Virtual education: Dental morphologies in a virtual teaching environment.

Digital technology is already playing an increasingly important role in the education of students. The present investigation examined the acceptance of preclinical students for learning dental morphologies in virtual reality (VR). The creation of the VR dental teaching environment was divided into 3 sections: (a) generation of the digital data; (b) creation of the VR dental learning environment for tooth morphologies; and (c) evaluation by preclinical students through questionnaires combined with visual analogue scale and fixed-answer options. Students of the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry of the University Hospital Munich were able to stay/interact in the VR dental learning environment for 10 minutes with VR headsets and hand controllers. The data were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and exploratory data analysis using the median value and interquartile range. Of the students, 34.9% stated that they understand dental morphologies much better, 57.1% better, and 7.9% equally well compared to using the traditional textbook. The students would be willing to spend about 500 euros privately for the VR equipment. The haptic and auditive teaching elements were evaluated more positively than the purely visual ones of the integrated information boards. Learning in the VR dental learning environment showed a high level of acceptance among all students and should be integrated as a fixed element in the dental curriculum. A further development for use independent of time and place is desirable.

Exploring therapeutic applications for Google Earth VR

Virtual reality (VR) is a technology frequently used for both recreation and healthcare service delivery. Yet, little is known about the applicability and use of specific VR applications in recreational therapy (RT) practice. Google Earth VR is a popular application that allows users to virtually travel to different locations around the world. It could have relevance in patient-centered treatment that addresses a variety of RT treatment goals. Using a focus group of RTs (N = 8), this study examined possible uses of Google Earth VR in RT treatment. Following an education and training session providing an overview of VR equipment and the Google Earth VR application, participants engaged in clinical role play from both a therapist and client perspective. This was followed by a focus group discussion where therapists were asked to identify possible treatment uses for Google Earth VR with the clients they serve. Four main themes emerged, including reminiscing, community integration/leisure education, social skills development, and distraction/pain management. Findings indicate RTs view Google Earth VR as a resource with potential therapeutic applications for new and innovative treatment. The identified treatment focus areas also provide guidance for professional resource development and future research studies.

Exploring the Universe from Antarctica - An Informal STEM Polar Research Exhibit

Many concepts in astrophysics research can be difficult for a lay individual to understand or to comprehend their importance. One such example concept is the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, which detects high-energy neutrinos at the South Pole in Antarctica. The observatory uses information from detected neutrinos originating deep in outer space to better understand astrophysical phenomena like black holes or exploding stars. Unfortunately, it is often difficult for the public to understand how these pieces fit together towards creating a more complete understanding of our universe. In means of creating a novel point of engagement around these learning concepts, an interactive exhibit was created which used large multi-touch screen and Virtual Reality (VR) equipment. The exhibit, placed in a public environment, was evaluated both formally and informally around its effectiveness of providing STEM learning opportunities. The results show that the system not only provided an effective means of conveying content, but also provided a means of sparking the curiosity of users to learn more about the presented subject matter. Further results show that outcomes demonstrated significant differences between the two deployed devices and subject populations. Based on these findings, guidelines are offered for others who aim to deploy similar systems in publicly accessible spaces.

Using Virtual Reality Equipment to Enhance Learning in Extension Youth Programming

This article provides information on how to use virtual reality equipment to increase participant engagement as well as suggestions for incorporating virtual reality activities into Extension youth programming. These are lessons learned through the use of virtual reality by Extension faculty. Virtual reality equipment can increase participant engagement and improve learning.

Older Adults With Cognitive and/or Physical Impairments Can Benefit From Immersive Virtual Reality Experiences: A Feasibility Study.

Background: Older adults living in long term care, rehabilitation hospitals, and seniors' residences often experience reduced mobility, sometimes resulting in confinement indoors and isolation, which can introduce or aggravate symptoms of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and apathy. As Virtual Reality (VR) technologies become increasingly accessible and affordable, there is a unique opportunity to enable older adults to escape their restricted physical realities and be transported to both stimulating and calming places which may improve their general well-being. To date no robust evaluations of the use of immersive VR therapy [experienced through a head-mounted-display (HMD)] for older adults within these settings have been reported. VR-therapy may prove to be a safe, inexpensive, non-pharmacological means of managing depressive symptoms and providing engagement and enjoyment to this rapidly growing demographic.Objectives: Establish whether it is feasible to use immersive VR technology as therapy for older adults who have reduced sensory, mobility and/or impaired cognition. This includes evaluation of tolerability, comfort, and ease of use of the HMD, and of the potential for immersive VR to provide enjoyment/relaxation and reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms.Methods: Sixty-six older adults (mean age 80.5, SD = 10.5) with varying cognitive abilities (normal = 28, mild impairment = 17, moderate impairment = 12, severe impairment = 3, unknown cognitive score = 6), and/or physical impairments, entered a multi-site non-randomized interventional study in Toronto, Canada. Participants experienced 3 to 20 min of 360°-video footage of nature scenes displayed on Samsung GearVR HMD. Data was collected through pre/post-intervention surveys, standardized observations during intervention, and post-intervention semi-structured interviews addressing the VR experience.Results: All participants completed the study with no negative side-effects reported (e.g., No dizziness, disorientation, interference with hearing aids); the average time spent in VR was 8 min and 76% of participants viewed the entire experience at least once. Participants tolerated the HMD very well; most had positive feedback, feeling more relaxed and adventurous; 76% wanted to try VR again. Better image quality and increased narrative video content were suggested to improve the experience.Conclusion: It is feasible and safe to expose older adults with various levels of cognitive and physical impairments to immersive VR within these settings. Further research should evaluate the potential benefits of VR in different settings (e.g., home/community based) and explore better customization/optimization of the VR content and equipment for the targeted populations.

A Comparative Study Between Wired and Wireless Virtual Reality Setups

Virtual Reality (VR) through head-mounted displays (HMDs) can be delivered via multiple setups such as smartphones, standalone VR or VR Workstations. The VR Workstation setup delivers the best performance of them all; however, as a drawback up until recently, it required cables to power up the VR equipment. The introduction of wireless solutions for VR Workstations came to solve one of the disadvantages of this setup. However, the impact of the wireless solution versus the HMD cables was not yet properly investigated. In this paper, we study the impact of using a wired vs wireless HMD on Presence, Cybersickness, and Game Experience. We conducted a quasi-experimental between-subjects study with 68 participants assigned to the following three groups that were balanced regarding gender and sample size: Cable (participants used a wired HMD), Cable + Help (a researcher assisted the participants with the HMD cable during the experience to reduce the participants’ awareness of it), and Wireless (untethered HMD). Results showed no significant differences in presence and cybersickness. The game experience was significantly different, with Cable + Help performing better than Cable and Wireless . We conclude that sense of presence using wireless solutions is equated to wired HMD solutions.

Use of virtual reality equipment to assess the manual dexterity of applicants for ophthalmology residency

To assess the microsurgery dexterity outcomes of two sequential training evaluations using virtual reality technology. This was a multicenter cross-sectional study of all candidates who were accepted as first-year residents at one of six ophthalmology teaching institutions. Residents were subjected to two identical series of standardized, reproducible dexterity tests using virtual reality equipment (Eyesi®): "sequence 1" and "sequence 2." Each sequence consisted of five difficulty levels that were assessed using a proprietary scoring system. The data were tested for normality using the Shapiro-Wilk test. The differences between tests in sequences 1 and 2 were evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The data did not follow a normal distribution. There were improvements from sequence 1 in all the tests (all p values<0.05). The sum of all scores (total score) improved from sequence 1 (median= 152.50) to sequence 2 (median 256.00; p<0.001). There was no correlation between the delta sequence values and the average scores. Two sequential training evaluations using virtual reality technology showed relevant improvement in quantifications of microsurgery dexterity. This information should be considered if virtual reality approaches are used for testing purposes, as previous experience may lead to improved test results.

The evolution of visual instruments of VR cinema

The author states the achievement by virtual reality technology of a certain stage of maturity. Virtual reality equipment as a means of film exhibition not only determines our aesthetic experience but fundamentally changes film language the duration of a film and particular takes, their composition, the specifics of inter-shot and intra-shot editing, etc. The essay explores the visual system of VR cinema, a phenomenon which is gaining more and more spectator popularity.&#x0D; Defining the depth of immersiveness as the fundamental difference between traditional and VR cinema, the author identifies aspects characteristic of the latter aspects determining its creative method. Among them is limited length (the duration of a typical VR film rarely exceeds 1520 minutes), a 360-degree view, the representation of spherical space (for example, the viewer does not see anything more than shown to him in the film), and interactivity, which manifests itself in the spectator's freedom of to choose the area of focus and borrows elements of gaming practices.&#x0D; The essay analyzes typical mise en scnes and highlights the basic ones. The most important aim of mise en scne along the first person axis is to give the viewer an opportunity to feel in a different way, to look at the world with other people's eyes. In passive mise en scne along the third person radius, where the axis of movement is absent, the semantic center of is expressed not so clearly. This type implies the viewer's aspiration to study the surrounding space. The third type is active mise en scne along the third person radius, which corresponds to the look of an active full participant in the shown events instead of the look of an abstract observer from the inside. The essay describes the mechanism of synthesis of mise en scnes with the aim of obtaining a new artistic quality.&#x0D; The author emphasizes such aspects of the artistic uniqueness of VR cinema as expressive minimalism, minimization of the value of editing, and new attitudes towards camera work. In conclusion, he describes the current state of VR cinema and looks at the basic principles of the development of its artistic uniqueness.