Virtual Reality Head-mounted Display Research Articles

Immersive virtual reality in children with upper limb injuries: Findings from a feasibility study.

PURPOSE:Children who sustain Upper Limb Injuries (ULIs), including fractures and burns, may undergo intensive rehabilitation. The discomfort of therapy can reduce their compliance, limit their range of motion (ROM) and lead to chronic pain. Virtual Reality (VR) interventions have been found to reduce anticipated and procedural pain.This feasibility study aimed to explore perceptions and impacts of a custom-made, fully immersive Head-Mounted Display VR (HMD-VR) experience within a United Kingdom (UK) National Health Service (NHS) outpatient rehabilitation service for children with ULIs.METHODS:Ten children aged 9–16 in one UK Children’s hospital trialled HMD-VR during one rehabilitation session. They, their parents (n = 10), and hospital physiotherapy staff (n = 2) were interviewed about their perceptions of pain, difficulty, enjoyability, therapeutic impacts, benefits, and limitations. Children rated the sessions on enjoyability, difficulty, and pain compared to usual rehabilitation exercises. Physiotherapists were asked to provide range of motion readings.RESULTS:Inductive thematic analysis of interview data generated three themes, ‘Escape through Engagement’; ‘Enhanced Movement’; and ‘Adaptability and Practicality’. Children rated the session as more enjoyable, less difficult and painful than their usual rehabilitation exercises. Findings suggested that HMD-VR was an engaging, enjoyable experience that distracted children from the pain and boredom of therapy. Also, it seemed to enhance the movement they achieved. Participants perceived it was useful for rehabilitation and adaptable to individual needs and other patient groups. Suggestions were made to increase adaptability and build in practical safeguards.CONCLUSION:Findings from this small-scale feasibility study suggested HMD-VR was perceived as usable, acceptable, and effective with potential for further development. Future work could include larger scale trials.

Investigating a Virtual Reality Based Subterranean Scenario Examining Augmented Reality Implications for Military Operators

Virtual and augmented reality have made it possible to test new technologies for military missions - such as using augmented reality to support complicated subterranean (sub-t) missions. The military will soon offer operators the ability to wear augmented reality (AR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) while conducting missions. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how this emerging technology will positively and negatively impact Soldiers’ ability to execute missions. This paper describes the development of a virtual reality (VR) scenario designed to support user experience research for evaluating the efficacy of Soldier AR systems during sub-t operations. We describe usability test results that captured feedback and reactions to the VR scenario and the AR interface that presented critical information through a VR HMD. We conclude with lessons learned from our development process and future research plans.

Physical Activity Intensity, Perceived Exertion, and Enjoyment During Head-Mounted Display Virtual Reality Games

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the following: (1) the level of physical activity (PA) achieved during commercial active virtual reality (VR) games, and (2) which active VR games elicit higher enjoyment levels in young, healthy adults. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six participants completed four study sessions, each devoted to playing one of the following head-mounted display VR games for 15 minutes: Beat Saber (BS), Holopoint (HP), Hot Squat (HS), and Relax Walk VR. PA intensity measures included percentage of heart rate reserve (%HRR), ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), and accelerometry. Enjoyment was measured with the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) following each gaming session. Mixed-model analysis of variances were used to analyze the outcome measures. Results: The analyses showed that HS elicited significantly higher %HRR and RPE than BS, HP, and Relax Walk. HS was the only game to reach moderate intensity via %HRR. Accelerometer data showed that time in whole-body moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for HS was significantly greater than HP, which was greater than BS and Relax Walk. Also, males exhibited significantly more whole-body and upper limb MVPA compared with females during gameplay. BS and HP were rated significantly more enjoyable than HS and Relax Walk. Conclusions: Results from this study suggest that active VR games can elicit varying degrees of PA intensity levels in young healthy adults, with HS eliciting moderate intensity activity. The games rated highest in enjoyment required mostly arm movement and a perceived light exertion. ClinicalTrials: NCT04221139.

A study of the use of virtual reality headsets in Chinese adolescents with intellectual disability

Background: Virtual reality technologies (VRTs) present many characteristics that can facilitate learning, especially in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). The VRT head-mounted display (HMD) has recently shown significant technological improvement. This study aims to prove the suitability of the newer commercially available VRT HMDs used in interventions for adolescents with ID in China. To this end, we explored the acceptance, immersion, and negative effects for adolescents with ID in a series of virtual environments. Methods: Forty-nine adolescents with ID (33 boys and 16 girls, IQ < 70), aged 11 to 21, from three special schools participated in this study. Questionnaires, observations, and interviews were used to investigate their views while using a VR HMD. Results: Our analysis found that most participants narrated a pleasant experience using HMD and a series of VR experiences and experienced a high level of immersion accompanied by low negative effects. In addition, our study found that the gender variable was independent of the acceptance of HMDs and the immersion experience. Conclusions: Overall, this study suggests that the HMD is accepted by most Chinese adolescents with ID; thus, its application has great potential in China.

Do Inattention/Hyperactivity and Motor Timing Predict Children’s Virtual Road-Crossing Performance?

The goal of this investigation was to examine how individual variation in inattention and hyperactivity is related to motor timing difficulties and whether children's performance on simple laboratory timing tasks is related to their performance on a virtual road-crossing task using a head-mounted virtual reality display system. Participants were a community sample of 92 9- to 11-year-old children. Parents completed questionnaires assessing their child's inattention and hyperactivity. Children completed two simple motor timing tasks (duration discrimination and synchronization-continuation) and crossed roads with continuous traffic in a head-mounted VR system. Higher parent-reported inattention and hyperactivity predicted poorer performance in the duration discrimination and synchronization-continuation tasks, but not the virtual pedestrian road-crossing task. Children with higher tap onset asynchrony in the synchronization-continuation task had poorer timing of entry into the gap in the virtual pedestrian road-crossing task. The findings provide further evidence that timing deficits are associated with individual differences in inattention and hyperactivity and that timing difficulties may be a risk factor for functional difficulties in everyday life.

Effect of immersive visualization technologies on cognitive load, motivation, usability, and embodiment

Virtual reality (VR) is a promising tool to promote motor (re)learning in healthy users and brain-injured patients. However, in current VR-based motor training, movements of the users performed in a three-dimensional space are usually visualized on computer screens, televisions, or projection systems, which lack depth cues (2D screen), and thus, display information using only monocular depth cues. The reduced depth cues and the visuospatial transformation from the movements performed in a three-dimensional space to their two-dimensional indirect visualization on the 2D screen may add cognitive load, reducing VR usability, especially in users suffering from cognitive impairments. These 2D screens might further reduce the learning outcomes if they limit users’ motivation and embodiment, factors previously associated with better motor performance. The goal of this study was to evaluate the potential benefits of more immersive technologies using head-mounted displays (HMDs). As a first step towards potential clinical implementation, we ran an experiment with 20 healthy participants who simultaneously performed a 3D motor reaching and a cognitive counting task using: (1) (immersive) VR (IVR) HMD, (2) augmented reality (AR) HMD, and (3) computer screen (2D screen). In a previous analysis, we reported improved movement quality when movements were visualized with IVR than with a 2D screen. Here, we present results from the analysis of questionnaires to evaluate whether the visualization technology impacted users’ cognitive load, motivation, technology usability, and embodiment. Reports on cognitive load did not differ across visualization technologies. However, IVR was more motivating and usable than AR and the 2D screen. Both IVR and AR rea ched higher embodiment level than the 2D screen. Our results support our previous finding that IVR HMDs seem to be more suitable than the common 2D screens employed in VR-based therapy when training 3D movements. For AR, it is still unknown whether the absence of benefit over the 2D screen is due to the visualization technology per se or to technical limitations specific to the device.

A comparative experimental study of visual brain event-related potentials to a working memory task: virtual reality head-mounted display versus a desktop computer screen

Virtual reality head mounted display (VR HMD) systems are increasingly utilised in combination with electroencephalography (EEG) in the experimental study of cognitive tasks. The aim of our investigation was to determine the similarities/differences between VR HMD and the computer screen (CS) in response to an n-back working memory task by comparing visual electrophysiological event-related potential (ERP) waveforms (N1/P1/P3 components). The same protocol was undertaken for VR HMD and CS with participants wearing the same EEG headcap. ERP waveforms obtained with the VR HMD environment followed a similar time course to those acquired in CS. The P3 mean and peak amplitudes obtained in VR HMD were not significantly different to those obtained in CS. In contrast, the N1 component was significantly higher in mean and peak amplitudes for the VR HMD environment compared to CS at the frontal electrodes. Significantly higher P1 mean and peak amplitudes were found at the occipital region compared to the temporal for VR HMD. Our results show that successful acquisition of ERP components to a working memory task is achievable by combining VR HMD with EEG. In addition, the higher amplitude N1/P1 components seen in VR HMD indicates the potential utility of this VR modality in the investigation of early ERPs. In conclusion, the combination of VR HMD with EEG/ERP would be a useful approach to advance the study of cognitive function in experimental brain research.

Acceptance of immersive head-mounted display virtual reality in stroke patients

BackgroundAs virtual reality (VR) has become more accessible, it has increasingly come into focus for clinical application. Therapy with VR shows potential as an engaging, effective, and economic way to improve cognitive abilities following a stroke. ObjectivesWhile application of VR in clinical settings appears promising, its widespread use will crucially depend on acceptance of immersive head mounted display virtual reality (HMD-VR) systems when used in different patient groups. This study aimed to investigate acceptance of HMD-VR in stroke patients compared to a control group of healthy age-matched adults. MethodsThe attitude towards HMD-VR, as one of the most important predictors of technology acceptance within the technology acceptance model framework, was assessed in 20 stroke patients and 20 age-matched healthy adults. Further HMD-VR acceptance related measures concerned self-reported user experience, computer self-efficacy and cybersickness (see also Huygelier et al., 2019). Additionally, performance measures for memory span and speed were recorded in two VR-tasks. ResultsBoth groups showed positive attitude above the neutral point of the scale and reported positive user experience in the VR-setting. Self-reported cybersickness was at modest levels and comparable in both groups. Controls had higher and more homogeneous scores in user experience, and performed notably faster in the VR-task while there were no significant differences in memory-span. ConclusionThe study results suggest that treatment provided by immersive HMD-VR is tolerated by older adults, including those who have had strokes. This was the case without prior acquaintance with the VR-device or -software, and it was neither hindered by negative attitudes towards VR, nor cybersickness.

Visual fatigue induced by watching virtual reality device and the effect of anisometropia

The effect of small anisometropia on visual fatigue when using virtual reality (VR) devices was investigated. Participants (n = 34) visited three times. In the first visit, VR exposure (10 min) was conducted with the full correction of the refractive error of both eyes. Experimental anisometropia was induced by adding a + 1.0 dioptre spherical lens either on the dominant eyes in the second visit or on the non-dominant eyes in the third visit. At each visit, the participants played a predetermined video game using a head-mounted display VR for 10 min. Visual fatigue was assessed before and after playing VR game using the Virtual Reality Symptom Questionnaire (VRSQ) and high-frequency component of accommodative microfluctuation. Results showed that watching VR induced significant increase of VRSQ score, significant decrease in the maximum accommodation power and objective increase in visual fatigue. Experimental anisometropia induction either on the dominant or non-dominant eyes did not aggravate visual fatigue. Practitioner summary: Mild differences in refractive error (up to 1.0 dioptre) between both eyes do not significantly increase ocular fatigue by viewing virtual reality device (10 min). The impact of small anisometropia may be limited in developing a virtual reality device. Abbreviations: VR: virtual reality; VRSQ: virtual reality symptom questionnaire; HMD: head-mounted display; HFC: high-frequency component

Comparisons Between First Person Point-of-View 180° Video Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Display and 3D Video Computer Display in Teaching Undergraduate Neuroscience Students Stereotaxic Surgeries

Introduction:Students interested in neuroscience surgical applications learn about stereotaxic surgery mostly through textbooks that introduce the concepts but lack sufficient details to provide students with applied learning skills related to biomedical research. The present study employed a novel pedagogical approach which used an immersive virtual reality (VR) alternative to teach students stereotaxic surgery procedures through the point of view (POV) of the neuroscientist conducting the research procedures.Methods:The study compared the 180° video virtual reality head-mounted display (180° video VR HMD) and the 3D video computer display groups to address the learning gaps created by textbooks that insufficiently teach stereotaxic surgery, by bringing students into the Revinax®Virtual Training Solutions educational instruction platform/technology. Following the VR experience, students were surveyed to determine their ratings of the learning content and comprehension of the material and how it compared to a traditional lecture, an online/hybrid lecture, and YouTube/other video content, as well as whether they would have interest in such a pedagogical tool.Results:The 180° video VR HMD and the 3D video computer display groups helped students attend to and learn the material equally, it improved their self-study, and they would recommend that their college/university invest in this type of pedagogy. Students reported that both interventions increased their rate of learning, their retention of the material, and its translatability. Students equally preferred both interventions over traditional lectures, online/hybrid courses, textbooks, and YouTube/other video content to learn stereotaxic surgery.Conclusion:Students preferred to learn in and achieve greater learning outcomes from both the 180° video VR HMD and the 3D video computer display over other pedagogical instructional formats and thought that it would be a more humane alternative to show how to conduct the stereotaxic surgical procedure without having to unnecessarily use/practice and/or demonstrate on an animal. Thus, this pedagogical approach facilitated their learning in a manner that was consistent with the 3-Rs in animal research and ethics. The 180° video VR HMD and the 3D video computer display can be a low-cost and effective pedagogical option for distance/remote learning content for students as we get through the COVID-19 pandemic or for future alternative online/hybrid classroom instruction to develop skills/reskill/upskill in relation to neuroscience techniques.

OpenEDS2020 Challenge on Gaze Tracking for VR: Dataset and Results.

This paper summarizes the OpenEDS 2020 Challenge dataset, the proposed baselines, and results obtained by the top three winners of each competition: (1) Gaze prediction Challenge, with the goal of predicting the gaze vector 1 to 5 frames into the future based on a sequence of previous eye images, and (2) Sparse Temporal Semantic Segmentation Challenge, with the goal of using temporal information to propagate semantic eye labels to contiguous eye image frames. Both competitions were based on the OpenEDS2020 dataset, a novel dataset of eye-image sequences captured at a frame rate of 100 Hz under controlled illumination, using a virtual-reality head-mounted display with two synchronized eye-facing cameras. The dataset, which we make publicly available for the research community, consists of 87 subjects performing several gaze-elicited tasks, and is divided into 2 subsets, one for each competition task. The proposed baselines, based on deep learning approaches, obtained an average angular error of 5.37 degrees for gaze prediction, and a mean intersection over union score (mIoU) of 84.1% for semantic segmentation. The winning solutions were able to outperform the baselines, obtaining up to 3.17 degrees for the former task and 95.2% mIoU for the latter.

Immersive reading in virtual and augmented reality environment

Purpose This study aims to investigate “immersive reading,” which occurs when individuals read text while in a virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) environment. Design/methodology/approach In Experiment 1, 64 participants read text passages and answered multiple-choice questions in VR and AR head-mounted displays (HMDs) compared with doing the same task on liquid crystal display (LCD). In Experiment 2, 31 participants performed the same reading tasks but with two VR HMDs of different display quality. Findings Compared with reading on LCD as the baseline, participants reading in VR and AR HMDs got 82% (VR) and 88% (AR) of the information accurately. Participants tended to respond more accurately and faster, though not statistically significant, with the VR HMD of higher pixel density in the speed-reading task. Originality/value The authors observed the speed and accuracy of reading in VR and AR environments, compared with the reading speed and accuracy on an LCD monitor. The authors also compared the reading performance on two VR HMDs that differed in display quality but were otherwise similar in every way.

Effects of stereopsis on vection, presence and cybersickness in head-mounted display (HMD) virtual reality

Stereopsis provides critical information for the spatial visual perception of object form and motion. We used virtual reality as a tool to understand the role of global stereopsis in the visual perception of self-motion and spatial presence using virtual environments experienced through head-mounted displays (HMDs). Participants viewed radially expanding optic flow simulating different speeds of self-motion in depth, which generated the illusion of self-motion in depth (i.e., linear vection). Displays were viewed with the head either stationary (passive radial flow) or laterally swaying to the beat of a metronome (active conditions). Multisensory conflict was imposed in active conditions by presenting displays that either: (i) compensated for head movement (active compensation condition), or (ii) presented pure radial flow with no compensation during head movement (active no compensation condition). In Experiment 1, impairing stereopsis by anisometropic suppression in healthy participants generated declines in reported vection strength, spatial presence and severity of cybersickness. In Experiment 2, vection and presence ratings were compared between participants with and without clinically-defined global stereopsis. Participants without global stereopsis generated impaired vection and presence similarly to those found in Experiment 1 by subjects with induced stereopsis impairment. We find that reducing global stereopsis can have benefits of reducing cybersickness, but has adverse effects on aspects of self-motion perception in HMD VR.

Development of a Virtual Ecological Environment for Learning the Taipei Tree Frog

The learning objectives of environmental education emphasize investigation in real life to enhance students’ skills and experiences in solving practical problems. This study used the virtual reality (VR) technology to develop a virtual ecological environment for learning about the Taipei tree frog, supported by situated learning and game-based learning design to enhance students’ learning interest and motivation. Users can wear the head-mounted display (HMD) to explore the virtual environment for learning the Taipei tree frog’s ecological behavior, such as foraging and mating as well as its habitats and predators. A teaching experiment was conducted to investigate students’ learning effectiveness and the senses of presence and anxiety after using the virtual ecological environment. The experimental group (wearing the HMD) contained 40 students, the control group (using the desktop VR) contained 40 students, and both groups were used as samples to learn about the Taipei tree frog. The results indicated that using HMD VR and desktop VR could both enhance learning achievements, but the learning effectiveness of the former was significantly higher than that of the latter. The levels of anxiety for both groups were about the same, but the level of presence for the experimental group was higher than that of the control group because the HMD VR provided a more immersive experience than the desktop VR. The virtual ecological environment can save the time and effort of travelling to the natural habitat for observing the Taipei tree frog, and the design of role-playing game (RPG) can enhance learners’ interest and motivation. Therefore, it is a useful tool for promoting environmental education.

Cyber sickness in low-immersive, semi-immersive, and fully immersive virtual reality

It is known that virtual reality (VR) experience may cause cyber sickness. One aspect of VR is an immersion or otherwise sense of presence, the sense of feeling oneself in a virtual world. In this paper an experiment which was conducted in order to find the link between level of immersion and cyber sickness felt by participants is presented. Eighty-nine participants aged between 19 and 36 years have been equally divided into four groups with different level of VR immersion. The low-immersive group was represented by PC with monoscopic screen, the semi-immersive group was represented by CAVE with stereoscopic projector, the fully immersive group was represented by VR head-mounted display, and the last group was the control group without any kind of immersion. The task for the participants was to navigate through the maze for a specified amount of time (10 min). The Simulator Sickness Questionnaire was used as a subjective measure tool for cyber sickness level and Grooved Pegboard Test for assessing the fine dexterity, both before and after the experiment. Regarding the time spend in VR the fully immersive environment had the biggest problems as more than half of the participants had to stop before 10 min (p < 0.001). Concerning the cyber sickness, the significant increase in nausea score between pre-test and post-test scores has been observed in semi-immersive group (p = 0.0018) and fully immersive group (p < 0.0001). The increase in oculomotor score was smaller. The significant difference was noted only in fully immersive group (p = 0.0449). In spite of great nausea factor after the VR immersion the participants did not show a decrease of fine dexterity in any group (p < 0.001).

Virtual Reality Tailored to the Needs of Post-ICU Patients: A Safety and Immersiveness Study in Healthy Volunteers

ICU treatments frequently result in long-term psychologic impairments, negatively affecting quality of life. An effective treatment strategy is still lacking. The aim of this study was to describe and evaluate the safety and immersiveness of a newly designed ICU-specific virtual reality module. A randomized controlled healthy volunteer trial. ICU of the Franciscus Gasthuis & Vlietland Hospital (Rotterdam, the Netherlands), a large teaching hospital. Forty-five virtual reality-naive healthy volunteers. Volunteers were randomized to three arms: the head-mounted display virtual reality group (n = 15), the 2D group (n = 15), and the crossover group (n = 15). Safety was assessed by changes in vital signs and the occurrence of simulator sickness (Simulator Sickness Questionnaire). Immersiveness was assessed using the Igroup Presence Questionnaire. Volunteers in the head-mounted display virtual reality group experienced more mild symptoms of simulator sickness, expressed as symptoms of dizziness (p = 0.04) and stomach awareness (p = 0.04), than the 2D group. Nevertheless, none of the individual Simulator Sickness Questionnaire items were scored as being severe, no changes in vital signs were observed, and no sessions were prematurely stopped. Volunteers in the crossover group experienced a higher total presence (p < 0.001) when using head-mounted display virtual reality, expressed as a higher sense of presence (p < 0.001), more involvement (p < 0.01), and more experienced realism (p < 0.001). ICU-specific virtual reality appears safe and more immersive than 2D, implicating that ICU-specific virtual reality is feasible for clinical use. One should however be aware of simulator sickness-related symptoms. Future research is needed to confirm these findings in survivors of critical illness.

A Large‐Scale Virtual Reality Deployment for Distance Education in Human Anatomy

The arrival of COVID‐19 and accompanying restrictions posed many challenges to education communities worldwide. In response, a large‐scale virtual reality (VR) course was constructed and deployed at Colorado State University for a remote human anatomy course. Enrolled students received a VR capable laptop and head‐mounted display and participated in synchronous online laboratory and recitation sessions. The program enabled students to work collaboratively in a common virtual space and learn human anatomy from digital cadavers and volumized medical data (CT and MRI). We hypothesized that VR is an effective method to increase student engagement and knowledge acquisition in human anatomy. Qualitative data was collected on student engagement, confidence, and reactions to the new technology. Quantitative data assessed student knowledge acquisition and retention of anatomical spatial relationships when using VR and two‐dimensional (2D) methods. Results suggested that using VR matched 2D methods in terms of student knowledge acquisition and retention of anatomical relationships. Qualitative data indicated that VR enhanced student engagement and increased opportunities for students to interact with teaching assistants, peers, and the content. Students further reported the unique aspects of the VR program allowed them to explore the content in novel ways. There was a statistically significant increase in student examination scores when compared to previous in‐person laboratories. Overall, the virtual classroom maintained the rigor of traditional gross anatomy laboratories without negatively impacting student examination scores and provided a high level of accessibility, without compromising learner engagement. This novel approach provides a highly engaging and interactive solution to distance education.

Bringing full-featured mobile phone interaction into virtual reality

Virtual Reality (VR) Head-Mounted Display (HMD) technology immerses a user in a computer generated virtual environment. However, a VR HMD also blocks the users’ view of their physical surroundings, and so prevents them from using their mobile phones in a natural manner. In this paper, we present a novel Augmented Virtuality (AV) interface that enables people to naturally interact with a mobile phone in real time in a virtual environment. The system allows the user to wear a VR HMD while seeing his/her 3D hands captured by a depth sensor and rendered in different styles, and enables the user to operate a virtual mobile phone aligned with their real phone. We conducted a formal user study to compare the AV interface with physical touch interaction on user experience in five mobile applications. Participants reported that our system brought the real mobile phone into the virtual world. Unfortunately, the experiment results indicated that using a phone with our AV interfaces in VR was more difficult than the regular smartphone touch interaction, with increased workload and lower system usability, especially for a typing task. We ran a follow-up study to compare different hand visualizations for text typing using the AV interface. Participants felt that a skin-colored hand visualization method provided better usability and immersiveness than other hand rendering styles.

Exposure to social suffering in virtual reality boosts compassion and facial synchrony

Virtual reality (VR) has recently been popularized as the “ultimate empathy machine,” and yet the science behind the effects of VR on empathy is scarce. In this media-comparison study, we assessed the impact of VR upon physiological and subjective indicators of empathy. Furthermore, we investigated the role of social presence, i.e. the experience of being there with real others, in modulating the empathic responses. We filmed a 360° 3D video of a person disclosing a painful autobiographical story from her past. This empathy-eliciting video was presented either in a VR head-mounted display or on a computer screen. Centrally, autonomic and facial responses were recorded both from the target in the video and from participants who viewed the video. We found that the VR condition enhanced viewers’ empathic care and facial synchrony with the target. Viewers in the VR condition also reported higher levels of social presence, which mediated the effects of VR on empathic care as well as on facial synchrony. The current study highlights the potential of VR to elicit social connectedness and a caring motivation to help. Our findings imply that VR has a unique potential to motivate empathy in situations where face-to-face encounters are not possible.

Cybersickness in current-generation virtual reality head-mounted displays: systematic review and outlook

Cybersickness (CS) is a term used to refer to symptoms, such as nausea, headache, and dizziness that users experience during or after virtual reality immersion. Initially discovered in flight simulators, commercial virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMD) of the current generation also seem to cause CS, albeit in a different manner and severity. The goal of this work is to summarize recent literature on CS with modern HMDs, to determine the specificities and profile of immersive VR-caused CS, and to provide an outlook for future research areas. A systematic review was performed on the databases IEEE Xplore, PubMed, ACM, and Scopus from 2013 to 2019 and 49 publications were selected. A summarized text states how different VR HMDs impact CS, how the nature of movement in VR HMDs contributes to CS, and how we can use biosensors to detect CS. The results of the meta-analysis show that although current-generation VR HMDs cause significantly less CS (p<0.001), some symptoms remain as intense. Further results show that the nature of movement and, in particular, sensory mismatch as well as perceived motion have been the leading cause of CS. We suggest an outlook on future research, including the use of galvanic skin response to evaluate CS in combination with the golden standard (Simulator Sickness Questionnaire, SSQ) as well as an update on the subjective evaluation scores of the SSQ.