Design guidelines for limiting and eliminating virtual reality-induced symptoms and effects at work: a comprehensive, factor-oriented review

Virtual reality (VR) can induce side effects known as virtual reality-induced symptoms and effects (VRISE). To address this concern, we identify a literature-based listing of these factors thought to influence VRISE with a focus on office work use. Using those, we recommend guidelines for VRISE amelioration intended for virtual environment creators and users. We identify five VRISE risks, focusing on short-term symptoms with their short-term effects. Three overall factor categories are considered: individual, hardware, and software. Over 90 factors may influence VRISE frequency and severity. We identify guidelines for each factor to help reduce VR side effects. To better reflect our confidence in those guidelines, we graded each with a level of evidence rating. Common factors occasionally influence different forms of VRISE. This can lead to confusion in the literature. General guidelines for using VR at work involve worker adaptation, such as limiting immersion times to between 20 and 30 min. These regimens involve taking regular breaks. Extra care is required for workers with special needs, neurodiversity, and gerontechnological concerns. In addition to following our guidelines, stakeholders should be aware that current head-mounted displays and virtual environments can continue to induce VRISE. While no single existing method fully alleviates VRISE, workers' health and safety must be monitored and safeguarded when VR is used at work

Cybersickness in Virtual Reality Questionnaire (CSQ-VR):A validation and comparison against SSQ and VRSQ

Cybersickness is a drawback of virtual reality (VR), which also affects the cognitive and motor skills of the users. The Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ), and its variant, the Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire (VRSQ) are two tools that measure cybersickness. However, both tools suffer from important limitations, which raises concerns about their suitability. Two versions of the Cybersickness in VR Questionnaire (CSQ-VR), a paper-and-pencil and a 3D –VR version, were developed. Validation and comparison of CSQ-VR against SSQ and VRSQ were performed. Thirty-nine participants were exposed to 3 rides with linear and angular accelerations in VR. Assessments of cognitive and psychomotor skills were performed at baseline and after each ride. The validity of both versions of CSQ_VR was confirmed. Notably, CSQ-VR demonstrated substantially better internal consistency than both SSQ and VRSQ. Also, CSQ-VR scores had significantly better psychometric properties in detecting a temporary decline in performance due to cybersickness. Pupil size was a significant predictor of cybersickness intensity. In conclusion, the CSQ-VR is a valid assessment of cybersickness, with superior psychometric properties to SSQ and VRSQ. The CSQ-VR enables the assessment of cybersickness during VR exposure, and it benefits from examining pupil size, a biomarker of cybersickness.  </p

Guidelines for the development of immersive virtual reality software for cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology:The development of Virtual Reality Everyday Assessment Lab (VR-EAL), A neuropsychological test battery in immersive virtual reality

International audienceVirtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMD) appear to be effective research tools, which may address the problem of ecological validity in neuropsychological testing. However, their widespread implementation is hindered by VR induced symptoms and effects (VRISE) and the lack of skills in VR software development. This study offers guidelines for the development of VR software in cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology, by describing and discussing the stages of the development of Virtual Reality Everyday Assessment Lab (VR-EAL), the first neuropsychological battery in immersive VR. Techniques for evaluating cognitive functions within a realistic storyline are discussed. The utility of various assets in Unity, software development kits, and other software are described so that cognitive scientists can overcome challenges pertinent to VRISE and the quality of the VR software. In addition, this pilot study attempts to evaluate VR-EAL in accordance with the necessary criteria for VR software for research purposes. The VR neuroscience questionnaire (VRNQ; Kourtesis et al., 2019b) was implemented to appraise the quality of the three versions of VR-EAL in terms of user experience, game mechanics, in-game assistance, and VRISE. Twenty-five participants aged between 20 and 45 years with 12–16 years of full-time education evaluated various versions of VR-EAL. The final version of VR-EAL achieved high scores in every sub-score of the VRNQ and exceeded its parsimonious cut-offs. It also appeared to have better in-game assistance and game mechanics, while its improved graphics substantially increased the quality of the user experience and almost eradicated VRISE. The results substantially support the feasibility of the development of effective VR research and clinical software without the presence of VRISE during a 60-min VR session

Validation of the Virtual Reality Everyday Assessment Lab (VR-EAL):An immersive virtual reality neuropsychological battery with enhanced ecological validity

International audienceObjective: The assessment of cognitive functions such as prospective memory, episodic memory, attention, and executive functions benefits from an ecologically valid approach to better understand how performance outcomes generalize to everyday life. Immersive virtual reality (VR) is considered capable of simulating real-life situations to enhance ecological validity. The present study attempted to validate the Virtual Reality Everyday Assessment Lab (VR-EAL), an immersive VR neuropsychological battery, against an extensive paper-andpencil neuropsychological battery. Methods: Forty-one participants (21 females) were recruited: 18 gamers and 23 non-gamers who attended both an immersive VR and a paper-and-pencil testing session. Bayesian Pearson correlation analyses were conducted to assess construct and convergent validity of the VR-EAL. Bayesian t-tests were performed to compare VR and paper-and-pencil testing in terms of administration time, similarity to real life tasks (i.e., ecological validity), and pleasantness. Results: VR-EAL scores were significantly correlated with their equivalent scores on the paper-and-pencil tests. The participants' reports indicated that the VR-EAL tasks were significantly more ecologically valid and pleasant than the paper-and-pencil neuropsychological battery. The VR-EAL battery also had a shorter administration time. Conclusion: The VR-EAL appears as an effective neuropsychological tool for the assessment of everyday cognitive functions, which has enhanced ecological validity, a highly pleasant testing experience, and does not induce cybersickness

Potential applications of virtual reality devices in older people. Narrative review

Introduction Many of the non-pharmacological therapeutic interventions such as physical and mental exercises are focused on some of the dimensions of human cognition only. Therefore, methods involving immersion in VR (VR) might presumably belong to the more effective treatment methods. VR is a rapidly evolving technology, which is successfully and increasingly present in various branches, including medicine. Despite its increasing popularity for many people it is still new and unexplored, which leads to negative opinions and unwillingness to use in geriatric population. Therefore, the main purpose of this article is to describe application of virtual reality and new technologies devices in geriatrics. Material and methods Articles in the EBSCO database were analyzed using keywords: virtual reality, frailty, pain, phobias, stroke rehabilitation, adverse effects. Available literature has been subjectively selected. Results Researches with applications of virtual reality techniques in sarcopenia and frailty, phobias, stroke rehabilitation, pain therapy were described. Moreover, potential adverse effects were discussed. Conclusions An overview of the research results in this area indicates that the virtual reality, possibly could be applied in mental and physical training in the cases of both physiological aging and various disorders. At the same time, the disadvantages and potential adverse effects have been pointed out. Further studies on application of VR in older people should be conducted to determine its effectiveness in various clinical and nonclinical settings

Simulation-based assessments of fire emergency preparedness and response in virtual reality

The current study aimed at evaluating the prospects of a three-dimensional gas power plant (GPP) simulation in an immersive virtual reality (IVR) environment for fire emergency preparedness and response (EPR). To achieve this aim, the study assessed the possibility of safety situational awareness, evacuation drills and hazard mitigation exercises during a fire emergency simulation scenario. The study likewise evaluated the safety and ergonomics of the environment while addressing this aim. We employed the virtual reality accident causation model (VR-ACM) for the assessment with 54 participants individually in IVR. Participants were grouped into two according to whether they had work experience in engineering or not. The obtained results suggested that IVR can be realistic and safe, with the potential for presenting hazardous scenarios necessary for fire EPR. Furthermore, the results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in the perceptions of both groups regarding the prospects of IVR towards EPR.© 2021 Central Institute for Labour Protection - National Research Institute (CIOP-PIB). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Research on Workplace Safety Sign Compliance: Validation of a Virtual Environment Prototype

AbstractRecent studies have highlighted Virtual Environments (VEs) as feasible tools for conducting safety sign research. Conversely, guidelines on how to conduct such studies with workplace safety signs and older workers, is scarce. The nature of this study is justified by the fact that, as workers grow older, their ability to comply with such signs is adversely affected by age-related deficits. Therefore, the present pilot study sought to assess the quality of a VE prototype that was specifically designed to conduct safety sign research with middle-aged working adults (50-65 yrs). Using a work-related context, and a sample of twelve workers, the study consisted of two key moments: 1) to examine the workers’ interaction, by evaluating their behavioral compliance; and 2) to analyze their overall user experience, by assessing their subjective perceptions. In order to undergo such an evaluation, the following VE interaction issues were addressed: simulator sickness, sense of presence, level of engagement and hazard perception. Both behavioral and subjective data were gathered from three sources: observation, post-hoc questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. Results reveal that: 1) the VE's workplace safety signs were ineffective in promoting behavioral compliance; and 2) despite the occurrence of some simulator sickness, overall, participants had high levels of presence and engagement, as well as correctly perceived the VE's hazard. In conclusion, the VE prototype proved to be adequate for the study's purpose

Technological competence is a precondition for effective implementation of virtual reality head mounted displays in human neuroscience:A technological review and meta-analysis

International audienceImmersive virtual reality (VR) emerges as a promising research and clinical tool. However, several studies suggest that VR induced adverse symptoms and effects (VRISE) may undermine the health and safety standards, and the reliability of the scientific results. In the current literature review, the technical reasons for the adverse symptomatology are investigated to provide suggestions and technological knowledge for the implementation of VR head-mounted display (HMD) systems in cognitive neuroscience. The technological systematic literature indicated features pertinent to display, sound, motion tracking, navigation, ergonomic interactions, user experience, and computer hardware that should be considered by the researchers. Subsequently, a meta-analysis of 44 neuroscientific or neuropsychological studies involving VR HMD systems was performed. The meta-analysis of the VR studies demonstrated that new generation HMDs induced significantly less VRISE and marginally fewer dropouts. Importantly, the commercial versions of the new generation HMDs with ergonomic interactions had zero incidents of adverse symptomatology and dropouts. HMDs equivalent to or greater than the commercial versions of contemporary HMDs accompanied with ergonomic interactions are suitable for implementation in cognitive neuroscience. In conclusion, researchers' technological competency, along with meticulous methods and reports pertinent to software, hardware, and VRISE, are paramount to ensure the health and safety standards and the reliability of neuroscientific results