Static posture tests for the assessment of postural instability after virtual environment use

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Neuroscience
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Virtual environments (VEs) offer immersive experiences with potential effects on users' physical state.
• Understanding the impact of VE immersion on postural stability is crucial for safety and user experience.
• Simulator sickness is a known side effect of VE use, but its relationship with objective physiological measures remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the effect of virtual environment immersion on postural stability.
• To investigate the correlation between postural stability and self-reported simulator sickness.
• To compare the sensitivity of different postural stability measurement techniques.

Main Methods:

• Forty healthy subjects underwent 20-minute immersive virtual environment exposure using a head-mounted display.
• Postural stability was assessed in normal stance and tandem Romberg positions before, immediately after, and 10 minutes post-immersion.
• Measures included time-to-maintain posture and body sway path length, with a focus on sway magnetometry.

Main Results:

• Sway magnetometry revealed a significant increase in postural instability in the normal stance after VE immersion.
• Other postural stability measures did not detect this significant change.
• A correlation was observed between self-reported simulator sickness symptoms and balance-related symptoms, but not with objective performance measures of postural instability.

Conclusions:

• Sway magnetometry is a sensitive technique for detecting subtle changes in postural stability post-VE immersion.
• While VE immersion provokes simulator sickness, its direct link to objective measures of postural instability requires further investigation.
• Individual responses to VE immersion vary, highlighting the need for personalized assessment of effects on balance.