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User discomfort while using a virtual reality headset as a personal viewing system for text-intensive office tasks
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Korea.
Ergonomics
|December 28, 2020
Summary
Virtual reality (VR) headsets increase head rotations and neck muscle use during office tasks, leading to greater physical and visual discomfort compared to desktop monitors. These ergonomics issues may hinder VR adoption for common workplace activities.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Occupational Health
- Ergonomics
Background:
- Ergonomic challenges of virtual reality (VR) headsets for text-intensive office applications remain understudied.
- Previous research has not comprehensively evaluated physical and visual discomforts associated with prolonged VR use in productivity tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify neck and shoulder discomfort and simulator sickness symptoms during a document creation task using VR headsets versus desktop monitors.
- To identify the primary ergonomic barriers to using VR headsets for common office work.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed a 60-minute document creation task using a VR headset and a desktop monitor.
- Neck and shoulder discomfort, head rotation frequency, neck muscle activity (EMG), and simulator sickness symptoms (SSQ) were measured.
- Electromyography (EMG) and normalized electromyography (NEMG) were used to assess muscle exertion.
Main Results:
- VR headset use resulted in 2.7 times more frequent head rotations and 25.9% greater neck extensor muscle activity.
- Participants reported 60% higher neck discomfort and 17.5% higher shoulder discomfort with VR.
- Simulator sickness symptoms, particularly visual discomfort, were significantly higher (p < .05) with VR headsets.
Conclusions:
- Frequent head rotations and headset weight contribute to physical discomfort during VR office tasks.
- Visual discomfort from reading text in VR headsets presents a significant barrier to their use for office work.
- Addressing these ergonomic and visual issues is crucial for the successful integration of VR technology into the workplace.
