Virtual Reality Applications Research Team (VIRART),
Abstract
The development of Virtual Reality (VR) technology has led to a recent explosion
of interest in the use of VR in the home and workplace, both for serious
and leisure applications. Alongside the interest in potential usage of VR,
there has been growing concern regarding potential harmful implications of
VR including much speculation of a variety of side-effects and long-term
psychological consequences. Examination of scientific literature reveals
no examples of these effects demonstrated under experimentally controlled
conditions and little scientific basis for the kinds of effects speculated.
Nonetheless, some of the effects reported are based on anecdotal evidence
and any harmful effects of a new technology, no matter how infrequent, need
to be examined and understood. The Virtual Reality Applications Research
Team (VIRART), at the University of Nottingham, recently completed a two-year
research programme funded by the UK's Health and Safety Executive to examine
the Health and Safety Implications of Immersive Virtual Reality. This study
took a broad approach in order to determine any effects that may arise from
the use of VR and utilised methods from other research fields including the
assessment of simulator sickness. The results have highlighted research tools
applicable to the study of VR effects and the identification of a set of
effects unique to VR. This set of effects is described by the term Virtual
Reality Induced Symptoms and Effects (VRISE) and includes VR-induced sickness,
visual disturbances, psychomotor performance changes, psychological,
physiological and/or musculoskeletal effects. This paper will describe the
research approach taken in this study and present an overview of the results
obtained.
Keywords: Virtual Reality, Health and Safety, symptoms and effects.