Virtual Reality Exergames: Promoting Physical Health Among Industry Workers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Stranick ◽  
Christian Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Sensor Technology ◽  
Depth Sensor ◽  
Body Movements ◽  
Warm Up ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Game Elements

Abstract This work introduces a Virtual Reality (VR) Exergame application to prevent Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs). WMSDs are an important issue that can have a direct economic impact since they can injure workers, who are then forced to take time off. Exercise and stretching is one method that can benefit workers’ muscles and help prevent WMSDs. While several applications have been developed to prevent WMSDs, most of the existing applications suffer from a lack of immersivity or just focus on education and not necessarily helping workers warm-up or stretch. Hence, this work presents an Exergame application that leverages VR and Depth-sensor technology to help provide users with an immersive first-person experience. The objective of the VR Exergame is to encourage and motivate users to perform full-body movements in order to pass through a series of obstacles. The application implements a variety of game elements to help motivate users to play the game and stretch. While in the game, users can visualize their motions by controlling the virtual avatar with their body movements. It is expected that this immersivity will motivate and encourage the users. Initial findings show the positive effects that the base exergame has on individuals’ motivation and physical activity level. The results indicate that the application was able to engage individuals in low-intensity exercises that produced significant and consistent increases in their heart rate. Lastly, this work explores the development and benefits that this VR Exergame could bring by motivating workers and preventing WMSDs.

Adaptive Virtual Reality Exergame: Promoting Physical Activity Among Workers

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Thomas Stranick ◽  
Christian Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Learning Model ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Sensor Technology ◽  
Intensity Level ◽  
Body Movements ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Machine Learning Model

Abstract This work presents a Virtual Reality Exergame application designed to prevent Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs). Moreover, to help adapt the tasks of the exergame, a machine learning model that predicts users' exercise intensity level is presented. WMSDs are an important issue that can have a direct economic impact to an organization. Exercise and stretching is one method that can benefit workers and help prevent WMSDs. While several applications have been developed to prevent WMSDs, most of them suffer from a lack of immersivity or they just focus on education and not necessarily on helping workers warm up or stretch. In light of this, an Exergame application that leverages VR and Depth-sensor technology to help provide users with an immersive first-person experience that engage them in physical activities is introduced in this work. The objective of the Exergame is to motivate users to perform full-body movements in order to pass through a series of obstacles. While in the game, users can visualize their motions by controlling the virtual avatar with their body movements. It is expected that this immersivity will motivate and encourage the users. Initial findings show the positive effects that the base exergame has on individuals' motivation and physical activity. The results indicate that the application was able to engage individuals in low-intensity exercises that produced significant and consistent increases in their heart rate. Lastly, the results show that the machine learning model predicted users' exercise activity level with an accuracy of 76.67%.

scholarly journals Tai Chi and workplace wellness for health care workers: a systematic review

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
B Dorelli ◽  
R A Cocchiara ◽  
G Gholamalishahi ◽  
W Longo ◽  
E Musumeci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Case Report ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Tai Chi ◽  
Work Related Stress ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Related Stress

Abstract Background Several studies show positive effects of new non-medical therapies known as complementary and alternative medicines, such as the discipline of tai chi. As healthcare professions are among the most vulnerable for work-related stress, this systematic review aims to investigate the relationship between tai chi practice and wellness of healthcare workers. Methods Cinahl, Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed were searched in September 2019. Full-text articles, written in English and published after 1995, were recruited if they focused on positive effects of tai chi on the psychophysical wellbeing of healthcare workers, in comparison with alternative techniques (such as yoga or traditional care). Outcomes were reduced work-related stress, better physical and psychological function, improvement in attention and/or productivity; no restrictions about study design were applied. Quality assessment was performed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale on cohort/cross-sectional studies, the Jadad scale for randomized clinical trial, AMSTAR for systematic reviews and CASE REPORT scale for case study. Results 6/111 papers were included: 3 clinical trials, 1 observational study, 1 systematic review and 1 case report. The methodological quality was of medium level. 2/3 trials found a significant increase in individuals' wellbeing and improvements in stress levels and nursing staff’s motivation in their work. In the observational study tai chi was a prevalent mind-body practice to reduce stress. The systematic review suggested that tai chi could be a useful tool to reduce stress-related chronic pain. In case report the effectiveness was observed in medical students. Conclusions This study highlights the full potential and possible benefits derived from tai chi but its application to improve health professionals' wellbeing is still limited, and the absence of a standardized intervention impacts on the methodological quality and reduces the robustness of the retrieved evidence. Key messages Tai chi can improve many pathological conditions and reduce work-related stress. Further research is needed to gain robust evidence of its efficacy for wellbeing of healthcare workers.

scholarly journals Virtual Reality and Assistive Technologies: A Survey

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 30-57
Author(s):  
Shamima Yasmin
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Sensory Substitution ◽  
Body Movements ◽  
Rehabilitation Therapy ◽  
Extensive Survey ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Mental Exercise

This paper conducts an extensive survey on existing Virtual Reality (VR)-based rehabilitation approaches in the context of different types of impairments: mobility, cognitive, and visual. Some VR-based assistive technologies involve repetitions of body movements, some require persistent mental exercise, while some work as sensory substitution systems. A multi-modal VR-based environment can incorporate a number of senses, (i.e., visual, auditory, or haptic) into the system and can be an immense source of motivation and engagement in comparison with traditional rehabilitation therapy. This survey categorizes virtual environments on the basis of different available modalities. Each category is again subcategorized by the types of impairments while introducing available devices and interfaces. Before concluding the survey, the paper also briefly focuses on some issues with existing VR-based approaches that need to be optimized to exploit the utmost benefit of virtual environment-based rehabilitation systems .

scholarly journals Augmenting Kashgar

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Aydin ◽  
Marc Aurel Schnabel
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
New Media ◽  
Immersive Virtual Reality ◽  
Shape Grammars ◽  
Media Technologies ◽  
Digital Heritage ◽  
Modelling Method ◽  
Historical Architecture ◽  
Generative Modelling ◽  
Game Elements

© 2014 IEEE.This paper demonstrates a framework for a digital heritage research, Augmenting Kashgar, that facilitates the revitalizing of a historical architecture by using gamification, shape grammars and virtual reality. Examining current use of new media technologies, our methodology initially merges shape grammars, a generative modelling method, with gamification. It then extends the use of game elements into virtual reality in which the synthesizing of the old culture with a new one is the main accomplishment being sought. Firstly, gamification maps a community engagement plan while shape grammars serve for spatial analysis of the narrow alleys of Kashgar. Secondly, the gamified platform transitions from screen-based experience to immersive virtual reality interpretations.

scholarly journals Acute Effects of Salvia Supplementation on Cognitive Function in Athletes During a Fatiguing Cycling Exercise: A Randomized Cross-Over, Placebo-Controlled, and Double-Blind Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Babault ◽  
Ahmad Noureddine ◽  
Nicolas Amiez ◽  
Damien Guillemet ◽  
Carole Cometti
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Stroop Task ◽  
Perceived Exertion ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Acute Effects ◽  
Warm Up ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Fatiguing Exercise

Background:Salvia (sage) supplementation has been shown to improve the cognition function in healthy individuals or patients (e.g., attention, memory). To date, no study has explored its relevancy in the context of sporting performance. The aim of this study was to explore the acute effects of a combination of Salvia officinalis and Salvia lavandulaefolia on cognitive function in athletes performing a fatiguing cycling task.Methods: Twenty-six volunteers were included in this cross-over, randomized, double-bind vs. placebo trial. Two hours before the two experimental sessions (here called SAGE and PLACEBO), volunteers randomly received a supplementation of sage or placebo. During each experimental session, participants were tested at four occasions while cycling during a warm-up, in the middle and at the end of a fatiguing task and after a short 5-min recovery. Tests included a Stroop task, a simple reaction time task, and a backward digit span memory task. Heart rate and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were also measured at the beginning of the four test sessions.Results: Heart rate was significantly greater during the fatiguing exercise than during warm-up and recovery (P < 0.001) without any supplementation effect. RPE was greater during the fatiguing exercise than during warm-up and recovery (P < 0.001). Moreover, RPE was significantly lower during the SAGE session as compared to PLACEBO (P = 0.002). Reaction time was not altered during the exercise but was significantly shorter with SAGE as compared to PLACEBO (P = 0.023). The Stroop task only revealed significantly longer reaction time during warm-up as compared to recovery (P = 0.02) independently of the supplementation. The digit span memory test revealed a significant greater span score with SAGE as compared to PLACEBO (P = 0.044).Conclusion: The combination of Salvia improved the cognitive functions (perceived exertion, working memory, and reaction time). The positive effects were obtained in fresh condition and were maintained with fatigue.

Embodied Digital Rhetoric

2014 ◽  
pp. 312-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nonny de la Peña
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Philosophy Of Mind ◽  
Digital Rhetoric ◽  
Immersive Virtual Reality ◽  
The World ◽  
Technological Tools ◽  
Pass Through

A new embodied digital rhetoric emerges when using nonfiction narratives built in fully immersive virtual reality systems that take advantage of the plasticity of our sensations of presence. The feeling of “being-in-the-world” as described by phenomenologists, including philosophy of mind, film, and virtual reality theorists, is part of the adaptability that humans show in their relationship to technological tools. Andy Clark's “soft selves” and our “plastic presence” merge as the high resolution graphics of the latest virtual reality goggles and robust audio captured at real events tricks our minds into having an embodied connection with the stories portrayed in these new spaces. By putting people into news or documentary pieces on scene as themselves, opportunities for persuasive and effective rhetoric arise. This chapter cites theory, psychology and virtual reality research as well as the author's specific case studies to detail the potential for this new embodied digital rhetoric that allows us to pass through the screen and become present as witnesses to a nonfiction story.

scholarly journals Fostering Programming Practice through Games

Information ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 498
Author(s):  
José Carlos Paiva ◽  
José Paulo Leal ◽  
Ricardo Queirós
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Software Agent ◽  
Development Effort ◽  
Significant Development ◽  
Programming Education ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Graphical Feedback ◽  
Game Elements ◽  
Assessment Environment

Loss of motivation is one of the most prominent concerns in programming education as it negatively impacts time dedicated to practice, which is crucial for novice programmers. Of the distinct techniques introduced in the literature to engage students, gamification, is likely the most widely explored and fruitful. Game elements that intrinsically motivate students, such as graphical feedback and game-thinking, reveal more reliable long-term positive effects, but those involve significant development effort. This paper proposes a game-based assessment environment for programming challenges, built on top of a specialized framework, in which students develop a program to control the player, henceforth called Software Agent (SA). During the coding phase, students can resort to the graphical feedback demonstrating how the game unfolds to improve their programs and complete the proposed tasks. This environment also promotes competition through competitive evaluation and tournaments among SAs, optionally organized at the end by the teacher. Moreover, the validation of the effectiveness of Asura in increasing undergraduate students’ motivation and, consequently, the practice of programming is reported.

On lemons and lemonade: the effect of positive and negative career shocks on thriving

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Mansur ◽  
Bruno Felix
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Career Adaptability ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Moderated Mediation Model ◽  
Negative Feelings

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how positive affectivity (PA) moderates the indirect effects of positive and negative career shocks – unplanned and often unexpected external events whose effects cannot be anticipated or countered – on thriving via career adaptability.Design/methodology/approachThe authors empirically tested the moderated mediation model with a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. The study was performed with a valid sample of professionals who had experienced work-related career shocks.FindingsThe results indicated that career adaptability mediated the effects of positive and negative career shocks on thriving. In addition, the slope of the relationship between negative shocks and adaptability became positive for high levels of PA. The authors also found an indirect effect of negative career shocks on thriving at all levels of PA and importantly, when PA was high, the effects of negative shocks on thriving became positive.Practical implicationsIndividuals may use emotional reappraisal strategies to counter negative feelings that accompany negative events to mitigate the negative effects of such events. By strengthening their positivity, individuals facilitate their own perception of shocks, thereby minimizing the possibility of a decrease in adaptability resources.Originality/valueThis paper advances understanding of those mechanisms through which negative shocks lead to positive effects that can help individuals improve their career adaptability and thrive.

scholarly journals How Newcomers’ Work-Related Use of Enterprise Social Media Affects Their Thriving at Work—The Swift Guanxi Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Sun ◽  
Mengyi Zhu ◽  
Zuopeng (Justin) Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Enterprise Social Media ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
New Employee ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Thriving At Work

This study aims to explore the relationship between newcomers’ use of enterprise social media (ESM) and their thriving at work. Adopting the conception of swift guanxi, we propose a model to examine how newcomers’ work-related use of ESM influences their thriving at work through promoting swift guanxi (i.e., mutual understanding, reciprocal favors, and relationship harmony) between newcomers and veterans. A valid sample consisted of 77 new employee-veteran dyads in a large telecom company was used in Smart-PLS to test our research model. The results show that newcomers’ work-related use of ESM positively affects mutual understanding, reciprocal favor, and relationship harmony. Reciprocal favor and relationship harmony exert positive effects on learning and vitality. However, mutual understanding only has a positive effect on learning. Furthermore, swift guanxi mediates the relationships between newcomers’ work-related ESM usage and the two dimensions of thriving. The findings provide new insights for organizations to better manage the use of ESM to improve newcomers’ thriving at work.

scholarly journals A Virtual Reality Soldier Simulator with Body Area Networks for Team Training

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun-Chieh Fan ◽  
Chih-Yu Wen
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Body Area Networks ◽  
Simulation System ◽  
Training Data ◽  
Training Process ◽  
Body Movements ◽  
Body Area ◽  
Training Strategy ◽  
Military Tactics

Soldier-based simulators have been attracting increased attention recently, with the aim of making complex military tactics more effective, such that soldiers are able to respond rapidly and logically to battlespace situations and the commander’s decisions in the battlefield. Moreover, body area networks (BANs) can be applied to collect the training data in order to provide greater access to soldiers’ physical actions or postures as they occur in real routine training. Therefore, due to the limited physical space of training facilities, an efficient soldier-based training strategy is proposed that integrates a virtual reality (VR) simulation system with a BAN, which can capture body movements such as walking, running, shooting, and crouching in a virtual environment. The performance evaluation shows that the proposed VR simulation system is able to provide complete and substantial information throughout the training process, including detection, estimation, and monitoring capabilities.

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