Task-Oriented and Imitation-Oriented Movements in Virtual Reality Exercise Performance and Design

Author(s):  
Ken Chen ◽  
Karen B. Chen

Objective This study investigated the influence of game features and practice type on human kinematic and muscular performance in a virtual reality exercise (VRE). Participants demonstrated changes in shoulder flexion angle and muscle activation under different virtual scenarios. Background Conventional VRE studies often compared the outcomes between an experimental group that underwent exercise in VR and a real-world exercise control group, whereas comparisons between VRE programs are lacking. Besides, the attributes of VREs received little attention. Method Thirteen able-bodied participants performed upper extremity exercise movements in immersive VR using a head-mounted display. Participants performed task-oriented and imitation-oriented movements with different game features. Shoulder muscle activity (the deltoid, supraspinatus, and infraspinatus) and shoulder motion were collected. Results Practice type (task-oriented, imitation-oriented) significantly influenced the flexion angle of the shoulder complex ( F(1,11) = 9.53, p = .01), and the muscle activity of the supraspinatus ( F(1,9) = 12.61, p = .006) and the infraspinatus ( F(1,9) = 12.71, p = .006). Game features did not have a statistically significant effect on shoulder flexion angle or shoulder muscles’ activations. Conclusions Compared to imitation-oriented practice, task-oriented practice elicited more intensive shoulder movements and muscular efforts but also induced greater movement variations. Substantial differences across game features levels should be further investigated to have significant effects. Applications This research may help guide the design of future VREs. For strength training or rehabilitation where intensive practice is required, task-oriented practice should be considered; for movement learning where movement consistency is required, imitation oriented practice should be adopted.

1994 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 1261-1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Hong ◽  
D. M. Corcos ◽  
G. L. Gottlieb

1. Six subjects performed three series of pointing tasks with the unconstrained arm. Series one and two required subjects to move as fast as possible with different weights attached to the wrist. The first required flexion at both shoulder and elbow joints. The second required shoulder flexion and elbow extension. The third series required flexion at both joints and subjects were intentionally instructed to vary movement speed. These three pointing tasks were selected as the simplest progression from single to multiple degree of freedom movements in which different patterns of motoneuron excitation are required depending on whether movements are made against different loads or at different intended speeds. 2. Changes in load and changes in intended speed both produced systematic but different changes in the patterns of muscle activity and joint torque in both the elbow and shoulder muscles. These patterns are the same found during constrained, single-joint elbow flexion movements. The changes are expressed in the rates of rise, durations, and latencies of the electromyographic (EMG) bursts and in the rates of rise of torque that have specific dependencies based on the force requirements of the task. 3. A consistent, almost linear relationship is observed between muscle torque at the shoulder and at the elbow for all three tasks. Similar systematic changes were not seen in the kinematic description of joint angles.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


2020 ◽  
pp. 104687812094456
Author(s):  
Panos Kostakos ◽  
Paula Alavesa ◽  
Mikko Korkiakoski ◽  
Mario Monteiro Marques ◽  
Victor Lobo ◽  
...  

Background Wayfinding has been adopted in several intense evacuation and navigation simulations; however, the use of biometric measurements for characterizing physiological outcomes has been somewhat overlooked and applied only under limited laboratory conditions. Methods Twenty-four participants took part in a virtual reality (VR) experiment using a wayfinding installation with the Oculus Rift S head-mounted display (HMD). They were immersed in a simulation of a burning underground parking lot and tasked to navigate to the exit. The purpose of this research was to investigate the high-level effect of wayfinding assistive lights on behavioral, physiological, and psychological outcomes. Participants were split into two groups: the control group was exposed to a scene without assistive lights, and the experimental group was exposed to the same scene with assistive lights. Results Results indicate there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in traveled distance, pauses, turns, or game completion time. Curiously, differences between the two groups in heart rate (HR) outcomes were found to be statistically significant, with subjects in the control group displaying an increasing HR trend during simulation. Conclusions This finding, in accordance with previous studies that have shown the efficacy of landmarks and wayfinding affordances in reducing cognitive demands, suggests that assistive lights might contribute to improved brain wiring connectivity during the game. We discuss these findings in the context of a rich wayfinding affordances literature.


2011 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 366-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Van Deun ◽  
Karel Stappaerts ◽  
Oron Levin ◽  
Luc Janssens ◽  
Filip Staes

Context: Acceptable measurement stability during data collection is critically important to research. To interpret differences in measurement outcomes among participants or changes within participants after an intervention program, we need to know whether the measurement is stable and consistent. Objective: To determine the within-session stability of muscle activation patterns for a voluntary postural-control task in a group of noninjured participants and a group of participants with chronic ankle instability (CAI). Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Setting: Musculoskeletal laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: Twenty control participants (8 men, 12 women; age = 21.8 ± 2.4 years, height = 164.3 ± 13.4 cm, mass = 68.4 ± 17.9 kg) and 20 participants with CAI (12 men, 8 women; age = 21.2 ± 2.1 years, height = 176 ± 10.2 cm, mass = 71.7 ± 11.3 kg). Intervention(s): Participants performed 4 barefoot standing trials, each of which included a 30-second double-legged stance followed by a 30-second single-legged stance in 3 conditions: with vision, without vision, and with vision on a balance pad. Main Outcome Measure(s): The activity of 7 muscles of the lower limb was measured for the stance task in the 3 different conditions for each trial. The onset of muscle activity and muscle recruitment order were determined and compared between the first and the fourth trials for both groups and for each condition. Results: We found no differences in the onset of muscle activity among trials for both groups or for each condition. The measurement error was 0.9 seconds at maximum for the control group and 0.12 seconds for the CAI group. In the control group, 70% to 80% of the participants used the same muscle recruitment order in both trials. In the CAI group, 75% to 90% used the same recruitment order. Conclusions: Within 1 session, measurement stability for this task was acceptable for use in further research. Furthermore, no differences were found in measurement stability across conditions in the control or CAI groups.


Author(s):  
Eunjee Kim ◽  
Gwanseob Shin

Potential ergonomic issues associated with the use of a head mounted display (HMD) for office productivity applications have not yet been quantitatively evaluated. A laboratory experiment was conducted to quantitatively evaluate physical stresses and the productivity of the use of HMD. Twenty healthy participants conducted a document editing task for 60 minutes once with an external display and once with a HMD. Head rotation in sagittal and transverse planes, myoelectric activity of neck and shoulder muscles, subjective discomfort ratings and productivity were collected periodically during the task. Results found significantly (p<0.05) greater head rotation movements on both planes, neck muscle activities, and discomfort ratings and decreased productivity when conducting the task with the HMD as compared when using the external display. Difficulty in reading texts due to insufficient resolution of the HMD screen, additional load and neck flexion moment from the weight of the device were responsible for the greater physical stresses associated with the use of HMD.


Author(s):  
Diego Gonzalez ◽  
Danielle Filio ◽  
Lynn Dony ◽  
Michele Oliver

The purpose of this work was to compare simulator and surface electromyography (sEMG) variables between fixed base (FBDS) and dynamic driving (DDS) simulation conditions using a hexapod robot based driving simulator during 90 degree turning manoeuvers. Nine males and nine females, who wore a light-weight head mounted display to provide the visual input, drove faster in the DDS leading to faster turn exit velocities and turn completion times. For sEMG variables, one of the most common findings was that when making left turns, higher muscle activity was observed in the DDS. This suggests that DDS driving does differ from FBDS driving. Information provided by this work shows that simulator movement affects muscle activation, therefore, care should be taken when interpreting results from FBDS to not assume that similar results would be found in DDS, and by extension naturalistic driving.


Trials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aileen C. Naef ◽  
Marie-Madlen Jeitziner ◽  
Stephan M. Gerber ◽  
Béatrice Jenni-Moser ◽  
René M. Müri ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Delirium has been long considered as a major contributor to cognitive impairments and increased mortality following a critical illness. Pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic strategies are used against delirium in the intensive care unit (ICU), despite these strategies remaining controversial. Previous studies have shown the feasibility of using virtual reality within the ICU setting, and we propose to use this technology to investigate the effect of immersive virtual reality stimulation on the incidence of delirium in the ICU. Moreover, we propose to use motion sensors to determine if patient movement patterns can lead to early prediction of delirium onset. Methods This study is conducted as a randomized clinical trial. A total of 920 critically ill patients in the ICU will participate. The control group will receive standard ICU care, whereas the intervention group will, in addition to the standard ICU care, receive relaxing 360-degree immersive virtual reality content played inside a head-mounted display with noise-cancelling headphones, three times a day. The first 100 patients, regardless of their group, will additionally have their movement patterns recorded using wearable and ambient sensors. Follow-up measurements will take place 6 months after discharge from the ICU. Discussion Delirium is widely present within the ICU setting but lacks validated prevention and treatment strategies. By providing patients with virtual reality stimulation presented inside a head-mounted display and noise-cancelling headphones, participants may be isolated from disturbances on an ICU. It is believed that by doing so, the incidence of delirium will be decrease among these patients. Moreover, identifying movement patterns associated with delirium would allow for early detection and intervention, which may further improve long-term negative outcomes associated with delirium during critical care. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04498585. Registered on August 3, 2020


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergo Martirosov ◽  
Marek Bureš ◽  
Tomáš Zítka

AbstractIt is known that virtual reality (VR) experience may cause cyber sickness. One aspect of VR is an immersion or otherwise sense of presence, the sense of feeling oneself in a virtual world. In this paper an experiment which was conducted in order to find the link between level of immersion and cyber sickness felt by participants is presented. Eighty-nine participants aged between 19 and 36 years have been equally divided into four groups with different level of VR immersion. The low-immersive group was represented by PC with monoscopic screen, the semi-immersive group was represented by CAVE with stereoscopic projector, the fully immersive group was represented by VR head-mounted display, and the last group was the control group without any kind of immersion. The task for the participants was to navigate through the maze for a specified amount of time (10 min). The Simulator Sickness Questionnaire was used as a subjective measure tool for cyber sickness level and Grooved Pegboard Test for assessing the fine dexterity, both before and after the experiment. Regarding the time spend in VR the fully immersive environment had the biggest problems as more than half of the participants had to stop before 10 min (p < 0.001). Concerning the cyber sickness, the significant increase in nausea score between pre-test and post-test scores has been observed in semi-immersive group (p = 0.0018) and fully immersive group (p < 0.0001). The increase in oculomotor score was smaller. The significant difference was noted only in fully immersive group (p = 0.0449). In spite of great nausea factor after the VR immersion the participants did not show a decrease of fine dexterity in any group (p < 0.001).


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Rausch ◽  
Frank Weber ◽  
Sven Kühn ◽  
Carla Ledderhos ◽  
Christoph Zinner ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Technological advancements in modern military and acrobatic jet planes have resulted in extraordinary psychophysiological loads being exerted upon flying personnel, including inducing neck and back pain. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of 12 weeks of functional strength training on 1) the volume and strength of the neck and shoulder muscles and 2) muscular activity upon exposure to helmets of different masses and elevated Gz forces in a long-arm centrifuge in high-performance aircraft personnel. Methods Eighteen participants underwent 12 weeks of functional strength training (n = 12) or the control protocol (n = 6) without additional strength training. Pre- and post-intervention tests included evaluations of isometric strength of the head extensor muscles, flexion, and lateral flexion and rotation, as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the volume of the m. sternocleidomastoideus, m. trapezius, and deep neck muscles. Furthermore, during a long-arm centrifuge (+ 1.4 and + 3 Gz) protocol, the muscular activity levels of the m. sternocleidomastoideus, m. trapezius and m. erector spinae muscles were assessed without a flight helmet, with a helmet, and with a helmet and night vision goggles. Each participant’s perception of muscular strain was noted immediately after the long-arm centrifuge protocol. Results The maximal isometric strength in all exercises and muscle volumes increased in the training group but not the control group (P < 0.05). Relative muscle activity (%MVC) with a helmet decreased after the intervention in the training but not the control group (P = 0.01). Relative muscle activity while wearing a helmet and night vision goggles was higher after intervention in the control group than in the training group (P < 0.01). The perceived muscular strain of the neck muscles induced by the long-arm centrifuge did not differ between the groups. Conclusion Twelve weeks of functional strength training improves the maximal isometric strength and volume of neck and shoulder muscles and leads to lower relative muscle activation upon exposure to elevated Gz forces in a long-arm centrifuge.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 2208
Author(s):  
Gang Li ◽  
Shihong Zhou ◽  
Zhen Kong ◽  
Mengyuan Guo

Today, as media and technology multitasking becomes pervasive, the majority of young people face a challenge regarding their attentional engagement (that is, how well their attention can be maintained). While various approaches to improve attentional engagement exist, it is difficult to produce an effect in younger people, due to the inadequate attraction of these approaches themselves. Here, we show that a single 30-min engagement with an attention restoration theory (ART)-inspired closed-loop software program (Virtual ART) delivered on a consumer-friendly virtual reality head-mounted display (VR-HMD) could lead to improvements in both general attention level and the depth of engagement in young university students. These improvements were associated with positive changes in both behavioral (response time and response time variability) and key electroencephalography (EEG)-based neural metrics (frontal midline theta inter-trial coherence and parietal event-related potential P3b). All the results were based on the comparison of the standard Virtual ART tasks (control group, n = 15) and closed-loop Virtual ART tasks (treatment group, n = 15). This study provides the first case of EEG evidence of a VR-HMD-based closed-loop ART intervention generating enhanced attentional engagement.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1111
Author(s):  
Guillermo Palacios-Navarro ◽  
Neville Hogan

Immersive virtual reality techniques have been applied to the rehabilitation of patients after stroke, but evidence of its clinical effectiveness is scarce. The present review aims to find studies that evaluate the effects of immersive virtual reality (VR) therapies intended for motor function rehabilitation compared to conventional rehabilitation in people after stroke and make recommendations for future studies. Data from different databases were searched from inception until October 2020. Studies that investigated the effects of immersive VR interventions on post-stroke adult subjects via a head-mounted display (HMD) were included. These studies included a control group that received conventional therapy or another non-immersive VR intervention. The studies reported statistical data for the groups involved in at least the posttest as well as relevant outcomes measuring functional or motor recovery of either lower or upper limbs. Most of the studies found significant improvements in some outcomes after the intervention in favor of the virtual rehabilitation group. Although evidence is limited, immersive VR therapies constitute an interesting tool to improve motor learning when used in conjunction with traditional rehabilitation therapies, providing a non-pharmacological therapeutic pathway for people after stroke.


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