critical review on: Health and Safety Issues of Immersive Virtual Reality Technologies

Running Head : Immersive Virtual Reality Technologies

Health And Safety Issues Of Immersive Virtual Reality Technologies

[Name of the Writer]

[Name of the Institution]

Abstract

The possible applications of VR technology are numerous and an immense research is Recently in progress in many academic and commercial institutions to develop these technologies into efficient useable systems . However , many current reports have raised fear that there may be a decline to the exposure of this new technology , signifying that users may face physical , physiological and psychological side-effects after using this type of

equipment . The idea of this report is to recognize the possible side-effects that have been explained in literature to date and to try to place them in the proper outlook . Thus users and possible users of VR systems will have some hints of the side-effects that they may face and the usually accepted reasons for their origin

Health And Safety Issues Of Immersive Virtual Reality Technologies

Introduction

Definition and Scope

Wilson (1996 ) proposes that new technologies experience some form of public reaction which might be due so various reasons . The technology may be being oversold , the result on the atmosphere and the lives of publics is usually unpleasant (e .g . the motor car ) or there is a reaction due to the regularity and period of use (e .g . the office computer workstation . Both he , and Howarth (1994 ) outlined similar views with the introduction of Visual Display Units (VDUs ) in the early 1980 's and the health conjecture adjacent to the use of VR equipment

Literature Review

Kolasinski (1995 ) recognizes the number of possible elements that may be linked with the inception of simulator sickness symptoms in a VE . These elements are repeated in Table 1 below

Table 1 : Possible Elements Associated with Simulator Sickness in Virtual Atmospheres (adapted from Kolasinski , 1995

Individual VR System /Simulator Task

age binocular viewing altitude above terrain

concentration level calibration degree of control

ethnicity colour duration

face with real-world task inter-ocular distance global visual flow

adaptation contrast head movements

flicker fusion frequency threshold field of view luminance level

gender flicker unusual manoeuvres

illness and personal characteristics motion platform rate of linear or rotational acceleration

mental rotation ability phosphor lag method of movement

perceptual style position-tracking error self-movement speed

postural stability refresh rate sitting vs . standing

scene content Vection

time lag (transport delay ) type of application

update rate (frame rate

viewing region When it is taken in consideration that these elements are drawn in the inception of simulator sickness alone , it becomes obvious that the origin of symptoms may be because of a very complicated interface between the elements in each of the three areas signified above . This may be the case for all proposed symptoms , and the current focus of much research is in trying to find out the most significant elements in the inception of specific symptoms

Discussion

Eventually , there is the issue of which side effects DO in reality occur , and which are more imaginary ideas brought about by the usual hype surrounding the...