Evaluation of Physiological Reactions in Virtual Reality
Condition: Virtual Reality
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of virtual medicine is to minimize direct contact and impact on human body during
      treatment. Taking into consideration the increasing accessibility of high quality electronic
      devices, their immense computing powers, and the continuously developing Internet
      infrastructure, the advancement in this area is only a matter of time. The project aims to
      analyze physiological reactions to stimuli in virtual reality in order to select appropriate
      stimulations for a group of pulmonary and cardiac patients.
    

Detailed description: 
      In recent years, the literature has shown the results of many studies undertaking the
      possibility of applying new technologies in rehabilitation as elements of optimization,
      including Virtual Reality (VR). VR can be based on computer programs that use a
      three-dimensional camera or sensors placed on the body to read the patient's movements and
      transfer them to the screen in a computer-created environment. For the most part, VR research
      has focused on analyzing the therapeutic potential of typical virtual games, which are not
      designed for clinical use, but for entertainment and relaxation.

      Rehabilitation in virtual reality has also become one of the common challenges for
      physiotherapists and IT specialists, who develop improvement programs dedicated to various
      diseases and illnesses. Numerous publications are available in the scientific literature,
      describing the possibilities of using VR as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool. The
      possibility of diagnostic application of the technology in motion analysis has been
      demonstrated. The use of VR in the analysis of respiratory mechanics and training of
      pulmonary patients has also been noted. Most of the available studies concern the
      rehabilitation of neurological patients. There are many studies available, including
      meta-analyses, which confirm that the best results of rehabilitation can be achieved through
      the use of traditional neurological rehabilitation combined with rehabilitation conducted in
      virtual reality. Only few papers describe physiological reactions, including heart rate
      variability (HRV) and thermovision diagnostics during stimulation in immersive virtual
      reality.

      The aim of the study is to evaluate the physiological reactions of the organism in healthy
      subjects during stimulation in immersive virtual reality.

      This study is focused on:

      Monitoring physiological parameters including heart rate variability (HRV) and thermal
      imaging (TI) change in healthy subjects during stimulation in immersive virtual reality.

      The result of proposed research may be the answer to the following questions:

        1. What changes in heart rate variability occur during the stimulation of various types of
           stimuli in virtual reality?

        2. Which alterations in body temperature, especially in the distal parts of the upper limb,
           occur during stimulation in virtual reality?

      The evaluation session will be conduced in the following scheme in static seated position:

        1. Preparation of the research equipment

        2. Measurement without stimulation in virtual reality: HRV, TI - 6 minute

        3. Measurement in virtual reality: HRV, TI - simulation of cold environment (snow, wind) -
           6 minute

        4. Measurement in virtual reality: HRV, TI - simulation of warm environment (the beach, the
           sea) - 6 minute

        5. Measurement in virtual reality: HRV, TI - simulation of terrifying environment (a dark
           room, ghosts) - 6 minute

        6. Measurement without stimulation in virulent reality: HRV, TI - 6 minute

        7. Completion of the measurements
    

Intervention name(s): stimulation in virtual reality
Intervention type(s): Diagnostic Test
Intervention description(s): HTC VIVE pro was used to stimulate patients in virtual reality. The glasses enable high resolution and high fluidity (90Hz) images to be displayed. The display used inside the glasses, OLED class, allows for accurate color replication. Numerous sensors placed in the glasses (such as gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer) supported by dedicated processors processing data from the sensors, instantly transfer the movement of the head of the rehabilitated person to virtual reality. Such a set allows to achieve full immersion in the virtual world. Various scenarios will be presented during the stimulation, such as beach, snow landscape, darkened room, rollercoaster ride.
It was planned to submit 3 scenarios with a total stimulation time of up to 20 minutes.
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Intervention model description: For this study it was assumed to expose healthy volunteers for stimuli in the immersive virtual reality
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Diagnostic
Keywords: virtual reality; VR; HRV; thermal imaging