# Current Perceptions of Virtual Reality Technology
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Implications for Manufacturers  
A concerning issue of privacy was unsurprisingly apparent here. Participants feared for the way their personal data is used (potentially against them) and without their informed consent. The development of eye-tracking in VR was accepted as appropriate. Content personalisation had mixed reviews for its place in VR; this could include the presentation of advertisements in the headsets. VR manufacturers should take special care when it comes to the privacy and protection of their users' data. One free-text question asked participants to explain what improvements they thought should be made to VR devices. Descriptors surrounding the hardware (_\"weight'_\(n=22\), _\"size'_\(n=5\), _\"wires'_\(n=4\)) appeared the most times, with all who mentioned this requesting the device to be made smaller, lighter, and without cables. The weight and bulkiness of devices were noted in Figure 10 and appear again here without prompts. Components of the hardware, such as weight and form factor, arose in multiple other responses: the term _\"confortable'_ in Figure 12b, _\"unconfortable\"_ in Figure 13b; _\"bulky'_ was agreed upon by the participants as an appropriate term to describe VR technology in Figure 7.  
Likely a result of the hardware composition, pricing was also a notable theme within the responses of this questionnaire. In Figure 6, the price was found to be the second most important feature rated for the technology, and the weight was ranked third. Manufacturers should take this information on board when aiming future devices at populations that may have restricted disposable income. The topic of health and safety appeared in the responses to numerous different questions (Figures 9, 11 and 12). Individuals have shown concern over the side effects that can occur when using VR technology, such as motion sickness and eye fatigue. Related factors within this topic include tripping hazards, the amount of space required to use the technology, and reduced awareness of one's surroundings. Having a reduction in the cable length or using wireless devices would be one way manufacturers can combat this safety issue, with the removal of cables causing a reduction in tripping hazards. One participant noted: \"_incorporating some form of physical apparatus that can truly immerse yourself in a new virtual world without major risk of injury_\". The addition of physical apparatus to reinforce the virtual guardian system, which is present in many devices, is suggested here to enhance the immersive experience; however, it might work in the opposite way as a grounding feature for the physical world. With the risk of eye strain and other physiological issues being a prominent theme, the suggestion of having break announcements was suggested as an improvement. When the user has been involved in a virtual environment for an extended period of time, a reminder to take a break would be a helpful way to avoid such issues. This would aid in reducing some of the other health and safety-related side effects of the technology that have arisen in other questions. While VR technology has been around for decades, it is currently more available and usable than it has ever been. It has been noted [118] that during the COVID-19 pandemic, VR played a vital role in medical marketing, disease awareness, medical training, and learning. This is encouraging for the acceptance of VR outside of pandemic times if more similar applications can be developed. Throughout the pandemic, the importance of physical activity was also appreciated by many; over half of the population reported wanting to do more physical activity once the pandemic restrictions eased [119]. Applications of VR can be further developed in the domain of sports and exercise; however, tripping hazards and guardian systems are critical for these applications. VR software is currently being used, for example, in training for football [120], volleyball [121], and perception-action tasks for predicting opponents' behaviour with rugby and handball [122].