Effects of the Weight and Balance of Head-Mounted Displays on Physical Load
Source abstract
Abstract
To maximize user experience in VR environments, optimizing the comfortability of head-mounted displays (HMDs) is essential. To date, few studies have investigated the fatigue induced by wearing commercially available HMDs. Here, we focus on the effects of HMD weight and balance on the physical load experienced by the user. We conducted an experiment in which participants completed a shooting game while wearing differently weighted and balanced HMDs. Afterwards, the participants completed questionnaires to assess levels of discomfort and fatigue. The results clarify that the weight of the HMD affects user fatigue, with the degree of fatigue varying depending on the center of mass position. Additionally, they suggest that the torque at the neck joint corresponds to the physical load imparted by the HMD. Therefore, our results provide valuable insights, demonstrating that, to improve HMD comfortability, it is necessary to consider both the balance and reduction of weight during HMD design.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorders · Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts · Tactile and Sensory Interactions
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
College of Science and Engineering, Aoyama Gakuin University, Kanagawa 252-5258, Japan
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo 135-0064, Japan
Funding
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
References (15)
Show source-provided references
1. (2020, July 13). Virtual Reality Society. 2016: The Year of VR?. Available online: https://www.vrs.org.uk/2016-the-year-of-vr/.
2. A virtual reality-based experimentation environment for the verification of human-related factors in assembly processes10.1016/S0736-5845(00)00013-2 ↗
3. Ergonomics of wearable computers10.1023/A:1019165908249 ↗
4. McCauley-Bell, P. (2002). Ergonomics in virtual environments. Handbook of Virtual Environments: Design, Implementation, and Applications, CRC Press.
5. Flight helmet weight,+ Gz forces, and neck muscle strain
6. Neck muscle loading and fatigue: Systematic variation of headgear weight and center-of-gravity
7. Gallagher, H.L., Caldwell, E., and Albery, C.B. (2008). Neck Muscle Fatigue Resulting from Prolonged Wear of Weighted Helmets, General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems. Technical Report.
8. Evaluation of the biomechanical stress in the neck and shoulders during augmented reality interactions10.1016/j.apergo.2020.103175 ↗
9. The effects of target location on musculoskeletal load, task performance, and subjective discomfort during virtual reality interactions10.1016/j.apergo.2019.103010 ↗
10. Evaluation of physical workload affected by mass and center of mass of head-mounted display10.1016/j.apergo.2017.11.016 ↗
11. Facebook Technologies, LLC (2020, July 13). Oculus Rift. Available online: https://www.oculus.com/rift/.
12. Steed, A., and Julier, S. (2013, January 16–17). Design and implementation of an immersive virtual reality system based on a smartphone platform. Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces (3DUI), Orlando, FL, USA.10.1109/3DUI.2013.6550195 ↗
13. Rebelo, F., and Soares, M.M. (2019). The Effects of Weight on Comfort of Virtual Reality Devices. Advances in Ergonomics in Design, Springer International Publishing.
14. Zhuang, J., Liu, Y., Jia, Y., and Huang, Y. (2018). User discomfort evaluation research on the weight and wearing mode of head-wearable device. International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics, Springer.10.1007/978-3-319-94619-1_10 ↗
15. Rash, C.E., Russo, M.B., Letowski, T.R., and Schmeisser, E.T. (2009). Helmet-Mounted Displays: Sensation, Perception and Cognition Issues, Army Aeromedical Research Lab. Technical Report.10.1037/e614362011-001 ↗