Open AccessInvestigating the Use of Virtual Reality Headsets for Postural Control Assessment: Instrument Validation Study
Author(s) -
Brian Sylcott,
Chia-Cheng Lin,
Keith R. Williams,
Mark Hinderaker
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
jmir rehabilitation and assistive technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2369-2529
DOI - 10.2196/24950
Subject(s) - headset , intraclass correlation , virtual reality , simulation , force platform , haptic technology , center of pressure (fluid mechanics) , root mean square , computer science , physical medicine and rehabilitation , engineering , mathematics , artificial intelligence , statistics , medicine , reproducibility , telecommunications , electrical engineering , aerodynamics , aerospace engineering
Background Accurately measuring postural sway is an important part of balance assessment and rehabilitation. Although force plates give accurate measurements, their costs and space requirements make their use impractical in many situations. Objective The work presented in this paper aimed to address this issue by validating a virtual reality (VR) headset as a relatively low-cost alternative to force plates for postural sway measurement. The HTC Vive (HTC Corporation) VR headset has built-in sensors that allow for position and orientation tracking, making it a potentially eective tool for balance assessments. Methods Participants in this study were asked to stand upright on a force plate (NeuroCom; Natus Medical Incorporated) while wearing the HTC Vive. Position data were collected from the headset and force plate simultaneously as participants experienced a custom-built VR environment that covered their entire field of view. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to examine the test-retest reliability of the postural control variables, which included the normalized path length, root mean square (RMS), and peak-to-peak (P2P) value. These were computed from the VR position output data and the center of pressure (COP) data from the force plate. Linear regression was used to investigate the correlations between the VR and force plate measurements. Results Our results showed that the test-retest reliability of the RMS and P2P value of VR headset outputs (ICC: range 0.285-0.636) was similar to that of the RMS and P2P value of COP outputs (ICC: range 0.228-0.759). The linear regression between VR and COP measures showed significant correlations in RMSs and P2P values. Conclusions Based on our results, the VR headset has the potential to be used for postural control measurements. However, the further development of software and testing protocols for balance assessments is needed.