BearWorks MSU Graduate Theses Fall 2017 Using Virtual Reality to Improve Sitting Balance Alice Kay Barnes Missouri State University, [email protected] As with any intellectual project, the content and views expressed in this thesis may be considered objectionable by some readers. However, this student-scholar’s work has been judged to have academic value by the student’s thesis committee members trained in the discipline. The content and views expressed in this thesis are those of the student-scholar and are not endorsed by Missouri State University, its Graduate College, or its employees. Follow this and additional works at: https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses Part of the Graphics and Human Computer Interfaces Commons, Occupational Therapy Commons, and the Physical Therapy Commons Recommended Citation Barnes, Alice Kay, "Using Virtual Reality to Improve Sitting Balance" (2017). MSU Graduate Theses. 3221. https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/3221 This article or document was made available through BearWorks, the institutional repository of Missouri State University. The work contained in it may be protected by copyright and require permission of the copyright holder for reuse or redistribution. For more information, please contact [email protected]. USING VIRTUAL REALITY TO IMPROVE SITTING BALANCE A Master’s Thesis Presented to The Graduate College of Missouri State University TEMPLATE In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Natural and Applied Science, Computer Science By Alice K. Barnes December 2017 Copyright 2017 by Alice Kay Barnes ii USING VIRTUAL REALITY TO IMPROVE SITTING BALANCE Computer Science Missouri State University, December 2017 Master of Natural and Applied Science Alice K. Barnes ABSTRACT This thesis focuses on using virtual reality (VR) to enhance sitting balance and core strength. It is a study in how to create a VR exercise program which is interesting enough to keep players/patients motivated, but comfortable to play and not overwhelming to the senses. The software used for this study was written with the hope that a later version of it might be used with occupational/physical therapy patients one day. For this master’s thesis, the initial testing has been done with healthy volunteers. The software incorporates what developers know thus far about designing for VR, and it is hoped that later software developers will benefit from knowing the results of this initial round of testing. All of the 39 test participants agreed that the game was fun, with 82% indicating “strongly agree” in the questionnaire. The enthusiastic responses indicate that the game probably has recreational value beyond therapy patients. KEYWORDS: virtual reality, sitting, balance, benefits, drawbacks, core strength, occupational therapy, physical therapy. This abstract is approved as to form and content _______________________________ Lloyd Smith, PhD Chairperson, Advisory Committee Missouri State University iii IMPROVING SITTING BALANCE WITH VIRTUAL REALITY By Alice K. Barnes A Masters Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College Of Missouri State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Natural and Applied Science, Computer Science December 2017 Approved: _______________________________________ Lloyd Smith, PhD _______________________________________ Jamil Saquer, PhD _______________________________________ Ken Vollmar, PhD _______________________________________ Duane Moses, PhD _______________________________________ Julie Masterson, PhD: Dean, Graduate College In the interest of academic freedom and the principle of free speech, approval of this thesis indicates the format is acceptable and meets the academic criteria for the discipline as determined by the faculty that constitute the thesis committee. The content and views expressed in this thesis are those of the student-scholar and are not endorsed by Missouri State University, its Graduate College, or its employees. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Veronica McGehee, OTA for her help and enthusiasm throughout this project. Thanks, as well, to Dr. Lloyd Smith for slogging through the initial draft. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1 Literature Review.................................................................................................................3 Development of 3D VR ...........................................................................................4 Medical Uses of VR .................................................................................................6 Augmented Reality ................................................................................................11 Visually Induced Motion Sickness (VIMS), Cybersickness, Simulator Sickness .13 The VR Cyber-Race of 2016-17 ............................................................................18 The Oculus Rift ..................................................................................................................21 The Basics ..............................................................................................................21 Why Oculus Rift ....................................................................................................21 Methodology ......................................................................................................................23 Objectives ..............................................................................................................23 General Design and Best Practices for VR ............................................................24 Equipment and Software ........................................................................................25 Strategy in the Game Design .................................................................................25 Experiments ...........................................................................................................29 Results ...............................................................................................................................30 Discussion ..........................................................................................................................33 Taking Note of the Suggestions .........................................................................................37 Level One ...............................................................................................................37 Other Levels and More Options .............................................................................39 Conclusions .......................................................................................................................42 The Possible Near Future of the VR/AR Industry .................................................42 The Future Role of AR/VR in Therapy .................................................................44 Concluding Remarks for This Study......................................................................45 References ..........................................................................................................................46 Appendices ........................................................................................................................52 Appendix A. Human Subjects IRB Approval ........................................................52 Appendix B. VR Sitting Balance Questionnaire....................................................53 Appendix C. Comment Responses to Question #4 ................................................54 Appendix D. Women’s Comment Responses to Question #5 ...............................56 Appendix E. Men’s Comment Responses to Question #5 .....................................57 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Q1 Responses on a Likert Scale: Therapy More Fun? (%). ...............................30 Table 2. Q3 Responses on a Likert Scale: Experience Discomfort? (%) .........................31 Table 3. Q4 Responses on a Likert Scale: Good Experience? (%). .................................31 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Far-Reaching View .............................................................................................26 Figure 2. Metallic Balls for Scoring ..................................................................................28 Figure 3. Overall Good Experience ...................................................................................32 Figure 4. Discomfort ..........................................................................................................37 viii INTRODUCTION Several challenges present themselves to occupational therapy patients and their therapists. Working through pain and tedium are high on this list. Pain and tedium in turn contribute to the overarching challenge of motivation. Many patients give up doing their exercises before reaching their full potential [1]. This thesis explores using virtual reality (VR) to make occupational/physical therapy and exercise in general more fun and motivating. Some of the programs in the past intended for therapy patients and billing themselves as VR programs have been programs that supply an avatar for the patient and provide interaction with a conventional two-dimensional screen. As an example, if one views an OmniVR demonstration video, it is clear that the patients are working in front of a