Acute Virtual Reality Use and Real-World Aftereffects: Consequences of Virtual Environment Characteristics

Virtual reality is a rapidly-expanding technology, with many applications and mixed reports of negative sensorimotor and cognitive consequences to using the technology. There is a lack of research detailing the degree to which these ‘aftereffects’ persist following use or whether the virtual environment itself is a contributing factor. Thus, this study sought to examine how an acute bout of VR use affects real-world gait and balance control following use, as well as the visual and cognitive impacts. Fifty young, healthy participants read a story in VR while seated for 45 minutes. Before and after this activity, 36 of the 50 participants performed a series of gait and balance tasks, while variables related to sensorimotor control of these tasks were computed from motion capture and force plate data. Participants then completed several psychometric assessments of perceived symptoms, and task demand. Results generally indicate that there is an overall negative impact on real-world gait and balance control immediately following VR exposure, particularly with static standing balance and less so with gait. Interestingly, participants did not show any accompanying differences in the psychometric assessments, suggesting that these factors did not contribute to the physical aftereffects demonstrated by participants. Similarly, there was very little effect of the type of virtual environment on these outcomes. Future research and commercial applications should consider the magnitude and duration of these physical aftereffects on users before making safety recommendations regarding a specific VR use case, as well as consider other potential sensorimotor or cognitive contributors to these effects.