Illusion of Weight: Use of Multi-sensory Immersive Experiences for Indoor Exercise
Disciplines
Exercise Physiology | Game Design
Abstract (300 words maximum)
This research aims to investigate the impact of weight perception in muscle exercise experiences using virtual reality (VR) technology with tactile feedback to support innovative at-home workout experiences, particularly for elders, with cost-effective and injury risk-minimized. During the study participants were put into a VR gym as we manipulated the size of the VR dumbbell per condition, while they held a real lightweight dumbbell throughout. We aim to investigate whether we can measure weight perception through physiological signals and hand position to see if a multisensory immersive muscle exercise experience impacts weight perception. In this study, participants engaged in VR exercise experiences with an isometric contraction task, holding a dumbbell in a place with a stretching arm without movement while varying the size of the virtual dumbbell or providing tactile feedback. Before we conducted the study, we calibrated their hand positions and tracked their position during the task with their initial rate of perceived exertion (RPE) to avoid bias from muscle fatigue. In addition, we collected heart rate (HR) and galvanic skin response (GSR) data. Following that, the participants performed the isometric contraction for 30 seconds for 4 conditions: small dumbbell without tactile feedback, small dumbbell with tactile feedback, large dumbbell without tactile feedback, and large dumbbell with tactile feedback, followed by a questionnaire and a break. We found a significant effect from physiology signals in HR and GSR, and y-hand position but with a small effect size. The results from the study were mixed findings and supported with only minimal evidence. Further research will be required to understand the correlation and clear observation.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CCSE - Software Engineering and Game Development
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Sungchul Jung
Additional Faculty
Co-advisor, Garrett Hester, Exercise Science and Sports Management, ghester4@kennesaw.edu
Co-advisor, Lei Zhang, Computing and Software Engineering, lzhang24@kennesaw.edu
Illusion of Weight: Use of Multi-sensory Immersive Experiences for Indoor Exercise
This research aims to investigate the impact of weight perception in muscle exercise experiences using virtual reality (VR) technology with tactile feedback to support innovative at-home workout experiences, particularly for elders, with cost-effective and injury risk-minimized. During the study participants were put into a VR gym as we manipulated the size of the VR dumbbell per condition, while they held a real lightweight dumbbell throughout. We aim to investigate whether we can measure weight perception through physiological signals and hand position to see if a multisensory immersive muscle exercise experience impacts weight perception. In this study, participants engaged in VR exercise experiences with an isometric contraction task, holding a dumbbell in a place with a stretching arm without movement while varying the size of the virtual dumbbell or providing tactile feedback. Before we conducted the study, we calibrated their hand positions and tracked their position during the task with their initial rate of perceived exertion (RPE) to avoid bias from muscle fatigue. In addition, we collected heart rate (HR) and galvanic skin response (GSR) data. Following that, the participants performed the isometric contraction for 30 seconds for 4 conditions: small dumbbell without tactile feedback, small dumbbell with tactile feedback, large dumbbell without tactile feedback, and large dumbbell with tactile feedback, followed by a questionnaire and a break. We found a significant effect from physiology signals in HR and GSR, and y-hand position but with a small effect size. The results from the study were mixed findings and supported with only minimal evidence. Further research will be required to understand the correlation and clear observation.