Effect of simulated height on people exposed to different scenarios by means of virtual reality: Preliminary study.

Abstract

The use of virtual reality has become a fundamental pillar of information technologies and has been used as a support tool in the areas of entertainment, health sciences, and psychology. On some occasions, virtual environments can be immersive enough to the point of generating bodily sensations such as sweating, vertigo, and anxiety. This paper describes the development of a virtual reality environment that simulates different height-related scenarios. In addition, two physiological sensors are implemented to capture muscle tension and heart rate, and thus determine the effect of these concerning the simulated environments. Preliminary results allow establishing a relationship between the simulated altitude scenarios and the increase of some physiological variables, thus determining their potential use in real environments. © 2021, Associacao Iberica de Sistemas e Tecnologias de Informacao. All rights reserved.