Change of equilibrium under the influence of VR experience

The effectiveness of a virtual reality (VR) system is suggested in all cases (e.g., remote manipulation using a robot at a nuclear power plant). However, there are no guidelines on the influence of a VR system on humans. In this study, we assumed that sensory conflict was a cause of VR sickness, and the influence of a VR experience on equilibrium was examined from the points of view of stabilometry and walking. The negative effects of a VR experience were examined relative to stabilometry (static equilibrium) and a walking period (dynamic equilibrium). The experimental results showed that the mean-movement distance and the mean movement velocity of the center of pressure (COP) increased during the VR experience with a head-mounted display (HMD) for 60 minutes. It was suggested that the VR experience appeared to affect the high posture control mechanism and the VR experience caused motion sickness-like symptoms.