By rich
A VR headset is a blindfold. Tripping, slipping, and losing your balance are all possible when you strap one on. Billed as “dreaming with your eyes open,” VR is actually more dangerous than a blindfold because instead of seeing nothing, the user wearing a VR headset sees a controlled illusion. While you’re swatting at tennis balls or delivering an uppercut, you’re moving through space, often without any awareness as to what’s in front or behind you. Parkinson’s patients, prone to falls, should be hyper-vigilant. Here are five suggestions for avoiding falls.
Take a seat. The easiest way to avoid falls is to stay seated. Many apps, including the best-selling Beat Saber, can be operated from a seated position. Find out which ones qualify by checking the “Supported Player Modes” at the Oculus app store. If you find that being seated limits your aerobic choices, you can also VR with home exercise equipment (stationary bikes, rowing machines, treadmills, and hand pedalers). You’ll need a cadence sensor (under $40) hooked to your exercise device, which will allow you to pedal, row, or walk anywhere on the planet (that’s been Google mapped) or through fantastical environments that don’t exist on any maps. (I’ll review these subscription apps in a later entry.) Be aware that these apps may require you to lean left or right to turn your virtual horse, tank, helicopter, etc. As Scott, one of VRPD’s testers, pointed out, leaning too far may cause you to lose your balance on your exercise bike. Finally, if you want to surf the web, watch a movie, check your email, view a giant-sized Instagram, or experience VR YouTube, you can do that while on your exercise bicycle, too.
Stay in your Guardian (and keep everything else out). Most VR systems establish a “safe” space for you to work out. Meta Quest uses a Guardian system. Ideally, you’ll need a 6.5-foot by 6.5-foot space (though smaller boundaries work as well). You’re prompted to create (or accept) your Roomscale Guardian by “drawing” it on the floor (see video). You can always see your Guardian’s boundaries by reaching your arms to the side; it looks like a cubicle made of netting. There shouldn’t be any furniture within the Guardian, ditto for small children and pets. Beware if your guardian closely borders a wall or window. You may be tempted to swing through the boundary when swatting a ball, and you could, as I have done, knock a sliding door off its track. The Guardian doesn’t have a ceiling, either, so if you have low ceilings in your home, beware when reaching for an overhead serve in tennis. If you’re seated, you won’t need to define the Roomscale boundary; you can accept the Stationary Guardian that sets a circular space around you.
Use passthrough. Near the end of 2022, every VR headset manufacturer offered a feature called passthrough that allows you to view your real-world surroundings through cameras mounted on the headset. This is a must-have safety feature as it removes the “blindfold” on demand. The passthrough video feed may be in color (Meta Quest 3), or in greyscale (Meta Quest 2) and it comes on automatically when you step outside your Guardian. You should also turn on “double-tap for passthrough” (see video below).
Don’t lean on the furniture. Scott, one of the VRPD testers, related that he had almost fallen when he leaned against a virtual tennis table. I might have laughed, but the same thing happened to me when I tried to bank an eight-ball in VR pool. This may be one of those “it-happens-once-and-you-learn-your-lesson” things but it would be best if you didn’t have to learn this lesson the hard way. Be vigilant about distinguishing the various realities.
Beware VR Sickness. VR Sickness (also known as cybersickness) produces symptoms similar to motion sickness — general discomfort, eye strain, headache, nausea, vomiting, sweating, fatigue, drowsiness, disorientation, and instability. VR sickness is triggered by contradictions between what you are observing and what your vestibular system– the sensory system that keeps you balanced– expects. There are ways to avoid or minimize VR sickness (eating ginger is my favorite). Your eyes and ears are especially important in maintaining stability. To avoid blurry vision in your headset, order prescription lenses that can snap into your headset.