VR BioSensing

Motivation

This research project explores if we can estimate heart and respiratory rates using the sensors already built-in off-the-shelf Virtual Reality (VR) devices, without requiring additional hardware. Such biosignals hold significant relevance in VR applications, from promoting empathy between users to monitoring emotional states and managing cybersickness, making VR a compelling tool for various applications, including meditation and fitness.

The project’s primary motivation lies in leveraging existing VR devices to capture these biosignals by detecting slight, often imperceptible movements associated with heartbeats and breathing cycles. If successful, this approach could broaden the applicability of VR devices without the need for costly sensor additions, enhancing accessibility and potential use in health-focused VR applications.

Validation

To validate this approach, we are employing a dual-comparison method, analysing data captured by VR sensors alongside biosignals obtained from the scientifically established ScientISST platforms.

Regarding hardware we are resorting to:

	Meta Quest 3.
	ScientISST CORE (acquisition board) with ECG and ACC modules.
	Chest-strap with magnetic field-based sensor for respiratory rate measurement [1].

Preliminary results

Heart rate

Breathing rate

The Team

This research is being carried out at the Interactive Technologies Institute, LARSyS [2], by João Raposo and Professor Daniel Simões Lopes [3].

References

[1] A. S. Carmo et al., "A Magnetic Field-Based Wearable Respiration Sensor for Real-Time Monitoring During Pulmonary Rehabilitation," in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, vol. 71, no. 7, pp. 2243-2252, July 2024, doi: 10.1109/TBME.2024.3367536.

[2] Interactive Technologies Institute, LARSyS, website: https://iti.larsys.pt/ .

[3] Daniel Simões Lopes, Assistant Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico and Researcher at Interactive Technologies Institute, webpage: https://web.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/daniel.s.lopes/ .