Virtual reality and feeling of falling: a physiological wearable tool for virtual reality sickness

Virtual reality (VR) approaches have recently found promising applications in the field of rehabilitation. However, prolonged immersion in a VR environment is known to occasionally cause sickness and discomfort, in both patients and healthy subjects. In the present study we assessed changes in Electrodermal Activity (EDA) as an estimate of Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) activity in 16 healthy subjects performing 3 different tasks in a VR environment. Our aim is to collect preliminary evidence on the use of SNS activity as a potential marker to detect discomfort during VR experiences. SNS activity was quantified using a wearable device during the different conditions presented in the experiment. Results showed that EDA, more specifically Maximal Phasic activity and skin conductance differentiate among tasks, thus quantifying the SNS activity load of a task. In conclusion SNS activity markers derived from EDA have the potential to be used as a biomarker for VR experiences. Trial registration ID: NCT03425877