Objectives: The Subjective Visual Vertical (SVV) test and the closely related Rod and Disk Test (RDT) are measures of perceived verticality measured in static and dynamic visual backgrounds. However, the equipment used for these tests is variable across clinics and is often too expensive or too primitive to be appropriate for widespread use. Commercial virtual reality technology, which is now widely available, may provide a more suitable alternative for collecting these measures in clinical populations. This study was designed to investigate verticality perception in symptomatic patients using a modified RDT paradigm administered through a head-mounted display (HMD). Design: A group of adult patients referred by a physician for vestibular testing based on the presence of dizziness symptoms and a group of healthy adults without dizziness symptoms were included. We investigated degree of visual dependence in both groups by measuring SVV as a function of kinematic changes to the visual background. Results: When a dynamic background was introduced into the HMD to simulate the RDT, significantly greater shifts in SVV were found for the patient population than for the control population. In patients referred for vestibular testing, the SVV measured with the HMD was significantly correlated with traditional measures of SVV collected in a rotary chair when accounting for head tilt. Conclusions: This study provides initial proof of concept evidence that reliable SVV measures in static and dynamic visual backgrounds can be obtained using a low-cost commercial HMD system. This initial evidence also suggests that this tool can distinguish individuals with dizziness symptomatology based on SVV performance in dynamic visual backgrounds.

Tactical officers and military personnel who train in explosive entry techniques regularly put themselves at risk of blast exposure. The overpressure conditions in complex military and law enforcement environments, such as interior doors, hallways, and stairwells, cannot be accurately predicted by standard blast models which were developed from outdoor, free-field blasts. In both training and operations, small, low-cost blast overpressure sensors would provide the benefit of tracking exposure levels of at-risk individuals. The sensors would allow, for the first time, direct determination of safe stand-off distances and positioning for personnel during explosive breaching. Overpressure, impulse, and acceleration data has been captured for a series of interior and exterior blasts, demonstrating the utility of the Blast Gauge system as a training and research tool to quantify blast overpressure in complex environments.