Examining the Usability of a Virtual Reality Driving Simulator

Abstract

The current study examined specific aspects of usability of a newly developed VR driver rehabilitation (VR-DR) system. Measures of user feedback and user comfort were examined among 54 participants: 33 individuals with acquired brain injury (20 with traumatic brain injury and 13 with cerebral vascular accident) and 21 healthy controls. All participants were administered the VR-DR and completed the VR-DR User Feedback Questionnaire. To examine group differences, a one-way analysis of variance was performed, comparing the user feedback total score between the three groups. The results indicated that the two clinical populations (traumatic brain injury and cerebral vascular accident) varied from the nonclinical population (healthy controls). A standard multiple regression analysis revealed that age was the only significant participant factor that contributed to the differences in user feedback ratings. Finally, consistent across the three groups, a distinct relationship was found between the self-reported user rating and the onset of simulation sickness. The current findings indicate that individuals with traumatic brain injury and cerebral vascular accident provided less favorable user feedback ratings than healthy controls in the use of a new VR-DR system. This difference was not accounted for by differences in gender, education, or cognitive status and was only slightly accounted for by age. Delineating these various aspects of user feedback can assist in identifying potential confounds in VR-DR performance and help refine the application of the VR-DR for clinical decision making.

Adaptation to simulator sickness in older drivers following multiple sessions in a driving simulator

“…They are well suited for large-scale deployment and allow presentation of a wide range of driving contexts in a safe environment 1 . In several countries, general driving training and assessment protocols already integrate the simulator environment in their method 2,3 and it has been argued that in certain circumstances, they provide more sensitive measures of driving efficiency than road tests [4][5][6][7][8] . Because training and retraining of older drivers is a topic of growing interest, it appears important to document more effectively how older drivers respond to simulators before simulator solutions can be implemented at a greater scale.…”

Assessment of wheelchair driving performance in a virtual reality-based simulator

“…Raw data from the driving trials were processed to derive certain performance metrics for driving performance. These metrics are derived from their equivalents in computer access research 21 and have been used in past research to evaluate wheelchair 8,9,11,22 and car driving 23 in VEs. Trial completion time was the time taken to complete all components of the driving circuit in the virtual simulation.…”

Specific attention disorders in drivers with traumatic brain injury

“…In brain damaged patients, stopping driving has been linked to employment difficulties, a higher incidence of depression, poor social integration, and an inability to engage in activities outside the home [2]. It is one of the most functionally disabling consequences of TBI [3].…”