Research Roundup (#1)
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Welcome…
Welcome to the first-ever Research Roundup! A weekly catch up on the latest developments in the field of XR research.
It’s been a busy week, so let's not hang around.
The Week in 3 (Sentences)
1. XR continues to be used for social good with researchers reporting on companions for people with dementia, VR tourism for long-term care residents, and support for the deaf and hard of hearing.
2. XR continues to show significant promise in healthcare applications, with more papers this week on chronic pain management, neurorehabilitation, mental health support, and medical training.
3. And… the technical innovations keep on coming with new research allowing the detection of emotions from gestures and head movements, more data on redirected walking, and an example of using brain stimulation to enhance embodiment.
The Week in 300 (Words)
So this week saw several papers all pushing the ‘VR for Good’ agenda that drives so many of us. This week's stand-out paper was from researchers in Canada who tested out AI-driven virtual companions for people with dementia. Here participants had a conversation with the VR companion ‘Kiera’ who was designed to promote reminiscence in the users as she asked about their life. While only a feasibility study, it provides an excellent example of what can be done with thoughtful use of the underlying technology.
Whilst we’re not the biggest fans of qualitative research, it was hard to deny the value of the work of Patel and Baker, exploring the perspectives of patients using VR for pain management. Lots is made of quantitative data regarding pain management, so it was refreshing to see the patient's voice being recognised. Qualitatively, VR for pain management was found to be more than just a distraction from the pain; it is also a way to separate from reality, relax, enjoy themselves, and elevate their mood. Crucial components that could be better recognised when collecting more quantitive data.
And finally, we were particularly excited this week to learn that data from hand gestures could be correlated to affect and cognitive load. Researchers from Singapore had participants play various tasks and then analysed the hand movements and gestures. They found that gesture distance, speed, and head motion could predict affect and cognitive load, opening the door to adapting virtual environments to suit the user's psychological state. Although only a preprint, we’re excited to see where the researchers take this next.
Paper of the Week
Our paper of the week this week goes to an article in Pain Reports that looked at an in-home skills-based VR program for lower back pain . This week, we're recognising the scale and rigour that is so often missing from research. With over 1000 participants on a 56-session program, followed up after 12 months, and pre-registered, this study raises the bar for effort and determination on the part of the researchers.
However, what gets us most excited is the use of a sham control condition! It may sound innocuous but a sham control is when participants believe they are getting an intervention but aren't. In this case they were provided with nature videos that were missing the skills content of the VR condition. What makes a sham control so much better than a waitlist is that participants are still actively engaged and believe they are getting a useful intervention. This increases confidence that any effects are not just down to placebo effects from being in the intervention condition.
Overall they found that participants receiving the VR intervention greatly reduced pain intensity and pain interference, but the results were not the impressive bit. This paper was all about the rigour.
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