Enhancing User Wellness in the Digital World

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Wellness is an overall state of physical, emotional, and mental well-being. It is becoming increasingly important in the digital world as technology plays a more significant role in our daily lives. With the rise of virtual and augmented reality and the increasing use of social media and other digital platforms, the potential for adverse effects on user wellness is increasing.

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Stress

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Stress-related to social media usage is a growing concern as technology continues to play an ever-increasing role in our daily lives. The increasing use of social media has led to new forms of stress, such as bullying, violence, isolation, fear of missing out (FOMO), and cybercrime.

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XR environments and the immersive nature of the Metaverse can increase the impact of bullying, violence, isolation, FOMO, and cybercrime, making it even more critical to address these issues proactively.

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With the increasing reliance on technology and the expectation of constant availability, the lines between work and personal life have blurred. The pressure to be constantly connected and responsive has added a new layer of stress to the workplace, particularly with the rise of remote work. The never-ending demands of digital devices, email, and social media can lead to feelings of overwhelm, stress, and burnout. This "always on" culture can result in prolonged work hours, a lack of work-life balance, and an inability to disconnect, all of which can contribute to workplace stress.

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Cybersickness

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Cybersickness is a condition caused by a mismatch between the visual information seen in a virtual or augmented reality environment and the information that the inner ear and other balance sensors in the body are receiving[1].

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Research shows that 34% - 66% of users are impacted. Symptoms include nausea, eyestrain, dizziness & headache after 30-40 minutes of usage. This can be a significant barrier to adopting virtual and augmented reality technology and negatively impact the overall user experience.

 

Cybersickness is affected by three factors[2]:

1. Hardware: display type and mode, the field of view, latency, flicker, etc.

2. Content: scenario variations by changing graphics or task-related features (optical flow, graphic realism, reference frame, content field of view, duration, controllability).

3. Human-Factors: individual characteristics influencing Cybersickness’ severity (gender, age, experience).

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Thus, Cybersickness severity may differ between users, even if users experience the same content through the same device.

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Cybersickness appears in multiple industries, use cases, and types of devices:

1. Gaming industry[3]: 79% of the video gamers who play VR games experience Cybersickness, mainly nausea, dizziness, general discomfort, fatigue, and eye strain.

2. Naval Simulation[4]: Usage of both VR and AR headsets resulted in Cybersickness. No differences were found in sickness between AR & VR headsets; Symptoms increased over time in both.

3. Field Medical Training[5]: Cybersickness symptoms appeared after 3-40 minutes of using an AR headset; Users encountered physiological aftereffects (altered visual functioning, degraded hand eye coordination, postural instability) in a severity level similar to the aftereffect in VR systems.

 

Cybersickness is already hindering the adoption of AR & VR technologies

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In a recent report[6], Microsoft’s augmented reality Hololens goggles got a rough ride in tests by the US Army as soldiers testing the headsets have complained about their “mission-affecting physical impairments.” They said wearing the goggles caused headaches, nausea, and eyestrain. Thus, acceptance of Microsoft’s AR technology remains low.

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As a result, a Senate committee cut $350 million of the Army’s $400 million procurement request[7] to buy more units from Microsoft, stating that members were “concerned that the technology continues to face software, hardware, and user-acceptance.

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Enhancing User’s Wellness in the XR Platforms

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Eye-Minders’ algorithms provide continuous, real-time valuable information on users’ feelings and wellness (Cybersickness, stress). It detects and minimizes Cybersickness and stress for various stakeholders in various applications.

 

For cybersickness:

• Users can be updated when a break is recommended.

• Headset manufacturers can adapt and continuously improve their headsets.

• Application developers can improve user experience by altering or personalizing content.

 

Research shows that over time, people get used to the content, and the level of sickness reduces, but it needs to be in a controlled environment shows that over time people get used to the content and the level of illness reduces, but it needs to be controlled.

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For stress:

• The parental control can be activated by notifying parents in real-time when their children are experiencing stress originating from the Metaverse.

• Employers can provide their employees with a powerful tool to reduce stress and eliminate burnout in the workplace.

• The wisdom of crowds can be leveraged to provide scoring of safe environments where individuals can use technology without fear of negative consequences causing stress (bullying, violence, isolation, FOMO, cybercrime).

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