Investigating the Impact of Mental Stress on Electrocardiological Signals through the Use of Virtual Reality

Abstract

This article presents a new 3D extreme game for virtual reality (VR), which is used to evaluate the impact of generated mental stress on the cardiological state of the playing individuals. The game was developed using Java 3D and Blender. Generated stress is investigated by recording electrocardiograms for 20 min and determining heart rate variability (HRV) parameters in the time and frequency domains and by non-linear visual and quantitative analysis methods, such as the Rescaled Range (R/S) method, Poincarè plot, Recurrence plot, Approximate (ApEn), and Sample Entropy (SampEn). The data of 19 volunteers were analyzed before and immediately after the game, and a comparative analysis was made of two types of VR: immersive and non-immersive. The results show that the application of immersive VR generates higher mental stress levels than non-immersive VR, but in both cases, HRV changes (decreases), but more significantly in immersive VR. The results of this research can provide useful information about the functioning of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates the reactions of the human body during mental stress, to help in the early detection of potential health problems.

Keywords

• virtual reality (VR)
• fully immersive VR
• non-immersive VR
• mental stress
• electrocardiological (ECG) signal
• heart rate variability (HRV)