Virtual reality based system for investigation of peripheral vestibular function

Abstract

A prototype of virtual reality based system for investigation of peripheral vestibular function was presented. The system uses low cost head-mounted display (HMD) Oculus Rift 1 with built-in head orientation tracker and custom developed software. There were two virtual reality based tests implemented for investigation of peripheral vestibular function: subjective visual vertical and head tilt. HMD allowed to extend the tests by inclusion of dynamic 3D type disturbances. 38 normal subjects participated in the pilot study and were screened by using the proposed and reference methods. The experimental results suggest that virtual reality system Oculus Rift is able to generate the required visual stimuli and measure orientation parameters during subjective vertical tests. The research should be extended by inclusion of subjects with vestibular dysfunction.