Virtual reality in training: an experimental study with firefighters

Training with Virtual Reality (VR) can bring several benefits, such as the reduction of costs and risks. We present an experimental study that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a Virtual Environment (VE) to train firefighters using an innovative approach based on a Real Environment (RE) exercise. To measure the VE’s effectiveness we used a Presence Questionnaire (PQ) and participant’s cybersickness, stress and fatigue. Results from the PQ showed that participants rated the VE with high spatial presence and moderate realness and immersion. Signs of stress, analyzed from participant’s Heart-Rate Variability, were shown in the RE but not in the VE. In the remaining variables, there was only an indicative difference for fatigue in the RE. Therefore, the results suggest that although our training VE was successful in giving participants spatial presence and in not causing cybersickness, its realness and immersion provided were not enough to provoke a similar RE response.

[1]  Hans de Visser,et al.  Progress in virtual reality simulators for surgical training and certification , 2011, The Medical journal of Australia.

[2]  Bernardo Cunha,et al.  Vital-Jacket®: A wearable wireless vital signs monitor for patients' mobility in cardiology and sports , 2010, 2010 4th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare.

[3]  C. Chen,et al.  A virtual reality based fire training simulator with smoke hazard assessment capacity , 2014, Adv. Eng. Softw..

[4]  J. Freeman,et al.  Presence: Is your heart in it? , 2001 .

[5]  Tomasz Mazuryk,et al.  Virtual Reality History , Applications , Technology and Future , 1999 .

[6]  Mel Slater,et al.  Visual Realism Enhances Realistic Response in an Immersive Virtual Environment , 2009, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications.

[7]  Benoit Jeanne,et al.  An investigation into physiological responses in driving simulators: An objective measurement of presence , 2015, 2015 Science and Information Conference (SAI).

[8]  Derek Harter,et al.  An Immersive Virtual Environment for Varying Risk and Immersion for Effective Training , 2011 .

[9]  Mel Slater,et al.  Responses of Participants During an Immersive Virtual Environment Experience , 2007, Int. J. Virtual Real..

[10]  Jarosław Jankowski,et al.  Virtual Reality-based pilot training for underground coal miners , 2015 .

[11]  Mel Slater,et al.  Measuring Presence: A Response to the Witmer and Singer Presence Questionnaire , 1999, Presence.

[12]  Mel Slater,et al.  Immersion, presence and performance in virtual environments: an experiment with tri-dimensional chess , 1996, VRST.

[13]  Uwe Rüppel,et al.  Designing a BIM-based serious game for fire safety evacuation simulations , 2011, Adv. Eng. Informatics.

[14]  Hannes Kaufmann,et al.  Immersive training of first responder squad leaders in untethered virtual reality , 2020, Virtual Reality.

[15]  Mel Slater,et al.  Using Presence Questionnaires in Reality , 2000, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[16]  N. Lomb.  Least-squares frequency analysis of unequally spaced data , 1976 .

[17]  G. Breithardt,et al.  Heart rate variability: standards of measurement, physiological interpretation and clinical use. Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology. , 1996 .

[18]  A. Malliani,et al.  Heart rate variability. Standards of measurement, physiological interpretation, and clinical use , 1996 .

[19]  OmniPres project IST-2001-39237 Deliverable 5 Measuring Presence : A Guide to Current Measurement Approaches , 2004 .

[20]  In-Young Kim,et al.  10 An Investigation into Physiological Responses in Virtual Environments: An Objective Measurement of Presence , 2003 .

[21]  Robert S. Kennedy,et al.  Simulator Sickness Questionnaire: An enhanced method for quantifying simulator sickness. , 1993 .

[22]  Joseph J. LaViola,et al.  A discussion of cybersickness in virtual environments , 2000, SGCH.

[23]  Per Backlund,et al.  Sidh - a Game Based Firefighter Training Simulation , 2007, 2007 11th International Conference Information Visualization (IV '07).

[24]  John R. Wilson,et al.  Measurement of presence and its consequences in virtual environments , 2000, Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud..

[25]  Woodrow Barfield,et al.  Presence within Virtual Environments as a Function of Visual Display Parameters , 1996, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[26]  Ulrike Cress,et al.  Virtual training: Making reality work? , 2022 .

[27]  Mel Slater,et al.  Depth of Presence in Virtual Environments , 1994, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[28]  James P. Bliss,et al.  The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality for Administering Spatial Navigation Training to Firefighters , 1997, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[29]  R. Brislin.  Back-Translation for Cross-Cultural Research , 1970 .

[30]  Patrick E. McSharry,et al.  Advanced Methods And Tools for ECG Data Analysis , 2006 .

[31]  Eva-Lotta Sallnäs.  PRESENCE IN MULTIMODAL INTERFACES , 1999 .

[32]  Gustavo Arroyo-Figueroa,et al.  Virtual reality training system for maintenance and operation of high-voltage overhead power lines , 2015, Virtual Reality.

[33]  David L. Tate,et al.  Virtual environments for shipboard firefighting training , 1997, Proceedings of IEEE 1997 Annual International Symposium on Virtual Reality.

[34]  Jonathan Freeman,et al.  A Cross-Media Presence Questionnaire: The ITC-Sense of Presence Inventory , 2001, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[35]  J. Freeman,et al.  Aroused and Immersed: The Psychophysiology of Presence , 2000 .

[36]  Zahira Merchant,et al.  Effectiveness of virtual reality-based instruction on students' learning outcomes in K-12 and higher education: A meta-analysis , 2014, Comput. Educ..

[37]  Dong Pyo Jang,et al.  Analysis of Physiological Response to Two Virtual Environments: Driving and Flying Simulation , 2002, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[38]  Rossana Castaldo,et al.  Acute mental stress assessment via short term HRV analysis in healthy adults: A systematic review with meta-analysis , 2015, Biomed. Signal Process. Control..

[39]  Michael Meehan,et al.  Physiological measures of presence in stressful virtual environments , 2002, SIGGRAPH.

[40]  Yuan Luo,et al.  Simulation of Emergency Evacuation in Virtual Reality , 2008 .

[41]  Paul Zimmons,et al.  The influence of rendering quality on presence and task performance in a virtual environment , 2003, IEEE Virtual Reality, 2003. Proceedings..

[42]  António Augusto de Sousa,et al.  Adaptation and Validation of the Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ) in a Portuguese Sample , 2016, PRESENCE: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments.

[43]  Holger Regenbrecht,et al.  The Experience of Presence: Factor Analytic Insights , 2001, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[44]  P. Hamilton,et al.  Open source ECG analysis , 2002, Computers in Cardiology.

[45]  Enrico Ronchi,et al.  Virtual reality for fire evacuation research , 2014, 2014 Federated Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems.

[46]  Wijnand A. IJsselsteijn,et al.  Presence: concept, determinants, and measurement , 2000, Electronic Imaging.

[47]  J. Leigh,et al.  Scientists in wonderland: A report on visualization applications in the CAVE virtual reality environment , 1993, Proceedings of 1993 IEEE Research Properties in Virtual Reality Symposium.

[48]  Michael J. Singer,et al.  Measuring Presence in Virtual Environments: A Presence Questionnaire , 1998, Presence.

[49]  Chun-Yen Chang,et al.  A cost-effective interactive 3D virtual reality system applied to military live firing training , 2016, Virtual Reality.

[50]  Soonhung Han,et al.  A virtual reality based fire training simulator integrated with fire dynamics data , 2012 .

[51]  R. Satava,et al.  Virtual Reality Training Improves Operating Room Performance: Results of a Randomized, Double-Blinded Study , 2002, Annals of surgery.

[52]  April L. Zenisky,et al.  Translating and Adapting Tests for Cross-Cultural Assessments , 2010 .