title: Do the physical characteristics of a virtual reality device contraindicate its use for balance assessment?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Virtual reality environments may allow researchers to investigate functional balance performance without risks associated with testing in the real world.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of the mass of a head-mounted display (HMD) on balance performance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Counterbalanced pretest-posttest.
  
  
  METHODS
  Virtual reality laboratory.
  
  
  METHODS
  20 healthy college students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) with a tracker-only headband and again with tracker plus HMD was performed.
  
  
  METHODS
  BESS error scores, elliptical sway area, and center of pressure travel distance were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No effect of the HMD mass on balance performance was observed. A significant stance by surface interaction was present but was negated when the HMD conditions were included in the model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mass of a HMD has not been proven to adversely affect balance performance. These data suggest the HMD mass is not a contraindication to the use of immersive virtual environments in future concussion research involving balance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. jmihalik@email.unc.edu
authors.forename: Jason P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mihalik
authors.forename: Luv
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kohli
authors.forename: Mary C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Whitton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006804:Ergonomics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005260:Female; D006257:Head; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance; D014481:United States; D014584:User-Computer Interface