In virtual reality (VR) environments, individuals can be placed in an immersive world where the nature of reality can be inconspicuously manipulated. This state-of-the-art technique has a clear potential for altering exercise workload perception, as altering visual, aural, and/or vestibular stimuli can give the perception of moving faster/slower or uphill/downhill (see image) . This concept has great therapeutic potential for patients with exercise intolerance undergoing rehabilitation (e.g. in COPD or heart failure). If the perception of exercise effort and/or sensations of breathlessness can be reduced with VR exercise, then it may allow patients to exercise at higher workloads and so maximise the long-term functional benefits of rehabilitation programmes.
Objectives:
1. 0-6 months: Complete a systematic review of the literature, examining the use of VR in cardiorespiratory patient rehabilitation
2. 0-12 months: Assess and optimise a VR cycling intervention for manipulating perceived exertion and exercise performance in healthy participants
3. 12-18 months: Examine the feasibility and tolerance of VR exercise in breathless patients referred for rehabilitation
4. 18-24 months: Assess the ability of VR cycling to enhance workload capacity in these patients
5. 24-36 months: Pilot a training study investigating the effectiveness of a VR cycling intervention in improving patient outcomes
In this project you will learn to:
• Design and operate virtual reality environments for exercise tasks
• Perform a series of standard/experimental exercise tests (e.g. CPET)
• Collect cardiorespiratory and psychological data using the latest techniques
• Conduct many clinical tests such as lung function testing
• Conduct statistical analysis on commonly used software (SPSS, Python)