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Distress detection in VR environment using Empatica E4 wristband and Bittium Faros 360

Jelena Medarević,Nadica Miljković,Kristina Stojmenova Pečečnik,J. Sodnik

Published 2025 in Frontiers in Physiology

ABSTRACT

Introduction Distress detection in virtual reality systems offers a wealth of opportunities to improve user experiences and enhance therapeutic practices by catering to individual physiological and emotional states. Methods This study evaluates the performance of two wearable devices, the Empatica E4 wristband and the Faros 360, in detecting distress in a motion-controlled interactive virtual reality environment. Subjects were exposed to a baseline measurement and two VR scenes, one non-interactive and one interactive, involving problem-solving and distractors. Heart rate measurements from both devices, including mean heart rate, root mean square of successive differences, and subject-specific thresholds, were utilized to explore distress intensity and frequency. Results Both the Faros and E4 sensors adequately captured physiological signals, with Faros demonstrating a higher signal-to-noise ratio and consistency. While correlation coefficients were moderately positive between Faros and E4 data, indicating a linear relationship, small mean absolute error and root mean square error values suggested good agreement in measuring heart rate. Analysis of distress occurrence during the interactive scene revealed that both devices detect more high- and medium-level distress occurrences compared to the non-interactive scene. Discussion Device-specific factors in distress detection were emphasized due to differences in detected distress events between devices.

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