A mask that controls how much air you can breathe could be used to simulate environments with a restricted air supply in virtual reality.
There have been previous attempts at using the breath to interact with VR, involving devices such as microphones or stretchable chest bands. But they have been prone to misinterpreting movements and can’t accurately record airflow.
For more precise measurements, at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences and his colleagues used a medical-grade gas flow sensor attached to a mask with an adjustable air valve. They tested the technology on 12 participants as they experienced virtual scenarios, such as inflating a balloon or blowing out candles.
Advertisement
“[Our system] was precise, it didn’t have any motion artefacts and it allowed us to really measure the inhalation and exhalation of users to create interactive applications that use breathing as input,” says Tatzgern.
Tatzgern and his team found that they could do more than simply help someone interact with VR through breathing. The simulated environments could also be made more realistic by adjusting how much air people could breathe in. For instance, just as a real balloon becomes easier to inflate as it expands, the experimental mask can adjust to allow more air to pass through as a virtual balloon grows bigger.
They also tested a scenario in which people take on the role of a firefighter in a smoky environment, with the mask restricting airflow. One participant said the exercise helped them better understand what it was like to be a firefighter. “If you can put people into other people’s shoes and make them experience other people’s situations, then you can educate [them]… and increase their empathy,” says Tatzgern.
Tatzgern and his colleagues presented the work at the in New Orleans, Louisiana, on 2 May.
Though using breath with VR isn’t novel, employing a valve to restrict airflow could be useful for a range of scenarios, says at University College London.
However, the system needs to be proven over longer time periods first, says Swapp. “You aren’t wearing this interface for long,” he says. “It’d be interesting [to see] what it’s like to wear for any longer than that, because typical VR experiences are much longer.”
