RT journal article
T1 Virtual Reality "exergames": A promising countermeasure to improve motivation and restorative effects during long duration spaceflight missions
A1 Keller, Nathan
A1 Whittle, Richard S.
A1 McHenry, Neil
A1 Johnston, Adam
A1 Duncan, Colton
A1 Ploutz-Snyder, Lori
A1 González de la Torre Benítez, Gabriel
A1 Sheffield-Moore, Melinda
A1 Chamitoff, Gregory
A1 Diaz-Artiles, Ana
A2 Psicología
K1 sprint protocol
K1 HIIT (high intensity interval training)
K1 resistance exercise
K1 aerobic exercise
K1 biometric
K1 exergaming
AB Long duration spaceflight missions will require novel exercise systems to protect astronaut crew from the detrimental effects of microgravity exposure. The SPRINT protocol is a novel and promising exercise prescription that combines aerobic and resistive training using a flywheel device, and it was successfully employed in a 70-day bed-rest study as well as onboard the International Space Station. Our team created a VR simulation to further augment the SPRINT protocol when using a flywheel ergometer training device (the Multi-Mode Exercise Device or M-MED). The simulation aspired to maximal realism in a virtual river setting while providing real-time biometric feedback on heart rate performance to subjects. In this pilot study, five healthy, male, physically-active subjects aged 35 +/- 9.0 years old underwent 2 weeks of SPRINT protocol, either with or without the VR simulation. After a 1-month washout period, subjects returned for a subsequent 2 weeks in the opposite VR condition. We measured physiological and cognitive variables of stress, performance, and well-being. While physiological effects did not suggest much difference with the VR condition over 2 weeks, metrics of motivation, affect, and mood restoration showed detectable differences, or trended toward more positive outcomes than exercise without VR. These results provide evidence that a well-designed VR "exergaming" simulation with biometric feedback could be a beneficial addition to exercise prescriptions, especially if users are exposed to isolation and confinement.
PB FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
SN 1664-042X
YR 2022
FD 2022-10
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/28866
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/28866
LA eng
NO This project was funded through an internal seed grant mechanism by the College of Engineering and the Human Clinical Research Facility at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 12-nov-2026