A virtual reality physical activity pattern assessment: Mixed crossover experiments and cluster analysis

OBJECTIVE: The subjects’ physical activity levels and enjoyment of exercise after 15 min of virtual reality (VR) physical activity of different intensities were compared. METHODS: Thirty-two subjects were selected for a mixed crossover experiment. They were randomly assigned to exercise in three VR games with different exercise intensities. Acceleration data of the subjects were collected and subjects’ exercise enjoyment and exercise levels were compared. The subjects’ emotional efficacy and arousal during exercise were measured and evaluated using the Feeling Scale (FS) and the Felt Arousal Scale (FAS), and the acceleration data were evaluated by clustering using the fuzzy c-mean (FCM) clustering algorithm. RESULTS: A one-way ANOVA was performed on FS and FAS before and after VR physical activity, P overall p = .003 in FS, before and after low-intensity (LI), medium-intensity (MI), and high-intensity (HI) VR physical activity, the p-values were.087, p = .027, and p = .021, respectively. p < .001 in FAS, before and after LI, MI, and HI VR physical activity, the p-values were .029, < .001, < .001. According to the FCM clustering of acceleration activity counts by LI, MI, and HI, the clustering centers of the right arm acceleration counts were 2016.77, 6118.31, and 9923.45; the clustering centers of the right thigh acceleration counts were 248.30, 1895.22, and 3485.60; and the clustering centers of the combined upper and lower limb acceleration counts were 1443.83, 4415.47, and 7149.13. CONCLUSION: VR physical activity enhances subjects’ sense of enjoyment of exercise and emotional arousal, with moderate intensity VR physical activity having the best effect. VR physical activity is skewed toward high upper-extremity activity and low lower-extremity activity. The combined intensity of VR physical activity matches that of traditional exercise, and it can achieve the workout effect of the traditional workout modality.