UTSA research shaping future of accessible virtual reality

The UTSA researchers are developing specialized audio feedback-sounds or noises controlled with artificial intelligence (AI)-to improve a VR user's balance. Quarles, Desai and Cordova examined several auditory techniques, including sending white noise signals through headphones, to see if these sounds could help reduce a person's imbalance.

Desai says the team's preliminary research demonstrated that some auditory signals, such as white noise, did help people improve their balance.

"This specific project is going to be very exciting, because the end goal of this is to provide a means for people to use the VR devices at home, not just in lab environments," he said. "This project is all about improving VR to enable people to have a better quality of life."

In phase one of the research study, conducted in UTSA's San Pedro I Building, participants are secured in a harness as they stand on a balancing board wearing a VR headset and a special suit. A camera system surrounds them, capturing their every move from multiple angles to study their balance. The data that the researchers collect is used to create and fine-tune AI models.

These models are then used in a VR environment to provide auditory signals that ensure the individual is steady.