VR Journey: Assessing Affective State Through Kinesics

The article investigates the overall condition of individuals embarking on an interactive VR journey by analyzing kinesic markers. A cohort of 20 participants, aged between 23 and 44, participated in the experiment, traversing ten VR locations. The experimental setup was designed to potentially induce an affective state akin to aerophobia. Throughout the experiment, video recordings captured participants’ body movements and facial expressions, while data on heart rate was collected using Polar H10 sensors. The findings demonstrated that several traditional kinesic markers of fear exhibited irregular patterns during the VR journey, often peaking within the initial five minutes before diminishing over time. Additionally, there was a reduction in heart rate variability and an increase in regulatory system tension after the initial five minutes of the VR journey. Based on these findings, it is recommended to employ both hardware and non-hardware methods to assess the affective states of VR users.