Space

HTC VR headset prepped and ready for mental health mission to ISS

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ISS Commander Andreas Mogensen using the HTC Vive Pro 2 at NASA's Johnson Space Centre in preparation for the 6-month-long Huginn mission aboard the ISS
NASA
ISS Commander Andreas Mogensen using the HTC Vive Pro 2 at NASA's Johnson Space Centre in preparation for the 6-month-long Huginn mission aboard the ISS
NASA
A VR experiment from 2022 to train astronauts in zero-gravity conditions for life aboard the ISS
Noevspace
The VR Therapy equipment packed and ready to join the SpaceX resupply mission that's due to launch on November 7
Danish Aerospace Company, and Nord-Space Aps
Astronaut Andreas Mogensen has selected a number of virtual therapy programs for the ISS mental health trial
NASA
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A resupply mission to the International Space Station is planned for next week, which will include a special delivery for Andreas Mogensen in the shape of a Vive Focus 3 VR headset intended to help the Danish astronaut cope with the stress of working in space.

Working on the International Space Station can be a tough gig, where "astronauts live in a noisy, clinical set of rooms without ‘natural’ light where they are surrounded by the constant hum of machines, screens, and electronic devices. Privacy is limited, sleeping spaces are cramped, and meals can include freeze-dried food and recycled water."

The missions can last for months, the conditions are fairly cramped and crew members are relatively isolated and can be pretty stressed. Getting away from it all can be problematic if you need to be always primed for quick action should an alarm sound.

That's where virtual reality could help, and HTC, XRHealth and Nord-Space Aps have partnered on a mental health mission to the ISS.

"Astronauts are essentially isolated during their missions for months and years at a time and are confined to small spaces with limited contact with friends and family," said Per Lundahl Thomsen, Chief Technology Officer at Nord-Space Aps. "Creating a virtual platform that addresses their mental health needs while in isolation is imperative for them to maintain a healthy lifestyle when they return. We partnered with companies that provide the most advanced technologies that could be adapted for space to provide the most beneficial experience for our astronauts."

The VR Therapy equipment packed and ready to join the SpaceX resupply mission that's due to launch on November 7
Danish Aerospace Company, and Nord-Space Aps

The partnership worked to address tracking and orientation issues encountered by previous attempts to use VR headsets in a microgravity environment, where drifting, rolling and jittery content not only made the headsets unstable, but also led to motion sickness.

The solution involved using the handheld controller as an anchor point for spatial tracking. The power source of the modified Vive Focus 3 was also tweaked to better suit the mission.

For the VR therapy trial, ISS Commander Andreas Mogensen has chosen a number of immersive virtual creations designed to serve "as powerful tools for achieving various clinical goals in mental health." These include standing on a hill while watching a captivating sunset, swimming with dolphins, tackling a rugged mountain path in Europe and exploring wetlands while accompanied by birdsong.

The Vive Focus 3 headset and controllers are scheduled to launch with the SpaceX CRS-29 resupply mission to the ISS on November 7.

Sources: HTC Vive, XRHealth

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2 comments
joeblake
As well mentally relaxing, the VR headset can be used for getting some exercise. For the past 3 years I've been using VR to play games like Fruit Ninja and Beat Sabre, which use both arms, having strapped weights to my wrist(s). (I found that 3 kg on each to be enough to give sufficient rise in cardiovascular activity as well as maintaining upper body tone, including arms and shoulders.) Perhaps somebody could design something similar that involves all the limbs, sort of pseudo karate.
Daishi
I wonder if a future ISS will have a circular spinning room that simulates gravity? I think using a VR headset while floating would be strange but you could always seatbelt in and use it in stationary mode. I'd like to also suggest a "stuck in traffic" and "working in a cubicle" for their simulations to help them feel at home back on Earth.