Validating a Wearable VR Headset for Postural Sway: Comparison with Force Plate COP Across Standardized Sensorimotor Tests

This study seeks to determine the efficacy of a novel, virtual reality (VR)-based sensorimotor assessment tool, VIST Neuro-ID, in comparison to the gold standard. This was achieved through computing common postural sway metrics, as well as comparing these metrics across population groups including sex and age (50–60 vs. 61–75). Sensorimotor assessments were conducted within the VIST Neuro-ID VR software while participants stood on a force plate. A proxy for center-of-pressure measurement was developed using the six-degree-of-freedom data collected from the head-mounted display used with the VR system. Moderate-to-high (r = 0.542–0.906) Pearson’s correlations were found between VIST Neuro-ID and the force plate for all eight postural sway metrics that were computed. Both systems detected significant differences (p < 0.05) across age groups for all metrics, except for two-dimensional path length from the force plate. Several significant differences were found across sexes, including AP and resultant sway velocity from the force plate, and resultant and AP root-mean-square from the HTC Vive Pro Eye. This indicates potential for VR to be used to collect vital postural sway metrics needed for assessing patient function, while also highlighting potential to identify balance patterns related to aging.