Immersive Virtual Reality Bicycling for Healthy Adults

Enhancing Exercise Intensity, Motivation and Enjoyment for Younger and Older Healthy Adults (VCycle-Competition-HA)

This study has four objectives about healthy younger and older adults during immersive virtual reality bicycling:

Determine the effect of visual feedback and competition for younger healthy adults during virtual bicycling on user experience, motivation, enjoyment, perception of effort, and neuromuscular and cardiovascular intensity

Determine the effect of visual feedback and competition for older healthy adults during virtual bicycling on user experience, motivation, enjoyment, perception of effort, and neuromuscular and cardiovascular intensity

Compare younger and older during visual feedback and competition bicycling in terms of: user experience, motivation, enjoyment, perception of effort, neuromuscular and cardiovascular intensity

Determine if attention differs in visual feedback bicycling compared to competition bicycling for younger and older healthy adults

Participants will attend one session lasting about 1.5 hours. They will complete a competitiveness assessment and a questionnaire about physical activity. They will then exercise in three different virtual reality augmented bicycling conditions while wearing a head mounted display (goggles). Each of the three conditions will last approximately 5 minutes and will be followed by questionnaires about the participant's experience.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 21-75 years old,
• Able to ride a stationary upright bicycle,
• Able to sign informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have a recent history of severe heart disease, severe lung disease, uncontrolled diabetes, traumatic brain injury or any other neurological disorder
• Are unable to follow directions or sign a consent form,
• Do not have adequate vision or hearing ability to see or hear a television,
• Have unstable medical condition or musculoskeletal disorder such as severe arthritis, recent knee surgery, hip surgery, or any other condition that the investigators determine would impair the ability to ride the bicycle,
• Have any other medical condition that prevents bicycling,
• Have moderate depression (score of 10 or more on PHQ-9 screening tool)