Modification of biological clocl/productivity through VR

[PalmerTech]

Still catching up on a big backlog of messages, but I had to pop in here to share this:

I have been traveling like crazy for the past two months, across many time zones, with 18, 22, and 25 hour non-stop road trips at times. Sometimes, this involved staying awake for periods of up to 50 hours.

Here is what got me thinking: Despite the massive shifts from European to US time and back, one constant was that it was always easier to stay awake in broad daylight than in the night. If I left the blackout curtains in my hotel room shut while sleep deprived, it was very tough to stay awake! Same thing with driving long distances, no jetlag: Getting through the night was tough, but once the sun rose, I was somehow able to power through the entire day and not sleep till evening!

It got me thinking about how nifty it would be if people could use VR for more subtle modification of their daily cycles, such as lengthening how long your office day is, or allowing truck drivers to drive further with the help of AR than they would otherwise. I am definitely going to be looking into this when I get some time, if other people want to play with it, would love to help.

[brantlew]

I'm sure there is truth to it, but I wonder if it's healthy.

[cybereality]

Yes, I have heard about this. Supposedly people in the arctic have special lights turned on during the "day" in the dark season so they keep a natural clock. But altering this with AR/VR would be interesting. I think it could work, but it would have to be pretty convincing. I'm not sure just a graphic image of the day is enough, maybe it has something to do with natural sun-light or something. Could be the topic of a graduate level paper.

Also, great to see you in the forums. Afraid you might have forgot about us...

[android78]

It's interesting to explore in simulation, but I fear the potential consequences in real life (the example of truck driver being able to drive longer by using AR) could be catastrophic. There have been a few studies I've read lately regarding the affects or artificial light (TV/computer screens) that have an effect of delaying the bodies release of melatonin which has the effect of keeping us awake. I think the problem is that, while you won't feel drowsy, your reflexes and reasoning decline. Also, I don't know how far you've pushed yourself (50 hours is a long time!), but it gets to a point where you start to fall asleep without noticing any cues. This is VERY scary! I've been there, and it's made me think long and hard about driving when tired.
Anyway... I would suggest it's great for gaming marathon, but not for driving. Good to have you back though, and still in one piece!

[zalo]

I've also heard that the wavelengths of the light received can have a significant effect on the setting of your circadian rhythm (blue is more potent than red) and depression.

Hah, looks like someone already built an HML (Head Mounted Light)

http://www.science20.com/news_releases/ ... ian_rhythm

I'm thinking that having a really good backlight on your HMD is important since it needs to cover the broad spectrum of natural light.

[PalmerTech]

Definitely good to be back!

It is definitely a bad idea. I was pondering it on the road, and most of the uses would be bad. Keeping workers working longer by immersing them in a fake world sounds like exactly the kind of dystopian nightmare we want to avoid! I could see some good uses, though. A trucker who has to make it out of a single lane windy road that he cannot pull off of pulls out his AR glasses to help keep him awake, with the gyros and eye tracking watching out to ensure he stays awake. Same thing for a soldier trying to get back home on the end of a 48 hour mission.

The point about light spectrum is an interesting one for sure... Makes me want to go for an RGB backlight in the consumer version, rather than a standard doped blue "white" LED backlight.

[BoZo]

When it's dark melatonin production kicks in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin#Light_dependence

[Cromfel]

When it's dark melatonin production kicks in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin#Light_dependence

Thats the effect you experience during, lets say, long gamign sessions. You may feel really really tired and just some hours later you dont feel so sleepy at all, yet you are exhausted. So you can keep going since the melatonin production has passed and you arent getting blacked out so easily.

But sure you can alter this by lighting conditions by quite much. For people from north its a bit special as during the summer time we basicly dont have a night at all. And in winter its pretty much just couple of hours of daylight.

[Namielus]

I read somewhere that 20% of traffic accidents are caused by driver fatigue.
If this device is to be implemented for drivers, there should be a continuous way to monitor their alertness.
Either by some simple tests, or actual monitoring of eye and/or brain activity.

Once the AR device can detect a significant drop in alertness, it will check the sat-nav
for the closest possible rest-stop.

During this time, it should do everything it can to keep you focused,
producing a light spectrum that mimics daylight etc.

Another problem can be people who drive the same route very often and get so bored/used to it they are on autopilot.
If there is a subtle way to keep their attention sharp, that would also be good.

Monitoring eyes for drowsiness;
http://www.gizmag.com/fraunhofer-eyetra ... tem/16643/

Anti Sleep Pilot;
http://www.gizmag.com/anti-sleep-pilot- ... gue/17439/

[FingerFlinger]

They do this with egg producing chickens to get better production out of them. Don't know the health effects on the chickens though; it would be next to impossible to control for health-related variables in a factory farm.

[lnrrgb]

I am quite sure that many "mindmachines" are used for just these ideas. Sleep modes definitely knock me out, and energy/concentration frequencies definitely amp me up. I've only used the standard, pre-progammed routines with my Mindplace Procyon, and I'm sure there is much room for indivualized self tuning. If you need to stay up, these things are powerful tools. Plus, if you were diligent with the concepts of entrainment, I suspect you could easily train yourself to not need the artificial stimulus. I always thought I could somehow use my z800 for similar needs (since it never got much use for its intended scope). The Rift would likely be even more useful. There is software out there (like brainwave generator) that just flashed the monitor screen at specific frequencies to do this, but I cannot remember what it was called. (I obviously skiped the long term memory stimulus programs).

[BoZo]

When it's dark melatonin production kicks in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin#Light_dependence

Thats the effect you experience during, lets say, long gamign sessions. You may feel really really tired and just some hours later you dont feel so sleepy at all, yet you are exhausted. So you can keep going since the melatonin production has passed and you arent getting blacked out so easily.

But sure you can alter this by lighting conditions by quite much. For people from north its a bit special as during the summer time we basicly dont have a night at all. And in winter its pretty much just couple of hours of daylight.

Yeah I'm from Sweden so I know how you feel. Winter is coming...

[Cromfel]

When it's dark melatonin production kicks in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin#Light_dependence

Thats the effect you experience during, lets say, long gamign sessions. You may feel really really tired and just some hours later you dont feel so sleepy at all, yet you are exhausted. So you can keep going since the melatonin production has passed and you arent getting blacked out so easily.

But sure you can alter this by lighting conditions by quite much. For people from north its a bit special as during the summer time we basicly dont have a night at all. And in winter its pretty much just couple of hours of daylight.

Yeah I'm from Sweden so I know how you feel. Winter is coming...

Winter is coming!

[rhinosix]

What I was thinking, in a virtual environment you would want to have some kind of light cycle going which is consistent with the outside world so your circadian rhythm doesn't get messed up.

One idea may be to use VR on a long plane flight to prevent jet lag on arrival at your destination, but I would never want it used to keep drivers awake longer.

Besides, once we have automated cars we won't have a need for human drivers. Passengers will be able to relax and sleep, or slip on a pair of VR goggles to get work done, play games, communicate, watch films, etc.

Edit: ... I guess the concept of altering someone's perception of time isn't a bad idea. It's a big topic to think about. Regardless, it's something that must be considered in the game design process because it will always be a factor whether you design for it or not.

I've heard people say they would like to stay awake longer; to do more. But sleep and dreaming are also important for repair of the physical body and health of the mind.

When you're awake you learn facts. It's stored in your mind as text and audio. When you sleep, your brain converts concepts from those facts into pictures so they can enter your subconscious and interact with each other as dreams.

Another thing to think about is other ways VR can improve productivity - to give complete focus. When you have just the right mood and audio playing without any distractions, you can improve productivity that way.