Notes
Dmitry Levin (standing, from left), Ryan James, and Beth Ripley, MD, give a presentation on the potential of VR in health care
VR Room Requirements
From small single-person setups to large audience-driven arrangements, finding the ideal space for a virtual reality studio is essential for its long-term viability. Space is always at a premium in modern libraries, but the latest VR gear has made the setup more feasible than ever before. One-person VR setups can be housed in a spatially-economic location the size of an academic library group-study room, while larger areas can be retrofitted to support VR as an add-on to other activities.
With the help of an experienced library design architect, the University of Washington Health Sciences Library developed best practices for optimizing and renovating a space to accommodate a VR setup for any project goal. This section will explore a variety of questions that planners must consider when establishing a suitable space, both for solo VR users and for larger, audience-focused applications. Topics and questions include:
Room size How much floor space is needed for a VR play area?
Audience support What must be considered for hosting audience-driven VR viewing activities?
Lighting How is VR impacted by natural and artificial light?
Flooring How can floor surfaces be improved to improve user safety?
Infrastructure What is needed behind the walls to support a VR setup?
Privacy How can libraries protect patient privacy?
Transforming TRAIL: Adding VR to an existing library space
VR technology has evolved and, it is now feasible for academic institutions to dedicate precious floor space to their own VR studios. Modern VR setups no longer require large swaths of dedicated floor space; they can now be packed up and stored elsewhere then brought out and quickly set up when needed. Floor space can be used for other purposes throughout the day.
Before establishing a VR space, however, carefully consider the project’s intended goals, and how they align with the larger aims of the health sciences library. These project goals—whether simple solo exploration of available apps, group instructional offerings, or complex pre-surgical case planning—will largely shape the requirements of the VR studio and the features necessary to ensure long-term viability.
Consider two key questions when deciding whether a room is suitably sized for a VR setup:
Is the room adequate for the person inside the VR environment?
Is the room suitable for the audience watching the VR experience?
VR Play Area
Finding sufficient room for the VR play area is a straightforward problem—ultimately, the play area is just a big empty space. Though VR can be set up for a single user in a stationary standing or sitting position, in order to harness its immersive benefits users must freely walk around the virtual environment and explore it from a full 360 degrees—referred to as “room scale” in VR parlance.
Consider these five elements when choosing the location for the VR play area:
- FLOOR SPACE: The minimum and maximum room-scale specifications vary from headset to headset—see p. 26-29 for more details—but at most, the rectangular-shaped play area won’t exceed 5 meters on the diagonal. Creating a play area larger than that can lead to tracking issues between the headset and sensors.
- BUFFER ZONE: An additional buffer of at least 1/3 meter should be left between the virtual boundaries and the physical walls of the room to avoid users walking into the wall or hit it with a controller. It is better to have a smaller play area with an adequate buffer than trying to max out the play area.
- OBSTRUCTIONS: The floor space must be unobstructed to prevent users from running into shin-height obstacles while they maneuver blindly through the VR environment. Ensure the zone above the play area (up to 2.5 meters above the floor surface) is free and clear of suspended light fixtures, speakers, signage, and other elements. VR users won’t be able to see them, and they can become dangerous targets when users (particularly tall ones) reach above their heads.
- COMPUTER: Most VR headsets are powered by a gaming computer or laptop. This should be kept outside the play area to prevent any accidents, but close enough to allow for sufficient slack in the cables. Both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive connect to the computer via HDMI and USB cables.
- FLOORING: One of the major selling points of VR is its immersiveness; virtual environments can feel real. Unfortunately, some users’ minds and bodies struggle to marry what is being seen in the headset with the reality outside of it, causing them to experience dizziness, vertigo, and nausea. Resilient floor covering, such as rubber, linoleum, or luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is appropriate for its durability, low price point, simple upkeep, and availability in a wide range of colors, patterns, and textures. Flooring with varied textures can help users situate themselves in the real-life room. For room-scale VR environments, area rugs or anti-fatigue mats covering the play area can alert the user when they are physically close to the boundary, similar to the warning track in a baseball field.
A rendering of the HTC Vive “play area” in the UW HSL TRAIL space. VR’s room scale component uses wall-mounted sensors to track a user’s physical movement in the real world and have those motions replicated in the virtual environment. For medical VR applications, the user can physically walk around and even through an anatomical model rendering, immersively viewing it from a complete 360 degrees. When in the VR environment, the user will see a virtual “fence” to warn against walking into a real-life wall or column.
(Rendering courtesy of Pfeiffer Partners Architects)
VR as a Layer: Saving Library space by building VR into an existing room
Library space has never been as needed—or as scarce—as it is today. Finding and devoting a suitable unused or under-utilized space solely for a new VR project may not be feasible for many academic libraries, especially if it is meant to host large groups.
However, VR does not necessarily need its own dedicated space. Instead, consider VR as an additional service layer in an existing space.
The UW HSL TRAIL space was envisioned, designed, renovated, and launched well before any plans for incorporating VR were devised. Simply augmenting that existing space with VR eliminated the headache of finding and retrofitting another room. The VR gear can be packed away and the sensors left attached to the walls when the room is used for other purposes. This setup helped improve a function of TRAIL that health sciences researchers and clinicians were already familiar with and fond of.
Audience Area
Finding floor space to support individual exploration inside VR is relatively straightforward. But allocating space to accommodate people inside the room but outside the VR environment is trickier and depends on what the library wants to accomplish with the setup. Supporting an audience raises a slew of new questions that must be considered both when choosing a suitable room and setting up its various features. The play area in TRAIL ultimately only takes up a fraction of the room’s total space.
Each library exploring VR will have different project goals, and each room will have its own set of idiosyncrasies and design quirks, making it difficult to provide a comprehensive list of criteria that will apply in all cases. Instead, this primer will discuss how the UW HSL has redesigned the TRAIL space to accommodate VR and explain the thinking behind each decision.
The TRAIL play area ultimately took up only a fraction of the room's total space
The UW HSL VR project was designed to host pre-surgical consultations for large clinical teams examining patient-specific three-dimensional models on the room’s data wall—a six-screen, ultra-high-definition display used to support data visualizations and presentations. Floor space for other group-focused setups—for example, an education-centric project using VR to teach anatomy to medical students—must be carefully planned based on the expected number of onlookers.
To support case presentations, the room space had to accommodate three groups: the driver, the presenter, and the audience.
DRIVER: The individual (an imaging specialist from the surgical team) wearing the VR headset who serves as the navigator within the virtual environment, moving through the model as requested by the presenter.
PRESENTER: The lead for the case presentation, who explains the patient model and upcoming procedure to the assembled surgical team and verbally guides the driver through the virtual model.
AUDIENCE: A group of 15-20 surgeons, nurses, radiologists, and other members of the surgical team attending the case presentation and watching the VR model displayed on the data wall. The audience can also call out instruction to the operator from time to time, modeling team health care and encouraging a multi-disciplinary approach.
The project goal established the context to help shape design considerations. To maximize the available TRAIL space, layout options and room orientation were examined for best use and optimized outcomes. Three elements were considered:
SIGHT LINES: To hold effective case presentations, the audience must be able to see the VR imagery clearly. One of TRAIL’s significant challenges is a structural column that blocks vision for a sizable section of the room.
VR PLACEMENT: In addition to the requirements mentioned earlier, the play area should ideally be set off to one side to avoid blocking the screen yet close enough for the driver to comfortably receive instructions and take part in the conversation.
PRESENTATION SPACE: The case presenter needs to be in view of the audience to guide the conversation, remain close enough to the driver to direct the VR experience, and access the controls for the display.
TRAIL’s original orientation placed the data wall on the west wall and the VR play area in the southwest corner. In that setup, the structural column essentially blocked any sight lines in the northern-most fifth of the room, and presented less than ideal viewing angles in other parts.
After exploring options and considering the associated costs, UW HSL is planning to flip the room orientation 90 degrees to better support the VR project. Relocating the data wall to the south end of the room will open new possibilities and help turn a challenge into an opportunity. In this configuration, the audience sight lines will no longer be compromised, and the structural column will become a useful feature. In the new setup, the south side of the room will be dedicated to audience and presenter while the rear of the room (north of the existing column) will house the VR play area(s).
Room Infrastructure: Providing the power and internet required for VR
Virtual reality technology is designed to work in consumers’ homes without requiring any major overhauls—just plenty of electrical and data outlets and an internet connection.
Power. Most VR hardware, including laptops and sensors, can plug into standard 120V outlets, though some setups require more sockets than others. The HTC Vive, for examples, requires four: one each for the two sensors, one for the headset, and one for the laptop. This could either restrict the play area’s location or require some extension cords.
Network. Like most software, VR relies heavily on online and cloud-based platforms. Users need to log into online, DRM-protected system like Valve’s Steam software platform to download and run programs. Many medical VR applications also connect to sizable online anatomical models that require significant bandwidth. An ethernet connection for the laptop is ideal.
Computer. A separate and dedicated rack for controlling the room’s video display or data wall (see p. 40), if available, is also recommended and is part of of TRAIL setup.
Room Lighting
As with room size, VR planners must consider two major outcomes when considering the lighting to support a VR studio: impact on the VR user and impact on the audience.
IMPACT ON VR USER
Thankfully, the immersive nature of most VR headsets means real-world light has little effect on the individual in the VR environment. The headsets use infrared light for the tracking system to establish the user’s location, and work best in low- to medium-light environments. Normal lighting works fine, as long as it isn't oppressively bright and shining directly onto the sensors. While total darkness would not impact the sensors, at least low light is required to ensure that the user doesn't bump into objects after taking off the headset. VR is by its very nature disorienting, and the user might need a few moments of reorientation after returning to the real world.
Ideal VR environments are free from the reflections caused by glass, mirrors, and other polished surfaces. Those elements hinder more than just visibility; reflective surfaces (even a particularly shiny whiteboard) can prevent the VR sensors from tracking movements properly. Finish materials should be neutral in color such as off-white or light cool gray wall paint. If additional acoustical treatment is needed, full-height, wall-mounted, fabric-wrapped panels can provide a good solution. These are available in a wide range of hues, the best being solid, pattern-free colors matching the wall paint.
Ideal VR environments are free from the reflections caused by glass, mirrors, and other polished surfaces.
IMPACT ON VR AUDIENCE
Tweaking the lighting to support an audience watching VR imagery displayed on a laptop, television, or data wall requires more thought and planning. This is particularly true for complex medical imagery. The audience’s ability to see precise details is crucial, and a glare-filled room can make it hard to discern whatever is on screen.
One of the more challenging elements in setting up the VR equipment in TRAIL was handling the room’s ambient light, even in a city as perpetually gray as Seattle. TRAIL’s northern wall features a window looking out onto a busy campus thoroughfare that leads to the main entrance of the UW Medical Center. The north-facing window might not be a concern for direct sunlight, but it lets reflections from moving vehicles into the room. Under certain conditions, these dynamic reflections are visible on the video screens.
To counteract that ambient light, opaque or room-darkening solutions are suitable. Window treatments using drapery, solar shades, or blinds offer varying degrees of light transmission. For drapery, select a fabric with either solid or small-textured design in a neutral color, as large patterns and bright colors. An additional stain or soil resistant treatment is recommended. For a solar shade, select a fabric with a tight weave (3% openness). If the VR room has a large southern or eastern exposure, consider a window covering that can both mitigate glare and reduce radiant heat.
Thick curtains over internal and external windows create a VR space suitable for collaborative, large-group viewing.
(Rendering courtesy of Pfeiffer Partners Architects)
Physical Privacy: Securing the VR studio when viewing patient data
Medical imagery requires an increased need to preserve privacy and discretion, regardless of whether the images are in two dimensions or three, displayed on a computer screen or hovering in VR. Libraries planning VR offerings that focus on patient-specific learning and planning must be particularly sensitive to ways in which the physical elements of a room support patient confidentiality.
The VR models can be stripped of all patient identifiers, but it is still best to err on the side of caution to prevent passersby inadvertently seeing them as they walk by doors and windows. Thick, opaque curtains not only block out the light, but exclude peering eyes as well. Window frosting has a similar effect, though it is less efficient in keeping out the light. Any doors linking the public area to the VR play area should be kept closed at all times when sensitive images are displayed in VR.
This primer will go into more detail about digital privacy concerns of VR equipment on p. 25.
VR Gear Storage
VR headsets and laptops are both expensive and relatively lightweight, making them alluring targets for unscrupulous passersby. Libraries must balance securing their costly gear with ensuring the VR experience isn’t hampered. HSL’s basic setup naturally lends itself well to increased security: TRAIL remains locked when not in use, and users must book an appointment in the VR studio through an online form. A librarian or other staff member is responsible for opening the room for them.
This setup isn’t feasible for all libraries, especially those desiring to offer a continually running service where students and researchers frequently enter and leave the studio. Having a library employee—even a student worker—on hand serves as a powerful deterrent. Key card or coded-lock access can also ensure only trusted individuals are allowed into the room.
Originally, HSL stored the VR gear (laptop, headset, controllers, wires, etc.) in an HSL employee’s locked office and brought it out when requested. HSL plans to install a lockable storage unit within TRAIL specifically for VR equipment. The unit will provide an added layer of security and ensure that the gear is on hand for quick setup. TRAIL is frequently used for non-VR purposes, and stowing the VR gear out of sight preserves the functionality of the room.