An Evaluation of the Long Duration use of an Head Mounted Display

The goal of the current study was to fill a gap in the literature concerning the long duration use of a near-eye head/helmet mounted display (HMD). This research has been an ongoing endeavor to create a Mobile Information SysTem (MIST) that could aid in Intravehicular (IVA) and Extravehicular (EVA) activities with astronauts. There have been numerous publications discussing the use of near-eye HMDs, or immersive environments, and physiological side effects, but relatively none examining long duration effects. Two participants wore the MIST, including a near-eye HMD, for approximately four hours to examine the long duration effects. Using a Cooper Harper, Corlett and Bishop Discomfort Scale, and NASA TLX, we found little to no significant differences between participants over time, and in most cases, scores improved with time. These results suggest that persons can don and use an HMD for long periods of time with no physical side effects.