Virtual reality on the go?

PlaneVR

“…Travelling with friends or family changes what is expected of passengers during a flight. Our results are in line with previous work that suggests VR headsets are less socially acceptable in settings where social interaction is expected [56]. One participant stated that "I don't mind if the stranger is trying to exclude me.…”

“…In the focus group, we used the social group setting to explore the social features of our IFE prototype. Surveys and focus groups like these are often used to evaluation the social acceptability of new technologies [31,42,51,56]. Other approaches could have been pursued, for example in-situ evaluation with real passengers or laboratory studies that mimicked a plane interior.…”

“…However, we argue that the most significant challenge of using VR in-flight is social acceptance. Recent research has explored the social acceptability of using VR headsets in different contexts such as home, while travelling, and in third places [56] and from different perspectives, including performer and spectator [7]. Social acceptability is an issue when any new technology requires users to engage in highly visible or unusual behaviour in front of others [51].…”

“…Although there are strong arguments for using VR on flights, social barriers may prevent widespread adoption in everyday contexts [56]. For example, passengers might be reluctant to completely immerse themselves in VR if they will lose their awareness of fellow passengers, the flight crew, safety announcements, and the offering of refreshments/meals.…”

Next Steps for Human-Computer Integration

“…Questionnaires could help in evaluating effects of the perception of oneself or of others. For example, Schwind et al [72] investigated the acceptance of VR technology in different social setups through modifying the questionnaire from Profita et al [63]. Moreover, qualitative approaches could also be beneficial.…”