Stress inoculation training supported by physiology-driven adaptive virtual reality stimulation

Significant proportion of psychological problems related to combat
stress in recent large peacekeeping operations underscores importance of effective
methods for strengthening the stress resistance of military personnel. Adaptive
control of virtual reality (VR) stimulation, based on estimation of the subject’s
emotional state from physiological signals, may enhance existing stress
inoculation training (SIT). Physiology-driven adaptive VR stimulation can tailor
the progress of stressful stimuli delivery to the physiological characteristics of
each individual, which is indicated for improvement in stress resistance. Therefore,
following an overview of SIT and its applications in the military setting, generic
concept of physiology-driven adaptive VR stimulation is presented in the paper.
Toward the end of the paper, closed-loop adaptive control strategy applicable to
SIT is outlined.