Hygiene & Virtual Reality
A VR headset can be shared by multiple trainees within an organization. This means that multiple employees put the same VR headset on their face. In these situations it is very important to think about hygiene.
The Oculus Go (Warp VR’s recommended headset) and the Oculus Quest both have a very soft cushioning on the headset. This is ok when using a headset individually because you can remove this cushioning and put it in the washing machine. However, when using the headset with multiple people it is not realistic to constantly wash the cushioning between user sessions.
VR Cover
Good thing is that there is a company called VR Cover, that offers great VR hygiene solutions. We recommend using their “Universal Disposable Hygiene Cover” for the Oculus Go and Oculus Quest. It contains a leather cushioning replacement & the Disposable Hygiene Covers. The disposable cover works like a sticker that can be placed onto the cushioning and it can be easily removed after usage. The leather cushioning replacement is much easier to clean and the disposable covers give the employee an additional feel of hygiene.
Next to that, we recommend using the Head Strap Replacement for Oculus Go. This head strap is much easier to clean and will also last longer than the standard Oculus Go head strap. The Oculus Quest already contains a cleanable head strap.
VR Cover is a Thailand based company that ships its products all over the world. Not only their products are great, but also their packaging shows that they want to offer the highest quality as possible.
Hygiene spray
According to Oculus, you need to use the following to clean a VR headset:
Use non-abrasive anti-bacterial wipes to clean the straps and the facial interface foam. Don’t use alcohol or an abrasive cleaning solution.
We haven’t been able to find any anti-bacterial product that does not contain any alcohol. So to us, it is a mystery how to fully comply with the Oculus instructions. But after a long search, we found a great German hygiene spray called “IMPRESAN On-the-Go”. This dermatologically tested spray kills more than 99.9 percent of specific bacteria, fungi, and viruses. But it does contain alcohol.
We recommend to only use the spray when you have at least 10 minutes before it is used again. For example when doing a lot of demos and it needs to recharge. This allows the spray to vaporize so it does not irritate the eyes of the trainees. In between sessions that are directly after each other you can simply place a new disposable cover on the headset.
To Conclude…
The above is no rocket science but it is very important to think about when offering VR training to your employees. If it is disregarded it can cause dissatisfaction or as they say in the business: It’s a hygiene factor!
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or additional remarks concerning this article (https://www.warpvr.com/contact).
