Star attraction at New Scientist Live the MDX rollercoaster inspires stress and heart health research

Computer science professor and clinical physiologist break down silos and advance their fields with rollercoaster-linked studies

The centrepiece of Middlesex University's stands at the annual New Scientist Live exhibition, a hugely popular VR (virtual reality) rollercoaster experience, has inspired two pieces of pioneering research.

The University's Augmented Reality rollercoaster, a mainstay of its STEM engagement events since 2016, once again drew huge crowds of school and college students and their families at the ExCeL Centre in October.

The rollercoaster experience combines a VR animation of a coaster ride with a seat that has been engineered to move in sync with the images. It originated with a research goal in mind; “thrill engineer” and Middlesex University Professor of Creative Industries Brendan Walker wondered if it would be possible to build a virtual rollercoaster and study how good it was at offering the sensation of thrill, before constructing a real one.

Now Computer Science Professor George Dafoulas is building on research into stress he conducted as part of a European Union-funded project with Egyptian and Palestinian participants, and later at Middlesex University, using monitoring data from riders on the rollercoaster to explore patterns in stress levels for different individuals. Prof Dafoulas said: “The team and I [are trying] to investigate whether the way we experience stress in work settings is the same or different in our other life experience."

First results from data collected from 35-40 volunteers at New Scientist Live 2023 are already published. At this year's New Scientist event, the team of Middlesex University academics led by Prof Dafoulas - Giacomo Nalli, Ariadni Tsiakara, Kajal Mistry, Farzad Aria and Bahareh Langari, with invaluable help from technical tutor Neil ‘Spike’ Melton and Prof Walker - took another 49 samples. A further 110 student volunteers are set to participate by riding the rollercoaster on the University's campus in January.

The data reveals participants experienced real stress from the simulation; “in other words, it worked,” said Prof Dafoulas.

The next step is to identify whether certain personality types, using Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessments, are particularly afraid of rollercoasters.

In the spirit of Prof Walker’s original enquiry, Prof Dafoulas hopes to develop the research to compare VR rollercoaster participants with riders on a real rollercoaster. This could be a 'game changer'. "We could create a points system to assess how realistic [a virtual ride is] based on physiological and biological data, rather than an expert's perception,” he said.

Meanwhile, Senior Lecturer in Cardiac Physiology, Aléchia van Wyk, is set to incorporate a rollercoaster experience into her ongoing research on psycho-physiological factors influencing heart health.

Last summer, van Wyk involved postgraduate students in monitoring participants’ heart rhythms using a 12-lead Holter monitor electrocardiogram (ECG), alongside measuring how much electricity and heat passes through the skin in response to still images. This year, her research expands to assess participants' psycho-physiological responses to these images when viewed through a VR headset. The aim is to identify ECG markers that could grade patients’ risk of experiencing stress-induced cardiac events.

The rollercoaster offers an exciting avenue to obtain real-time responses to stress. Van Wyk's experiment will evaluate how effectively the rollercoaster simulates a stressful experience, with student participants serving as controls. (Younger participants, particularly those who grew up in a screen-dominated environment, often exhibit minimal cardiac response to extreme imagery).

Van Wyk's research has promising medical applications, particularly in comparing VR-assisted aerobic exercise with traditional rehabilitation for heart patients. Previous studies underline the potential of VR to reduce anxiety associated with cardiac rehabilitation.

The Middlesex academic is eager to collaborate with arts and design experts to enhance the VR experience; an innovative extra dimension to her investigations.

Prof Dafoulas’s approach mirrors his and his colleagues’ use of biometrics to customise Computer Science students’ learning experiences. With augmented reality, he said, it should be possible for academics with wearables to forecast with real-time data which areas individual students need help with.

Prof Dafoulas is a strong advocate for departments getting out of their silos. With the rollercoaster, “we get three different areas of the university combined and our expertise [working] together in a multidisciplinary project showing that digital technologies will drive everything - emotional state, mental wellbeing, the opportunity to use technologies in a way that suits our needs”.

He credited the commitment of the Heads of Middlesex University's Design Engineering and Mathematics and Computer Science departments, Mehmet Karamanoglu and Aboubaker Lasebae, and the support of Science and Technology Deputy Dean for Knowledge Exchange and Research, Professor Sally Priest, for making it happen.

Prof Walker, who analyses and designs rollercoaster rides, is collaborating on Van Wyk’s research. He has long been trying to get medics with a specialism in physio-psychology interested in the heart’s response to the sensation of riding a rollercoaster, to refine his previous fieldwork using basic monitoring techniques with the level of equipment and approach that would be used in a clinical environment.

With simulators like the Middlesex University rollercoaster, “a real creative industry is waiting for the touch paper to be lit,” Prof Walker said, with huge possibilities around engaging young minds in the design and computer animation aspects.

A record number of Middlesex University students and staff volunteered at New Scientist Live this year, including for the first time representatives from Nursing and Midwifery.

Given the scale of student involvement in outreach activities, the Science and Technology Faculty is looking at the impact these have on employability and graduate skills development in a study led by Associate Professor Britta Stordal. Four alumni exhibited immersive experience game Wildfire! they have helped develop for a UKRI-funded project led by Senior Lecturer Wyn Griffiths. Middlesex University TV and Film students were there recording the huge collective effort on video.

“In a nutshell, we provided a fun-packed and comprehensive set of 18 hands-on activities to the public and over 6,000 schoolchildren over three days, showcasing what the University can do."

Professor Mehmet Karamanoglu, Head of Science and Technology, Middlesex University

Second-year Biomedical Science student Sanah Ghanem said: “I loved taking part - I wish we had a few [more] similar opportunities like this for us as scientists."

Explaining the structure of adrenaline to a parent and their child, Sanah said: "The child was fascinated and even asked if we could ever create 'super adrenaline' to enhance our abilities. It was incredible to see their imagination sparked by this discussion of chemistry and biology."

Third-year Biochemist student Sharmarke Ahmed said the event gave him a chance to network with people working in his field.

“One memorable conversation I had with a parent was about an event for young black scientists hosted by a professor who was a friend. Another was with a parent who had studied my course, talking about their career path.

“I will most definitely volunteer for NSL again if given the opportunity."

Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science Steve Williams said a highlight was "working alongside other organisations and being part of the vast learning experiences." Natural Sciences graduate academic assistant Ivan Punev said visitors appreciated hearing about the University's student volunteers’ journeys and passion for science.

Deputy Dean for Research and Knowledge Exchange Professor Sally Priest said: “It’s a hard event, a very long weekend but it’s one we look forward to every year.

"A nice thing is that we see a very wide range of students volunteering, including first years who have only been at the University for a few weeks. It’s a great enrichment opportunity for students to practise talking about engineering, technology and science and build those communication skills for the workplace."

Prof Mehmet told participants: “I do hope you will continue; the journey you have started in public engagement, contributing to your development, and making you highly confident communicators in your field. This will be a skill that will set you apart from many others when seeking your first job but also come in very handy in so many other ways”.