We find the isolation in quarantine time has some similarity to the isolation of astronauts in space. Thus, the experiences of astronauts combat isolation in the past can be seen as a reference for people combating their isolation in quarantine. To share astronauts isolation tips with others, we are building a game in which the player can experience how astronauts balance their work and leisure time. The solutions for isolation can be divided into 4 categories: the have-to-dos like workout, which is necessary to keep healthy; the self-enhancements such as reading or watching movies, which make life fun but not build a connection with people on Earth; the for-someone-in-the-futures such as writing journals and photography, which do not create an instant connection with others but will have impacts on others in the future and get potential feedback; and the instant-communications such as video calls, which is a substitution of face-to-face communication when the later if not possible. We merge these isolation solutions into the working routine of astronauts in the game, and provide advice to players about how to combat isolation. We hope players can take some advice away after playing the game.
The similarity between astronauts in space and quarantine during COVID-19 inspired us to reference ways that astronauts combat isolation in space as a solution to the isolation in COVID-19.
We first did research on the Internet to find challenges that astronauts have had in isolation in space and how they solved these challenges. We find although astronauts have a heavy workload in space, they can hardly get feedback on their work; and due to the distance between their locations and Earth, it is hard for them to build a connection with people on Earth. Compared to the isolation condition of astronauts, the isolation condition during quarantine is much better. Hence, we believe astronauts' experiences in isolation can be used as a reference in COVID-19 quarantine.
We used the content from NASA's Human Research Program, especially an interview with Tom Williams talking about the hazard of isolation in the Human Factors and Behavioral Performance section. We also used the content about Apollo missions on Lunar and Planetary Institute’s website to provide players daily tasks in the game.
We decided to use virtual reality as the medium for the game, because we believe virtual reality creates a visual isolation. We used Unreal Engine to build the game and used Oculus Rift to test the experience. Due to the limited time, we made a simple demo to illustrate the visual style and game mode.
https://vimeo.com/424661132
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OLILRsJekQ6zs6Pku5W6RUgfxm8_DN4d/view?usp=sharing
Hazard 2: Isolation. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/johnson/HWHAP/hazard-2-isolation.
Apollo 17 Mission. USRA. https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/apollo/apollo_17/surface_opp/.
Apollo Lunar Surface Journal. NASA. https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/main.html.
Psychomotor Vigilance Self Test on the International Space Station. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=955.
An Astronaut’s Tips For Living in Space – Or Anywhere. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/an-astronaut-s-tips-for-living-in-space-or-anywhere.
Behavioral Issues Associated with isolation and Confinement: Review and Analysis of Astronaut Journals. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=964.
Social Isolation in Context. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/social-isolation/in-context.
The astronauts spend their leisure time by reading their favorite books, listening to music, and looking at the Earth. JAXA. https://iss.jaxa.jp/kids/en/life/09.html.