Supporting Memorization and Problem Solving with Spatial Information Presentations in Virtual Environments

While it has been suggested that immersive virtual environments could provide benefits for educational applications, few studies have formally evaluated how the enhanced perceptual displays of such systems might improve learning. Using simplified memorization and problem-solving tasks as representative approximations of more advanced types of learning, we are investigating the effects of providing supplemental spatial information on the performance of learning-based activities within virtual environments. We performed two experiments to investigate whether users can take advantage of a spatial information presentation to improve performance on cognitive processing activities. In both experiments, information was presented either directly in front of the participant or wrapped around the participant along the walls of a surround display. In our first experiment, we found that the spatial presentation caused better performance on a memorization and recall task. To investigate whether the advantages of spatial information presentation extend beyond memorization to higher level cognitive activities, our second experiment employed a puzzle-like task that required critical thinking using the presented information. The results indicate that no performance improvements or mental workload reductions were gained from the spatial presentation method compared to a non-spatial layout for our problem-solving task. The results of these two experiments suggest that supplemental spatial information can support performance improvements for cognitive processing and learning-based activities, but its effectiveness is dependent on the nature of the task and a meaningful use of space

The use of non-intrusive user logging to capture engineering rationale, knowledge and intent during the product life cycle

Within the context of Life Cycle Engineering it is important that structured engineering information and knowledge are captured at all phases of the product life cycle for future reference. This is especially the case for long life cycle projects which see a large number of engineering decisions made at the early to mid-stages of a product's life cycle that are needed to inform engineering decisions later on in the process. A key aspect of technology management will be the capturing of knowledge through out the product life cycle. Numerous attempts have been made to apply knowledge capture techniques to formalise engineering decision rationale and processes; however, these tend to be associated with substantial overheads on the engineer and the company through cognitive process interruptions and additional costs/time. Indeed, when life cycle deadlines come closer these capturing techniques are abandoned due the need to produce a final solution. This paper describes work carried out for non-intrusively capturing and formalising product life cycle knowledge by demonstrating the automated capture of engineering processes/rationale using user logging via an immersive virtual reality system for cable harness design and assembly planning. Associated post-experimental analyses are described which demonstrate the formalisation of structured design processes and decision representations in the form of IDEF diagrams and structured engineering change information. Potential future research directions involving more thorough logging of users are also outlined

The Analysis of design and manufacturing tasks using haptic and immersive VR - Some case studies

The use of virtual reality in interactive design and manufacture has been researched extensively but the practical application of this technology in industry is still very much in its infancy. This is surprising as one would have expected that, after some 30 years of research commercial applications of interactive design or manufacturing planning and analysis would be widespread throughout the product design domain. One of the major but less well known advantages of VR technology is that logging the user gives a great deal of rich data which can be used to automatically generate designs or manufacturing instructions, analyse design and manufacturing tasks, map engineering processes and, tentatively, acquire expert knowledge. The authors feel that the benefits of VR in these areas have not been fully disseminated to the wider industrial community and - with the advent of cheaper PC-based VR solutions - perhaps a wider appreciation of the capabilities of this type of technology may encourage companies to adopt VR solutions for some of their product design processes. With this in mind, this paper will describe in detail applications of haptics in assembly demonstrating how user task logging can lead to the analysis of design and manufacturing tasks at a level of detail not previously possible as well as giving usable engineering outputs. The haptic 3D VR study involves the use of a Phantom and 3D system to analyse and compare this technology against real-world user performance. This work demonstrates that the detailed logging of tasks in a virtual environment gives considerable potential for understanding how virtual tasks can be mapped onto their real world equivalent as well as showing how haptic process plans can be generated in a similar manner to the conduit design and assembly planning HMD VR tool reported in PART A. The paper concludes with a view as to how the authors feel that the use of VR systems in product design and manufacturing should evolve in order to enable the industrial adoption of this technology in the future

Training of mental rotation ability in virtual spaces

Die mentale Rotationsfähigkeit wird als eine wichtige Voraussetzung für die Entwicklung der Fachkompetenz in vielen technischen Berufen angesehen. Bisherigen Studien zufolge kann die mentale Rotationsfähigkeit durch wiederholte Ausführung mentaler oder manueller Rotationen trainiert werden. Virtuelle Technologie eröffnet die Möglichkeit, die mentale Rotationsfähigkeit in realitätsnahen Umgebungen zu erfassen und zu trainieren. Bislang liegen wenige aussagekräftige empirische Erkenntnisse zu den Einsatzmöglichkeiten und der Effektivität von virtuellen Umgebungen zur Analyse und Förderung dieser Fähigkeit vor. Mit dieser Studie sollen anschlussfähige Befunde über die VR-basierten, adaptiven Trainings der mentalen Rotationsfähigkeit zur Entwicklung einer Fördermaßnahme generiert werden. Als Design der Studie wurde eine Prä-Post-Untersuchung der mentalen Rotationsfähigkeit gewählt. Zwischen der Vor- und Nacherhebung fanden zwei virtuelle Phasen statt, in welchen die Probanden (überwiegend Studierende, N = 100) virtuelle 3D Items bearbeiteten. Es zeigte sich, dass sich die mentale Rotationsfähigkeit der Testpersonen nach der Arbeit mit virtuellen Items verbesserte. Darüber hinaus geben die Ergebnisse Aufschluss über die Eignung der virtuellen 3D Items zur Erfassung und zum adaptiven Training mentaler Rotationsfähigkeit. Die Schwächen der Studie sowie die Aussichten zur Gestaltung eines adaptiven, VR-basierten mentalen Rotationstrainings werden diskutiert.Mental rotation ability is seen as an important condition for the development of professional competence in many technical professions. Previous studies have shown that mental rotation can be trained by repeatedly performing mental or manual rotations. Virtual technology opens up the possibility of capturing and training mental rotation ability in near-reality environments. So far, there is little empirical evidence on the potential and effectiveness of virtual environments to analyse and enhance this ability. This study is intended to generate findings on the VR-based, adaptive training of mental rotation ability for the development of a support measure. A pre-post examination of mental rotation ability was chosen as the design of the study. Two virtual phases took place between the pre- and post-inquiry, in which the test persons (mainly students, N = 100) dealt with virtual 3D items. It was shown that the mental rotation ability of the test subjects improved after working with virtual items. Furthermore, the results provide information on the suitability of the virtual 3D items for measuring and the adaptive training of mental rotation. The flaws of the study and the prospects for designing an adaptive, VR-based form of mental rotation training are discussed

Pervasive and standalone computing: The perceptual effects of variable multimedia quality.

The introduction of multimedia on pervasive and mobile communication devices raises a number of perceptual quality issues, however, limited work has been done examining the 3-way interaction between use of equipment, quality of perception and quality of service. Our work measures levels of informational transfer (objective) and user satisfaction (subjective)when users are presented with multimedia video clips at three different frame rates, using four different display devices, simulating variation in participant mobility. Our results will show that variation in frame-rate does not impact a user’s level of information assimilation, however, does impact a users’ perception of multimedia video ‘quality’. Additionally, increased visual immersion can be used to increase transfer of video information, but can negatively affect the users’ perception of ‘quality’. Finally, we illustrate the significant affect of clip-content on the transfer of video, audio and textual information, placing into doubt the use of purely objective quality definitions when considering multimedia presentations

Predictive text-entry in immersive environments

Virtual Reality (VR) has progressed significantly since its conception, enabling previously impossible applications such as virtual prototyping, telepresence, and augmented reality However, text-entry remains a difficult problem for immersive environments (Bowman et al, 2001b, Mine et al , 1997). Wearing a head-mounted display (HMD) and datagloves affords a wealth of new interaction techniques. However, users no longer have access to traditional input devices such as a keyboard. Although VR allows for more natural interfaces, there is still a need for simple, yet effective, data-entry techniques. Examples include communicating in a collaborative environment, accessing system commands, or leaving an annotation for a designer m an architectural walkthrough (Bowman et al, 2001b). This thesis presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a predictive text-entry technique for immersive environments which combines 5DT datagloves, a graphically represented keyboard, and a predictive spelling paradigm. It evaluates the fundamental factors affecting the use of such a technique. These include keyboard layout, prediction accuracy, gesture recognition, and interaction techniques. Finally, it details the results of user experiments, and provides a set of recommendations for the future use of such a technique in immersive environments

Usability Evaluation in Virtual Environments: Classification and Comparison of Methods

Virtual environments (VEs) are a relatively new type of human-computer interface in which users perceive and act in a three-dimensional world. The designers of such systems cannot rely solely on design guidelines for traditional two-dimensional interfaces, so usability evaluation is crucial for VEs. We present an overview of VE usability evaluation. First, we discuss some of the issues that differentiate VE usability evaluation from evaluation of traditional user interfaces such as GUIs. We also present a review of VE evaluation methods currently in use, and discuss a simple classification space for VE usability evaluation methods. This classification space provides a structured means for comparing evaluation methods according to three key characteristics: involvement of representative users, context of evaluation, and types of results produced. To illustrate these concepts, we compare two existing evaluation approaches: testbed evaluation [Bowman, Johnson, & Hodges, 1999], and sequential evaluation [Gabbard, Hix, & Swan, 1999]. We conclude by presenting novel ways to effectively link these two approaches to VE usability evaluation

The Role of Immersive Virtual Reality in Individual Learning

New technologies create opportunities to improve education and, in this way, the individual learning. Due to their certain characteristics, such as immersion (i.e. the total engagement to a specific activity while other attentional demands are ignored), immersive Virtual Reality (VR) systems have the potential to increase the individual learning performance. Modern VR-head mounted displays (e.g. Oculus Rift) and provided controllers allow a new kind of interaction within a virtual environment. Against this background, the construct cognitive absorption (CA) within a learning context emerged. CA consists of five sub- constructs: temporal dissociation, curiosity, enjoyment, control, and immersion. Both, learning and CA, have already been brought together but not within a context of immersive VR. Hence, this study examines learning and its conditions within an immersive VR context by a Grounded Theory approach with 21 qualitative interviews. Implications for theory and design are derived