18,239 research outputs found
Virtual Reality Games for Motor Rehabilitation
This paper presents a fuzzy logic based method to track user satisfaction without the need for devices to monitor users physiological conditions. User satisfaction is the key to any product’s acceptance; computer applications and video games provide a unique opportunity to provide a tailored environment for each user to better suit their needs. We have implemented a non-adaptive fuzzy logic model of emotion, based on the emotional component of the Fuzzy Logic Adaptive Model of Emotion (FLAME) proposed by El-Nasr, to estimate player emotion in UnrealTournament 2004. In this paper we describe the implementation of this system and present the results of one of several play tests. Our research contradicts the current literature that suggests physiological measurements are needed. We show that it is possible to use a software only method to estimate user emotion
A Framework for Designing 3d Virtual Environments
The process of design and development of virtual environments can be supported by tools and frameworks, to save time in technical aspects and focusing on the content. In this paper we present an academic framework which provides several levels of abstraction to ease this work. It includes state-of-the-art components we devised or integrated adopting open-source solutions in order to face specific problems. Its architecture is modular and customizable, the code is open-source.\u
Smoothness perception : investigation of beat rate effect on frame rate perception
Despite the complexity of the Human Visual System (HVS), research over the last few decades has highlighted a number of its limitations. These limitations can be exploited in computer graphics to significantly reduce computational cost and thus required rendering time, without a viewer perceiving any difference in resultant image quality. Furthermore, cross-modal interaction between different modalities, such as the influence of audio on visual perception, has also been shown as significant both in psychology and computer graphics. In this paper we investigate the effect of beat rate on temporal visual perception, i.e. frame rate perception. For the visual quality and perception evaluation, a series of psychophysical experiments was conducted and the data analysed. The results indicate that beat rates in some cases do affect temporal visual perception and that certain beat rates can be used in order to reduce the amount of rendering required to achieve a perceptual high quality. This is another step towards a comprehensive understanding of auditory-visual cross-modal interaction and could be potentially used in high-fidelity interactive multi-sensory virtual environments
Using Sound to Enhance Users’ Experiences of Mobile Applications
The latest smartphones with GPS, electronic compass, directional audio, touch screens etc. hold potentials for location based services that are easier to use compared to traditional tools. Rather than interpreting maps, users may focus on their activities and the environment around them. Interfaces may be designed that let users search for information by simply pointing in a direction. Database queries can be created from GPS location and compass direction data. Users can get guidance to locations through pointing gestures, spatial sound and simple graphics. This article describes two studies testing prototypic applications with multimodal user interfaces built on spatial audio, graphics and text. Tests show that users appreciated the applications for their ease of use, for being fun and effective to use and for allowing users to interact directly with the environment rather than with abstractions of the same. The multimodal user interfaces contributed significantly to the overall user experience
Effects of virtual acoustics on dynamic auditory distance perception
Sound propagation encompasses various acoustic phenomena including
reverberation. Current virtual acoustic methods, ranging from parametric
filters to physically-accurate solvers, can simulate reverberation with varying
degrees of fidelity. We investigate the effects of reverberant sounds generated
using different propagation algorithms on acoustic distance perception, i.e.,
how faraway humans perceive a sound source. In particular, we evaluate two
classes of methods for real-time sound propagation in dynamic scenes based on
parametric filters and ray tracing. Our study shows that the more accurate
method shows less distance compression as compared to the approximate,
filter-based method. This suggests that accurate reverberation in VR results in
a better reproduction of acoustic distances. We also quantify the levels of
distance compression introduced by different propagation methods in a virtual
environment.Comment: 8 Pages, 7 figure
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