Geometry deformation for reducing cybersickness in VR

Virtual reality (VR) technologies became more and more widespread for a couple of years as they got more and more mature. The accessibility to VR highly increased thanks to recent low-cost commercial VR head mounted display systems and easy-to-use development toolkits. One important and well-studied human perception issue is related to motion sickness or cybersickness. In this paper we are dealing with case when users feel a visually induced induced self-motion that are not felt through their vestibular systems. This incoherent movement perception provokes cybersickness to the users. To tackle this issue, we present in this paper a novel method to reduce cybersickness through reducing visually induced self-motion by processing geometrically the virtual scene while navigating. The first prototype of geometry deformation applied on virtual building appearing in the peripheral vision of user has been implemented and experimented. The feedback from the experiment participants shows that the visually induced self-motion is reduced and the navigation quality and presence level are guaranteed

Modeling online adaptive navigation in virtual environments based on PID control

It is well known that locomotion-dominated navigation tasks may highly provoke cybersickness effects. Past research has proposed numerous approaches to tackle this issue based on offline considerations. In this work, a novel approach to mitigate cybersickness is presented based on online adaptative navigation. Considering the Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control method, we proposed a mathematical model for online adaptive navigation parameterized with several parameters, taking as input the users' electro-dermal activity (EDA), an efficient indicator to measure the cybersickness level, and providing as output adapted navigation accelerations. Therefore, minimizing the cybersickness level is regarded as an argument optimization problem: find the PID model parameters which can reduce the severity of cybersickness. User studies were organized to collect non-adapted navigation accelerations and the corresponding EDA signals. A deep neural network was then formulated to learn the correlation between EDA and navigation accelerations. The hyperparameters of the network were obtained through the Optuna open-source framework. To validate the performance of the optimized online adaptive navigation developed through the PID control, we performed an analysis in a simulated user study based on the pre-trained deep neural network. Results indicate a significant reduction of cybersickness in terms of EDA signal analysis and motion sickness dose value. This is a pioneering work which presented a systematic strategy for adaptive navigation settings from a theoretical point

The Effects of Primary and Secondary Task Workloads on Cybersickness in Immersive Virtual Active Exploration Experiences

Virtual reality (VR) technology promises to transform humanity. The technology enables users to explore and interact with computer-generated environments that can be simulated to approximate or deviate from reality. This creates an endless number of ways to propitiously apply the technology in our lives. It follows that large technological conglomerates are pushing for the widespread adoption of VR, financing the creation of the Metaverse - a hypothetical representation of the next iteration of the internet. Even with VR technology\u27s continuous growth, its widespread adoption remains long overdue. This can largely be attributed to an affliction called cybersickness, an analog to motion sickness, which often manifests in users as an undesirable side-effect of VR experiences, inhibiting its sustained usage. This makes it highly important to study factors related to the malady. The tasks performed in a simulated environment provide context, purpose, and meaning to the experience. Active exploration experiences afford users control over their motion, primarily allowing them to navigate through an environment. While navigating, users may also have to engage in secondary tasks that can be distracting. These navigation and distraction tasks differ in terms of the source and magnitude of attentional demands involved, potentially influencing how cyber-sickening a simulation can be. Given the sparse literature in this area, this dissertation sets out to investigate how the interplay between these factors impacts the onset and severity of sickness, thereby contributing to the knowledge base on how the attentional demands associated with the tasks performed during navigation affect cybersickness in virtual reality

Improving spatial orientation in virtual reality with leaning-based interfaces

Advancement in technology has made Virtual Reality (VR) increasingly portable, affordable and accessible to a broad audience. However, large scale VR locomotion still faces major challenges in the form of spatial disorientation and motion sickness. While spatial updating is automatic and even obligatory in real world walking, using VR controllers to travel can cause disorientation. This dissertation presents two experiments that explore ways of improving spatial updating and spatial orientation in VR locomotion while minimizing cybersickness. In the first study, we compared a hand-held controller with HeadJoystick, a leaning-based interface, in a 3D navigational search task. The results showed that leaning-based interface helped participant spatially update more effectively than when using the controller. In the second study, we designed a "HyperJump" locomotion paradigm which allows to travel faster while limiting its optical flow. Not having any optical flow (as in traditional teleport paradigms) has been shown to help reduce cybersickness, but can also cause disorientation. By interlacing continuous locomotion with teleportation we showed that user can travel faster without compromising spatial updating

Design of a Semiautomatic Travel Technique in VR Environments

International audienceTravel in a real environment is a common task that human beings conduct easily and subconsciously. However transposing this task in virtual environments (VEs) remains challenging due to input devices and techniques. Considering the well-described sensory conflict theory, we present a semiautomatic travel method based on path planning algorithms and gaze-directed control, aiming at reducing the generation of conflicted signals that may confuse the central nervous system. Since gaze-directed control is user-centered and path planning is goal-oriented, our semiautomatic technique makes up for the deficiencies of each with smoother and less jerky trajectories

The Effect of Prior Virtual Reality Experience on Locomotion and Navigation in Virtual Environments

VirtualReality(VR) is becoming more accessible and widely utilized in crucial disciplines like training, communication, healthcare, and education. One of the important parts of VR applications is walking through virtual environments. So, researchers have broadly studied various kinds of walking in VR as it can reduce sickness, improve the sense of presence, and enhance the general user experience. Due to the recent availability of consumer Head Mounted Displays (HMDs), people are using HMDs in all sorts of different locations. It underscores the need for locomotion methods that allow users to move through large Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs) when occupying a small physical space or even seated. Although many aspects of locomotion in VR have received extensive research, very little work has considered how locomotive behaviors might change over time as users become more experienced in IVEs. As HMDs were rarely encountered outside of a lab before 2016, most locomotion research before this was likely conducted with VR novices who had no prior experience with the technology. However, as this is no longer the case, itis important to consider whether locomotive behaviors may evolve over time with user experience. This proposal specifically studies locomotive behaviors and effects that may adjust over time. For the first study, we conducted experiments measuring novice and experienced subjects’ gait parameters in VR and real environments. Prior research has established that users’ gait in virtual and real environments differs; however, little research has evaluated how users’ gait differs as users gain more experience with VR. We conducted experiments measuring novice and experienced subjects’ gait parameters in VR and real environments. Results showed that subjects’ performance in VR and Real World was more similar in the last trials than in the first trials; their walking dissimilarity in the start trials diminished by walking more trials. We found the trials a significant variable affecting the walking speed, step length, and trunk angle for both groups of users. While the main effect of expertise was not observed, an interaction effect between expertise and the trial number was shown. The trunk angle increased over time for novices but decreased for experts. These cond study reports the results of an experiment investigating how users’ behavior with two locomotion methods changed over four weeks: teleportation and joystick-based locomotion. Twenty novice VR users (no more than 1 hour prior experience with any form of walking in VR) were recruited. They loaned an Oculus Quest for four weeks on their own time, including an activity we provided them with. Results showed that the time required to complete the navigation task decreased faster for joystick-based locomotion. Spatial memory improved with time, particularly when using teleportation (which starts disadvantaged to joystick-based locomotion). Also, overall cyber sickness decreased slightly overtime; two dimensions of cyber sickness (nausea and disorientation) increased notably over time using joystick-based navigation. The next study presents the findings of a longitudinal research study investigating the effects of locomotion methods within virtual reality on participants’ spatial awareness during VR experiences and subsequent real-world gait parameters. The study encompasses two distinct environments: the real world and VR. In the real world setting, we analyze key gait parameters, including walking speed, distance traveled, and stepcount, both pre and post-VR exposure, to perceive the influence of VR locomotion on post-VR gait behavior. Additionally, we assess participants’ spatial awareness and the occurrence of simulator sickness, considering two locomotion methods: joy stick and teleportation. Our results reveal significant changes in gait parameters associated with increased VR locomotion experience. Furthermore, we observe a remarkable reduction in cyber sickness symptoms over successive VR sessions, particularly evident among participants utilizing joy stick locomotion. This study contributes to the understanding of gait behavior influenced by VR locomotion technology and the duration of VR immersion. Together, these studies inform how locomotion and navigation behavior may change in VR as users become more accustomed to walking in virtual reality settings. Also, comparative studies on locomotion methods help VR developers to implement the better-suited locomotion method. Thus, it provides knowledge to design and develop VR systems to perform better for different applications and groups of users

How immersive virtual reality methods may meet the criteria of the National Academy of Neuropsychology and American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology:A software review of the Virtual Reality Everyday Assessment Lab (VR-EAL)

International audienceClinical tools involving immersive virtual reality (VR) may bring several advantages to cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology. However, there are some technical and methodological pitfalls. The American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) and the National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN) raised 8 key issues pertaining to Computerized Neuropsychological Assessment Devices. These issues pertain to: (1) the safety and effectivity; (2) the identity of the end-user; (3) the technical hardware and software features; (4) privacy and data security; (5) the psychometric properties; (6) examinee issues; (7) the use of reporting services; and (8) the reliability of the responses and results. The VR Everyday Assessment Lab (VR-EAL) is the first immersive VR neuropsychological battery with enhanced ecological validity for the assessment of everyday cognitive functions by offering a pleasant testing experience without inducing cybersickness. The VR-EAL meets the criteria of the NAN and AACN, addresses the methodological pitfalls, and brings advantages for neuropsychological testing. However, there are still shortcomings of the VR-EAL, which should be addressed. Future iterations should strive to improve the embodiment illusion in VR-EAL and the creation of an open access VR software library should be attempted. The discussed studies demonstrate the utility of VR methods in cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology