Psychological benefits and educational potential of physically immersive artificial environment pedagogy

Over the last decade, physically immersive artificial environments (PIAEs) have proliferated. These environments afford greater interactivity, which has been shown to increase learner understanding, knowledge retention, and interest in the subject (Bonwell & Eison, 1991, p. 3; Prince, 2004). It would follow, then, that PIAEs would have similar educational benefits. However, little research has been done to prove that such benefits exist. Immersive environments include 2-demensional and 2.5-dimensional on-screen displays, semi-immersive screens, and physically immersive setups, such as CAVE and blue-c (Display Systems: 3D & Advanced, 2008; Gross, n.d.). There are many perceived benefits to immersive environments. At present, their novelty seems to hold students\u27 attention better than traditional environments. PIAEs may improve students\u27 attitude toward the domain; provide contextual learning, constructivism, and experiential learning; allow students to visit physically inaccessible environments; and provide concrete representations of abstract concepts. Student interaction and multimodal interaction may be increased and students\u27 spatial abilities may increase in physically immersive environments. A physically immersive artificial environment was developed at RIT, for which the students of two classes used and created immersive content. These students were tested to determine whether they exhibited differences in their science related attitudes, mental rotation abilities, and spatial orientation abilities after using the PIAE for a 10-week period. The study found inconclusive evidence regarding changes in science related attitudes and spatial orientation abilities, but did find evidence in support of the hypothesis that experiences in a physically immersive environment increase students\u27 mental rotation abilities. The study lays the groundwork for further research into the educational benefits of physically immersive artificial environments

3D (embodied) projection mapping and sensing bodies : a study in interactive dance performance

This dissertation identifies the synergies between physical and virtual environments when designing for immersive experiences in interactive dance performances. The integration of virtual information in physical space is transforming our interactions and experiences with the world. By using the body and creative expression as the interface between real and virtual worlds, dance performance creates a privileged framework to research and design interactive mixed reality environments and immersive augmented architectures. The research is primarily situated in the fields of visual art and interaction design. It combines performance with transdisciplinary fields and intertwines practice with theory. The theoretical and conceptual implications involved in designing and experiencing immersive hybrid environments are analyzed using the reality–virtuality continuum. These theories helped frame the ways augmented reality architectures are achieved through the integration of dance performance with digital software and reception displays. They also helped identify the main artistic affordances and restrictions in the design of augmented reality and augmented virtuality environments for live performance. These pervasive media architectures were materialized in three field experiments, the live dance performances. Each performance was created in three different stages of conception, design and production. The first stage was to “digitize” the performer’s movement and brain activity to the virtual environment and our system. This was accomplished through the use of depth sensor cameras, 3D motion capture, and brain computer interfaces. The second stage was the creation of the computational architecture and software that aggregates the connections and mapping between the physical body and the spatial dynamics of the virtual environment. This process created real-time interactions between the performer’s behavior and motion and the real-time generative computer 3D graphics. Finally, the third stage consisted of the output modality: 3D projector based augmentation techniques were adopted in order to overlay the virtual environment onto physical space. This thesis proposes and lays out theoretical, technical, and artistic frameworks between 3D digital environments and moving bodies in dance performance. By sensing the body and the brain with the 3D virtual environments, new layers of augmentation and interactions are established, and ultimately this generates mixed reality environments for embodied improvisational self-expression.Radio-Television-Fil

Feasibility and effect of low-cost haptics on user immersion in virtual environments

Since the later 1990s research into Immersion, Presence and Interactivity in the context of digital media has been steadily evolving into an exciting area of experimentation, fuelled by advances in the visual, audio and tracking capabilities of Virtual Reality (VR) equipment, thanks to these improvements studies into the effectiveness of this equipment in producing an immersive experience are now possible. This is most commonly achieved by measuring the perceived level of Presence experienced by participants in virtual environments, with the higher the sense of Presence created, the more effective a VR system is deemed to be. However, due to the current limitations of Haptic interaction methods investigation into the role that touch plays in generating this sense of Presence is somewhat restricted. Following a structured process of design and research work, this project presents a new approach to creating Haptic Interaction by deploying a Haptic Prototyping Toolkit that enables Passive Haptic Interactions in Virtual Environments. The findings of this work provide the foundations for future research into the development of interaction methods of this type

The matrix revisited: A critical assessment of virtual reality technologies for modeling, simulation, and training

A convergence of affordable hardware, current events, and decades of research have advanced virtual reality (VR) from the research lab into the commercial marketplace. Since its inception in the 1960s, and over the next three decades, the technology was portrayed as a rarely used, high-end novelty for special applications. Despite the high cost, applications have expanded into defense, education, manufacturing, and medicine. The promise of VR for entertainment arose in the early 1990\u27s and by 2016 several consumer VR platforms were released. With VR now accessible in the home and the isolationist lifestyle adopted due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, VR is now viewed as a potential tool to enhance remote education. Drawing upon over 17 years of experience across numerous VR applications, this dissertation examines the optimal use of VR technologies in the areas of visualization, simulation, training, education, art, and entertainment. It will be demonstrated that VR is well suited for education and training applications, with modest advantages in simulation. Using this context, the case is made that VR can play a pivotal role in the future of education and training in a globally connected world

Understanding the immersive experience: Examining the influence of visual immersiveness and interactivity on spatial experiences and understanding

Advances in computer graphics have enabled us to generate more compelling 3D virtual environments. 'Immersive experience' in these environments result from a combination of immersion and interactivity. As such, various disciplines have started adopting 3D technology for enhancing spatial understanding and experience. But the impact of the immersive experience on spatial understanding and experience remains unclear. This study utilized a controlled, between-subjects experiment to systematically manipulate a virtual reality system's technology affordances (stereoscopy, field of view, and navigability) and measure their impact. Participants, N=120, explored a virtual office and completed a questionnaire on the experience and tasks evaluating their understanding of the space. The results indicated that visual immersion had the greatest impact on understanding but, better experiences were gained when visual immersion was combined with greater interactivity. These findings support the notion the immersive experience is important for the comprehension of virtual spaces. This study overall served to provide insight into the role of the immersive experience on the comprehension of virtual spaces. The findings advance theories of spatial presence and immersion, support the use of methods which look at technology as affordances rather than entities, and support the use of 3D technology for communicating spatial information as in the case of architecture and fire-fighter training

Presence 2005: the eighth annual international workshop on presence, 21-23 September, 2005 University College London (Conference proceedings)

OVERVIEW (taken from the CALL FOR PAPERS) Academics and practitioners with an interest in the concept of (tele)presence are invited to submit their work for presentation at PRESENCE 2005 at University College London in London, England, September 21-23, 2005. The eighth in a series of highly successful international workshops, PRESENCE 2005 will provide an open discussion forum to share ideas regarding concepts and theories, measurement techniques, technology, and applications related to presence, the psychological state or subjective perception in which a person fails to accurately and completely acknowledge the role of technology in an experience, including the sense of 'being there' experienced by users of advanced media such as virtual reality. The concept of presence in virtual environments has been around for at least 15 years, and the earlier idea of telepresence at least since Minsky's seminal paper in 1980. Recently there has been a burst of funded research activity in this area for the first time with the European FET Presence Research initiative. What do we really know about presence and its determinants? How can presence be successfully delivered with today's technology? This conference invites papers that are based on empirical results from studies of presence and related issues and/or which contribute to the technology for the delivery of presence. Papers that make substantial advances in theoretical understanding of presence are also welcome. The interest is not solely in virtual environments but in mixed reality environments. Submissions will be reviewed more rigorously than in previous conferences. High quality papers are therefore sought which make substantial contributions to the field. Approximately 20 papers will be selected for two successive special issues for the journal Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments. PRESENCE 2005 takes place in London and is hosted by University College London. The conference is organized by ISPR, the International Society for Presence Research and is supported by the European Commission's FET Presence Research Initiative through the Presencia and IST OMNIPRES projects and by University College London

Virtual transcendence experiences: Exploring technical and design challenges in multi-sensory environments

In this paper 1, we introduce the concept of Virtual Transcendence Experience (VTE) as a response to the interactions of several users sharing several immersive experiences through different media channels. For that, we review the current body of knowledge that has led to the development of a VTE system. This is followed by a discussion of current technical and design challenges that could support the implementation of this concept. This discussion has informed the VTE framework (VTEf), which integrates different layers of experiences, including the role of each user and the technical challenges involved. We conclude this paper with suggestions for two scenarios and recommendations for the implementation of a system that could support VTEs

THE PERSUASION PROCESSES IN VIRTUAL REALITY IN THE CONTEXT OF TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE

This dissertation investigates the extent to which a media audience’s degree of technology acceptance (as a mediator) and interactivity of the media influence the user’s sense of presence, enjoyment, and message engagement, and finally lead to attitude change (persuasion). The study also explores how the user processes a message and changes the individuals’ attitude, guided by the Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM) of information processing. To test hypotheses, two different types of media as stimuli sorted by levels of stereoscopic dimension (2D screen versus 3D virtual reality) describing a Syrian Refugee crisis were used for an experiment in the study. Stimuli were randomly assigned to 105 university students to 1) watch (screen) or 2) experience (VR). After the experiment, participants were asked to complete a set of questionnaires, which included items to assess the amount of heuristic and systematic processing; the level of presence; message engagement; enjoyment; message-consistent attitude change; and behavioral intention. The results showed VR (high interactivity) induced participants’ higher level of telepresence, social presence, message engagement, and enjoyment than a screen (low interactivity), and finally led to message-consistent attitude and behavioral intention. Heuristic processing was primarily worked in VR, where Systematic processing was mainly shown in the 2D condition. In addition, it was found that Technological Acceptance significantly worked as a mediator between interactivity and message engagement. Limitations and suggestions for future research were discussed with implications for both academic and business field

A Utility Framework for Selecting Immersive Interactive Capability and Technology for Virtual Laboratories

There has been an increase in the use of virtual reality (VR) technology in the education community since VR is emerging as a potent educational tool that offers students with a rich source of educational material and makes learning exciting and interactive. With a rise of popularity and market expansion in VR technology in the past few years, a variety of consumer VR electronics have boosted educators and researchers’ interest in using these devices for practicing engineering and science laboratory experiments. However, little is known about how such devices may be well-suited for active learning in a laboratory environment. This research aims to address this gap by formulating a utility framework to help educators and decision-makers efficiently select a type of VR device that matches with their design and capability requirements for their virtual laboratory blueprint. Furthermore, a framework use case is demonstrated by not only surveying five types of VR devices ranging from low-immersive to full-immersive along with their capabilities (i.e., hardware specifications, cost, and availability) but also considering the interaction techniques in each VR device based on the desired laboratory task. To validate the framework, a research study is carried out to compare these five VR devices and investigate which device can provide an overall best-fit for a 3D virtual laboratory content that we implemented based on the interaction level, usability and performance effectiveness

Comparing the Perception and Performance of Selected VR Systems

La realidad virtual (VR) tiene un amplio uso en ingeniería mecánica y es necesario determinar la validez de los dispositivos que la utilizan para saber el grado de precisión a la hora de percibir el entorno virtual al usar este tipo de sistemas. El objetivo de esta tesis es la evaluación de la implementación técnica y de la percepción de usuario de una escena de realidad virtual usando el sistema de realidad virtual “Oculus Rift S”. Se realizará una introducción al tema y se determinarán aspectos relevantes en relación con la percepción en los sistemas de realidad virtual y, específicamente, de las gafas de realidad virtual (HMD). Se expondrán distintas escenas posibles para el testeo de su validez a la hora de medir dichos aspectos relevantes y se realizarán varias de ellas utilizando el programa “Unity”, con su posterior prueba de validez y análisis mediante el ensayo en personas.Virtual Reality (VR) has a wide use in mechanical engineering, and it is necessary to determine the validity of devices which use it in order to know the level of precision when perceiving the virtual environment using this kind of systems. The goal of this thesis is to evaluate the technical implementation and the user perception in a virtual reality scene using the “Oculus Rift S” VR system. It contains an introduction to the topic, the relevant aspects concerning perception of virtual reality systems will be determined and, specifically, of the Head Mounted Display (HMD). Several possible scenes for testing their validity when measuring those relevant aspects will be exposed. A few selected scenes will be developed using “Unity”, with their subsequent validity tests and evaluation of the Oculus Rift with help of a user study.Virtuelle Realität (VR) hat eine breite Verwendung im Maschinenbau. Es ist notwendig, die Tauglichkeit der dabei verwendeten Geräte zu bestimmen. Zu diesem Zweck muss die von den Geräten erreichte Präzision bei der Wahrnehmung der virtuellen Umgebung bestimmt werden. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, die technische Umsetzung und die Wahrnehmung einer Virtual-Reality-Szene mit dem VR-System "Oculus Rift S" zu bewerten. Es wird eine Einführung in das Thema gegeben und relevante Aspekte der Wahrnehmung in VR-Systemen und speziell in Head-Mounted-Displays (HMD) ermittelt. Es werden verschiedene mögliche Szenen vorgestellt, um ihre Validität bei der Messung dieser relevanten Aspekte zu testen. Ausgewählte Szenen werden mit dem Programm "Unity" umgesetzt. Diese werden in einer Nutzerstudievalidiert und zur Bewertung der Oculus Rift S.Departamento de Ingeniería Energética y FluidomecánicaGrado en Ingeniería Mecánic