Interaction with virtual crowd in Immersive and semi‐Immersive Virtual Reality systems

This study examines attributes of virtual human behavior that may increase the plausibility of a simulated crowd and affect the user's experience in Virtual Reality. Purpose-developed experiments in both Immersive and semi-Immersive Virtual Reality systems queried the impact of collision and basic interaction between real-users and the virtual crowd and their effect on the apparent realism and ease of navigation within Virtual Reality (VR). Participants' behavior and subjective measurements indicated that facilitating collision avoidance between the user and the virtual crowd makes the virtual characters, the environment, and the whole Virtual Reality system appear more realistic and lifelike. Adding basic social interaction, such as verbal salutations, gaze, and other gestures by the virtual characters towards the user, further contributes to this effect, with the participants reporting a stronger sense of presence. On the other hand, enabling collision avoidance on its own produces a reduced feeling of comfort and ease of navigation in VR. Objective measurements showed another interesting finding that collision avoidance may reduce the user's performance regarding their primary goal (navigating in VR following someone) and that this performance is further reduced when both collision avoidance and social interaction are facilitated

Penerapan Semi-Immersion Virtual Reality Untuk Simulasi Instalasi Transmisi Listrik

Peningkatan penggunaan listrik setiap tahun selalu terjadi, begitu pula dengan peningkatan pembangunan gardu induk dan gardu distribusi sebagai sarana transmisi listrik PLN. Proses perawatan maupun instalasi gardu induk dan gardu distribusi tersebut tentunya memiliki resiko yang sangat tinggi yang kadang bisa mematikan. Para pekerja yang akan melakukan perawatan maupun instalasi jaringan listrik memerlukan kualifikasi untuk bekerja pada tempat yang berada pada ketinggian. Kualifikasi tersebut membuat mahasiswa Teknik Elektro memiliki pelajaran tentang praktikum instalasi jaringan listrik dimana mereka akan mencoba menaiki tiang listrik untuk melakukan instalasi jaringan listrik. Untuk itu diperlukan suatu aplikasi yang dapat menggunakan teknologi virtual reality sehingga pelajar maupun mahasiswa dapat mempelajari proses instalasi jaringan listrik dengan lebih aman, sebelum mereka terjun langsung ke lapangan. Aplikasi ini dibuat dengan menggunakan software Unity 2019, yang dapat menghasilkan program berbasis mobile baik itu dalam operasi sistem android. Penelitian ini akan menggunakan video 360 yang akan menggambarkan bagaimana proses naik ke atas tiang listrik dan proses instalasi jaringan listrik. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk membangun aplikasi simulasi instalasi jaringan listrik menggunakan teknologi virtual reality, agar dapat memberikan gambaran dan simulasi untuk mahasiswa Teknik Elektro agar proses pembelajaran lebih aman dan terkendali

Amplification of co-presence in group visits to virtual houses with graphical representations from video games

An individual can observe one’s surrounding space. The space can contain various elements (e.g., objects, furniture), which in turn convey visual information to the individual, giving the sense of being present within the space. The space can be filled by additional individuals who also aim to observe their surroundings. The human ability to observe and interact with the surrounding elements plays a vital role in creating a feeling of being socially present and connected in a physical space, also know as co-presence. In the virtual world, similar sensations of co-presence are often conveyed through graphical representations. These representations, along with other methods aimed at enhancing co-presence (such as interfaces designed to foster a sense of shared presence), have been extensively researched and utilized in single player and multiplayer video games. The present study explores the application of some of those strategies to enhance the feeling of co-presence among individuals during virtual group house tours, which is a relevant application scenario to the real estate industry and architectural participatory design. To this aim, a tool was developed and evaluated in a user study involving 33 participants. The findings indicate that all the implemented strategies effectively enhance the sense of co-presence within the virtual environment and encourage meaningful collaborative interactions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Virtual reality crowd simulation: effects of agent density on user experience and behaviour

Agent-based crowd simulations are used for modelling building and space usage, allowing designers to explore hypothetical real-world scenarios, including extraordinary events such as evacuations. Existing work which engages virtual reality (VR) as a platform for crowd simulations has been primarily focussed on the validation of simulation models through observation; the use of interactions such as gaze to enhance a sense of immersion; or studies of proxemics. In this work, we extend previous studies of proxemics and examine the effects of varying crowd density on user experience and behaviour. We have created a simulation in which participants walk freely and perform a routine manual task, whilst interacting with agents controlled by a typical social force simulation model. We examine and report the effects of crowd density on both affective state and behaviour. Our results show a significant increase in negative affect with density, measured using a self-report scale. We further show significant differences in some aspects of user behaviours, using video analysis, and discuss how our results relate to VR simulation design for mixed human–agent scenarios

The sentiment of a virtual rock concert

We created a virtual reality version of a 1983 performance by Dire Straits, this being a highly complex scenario consisting of both the virtual band performance and the appearance and behaviour of the virtual audience surrounding the participants. Our goal was to understand the responses of participants, and to learn how this type of scenario might be improved for later reconstructions of other concerts. To understand the responses of participants we carried out two studies which used senti- ment analysis of texts written by the participants. Study 1 (n = 25) (Beacco et al. in IEEE Virtual Reality: 538–545, 2021) had the unexpected finding that negative sentiment was caused by the virtual audience, where e.g. some participants were fearful of being harassed by audience members. In Study 2 (n = 26) notwithstanding some changes, the audience again led to negative sentiment—e.g. a feeling of being stared at. For Study 2 we compared sentiment with questionnaire scores, finding that the illusion of being at the concert was associated with positive sentiment for males but negative for females. Overall, we found sentiment was dominated by responses to the audience rather than the band. Participants had been placed in an unusual situation, being alone at a concert, surrounded by strangers, who seemed to pose a social threat for some of them. We relate our findings to the concept of Plausibility, the illusion that events and situations in the VR are really happening. The results indicate high Plausibility, since the negative sentiment, for example in response to being started at, only makes sense if the events are experienced as actually happening. We conclude with the need for co-design of VR scenarios, and the use of sentiment analysis in this process, rather than sole reliance on concepts proposed by researchers, typically expressed through questionnaires, which may not reflect the experiences of participants.Postprint (published version

Simulació de personatges autònoms en entorns de realitat virtual

This project aims to create a 3D virtual reality environment set in a train station to carry out studies on the reaction of users to a situation of alarm without notice. The user will get familiar to this virtual environment by performing some tasks that will have been assigned previously. For the development of this project we have studied the features offered by Unity to create virtual environments. We have also studied all the features needed for programming the functions that are involved in the animation and behaviour of the characters and the user’s avatar. In addition, the tools that Unity provides have been used to improve the visualization of the environment. We have also enhanced and extended the basic features offered by Unity in order to further improve the movement of the characters, or the performance among others.En aquest projecte es proposa crear un entorn 3D de realitat virtual ambientat en una estació de tren per poder realitzar estudis sobre la reacció dels usuaris davant d’una situació d’alarma sense previ avís. L’usuari s’adaptarà a aquest entorn virtual mitjançant la realització d’unes tasques que se li hauran assignat prèviament. Per al desenvolupament d’aquest projecte s’han estudiat els mecanismes que disposa Unity per realitzar entorns virtuals. També hem estudiat totes les característiques necessàries per a la programació de les funcionalitats implicades en l'animació i el comportament dels personatges autònoms i del propi usuari. S'han aprofitat, a més, les eines que proporciona Unity per a la millora de la visualització de l'entorn. També hem millorat i ampliat les característiques bàsiques que ofereix Unity per tal de millorar el moviment i el rendiment dels personatges, entre d’altres.En este proyecto se propone crear un entorno 3D de realidad virtual ambientado en una estación de tren para poder realizar estudios sobre la reacción de los usuarios delante de una situación de alarma sin previo aviso. El usuario se adaptará a este entorno virtual mediante la realización de unas tareas que se le habrán asignado previamente. Para el desarrollo de este proyecto se han estudiado los mecanismos que dispone Unity para realizar entornos virtuales. También hemos estudiado todas las características necesarias para la programación de las funcionalidades implicados en la animación y el comportamiento de los personajes autónomos y del propio usuario. Se han aprovechado, además, las herramientas que proporciona Unity para la mejora de la visualización del entorno. También hemos mejorado y ampliado las características básicas que ofrece Unity con tal de mejorar el movimiento y rendimiento de los personajes, entre otros

Assessing User Experience in A Virtual Reality Crowd Simulation

Agent-based crowd simulations are used for modelling building and space usage, allowing designers to explore hypothetical real-world scenarios, including extraordinary events such as evacuations. Existing work which engages Virtual Reality (VR) as a platform for crowd simulations has been primarily focussed on the validation of simulation models through observation; that is the use of embellishments to enhance a sense of immersion or constrained studies of proxemics. However, human participation in crowd simulations also has the potential to provide richer and more informative simulation outcomes. This issue has not yet been widely considered by researchers and warrants further study of user experience and behaviour. This work examines VR crowd simulation through the lens of user experience and simulation outcomes. A task-based simulation scenario has been created in which a participant walks freely, and interacts with agents using the same social-force model which mediates agent-to-agent interactions. It examines and reports the effects of crowd density on both the users affective state and behaviour, also comparing it with that of simulated agents. The results gained from this study indicate a significant increase in negative affect with density, measured using a self-report scale, it also shows significant differences in some aspects of user behaviour, such as increased instinctive reactions during high-density situations. This work then discusses how the results relate to VR simulation design for mixed human-agent scenarios

An Exploration of the Role of Virtual Reality in Early Childhood: A Qualitative Study Focusing on Parents’ and Carers’ Perspectives

This study aims to investigate the potential role of virtual reality (VR) in the early childhood development (ages four to six) of Saudi children based on a qualitative approach: subjective data were collected by interviewing 20 parents or carers of Saudi children who use VR. Each child’s parents or carers were selected for the interview as a couple. A semi-structured interview was held with each mother, father or carer. Traditional views in Saudi Arabia were compared with those of Saudis living in the UK, which has a different culture. Participants reported some positive effects of VR on their children: they perceived it as a source of distraction from pain and fear, in some cases at the physiological level. Participants considered VR to be beneficial for developing cognitive and academic skills, self-awareness, self-confidence and empathy. VR also improved self-regulation at the emotional and behavioural levels, including attention control, working memory, impulse inhibition, waiting for one’s turn and task completion. However, participants also reported adverse effects, indicating specific health risks, false memories and addiction at the physiological level; reservations existed concerning inappropriate content at the cognitive level. Other undesirable effects attributed to VR included social isolation, inability to control emotional expression at the emotional and social levels and encouragement of anger at the behavioural level. These results indicate that VR is a viable choice for young children, though adult supervision is still required. However, they also offer a warning about the effects that may result from VR overuse or misuse. The study also showed a lack of meaningful content and variety in commercial VR games, and thus it would benefit from the participation of educators and specialists in developing design strategies. This project represents a novel preliminary approach for future research concerning the influence of VR on the essential aspects of early childhood development