Measuring game-play performance and perceived immersion in a domed planetarium projection environment

Abstract. Game playing in immersive projection environments such as caves and domes is assumed to offer an enhanced experience but there is little quantitative research that measures this. This paper reports on a study of user performance statistics while playing a computer game projected onto a planetarium dome and compares these with similar measurements taken in a conventional projected flat screen environment. A survey of users' subjective impressions of immersion was also taken and used to compare these display modes. Analysis of users in each mode revealed differences in user experience and some aspects of performance. It was confirmed that dome projection enhanced the player's sense of immersion when compared with flat projection. Navigation speed was found to decline in the dome while other performance metrics showed no significant difference between the environments

A Surround Display Warp-Mesh Utility to Enhance Player Engagement

Abstract. Surround displays are used in simulation, training, and other applications based on virtual worlds. A wide-view display engages the viewer's peripheral vision, providing a more accurate view of the virtual world and therefore a heightened sense of immersion. However, most commercially available surround displays are expensive and complex. We developed a lowcost alternative, which uses a standard digital projector, a hemispherical mirror, and any roughly spherical or cylindrical screen. The software can handle irregular surfaces and will be open-sourced in the next release of the CaveUT/VRGL freeware. We also conducted a pilot study comparing game play in our prototype and game play with a standard desktop monitor. Players using the surround display reported significantly shorter (P = 0.0051) perceived duration of time during play. Reduced awareness of the passage of time during game play was positively correlated with greater engagement and enjoyment

The Effects of Seductive Details in an Inflatable Planetarium

Astronomy is becoming a forgotten science, which is evident by its relatively low enrollment figures compared to biology, chemistry, and physics. A portable inflatable planetarium brings relevance back to astronomy and offers support to students and educators by simulating realistic astronomical environments. This study sought to determine if learning is improved in an inflatable planetarium by adhering to the design principles of the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML), specifically the coherence principle, in an authentic classroom. Two groups of 5th grade students of similar ability were purposefully assigned using a 1-teacher-to-many-students format with mean lesson lengths of 34 minutes. The experimental group was differentiated with seductive details, defined as interesting but irrelevant facts that can distract learning. The control group ( n = 28), with seductive details excluded, outperformed the experimental group (n = 28), validating the coherence principle and producing a Cohen\u27s effect size of medium practical significance (d = 0.4). These findings suggest that CTML, when applied to planetarium instruction, does increase student learning and that seductive details do have a negative effect on learning. An adult training project was created to instruct educators on the benefits of CTML in astronomy education. This study leads to positive social change by highlighting astronomy education while providing educators with design principles of CTML in authentic settings to maximize learning, aid in the creation of digital media (astronomical simulations/instructional lessons for planetariums) and provide valuable training for owners of inflatable planetariums with the eventual goal of increasing student enrollment of astronomy courses at the local level

Using Two Simulation Tools to Teach Concepts in Introductory Astronomy: A Design-Based Research Approach

Technology in college classrooms has gone from being an enhancement to the learning experience to being something expected by both instructors and students. This design-based research investigation takes technology one step further, putting the tools used to teach directly in the hands of students. The study examined the affordances and constraints of two simulation tools for use in introductory astronomy courses. The variety of experiences participants had using two tools; a virtual reality headset and fulldome immersive planetarium simulation, to manipulate a lunar surface flyby were identified using a multi-method research approach with N = 67 participants. Participants were recruited from classes of students taking astronomy over one academic year at a two-year college. Participants manipulated a lunar flyby using a virtual reality headset and a motion sensor device in the college fulldome planetarium. Data were collected in the form of two post-treatment questionnaires using Likert-type scales and one small group interview. The small group interview was intended to elicit various experiences participants had using the tools. Responses were analyzed quantitatively for optimal flyby speed and qualitatively for salient themes using data reduction informed by a methodological framework of phenomenography to identify the variety of experiences participants had using the tools. Findings for optimal flyby speed of the Moon based on analysis of data for both the Immersion Questionnaire and the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire done using SPSS software determine that the optimal flyby speed for college students to manipulate the Moon was calculated to be .04 x the radius of the Earth (3,959 miles) or 160 miles per second. A variety of different participant experiences were revealed using MAXQDA software to code positive and negative remarks participants had when engaged in the use of each tool. Both tools offer potential to actively engage students with astronomy content in college lecture and laboratory courses

On the Evolution of the Heavenly Spheres: An Enactive Approach to Cosmography

The ability to view the world from multiple perspectives is essential for tackling complex, interconnected challenges. Yet conventional academic structures are designed to produce knowledge through ever-increasing specialization and compartmentalization. This fragmentation is often reinforced by tacit dualistic assumptions that prioritize linear thinking and abstract ways of knowing. Though the need for integrated approaches has been widely acknowledged, effective techniques for transcending disciplinary boundaries remain elusive. This thesis describes a practical strategy that uses immersive visualizations to cultivate transdisciplinary perspectives. It develops an enactive approach to cosmography, contending that processes of visualizing and interpreting the cosmos iteratively shape ‘views’ of the ‘world.’ The archetypal trope of the heavenly sphere is examined to demonstrate the significance of its interpretations in this history of ideas. Action research and mixed methods are employed to elucidate the theoretical considerations, cultural relevance, and practical consequences of this approach. The study begins with an investigation into the recurring appearance of the heavenly sphere across time, in which its embodied origins, metaphorical influence, and material embodiments are considered. Particular attention is given to how cosmographic tools and techniques have facilitated imaginary ‘flights’ through the heavens, from the ecstatic bird’s eye view of the shaman to the ‘Archimedean point’ of modern science. It then examines how these cosmographic practices have shaped cosmological beliefs and paradigmatic assumptions. Next, the practical utility of this approach is demonstrated through the development of cosmographic hermeneutics, a technique using visual heuristics to interpret cosmic models from transdisciplinary world views. Finally, the performative practice of cosmotroping is described, in which cosmographic hermeneutics are applied to re-imagine the ancient dream of the transcendent ‘cosmic journey’ within immersive vision theaters. This study concludes that the re-emergence of the heavenly sphere within the contemporary Digital Universe Atlas provides a leverage point for illuminating the complexity of knowledge production processes. It is claimed that this research has produced a practical strategy for demonstrating that the ultimate Archimedean point is the ability to recognize the limits of our own knowledge, a crucial first step in cultivating much-needed multi-perspectival and paradoxical spherical thinking

Investigating and understanding the theoretical constructs and technical impactors on immersive dome user experience

This thesis explores the novel area of immersive digital domes (IDEs), a unique virtual reality tool that allows more than one user, sometimes a lot of users, into a space to share in engaging, interactive or real-time experiences. Using an active commercial development program, in the form of a government backed knowledge transfer program, this thesis develops a theoretical design framework, and evaluates it via iterative technical implementation with the overall goal to advance the collective knowledge of user experience within immersive digital domes. Between September 2015 and September 2017, the project researched and analysed dedicated developments into the design, development and implementation of improvements in the host companies digital dome product. During this time, the project team was able to establish itself as a knowledge leader in both the experiences currently offered within digital domes, as well as the inherent flaws in both their technical creation and internal user experiences. Via detailed analysis of the available research, this thesis explores the relationship between existing interactive space paradigms and those found within immersive domes. With the aim to understand what components contribute to experience within IDEs and how these components act together to influence user perception of the social, interactive and experience. This knowledge is used to drive direct commercial change and impact in the design, development and technical advancement, as well as the inherent impactors on user experience within immersive interactive spaces. This direct connection to instant commercial implementation and iteration allow for a very pragmatic qualitative methodology within the research, which was conducted across two areas, or phases. Phase one focuses on the experiential aspect of IDE for the end user. This involved collection and analysis of data from end users, sampling of existing literature and scrutiny of previous experiences, thus allowing for the beginning of constructs in the evaluation of IDE experiences. Phase two focuses on the refinement of the developer experience. It does so by utilising direct influence from the theoretical learning the first half of the research to implement rapid prototyping, hands on iteration and real-world technical adaptations to further refine the understanding of the user experience within immersive dome environments. Below, chapters two, three and four explore the existing literature, background and give context to the project and novel area of study, proposing the initial research questions this work will answer. Chapter four specifically discusses the unique on-site, active and implemented research methodology employed by this project; including detail about how results and developments will be validated. Chapter five explores phase one – end user experience. It expands on the findings in current literature to outline the understanding and developments in the field of user experience design within immersive domes. Documenting the contributing elements to dome experience as extrapolated from within the existing literature and via detailed analysis with an assembled expert panel. Chapter five also revisits the initial research hypotheses for further refinement. Chapter six is the documentation of phase two. Outlining and analysing a number of technical implementation within the host digital dome, and how the implementations answer the identified areas outlined in the user experience hypotheses. Technical implementations cover both hardware and software refinements that each have a distinct purpose or issue to address. Each of these are mapped to the constructs of immersive dome UX. Finally, chapters seven and eight integrate the findings from each phase and explore the larger research crossover between the technical and end user experience areas. Chapter seven analyses the impact of the changes over the course of the 24-month period and discusses what further improvements are possible within user and technical experience based on the previous work and learnings. Chapter eight looks to future research, discussing the implications for the development of IDEs, future areas of work and the goal of a more measurable framework in the capturing and analysis of UX within immersive digital domes

Reframing museum epistemology for the information age: a discursive design approach to revealing complexity

This practice-based research inquiry examines the impact of an epistemic shift, brought about by the dawning of the information age and advances in networked communication technologies, on physical knowledge institutions - focusing on museums. The research charts adapting knowledge schemas used in museum knowledge organisation and discusses the potential for a new knowledge schema, the network, to establish a new epistemology for museums that reflects contemporary hyperlinked and networked knowledge. The research investigates the potential for networked and shared virtual reality spaces to reveal new ‘knowledge monuments’ reflecting the epistemic values of the network society and the space of flows. The central practice for this thesis focuses on two main elements. The first is applying networks and visual complexity to reveal multi-linearity and adapting perspectives in relational knowledge networks. This concept was explored through two discursive design projects, the Museum Collection Engine, which uses data visualisation, cloud data, and image recognition within an immersive projection dome to create a dynamic and searchable museum collection that returns new and interlinking constellations of museum objects and knowledge. The second discursive design project was Shared Pasts: Decoding Complexity, an AR app with a unique ‘anti-personalisation’ recommendation system designed to reveal complex narratives around historic objects and places. The second element is folksonomy and co-design in developing new community-focused archives using the community's language to build the dataset and socially tagged metadata. This was tested by developing two discursive prototypes, Women Reclaiming AI and Sanctuary Stories

Virtual Reality

At present, the virtual reality has impact on information organization and management and even changes design principle of information systems, which will make it adapt to application requirements. The book aims to provide a broader perspective of virtual reality on development and application. First part of the book is named as "virtual reality visualization and vision" and includes new developments in virtual reality visualization of 3D scenarios, virtual reality and vision, high fidelity immersive virtual reality included tracking, rendering and display subsystems. The second part named as "virtual reality in robot technology" brings forth applications of virtual reality in remote rehabilitation robot-based rehabilitation evaluation method and multi-legged robot adaptive walking in unstructured terrains. The third part, named as "industrial and construction applications" is about the product design, space industry, building information modeling, construction and maintenance by virtual reality, and so on. And the last part, which is named as "culture and life of human" describes applications of culture life and multimedia-technology

Communicating the Unspeakable: Linguistic Phenomena in the Psychedelic Sphere

Psychedelics can enable a broad and paradoxical spectrum of linguistic phenomena from the unspeakability of mystical experience to the eloquence of the songs of the shaman or curandera. Interior dialogues with the Other, whether framed as the voice of the Logos, an alien download, or communion with ancestors and spirits, are relatively common. Sentient visual languages are encountered, their forms unrelated to the representation of speech in natural language writing systems. This thesis constructs a theoretical model of linguistic phenomena encountered in the psychedelic sphere for the field of altered states of consciousness research (ASCR). The model is developed from a neurophenomenological perspective, especially the work of Francisco Varela, and Michael Winkelman’s work in shamanistic ASC, which in turn builds on the biogenetic structuralism of Charles Laughlin, John McManus, and Eugene d’Aquili. Neurophenomenology relates the physical and functional organization of the brain to the subjective reports of lived experience in altered states as mutually informative, without reducing consciousness to one or the other. Consciousness is seen as a dynamic multistate process of the recursive interaction of biology and culture, thereby navigating the traditional dichotomies of objective/subjective, body/mind, and inner/outer realities that problematically characterize much of the discourse in consciousness studies. The theoretical work of Renaissance scholar Stephen Farmer on the evolution of syncretic and correlative systems and their relation to neurobiological structures provides a further framework for the exegesis of the descriptions of linguistic phenomena in first-person texts of long-term psychedelic selfexploration. Since the classification of most psychedelics as Schedule I drugs, legal research came to a halt; self-experimentation as research did not. Scientists such as Timothy Leary and John Lilly became outlaw scientists, a social aspect of the “unspeakability” of these experiences. Academic ASCR has largely side-stepped examination of the extensive literature of psychedelic selfexploration. This thesis examines aspects of both form and content from these works, focusing on those that treat linguistic phenomena, and asking what these linguistic experiences can tell us about how the psychedelic landscape is constructed, how it can be navigated, interpreted, and communicated within its own experiential field, and communicated about to make the data accessible to inter-subjective comparison and validation. The methodological core of this practice-based research is a technoetic practice as defined by artist and theoretician Roy Ascott: the exploration of consciousness through interactive, artistic, and psychoactive technologies. The iterative process of psychedelic self-exploration and creation of interactive software defines my own technoetic practice and is the means by which I examine my states of consciousness employing the multidimensional visual language Glide