Towards transparent telepresence

It is proposed that the concept of transparent telepresence can be closely approached through high fidelity technological mediation. It is argued that the matching of the system capabilities to those of the human user will yield a strong sense of immersion and presence at a remote site. Some applications of such a system are noted. The concept is explained and critical system elements are described together with an overview of some of the necessary system specifications

Quantitative Analysis Of Heat Transfer On Human Operator Using Thermal Models

An effort has been made in this thesis to estimate the time for fatigue of a human operator based on the workload. Workload in turn depends on the condition of the operator and environmental conditions, which is reflected in the muscle temperature. Simple yet comprehensive mathematical models for heat transfer in human body were developed for both steady as well as transient states. Conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation modes of heat transfer were considered in the models. The models were also validated against the results available in the literature. Parametric studies involving the condition of the operator and the environment were also carried out. From the mathematical model muscle temperature required for the estimation of the time for fatigue of the operator was determined. Three case studies from a multinational company were considered which involve different types of task. The time for fatigue has been estimated for the three cases by mathematical calculation and compared with the actual time for fatigue of the operator, which is obtained from by interviewing the operators. It is observed that for these case studies the estimated value and also the actual value are in close agreement, e.g. case study 1 estimated value of time to fatigue is 0.56 minute and actual time to fatigue is 0.6 minute which shows that the calculated value is in close agreement with the actual value. Similarly for case study 2 the calculated value is 0.15 minute in compared to the actual value of 0.18 minute. The same result was also obtained for case study 3 whereby the actual result is 0.22 minute versus the predicted value of 0.26 minute. As the predicted value and the actual time are in close agreement it has been proposed that the same type of analysis can be expanded to other fatiguing tasks across the industry

Enhanced cognitive workload evaluation in 3D immersive environments with TOPSIS model

Research puts forward perception-based cognitive workload evaluation methods to help VR developers and users measuring their workload when playing with a VR application. Approaches to measure workload based on biosensors have progressed significantly, while evaluation based on subjective methods still rely on standard questionnaires such as the NASA-TLX table, the Subjective Workload Assessment Technique and the Modified Cooper Harper scale. The pre-defined questions enable operators to carry out experiments and analyse the data more easily than with biofeedback. However, the subjective evaluation process can bias the results because of unperceived internal changes and unknown factors among users. It is therefore necessary to have a method to handle and analyse this uncertainty. We propose to use the Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) model to analyse the NASA-TLX table for measuring the overall user workload instead of using the classical weighted sum method. To show the advantage of the TOPSIS approach, we performed a user experiment to validate the approach and its application to VR, considering factors including the VR platform and the scenario density. Three different weighting methods, including the fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) from fuzzy logic, the classical weighting based on pairwise comparison and the uniform weighting method, were tested to see the applicability of the TOPSIS model. The results from TOPSIS were consistent with those from other evaluation methods; a significant reduction in the coefficient of variation (CV) was observed when using the TOPSIS model to analyse the NASA-TLX scores, indicating an enhanced precision of the workload evaluation by the TOPSIS method. Our work has a potential application for VR designers and experimenters to compare cognitive workload among conditions and to optimize the settings.China Scholarship Council: No.20170839001

Podcasting mental images: Technological application of sport imagery

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if podcasting can significantly increase FT shooting performance among high school basketball players. METHODS: The sample for the study included 36 (12 male, 24 female) Oklahoma high school basketball players. Subjects were assigned into four groups (script, computer, iPod, control group) and were tested in three phases (pretest, treatment, posttest). The treatment phase consisted of imagery training (via podcasting) and FT shooting for six weeks. RESULTS: A total of 200 FT shots for the experimental groups was analyzed and compared to a total of 50 FT shots for the control group. Surprisingly, there were no significant group differences found among the experimental groups at any of the six testing sessions. However, a comparison of group means and the grand mean for the six testing sessions did indicate that the iPod group (18.1) performed higher than the computer group (16.7) and the script group (16.2). Also, a one-way ANOVA of the posttest indicated that there were significant group mean differences [F (3, 32) = 3.221, p < .05, w = .40]. A Tukey post hoc test indicated that the true source of the significant group difference was between the iPod group and the control group. A comparison of posttest group means indicated that the iPod group (21.0) was the top performer, followed by the computer group (18.6), the script group (17.1), and the control group (15.8). Overall, the script group had the highest improvement (+ 3.8) and the control group had the lowest improvement (+ 0.7). CONCLUSION: Podcasting is a valid technological application of sport imagery that can improve FT shooting performance among high school basketball players. Podcasting is recommended as an adjunct to mental and physical training that can benefit sport psychologists, the coaching staff, and most importantly the athletes

The Effects of Presence and Cognitive Load on Episodic Memory in Virtual Environments

Episodic memory refers to an individual\u27s memory for events that they have experienced in the past along with the associated contextual details. In order to more closely reflect the way that episodic memory functions in the real world, researchers and clinicians test episodic memory using virtual environments. However, these virtual environments introduce new interfaces and task demands that are not present in traditional methodologies. This dissertation investigates these environments through the lenses of Presence and Cognitive Load theories in order to unravel the ways that basic technological and task differences may affect memory performance. Participants completed a virtual task under High and Low Immersion conditions intended to manipulate Presence and Single-Task, Ecological Dual-Task and Non-Ecological Dual-Task conditions intended to manipulate cognitive load. Afterward they completed a battery of memory tasks assessing spatial, object, and feature binding aspects of episodic memory. Analysis through 2x3 ANOVA showed that performance for spatial memory is greatly improved by manipulation of Presence, where performance for object memory is improved by germane cognitive load. Exploratory analyses also revealed significant gender differences in spatial memory performance, indicating that improving Presence may offset the higher levels in male performance traditionally seen on spatial tasks. These results have practical implications for clinical memory assessment, as well as training paradigms and may serve to highlight the differences in the ways that memory is studied in the laboratory versus the way that it is employed in day-to-day life. Future studies based on this research should focus on linking these differences in memory performance to visuospatial and verbal strategies of memorization and determining whether the effects observed in this study replicate using other manipulations of presence and cognitive load

User-Enacted Determinants of Presence: Sound Effects and Feedback in Multiplayer Console Gameplay

A 1 x 2 multivariate analysis of covariance was conducted to assess the influence of auditory feedback on presence in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. 41 participants were assigned to a gameplay treatment condition of muted audio or sound effects only. Dependent variables were measured by the Self-Assessment Manikin, ITC-Sense of Presence Inventory, and Temple Presence Inventory. Covariates included familiarity with controls, visuospatial working memory, the Immersive Tendencies Questionnaire, recent gameplay experience, computer opponent difficulty level, age, sex, and handedness. A significant multivariate effect of treatment condition was observed, but further results were inconclusive. Possible explanations and reliability analyses are discussed.Master of Science in Information Scienc

Exploring vertical navigation within a virtual environment : a staircase experience

Ankara : The Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, 2012.Thesis (Ph. D.) -- Bilkent University, 2012.Includes biblioraphical references 104-121.Architectural cues are configured by architects in the initial phase of design process. Local architectural cues within an environment can aid individuals during navigation and influence their spatial orientation. Staircases, as a feature of local architectural cues that provide access to the other floors in a multi-level building can have an impact on vertical navigation. This study focuses on the issue of vertical navigation during virtual navigation by integrating the individual characteristics and the geometric attributes of a staircase pair within two different multi-level desktop virtual environments (VEs). The angle between the cue pairs with respect to the same observation point is altered in order to determine the staircase pair that is more efficient in navigation. Circulation paths, gender differences, navigational abilities and cue pairs are considered to be factors that affect staircase preferences for ascending and descending. For the VE with a 180° difference between the cue pairs, there was a relationship between the ascending and descending staircases. Further analysis indicated that the staircase preference in ascending was either related to the first or last visited rooms on the ground floor. For the VE with a 90° difference between the cue pairs, no relationship was found between the ascending and descending staircases as well as with any other factor. There was no significant relationship between gender and staircase preference except for the descending staircase with 180° difference between the cue pairs and was in favor of females. In addition, there was no significant relationship between the navigational abilities and staircase preferences.Memikoğlu, İpek (Sancaktar)Ph.D

The role of multisensory feedback in the objective and subjective evaluations of fidelity in virtual reality environments.

The use of virtual reality in academic and industrial research has been rapidly expanding in recent years therefore evaluations of the quality and effectiveness of virtual environments are required. The assessment process is usually done through user evaluation that is being measured whilst the user engages with the system. The limitations of this method in terms of its variability and user bias of pre and post-experience have been recognised in the research literature. Therefore, there is a need to design more objective measures of system effectiveness that could complement subjective measures and provide a conceptual framework for the fidelity assessment in VR. There are many technological and perceptual factors that can influence the overall experience in virtual environments. The focus of this thesis was to investigate how multisensory feedback, provided during VR exposure, can modulate a user’s qualitative and quantitative experience in the virtual environment. In a series of experimental studies, the role of visual, audio, haptic and motion cues on objective and subjective evaluations of fidelity in VR was investigated. In all studies, objective measures of performance were collected and compared to the subjective measures of user perception. The results showed that the explicit evaluation of environmental and perceptual factors available within VR environments modulated user experience. In particular, the results shown that a user’s postural responses can be used as a basis for the objective measure of fidelity. Additionally, the role of augmented sensory cues was investigated during a manual assembly task. By recording and analysing the objective and subjective measures it was shown that augmented multisensory feedback modulated the user’s acceptability of the virtual environment in a positive manner and increased overall task performance. Furthermore, the presence of augmented cues mitigated the negative effects of inaccurate motion tracking and simulation sickness. In the follow up study, the beneficial effects of virtual training with augmented sensory cues were observed in the transfer of learning when the same task was performed in a real environment. Similarly, when the effects of 6 degrees of freedom motion cuing on user experience were investigated in a high fidelity flight simulator, the consistent findings between objective and subjective data were recorded. By measuring the pilot’s accuracy to follow the desired path during a slalom manoeuvre while perceived task demand was increased, it was shown that motion cuing is related to effective task performance and modulates the levels of workload, sickness and presence. The overall findings revealed that multisensory feedback plays an important role in the overall perception and fidelity evaluations of VR systems and as such user experience needs to be included when investigating the effectiveness of sensory feedback signals. Throughout this thesis it was consistently shown that subjective measures of user perception in VR are directly comparable to the objective measures of performance and therefore both should be used in order to obtain a robust results when investigating the effectiveness of VR systems. This conceptual framework can provide an effective method to study human perception, which can in turn provide a deeper understanding of the environmental and cognitive factors that can influence the overall user experience, in terms of fidelity requirements, in virtual reality environments

Competency Based Assessment Using Virtual Reality (VERT): Is It a Realistic Possibility ?

The education of the radiography profession is based within higher education establishments, yet a critical part of all radiography programmes is the clinical component where students learn the practical skills of the profession. Assessments therefore not only have to assess a student’s knowledge, but also their clinical competence and core skills in line with both Health and Care Professions Council and the Society and College of Radiographers requirements. This timely thesis examines the possibility of using the Virtual Environment for RadioTherapy (VERT) as an assessment tool to evaluate a student’s competence so giving the advantage of a standard assessment and relieving time pressures in the clinical department. A mixed methods approach was taken which can be described as a Quantitative Qualitative design with the emphasis being on the Quantitative element; a so called QUAN qual design. The quantitative evaluation compared two simulations, one in the virtual reality environment and another in the department using a real treatment machine. Students were asked to perform two electron setups in each simulation; the order being randomly decided and so the study would be described as a randomised cross-over design. Following this, qualitative data was collected in student focus groups to explore student perspectives in more depth. Findings indicated that the performance between the two simulators was significantly different, p < 0∙001; the virtual simulation scoring significantly lower than the hospital based simulation overall and in virtually all parameters being assessed. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data supported this finding and identified 4 main themes; equipment use, a lack of reality, learning opportunities and assessment of competence. One other sub-theme identified for reality was that of the environment and senses