Evaluating the Effectiveness of Game-Based Virtual Reality in Satellite Ground Control Operations Education and Training

There is increased global demand for satellite amenities such as navigation, communications, weather reporting, disaster management, agricultural operations, or humanitarian assistance. The growing demand for satellite technology amplifies the need for highly trained satellite operators. Traditional simulation training methods typically utilize two-dimensional computer displays. However, training approaches involving game-based instruction and immersive virtual reality have shown benefits when integrated with complex disciplines and may provide an advanced training alternative for satellite operators. Game-based instruction enhances user motivation and cognitive engagement, while immersive virtual reality promotes user presence and prolonged cognitive engagement. The combination of these two training methods, noted as game-based virtual reality, is explored in this study when integrated with a satellite operator training scenario. The study compares two groups, one training with traditional methods and one with game-based virtual reality. Both scenarios indicated significant usability scores and proper cognitive loading necessary for meaningful learning, with only minimal symptoms of simulator sickness. However, unlike the traditional method, the results of the game-based virtual reality scenario revealed significant user enjoyment and satisfaction scores. A positive and satisfying learning experience can facilitate enhanced motivation and increased cognitive engagement, fundamental to meaningful learning, denoting game-based virtual reality as a viable and effective training alternative

Space games: evaluating game-based virtual reality in higher education

With increasing global dependence on satellite technology, space traffic has grown exponentially over the last decade. Enhanced education and training of future mission operators will be necessary to meet this growing demand. The complexity of satellite mission operations poses a challenge in education and training. Remote spacecraft are elusive and difficult for a trainee to visualize and involve a steep learning curve. However, the integration of game-based virtual reality into spacecraft simulation and training may assist in overcoming these challenges. This research study explored the integration of game-based virtual reality into a university course involving spacecraft operations. Virtual spacewalks allowed student participants to conduct visual inspections and interact directly with spacecraft components. The immersive virtual reality environment prolonged cognitive engagement and game mechanics influenced motivation, both cornerstones in learning. After completing the training scenarios, user experience was assessed with several validated scales measuring system usability, user satisfaction, cognitive loading, and any potential simulator sickness. Results revealed satisfactory scores in all categories with minimal simulator sickness. The integrated use of game-based virtual reality in the classroom provided an enhanced learning experience in a safe and repeatable environment that might be difficult with traditional teaching methods. This paper will evaluate game-based virtual reality when integrated into higher education or other training environment

Design and Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Game to Improve Physical and Cognitive Acuity

Physical and mental health are both integral to healthy living and ageing, and a causal-cum-symbiotic relationship has been observed between the two. Physical and cognitive activities such as exercise and board games are known to promote healthy ageing. In this regard, highly engaging lightboard games are known to improve hand-eye coordination, reflexes, and motor skills for individuals. Immersivity of virtual reality games can transform mundane and repetitive exercise routines into stimulating experiences, and they can be utilized by users to improve physical and cognitive performance from the comfort of their homes. In this study, we adopt design science framework to design, develop and evaluate a VR BATAK lightboard game to improve physical reaction, hand-eye coordination, visual memory and cognitive processing. Based on the findings from evaluation over three phases, we propose three design principles related to accessibility, sensory cueing and cognitive loading, as theoretical and practical contributions of this study

The Application of Polynomial Response Surface and Polynomial Chaos Expansion Metamodels within an Augmented Reality Conceptual Design Environment

The engineering design process consists of many stages. In the conceptual phase, potential designs are generated and evaluated without considering specifics. Winning concepts then advance to the detail design and high fidelity simulation stages. At this point in the process, very accurate representations are made for each design and are then subjected to rigorous analysis. With the advancement of computer technology, these last two phases have been very well served by the software community. Engineering software such as computer-aided design (CAD), finite element analysis (FEA), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) have become an inseparable part of the design process for many engineered products and processes. Conceptual design tools, on the other hand, have not undergone this type of advancement, where much of the work is still done with little to no digital technology. Detail oriented tools require a significant amount of time and training to use effectively. This investment is considered worthwhile when high fidelity models are needed. However, conceptual design has no need for this level of detail. Instead, rapid concept generation and evaluation are the primary goals. Considering the lack of adequate tools to suit these needs, new software was created. This thesis discusses the development of that conceptual design application. Traditional design tools rely on a two dimensional mouse to perform three dimensional actions. While many designers have become familiar with this approach, it is not intuitive to an inexperienced user. In order to enhance the usability of the developed application, a new interaction method was applied. Augmented reality (AR) is a developing research area that combines virtual elements with the real world. This capability was used to create a three dimensional interface for the engineering design application. Using specially tracked interface objects, the user\u27s hands become the primary method of interaction. Within this AR environment, users are able perform many of the basic actions available within a CAD system such as object manipulation, editing, and assembly. The same design environment also provides real time assessment data. Calculations for center of gravity and wheel loading can be done with the click of a few buttons. Results are displayed to the user in the AR scene. In order to support the quantitative analysis tools necessary for conceptual design, additional research was done in the area of metamodeling. Metamodels are capable of providing approximations for more complex analyses. In the case of the wheel loading calculation, the approximation takes the place of a time consuming FEA simulation. Two different metamodeling techniques were studied in this thesis: polynomial response surface (PRS) and polynomial chaos expansion (PCE). While only the wheel loading case study was included in the developed application, an additional design problem was analyzed to assess the capabilities of both methods for conceptual design. In the second study, the maximum stresses and displacements within the support frame of a bucket truck were modeled. The source data for building the approximations was generated via an FEA simulation of digital mockups, since no legacy data was available. With this information, experimental models were constructed by varying several factors, including: the distribution of source and test data, the number of input trials, the inclusion of interaction effects, and the addition of third order terms. Comparisons were also drawn between the two metamodeling techniques. For the wheel loading models, third order models with interaction effects provided a good fit of the data (root mean square error of less than 10%) with as few as thirty input data points. With minimal source data, however, second order models and those without interaction effects outperformed third order counterparts. The PRS and PCE methods performed almost equivalently with sufficient source data. Difference began to appear at the twenty trial case. PRS was more suited to wider distributions of data. The PCE technique better handled smaller distributions and extrapolation to larger test data. The support frame problem represented a more difficult analysis with non-linear responses. While initial third order results from the PCE models were better than those for PRS, both had significantly higher error than in the previous case study. However, with simpler second order models and sufficient input data (more than thirty trials) adequate approximation results were achieved. The less complex responses had error around 10%, and the model predictions for the non-linear response were reduced to around 20%. These results demonstrate that useful approximations can be constructed from minimal data. Such models, despite the uncertainty involved, will be able to provide designers with helpful information at the conceptual stage of a design process

A review of the effectiveness of lower limb orthoses used in cerebral palsy

To produce this review, a systematic literature search was conducted for relevant articles published in the period between the date of the previous ISPO consensus conference report on cerebral palsy (1994) and April 2008. The search terms were 'cerebral and pals* (palsy, palsies), 'hemiplegia', 'diplegia', 'orthos*' (orthoses, orthosis) orthot* (orthotic, orthotics), brace or AFO

User Experience in Virtual Reality, conducting an evaluation on multiple characteristics of a Virtual Reality Experience

Virtual Reality applications are today numerous and cover a wide range of interests and tastes. As popularity of Virtual Reality increases, developers in industry are trying to create engrossing and exciting experiences that captivate the interest of users. User-Experience, a term used in the field of Human-Computer Interaction and Interaction Design, describes multiple characteristics of the experience of a person interacting with a product or a system. Evaluating User-Experience can provide valuable insight to developers and researchers on the thoughts and impressions of the end users in relation to a system. However, little information exists regarding on how to conduct User-Experience evaluations in the context of Virtual Reality. Consecutively, due to the numerous parameters that influence User-Experience in Virtual Reality, conducting and organizing evaluations can be overwhelming and challenging. The author of this thesis investigated how to conduct a User-Experience evaluation on multiple aspects of a Virtual Reality headset by identifying characteristics of the experience, and the methods that can be used to measure and evaluate them. The data collected was both qualitative and quantitative to cover a wide range of characteristics of the experience. Furthermore, the author applied usability testing, think-aloud protocol, questionnaires and semi-structured interview as methods to observe user behavior and collect information regarding the aspects of the Virtual Reality headset. The testing session described in this study included 14 participants. Data from this study showed that the combination of chosen methods were able to provide adequate information regarding the experience of the users despite encountered difficulties. Additionally, this thesis showcases which methods were used to evaluate specific aspects of the experience and the performance of each method as findings of the study