Investigating the role of auditory and visual sensory inputs for inducing relaxation during virtual reality stimulation

Stress is a part of everyday life which can be counteracted by evoking the relaxation response via nature scenes presented using immersive virtual reality (VR). The aim of this study was to determine which sensory aspect of immersive VR intervention is responsible for the greatest relaxation response. We compared four conditions: auditory and visual combined (audiovisual), auditory only, visual only, and no artificial sensory input. Physiological changes in heart rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure were recorded, while participants reported their preferred condition and awareness of people, noise, and light in the real-world. Over the duration of the stimulation, participants had the lowest heart rate during the audiovisual and visual only conditions. They had the steadiest decrease in respiration rate and the lowest blood pressure during the audiovisual condition, compared to the other conditions, indicating the greatest relaxation. Moreover, ratings of awareness indicated that participants reported being less aware of their surroundings (i.e., people, noise, light, real environment) during the audiovisual condition versus the other conditions (p < 0.001), with a preference for audiovisual inputs. Overall, the use of audiovisual VR stimulation is more effective at inducing a relaxation response compared to no artificial sensory inputs, or the independent inputs

We Dare You: A Lifecycle Study of a Substitutional Reality Installation in a Museum Space

In this article, we present a lifecycle study of We Dare You, a Substitutional Reality (SR) installation that combines visual and tactile stimuli. The installation is set up in a center for architecture, and invites visitors to explore its facade while playing with vertigo, in a visual Virtual Reality (VR) environment that replicates the surrounding physical space of the installation. Drawing on an ethnographic approach, including observations and interviews, we researched the exhibit from its opening, through the initial months plagued by technical problems, its subsequent success as a social and playful installation, on to its closure, due to COVID-19, and its subsequent reopening. Our findings explore the challenges caused by both the hybrid nature of the installation, as well as the visitor' playful use of the installation which made the experience social and performative - but also caused some problems. We also discuss the problems We Dare You faced in light of hygiene demands due to COVID-19. The analysis contrasts the design processes and expectations of stakeholders with the audience's playful appropriation, which led the stakeholders to see the installation as both a success and a failure. Evaluating the design and redesign through use on behalf of visitors, we argue that an approach that further opens up the post-production experience to a process of continuous redesign based on the user input - what has been termed "design-after-design" - could facilitate the design of similar experiences in the museum and heritage sector, supporting a participatory agenda in the design process, and helping to resolve the tension between stakeholders' expectations and visitors' playful appropriations.Comment: Accepted to be published in the Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage (JOCCH

Posture, Movement, and Aircraft Passengers: An Investigation into Factors Influencing In-Flight Discomfort

BACKGROUND: Aircraft passengers’ physical activity levels are often limited during flight for extended periods of time, which can have serious impact on health, comfort, and passenger experience. However, several factors, such as limited personal space and social factors, can make movement difficult.OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to identify participant behaviour and postures during medium to long-haul flights and their effect on location and severity of physical discomfort. This work investigated how aircraft passengers’ comfort ratings changed over time and explored the association between postures and comfort ratings during flight. The study also explored the association between performing in-flight exercises and factors limiting participants’ abilities to complete these exercises. METHOD: Twenty-nine participants sat in an aircraft simulated cabin for 180 minutes and periodically performed in-seat exercises. They also completed a questionnaire providing data on demographic information, self-reported discomfort scores for multiple areas of the body, which types of exercises participants performed, and qualitative comments about discomfort. Self-reported comfort ratings were measured at 20-min intervals and posture identification was conducted by analysing the video recordings. RESULTS: Six postures were identified, and it was observed that individual participants changed posture at least once and up to nine times during the three-hour period. Body part areas with the highest reported scores of discomfort ratings were: back of the neck, back-left shoulder, back-right shoulder, back-left buttock, and lower back. Participants reported that they had difficulty in performing recommended in-flight exercises due to limited space. CONCLUSIONS: Limited space in aircraft seating restricts passenger movement. Some body areas are more prone to discomfort

‘You wouldn’t get that from watching TV!’: Exploring audience responses to virtual reality non-fiction in the home

Consumer virtual reality (VR) headsets (e.g. Oculus Go) have brought VR non-fiction (VRNF) within reach of at-home audiences. However, despite increase in VR hardware sales and enthusiasm for the platform among niche audiences at festivals, mainstream audience interest in VRNF is not yet proven. This is despite a growing body of critically acclaimed VRNF, some of which is freely available. In seeking to understand a lack of engagement with VRNF by mainstream audiences, we need to be aware of challenges relating to the discovery of content and bear in mind the cost, inaccessibility and known limitations of consumer VR technology. However, we also need to set these issues within the context of the wider relationships between technology, society and the media, which have influenced the uptake of new media technologies in the past. To address this work, this article provides accounts by members of the public of their responses to VRNF as experienced within their households. We present an empirical study – one of the first of its kind – exploring these questions through qualitative research facilitating diverse households to experience VRNF at home, over several months. We find considerable enthusiasm for VR as a platform for non-fiction, but we also find this enthusiasm tempered by ethical concerns relating to both the platform and the content, and a pervasive tension between the platform and the home setting. Reflecting on our findings, we suggest that VRNF currently fails to meet any ‘supervening social necessity’ (Winston, 1996, Technologies of Seeing: Photography, Cinematography and Television. British: BFI.) that would pave the way for widespread domestic uptake, and we reflect on future directions for VR in the home