Modulating presence and impulsiveness by external stimulation of the brain

BACKGROUND: "The feeling of being there" is one possible way to describe the phenomenon of feeling present in a virtual environment and to act as if this environment is real. One brain area, which is hypothesized to be critically involved in modulating this feeling (also called presence) is the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), an area also associated with the control of impulsive behavior. METHODS: In our experiment we applied transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the right dlPFC in order to modulate the experience of presence while watching a virtual roller coaster ride. During the ride we also registered electro-dermal activity. Subjects also performed a test measuring impulsiveness and answered a questionnaire about their presence feeling while they were exposed to the virtual roller coaster scenario. RESULTS: Application of cathodal tDCS to the right dlPFC while subjects were exposed to a virtual roller coaster scenario modulates the electrodermal response to the virtual reality stimulus. In addition, measures reflecting impulsiveness were also modulated by application of cathodal tDCS to the right dlPFC. CONCLUSION: Modulating the activation with the right dlPFC results in substantial changes in responses of the vegetative nervous system and changed impulsiveness. The effects can be explained by theories discussing the top-down influence of the right dlPFC on the "impulsive system"

The digital disruption of virtual reality and the future of the steel roller coaster : an initial industry analysis

Abstract: In the overlapping realms of digital design, engineering, tourism/leisure and thrill seeking, roller coasters are sought after attractions capable of drawing millions of visitors to amusement and theme parks located all over the world. More recently (from 2015) however, numerous new and existing roller coasters have been retrofitted to accommodate a Virtual Reality (VR) experience overlay – evidence of the infiltration of the digital disruption in yet another industry. Subsequently, in this paper, we firstly endeavour to examine the global footprint of the European Steel Roller Coaster Industry (ESRCI) as an export of the European economic region, while secondly, determining to what extent Virtual Reality (VR) has already infiltrated the industry. As a result, an exploratory study was conducted to identify the operational roller coasters of 23 European-based steel roller coaster manufacturers, also noting the country in which each roller coaster is operating. The results were used to establish a global footprint of the ESRCI, while an indication is also given to whether any of these manufacturers’ operational roller coasters have already been retrofitted with VR. Initial findings confirm that although the concept of the VR enhanced roller coaster is still fairly new (introduced in 2015), the effects are already wide spread with 8 of the 23 ESRC manufacturers having been affected by VR additions to one or more of their operational roller coasters within the 3 year time frame (2015 – 2017). While VR product development and integration strategies are still in the early stages, as it currently stands, VR is identified as a key role player and complementary technology for further consideration in the roller coaster industry going forward. Moreover, by adopting a manufacturer and industry centric point of view on the subject matter, this paper provides a point of departure for examining the current usage and trends of VR in the ESRCI, which may be transferrable to the roller coaster and amusement industries at large. This, in turn, may advance future discourse in the understanding of whether VR poses a threat to new roller coaster infrastructure development, is a complimentary asset to existing roller coaster infrastructure or is merely a passing fad

The Digital Disruption of Virtual Reality and the Future of the Steel Roller Coaster: An Initial Industry Analysis.

In the overlapping realms of digital design, engineering, tourism/leisure and thrill seeking, roller coasters are sought after attractions capable of drawing millions of visitors to amusement and theme parks located all over the world. More recently (from 2015) however, numerous new and existing roller coasters have been retrofitted to accommodate a Virtual Reality (VR) experience overlay – evidence of the infiltration of the digital disruption in yet another industry. Subsequently, in this paper, we firstly endeavour to examine the global footprint of the European Steel Roller Coaster Industry (ESRCI) as an export of the European economic region, while secondly, determining to what extent Virtual Reality (VR) has already infiltrated the industry. As a result, an exploratory study was conducted to identify the operational roller coasters of 23 European-based steel roller coaster manufacturers, also noting the country in which each roller coaster is operating. The results were used to establish a global footprint of the ESRCI, while an indication is also given to whether any of these manufacturers’ operational roller coasters have already been retrofitted with VR. Initial findings confirm that although the concept of the VR enhanced roller coaster is still fairly new (introduced in 2015), the effects are already wide spread with 8 of the 23 ESRC manufacturers having been affected by VR additions to one or more of their operational roller coasters within the 3 year time frame (2015 – 2017). While VR product development and integration strategies are still in the early stages, as it currently stands, VR is identified as a key role player and complementary technology for further consideration in the roller coaster industry going forward. Moreover, by adopting a manufacturer and industry centric point of view on the subject matter, this paper provides a point of departure for examining the current usage and trends of VR in the ESRCI, which may be transferrable to the roller coaster and amusement industries at large. This, in turn, may advance future discourse in the understanding of whether VR poses a threat to new roller coaster infrastructure development, is a complimentary asset to existing roller coaster infrastructure or is merely a passing fa

Virtual reality enhanced roller coasters and the future of entertainment – audience expectations

Abstract: Roller coasters are often acknowledged as the icons of amusement and leisure with their towering structures forming an integral part of any theme or amusement parks’ prestigious ride infrastructure. As with any infrastructure roller coasters come at a high cost, but inevitably also become outdated. By leveraging the power of Virtual Reality (VR) technology, there is an opportunity to integrate innovative, creative and captivating new VR experience overlays with existing roller coasters, thereby generating new interest in older ride infrastructure. While VR additions to roller coasters are still a fairly recent introduction (as of 2015), the adoption rate is high. Despite this observation, very little research has been conducted pertaining to the VR enhanced roller coaster experience – and even less so from an end user’s perspective. This is a shortcoming in current research literature which merits further investigation. As a result, in this research, we examine existing literature (pertaining to the core elements of best-practice VR experiences) and original data gathered from VR roller coaster thrill seekers (pertaining to their likes, dislikes and expectations of current VR enhanced roller coaster experiences). Based on our findings we present a model, Burt’s VR Entertainment Primer, which identifies six categories (Description of VR Experience, Rules of Entertainment, Queuing & Headset On/Off Boarding, Audio/Video Experience, Hardware Experience, General Findings) with supporting elements that should be taken into account in order to develop a successful VR enhanced roller coaster experience overlay. Due to the generic, user-centric nature of the model, it may possibly also extend itself to the VR amusement and entertainment industries within a broader context, thereby supporting the innovative application and assessment of VR in entertainment overall

Pengembangan Simulasi Roller Coaster Berbasis Realitas Virtual Untuk Mengidentifikasi Cybersickness dan Mengurangi Efeknya

Berdasarkan penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Barret, Brooks, dan Wiederhold telah menunjukkan bahwa penghalang terbesar dalam penggunaan virtual reality adalah cybersickness. Cybersickness adalah serangkaian gejala yang tidak menyenangkan, seperti kelelahan mata, sakit kepala, mual atau bahkan muntah, yang disebabkan oleh paparan lingkungan virtual dan dapat berlangsung dari beberapa menit hingga beberapa hari. Menurut Rebenitsch and Owen, menjelaskan bahwa diiperkirakan sekitar 20% hingga 80% dari total populasi mengalami cybersickness sampai batas tertentu. Berdasarkan masalah-masalah ini simulasi roller coaster virtual reality dikembangkan untuk mencari tahu atau mengidentifikasi apa yang menyebabkan cybersickness, dan bagaimana cara mengurangi efeknya. Simulasi ini menampilkan area roller coaster yang mengikuti alur trek. Kemudian ada pengaturan dalam simulasi untuk mengurangi efek cybersickness dengan beberapa metode yang diterapkan, dan diharapkan pengguna dapat menjalankan simulasi lebih lama. Untuk mengurangi efek cybersickness terdapat 6 metode yang diterapkan yaitu menambahkan visible path, mengecilkan sudut pandang, meningkatkan fps, memakai gelang anti mual, menggunakan kipas angin, dan meminum obat dimenhydrinate. Berdasarkan hasil pengujian, simulasi roller coaster terbukti dapat mengidentifikasi cybersickness, kemudian semua metode juga terbukti dapat mengurangi efek cybersickness dan metode terbaik untuk mengatasi efeknya adalah dengan obat Dimenhydrinate. Kata kunci: realitas virtual, cybersickness, simulasi, roller coaste

Pengembangan Simulasi Roller Coaster Berbasis Realitas Virtual Untuk Mengidentifikasi Cybersickness dan Mengurangi Efeknya

Berdasarkan penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Barret, Brooks, dan Wiederhold telah menunjukkan bahwa penghalang terbesar dalam penggunaan virtual reality adalah cybersickness. Cybersickness adalah serangkaian gejala yang tidak menyenangkan, seperti kelelahan mata, sakit kepala, mual atau bahkan muntah, yang disebabkan oleh paparan lingkungan virtual dan dapat berlangsung dari beberapa menit hingga beberapa hari. Menurut Rebenitsch and Owen, menjelaskan bahwa diiperkirakan sekitar 20% hingga 80% dari total populasi mengalami cybersickness sampai batas tertentu. Berdasarkan masalah-masalah ini simulasi roller coaster virtual reality dikembangkan untuk mencari tahu atau mengidentifikasi apa yang menyebabkan cybersickness, dan bagaimana cara mengurangi efeknya. Simulasi ini menampilkan area roller coaster yang mengikuti alur trek. Kemudian ada pengaturan dalam simulasi untuk mengurangi efek cybersickness dengan beberapa metode yang diterapkan, dan diharapkan pengguna dapat menjalankan simulasi lebih lama. Untuk mengurangi efek cybersickness terdapat 6 metode yang diterapkan yaitu menambahkan visible path, mengecilkan sudut pandang, meningkatkan fps, memakai gelang anti mual, menggunakan kipas angin, dan meminum obat dimenhydrinate. Berdasarkan hasil pengujian, simulasi roller coaster terbukti dapat mengidentifikasi cybersickness, kemudian semua metode juga terbukti dapat mengurangi efek cybersickness dan metode terbaik untuk mengatasi efeknya adalah dengan obat Dimenhydrinate. Kata kunci: realitas virtual, cybersickness, simulasi, roller coaste

Neural correlate of spatial presence in an arousing and noninteractive virtual reality: an EEG and psychophysiology study

Using electroencephalography (EEG), psychophysiology, and psychometric measures, this is the first study which investigated the neurophysiological underpinnings of spatial presence. Spatial presence is considered a sense of being physically situated within a spatial environment portrayed by a medium (e.g., television, virtual reality). Twelve healthy children and 11 healthy adolescents were watching different virtual roller coaster scenarios. During a control session, the roller coaster cab drove through a horizontal roundabout track. The following realistic roller coaster rides consisted of spectacular ups, downs, and loops. Low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) and event-related desynchronization (ERD) were used to analyze the EEG data. As expected, we found that, compared to the control condition, experiencing a virtual roller coaster ride evoked in both groups strong SP experiences, increased electrodermal reactions, and activations in parietal brain areas known to be involved in spatial navigation. In addition, brain areas that receive homeostatic afferents from somatic and visceral sensations of the body were strongly activated. Most interesting, children (as compared to adolescents) reported higher spatial presence experiences and demonstrated a different frontal activation pattern. While adolescents showed increased activation in prefrontal areas known to be involved in the control of executive functions, children demonstrated a decreased activity in these brain regions. Interestingly, recent neuroanatomical and neurophysiological studies have shown that the frontal brain continues to develop to adult status well into adolescence. Thus, the result of our study implies that the increased spatial presence experience in children may result from the not fully developed control functions of the frontal cortex

Ambient Multi-Camera Personal Documentary

Polymnia is an automated solution for the creation of ambient multi-camera personal documentary films. This short paper introduces the system, emphasising the rule-based documentary generation engine that we have created to assemble an edited narrative from source footage. We describe how such automatically generated media can be integrated with and augment personally-authored images and videos as a contribution to an individual’s personal digital memory