Is Seeing a Virtual Environment Like Seeing the Real Thing?

Immersive virtual environments (IVE) are increasingly used in both fundamental research like experimental psychology and applications such as training, phobia therapy, or entertainment. Ideally, people should be able to perceive and behave in such IVEs as naturally and effectively as in real environments – especially if real-world transfer is desired. Being inherently mobile species, enabling natural spatial orientation and cognition in IVEs is essential. Here, we investigated whether seeing a virtual environment has a similar effect on our spatial cognition and mental spatial representation as a comparable real-world stimulus does – if it does not, how could we assume real-world transfer

Are You Awed Yet? How Virtual Reality Gives Us Awe and Goose Bumps

“Awe” is a category of emotion within the spectrum of self-transcendent experiences. Awe has wellness benefits, with feelings of social interconnectivity and increased life satisfaction. However, awe experiences remain rare in our everyday lives, and rarer in lab environments. We posit that Virtual Reality (VR) may help to make self-transcendent and potentially transformative experiences of awe more accessible to individuals. Here, we investigated how interactive VR as a positive technology may elicit awe, and how features of aesthetic beauty/scale, familiarity, and personalization (self-selection of travel destinations) may induce awe. In this mixed-methods study, participants used an interactive VR system to explore Earth from ground and orbit. We collected: introspective interviews and self-report questionnaires with participants’ experience of awe; information on personality traits and gender; and we recorded physiological goose bumps on the skin (using an arm-mounted goose bump camera instrument), which is a documented marker of an awe experience. Results showed that on a scale of 0–100 for self-reported awe, four different interactive VR environments yielded an average awe rating of 79.7, indicating that interactive VR can indeed induce awe. 43.8% of participants experienced goose bumps: awe ratings positively correlated with the occurrence of goose bumps with those who experienced goose bumps having showed significantly higher ratings of awe than those who did not. Most (64%) of the goose bumps occurred when participants self-selected their VR environment. Participant statements from the interviews were characteristic of an awe-inspiring experience, revealed themes of social connection, and usability problems with the VR interface. Personality traits yielded no clear correlation to awe ratings, and females appear to experience more goose bumps than males. In summary: (1) Interactive VR can elicit awe, especially within familiar, self-selected environments; (2) Physiological goose bumps can be recorded to provide reliable, non-intrusive indications of awe; (3) Care must be taken to design interaction interfaces that do not impede awe; and (4) While personality traits are not correlated to awe ratings, goose bumps were experienced more frequently among females. We aim to conduct future studies using custom VR environments, interfaces, and additional physiological measures to provide further insight into awe

Auditory Self-Motion Simulation is Facilitated by Haptic and Vibrational Cues Suggesting the Possibility of Actual Motion

Sound fields rotating around stationary blindfolded listeners sometimes elicit auditory circular vection, the illusion that the listener is physically rotating. Experiment 1 investigated whether auditory circular vection depends on participants\u27 situational awareness of "movability", i.e., whether they sense/know that actual motion is possible or not. While previous studies often seated participants on movable chairs to suspend the disbelief of self-motion, it has never been investigated whether this does, in fact, facilitate auditory vection. To this end, 23 blindfolded participants were seated on a hammock chair with their feet either on solid ground ("movement impossible") or suspended ("movement possible") while listening to individualized binaural recordings of two sound sources rotating synchronously at 60 degrees. Although participants never physically moved, situational awareness of movability facilitated auditory vection. Moreover, adding slight vibrations like the ones resulting from actual chair rotation increased the frequency and intensity of vection. Experiment 2 extended these findings and showed that nonindividualized binaural recordings were as effective in inducing auditory circular vection as individualized recordings. These results have important implications both for our theoretical understanding of self-motion perception and for the applied field of self-motion simulations, where vibrations, non-individualized binaural sound, and the cognitive/perceptual framework of movability can typically be provided at minimal cost and effort

Immersive Interactive Technologies for Positive Change: A Scoping Review and Design Considerations

Practices such as mindfulness, introspection, and self-reflection are known to have positive short and long-term effects on health and well-being. However, in today\u27s modern, fast-paced, technological world tempted by distractions these practices are often hard to access and relate to a broader audience. Consequently, technologies have emerged that mediate personal experiences, which is reflected in the high number of available applications designed to elicit positive changes. These technologies elicit positive changes by bringing users\u27 attention to the self—from technologies that show representation of quantified personal data, to technologies that provide experiences that guide the user closer in understanding the self. However, while many designs available today are either built to support or are informed by these aforementioned practices, the question remains: how can we most effectively employ different design elements and interaction strategies to support positive change? Moreover, what types of input and output modalities contribute to eliciting positive states? To address these questions, we present here a state of the art scoping review of immersive interactive technologies that serve in a role of a mediator for positive change in users. We performed a literature search using ACM Digital Library, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, and Design and Applied Arts Index (beginning of literature—January 1, 2018). We retrieved English-language articles for review, and we searched for published and unpublished studies. Risk of bias was assessed with Downs and Black 26-item QAT scale. We included 34 articles as relevant to the literature, and the analysis of the articles resulted in 38 instances of 33 immersive, interactive experiences relating to positive human functioning. Our contribution is three-fold: First we provide a scoping review of immersive interactive technologies for positive change; Second, we propose both a framework for future designs of positive interactive technologies and design consideration informed by the comparative analysis of the designs; Third, we provide design considerations for immersive, interactive technologies to elicit positive states and support positive change

Moving Sounds Enhance the Visually-Induced Self-Motion Illusion (Circular Vection) in Virtual Reality

While rotating visual and auditory stimuli have long been known to elicit self-motion illusions (“circular vection”), audiovisual interactions have hardly been investigated. Here, two experiments investigated whether visually induced circular vection can be enhanced by concurrently rotating auditory cues that match visual landmarks (e.g., a fountain sound). Participants sat behind a curved projection screen displaying rotating panoramic renderings of a market place. Apart from a no-sound condition, headphone-based auditory stimuli consisted of mono sound, ambient sound, or low-/high-spatial resolution auralizations using generic head-related transfer functions (HRTFs). While merely adding nonrotating (mono or ambient) sound showed no effects, moving sound stimuli facilitated both vection and presence in the virtual environment. This spatialization benefit was maximal for a medium (20 degrees × 15 degrees) FOV, reduced for a larger (54 degrees × 45 degrees) FOV and unexpectedly absent for the smallest (10 degrees × 7.5 degrees) FOV. Increasing auralization spatial fidelity (from low, comparable to five-channel home theatre systems, to high, 5 degree resolution) provided no further benefit, suggesting a ceiling effect. In conclusion, both self-motion perception and presence can benefit from adding moving auditory stimuli. This has important implications both for multimodal cue integration theories and the applied challenge of building affordable yet effective motion simulators

Comprehending parametric CAD models

In this study, we experimentally evaluated two GUI prototypes (named "split" and "integrated") equivalent to those used in the domain of parametric CAD modeling. Participants in the study were asked to perform a number of 3D model comprehension tasks, using both interfaces. The tasks themselves were classified into three classes: parameterization, topological and geometrical tasks. We measured the task completion times, error rates, and user satisfaction for both interfaces. The experimental results showed that task completion times are significantly shorter when the "split" interface is used, in all cases of interest: 1) tasks taken as a whole and 2) tasks viewed by task type. There was no significant difference in error rates; however, error rate was significantly higher in the case of parameterization tasks for both interfaces. User satisfaction was significantly higher for the "split" interface. The study gave us a better understanding of the human performance when perceiving and comprehending parametric CAD models, and offered insight into the usability aspects of the two studied interfaces; we also believe that the knowledge obtained could be of practical utility to implementers of parametric CAD modeling packages

Sensorimotor impairment and haptic support in microgravity

Future space missions envisage human operators teleoperating robotic systems from orbital spacecraft. A potential risk for such missions is the observation that sensorimotor performance deteriorates during spaceflight. This article describes an experiment on sensorimotor performance in two-dimensional manual tracking during different stages of a space mission. We investigated whether there are optimal haptic settings of the human-machine interface for microgravity conditions. Two empirical studies using the same task paradigm with a force feedback joystick with different haptic settings (no haptics, four spring stiffnesses, two motion dampings, three masses) are presented in this paper. (1) A terrestrial control study (N = 20 subjects) with five experimental sessions to explore potential learning effects and interactions with haptic settings. (2) A space experiment (N = 3 cosmonauts) with a pre-mission, three mission sessions on board the ISS (2, 4, and 6 weeks in space), and a post-mission session. Results provide evidence that distorted proprioception significantly affects motion smoothness in the early phase of adaptation to microgravity, while the magnitude of this effect was moderated by cosmonauts' sensorimotor capabilities. Moreover, this sensorimotor impairment can be compensated by providing subtle haptic cues. Specifically, low damping improved tracking smoothness for both motion directions (sagittal and transverse motion plane) and low stiffness improved performance in the transverse motion plane

After Kosovo: a political science symposium - perspectives from Southern Italy

"Im Mai 1999 veranstalteten eine Gruppe von Forschern und Kursteilnehmern des Arbeitsbereiches Politik- und Sozialwissenschaften sowie einige Kollegen aus anderen Ländern zum dritten Mal ein Symposium im malerischen Dorf Positano (Süditalien). Auf der Tagesordnung beim diesjährigen Treffen stand das für einen Politikwissenschaftler vorrangige Thema jener Wochen: die militärischen, politischen und kulturellen Geschehnisse im Kosovo. Die Teilnehmer überdachten 15 Fragen hinsichtlich der Kosovo-Krise, oder genauer, die Konsequenzen jener Geschehnisse für die politische Wissenschaft. Das Ziel dieses Beitrages ist es, die spontanen Gedanken zu diesen Fragen aufzuzeichnen. Trotz unterschiedlicher Meinungen und Erklärungsansätze gelang es den Teilnehmern, die wesentlichen Konsequenzen aus diesem Konflikt, der viel mehr war als eine Balkan-Krise, herauszuarbeiten. So muß die politische Rolle der deutschen und russischen Akteure neu überdacht werden. Das Möglichkeit militärischer Missionen und die Option für westlichen Gesellschaften, einen Krieg zu führen, müssen neu bewertet werden. Sowohl der sogenannte neue internationale Auftrag als auch die veränderte Rolle der UNO sowie das westfälische Prinzip der Staatensouveränität müssen neu diskutiert werden. Der vielleicht interessanteste Aspekt ist die Frage nach der politischen Improvisation sowie die Frage nach virtuellen Politiken und das Fehlen einer politischen Agenda." (Textauszug)"In May 1999, a group of researchers and students from the Department of Political and Social Sciences and some colleagues from other countries got together for the third time in the picturesque Campanian village of Positano. The context of this year's meeting, the public discussions made it unavoidable to take up the most urgent subject for political scientists in those weeks: the military, political and cultural events in and around Kosovo. The participants got some 15 questions regarding the Kosovo crisis or rather, more exactly, regarding possible consequences of the events for political science. The aim of this paper, however, was to preserve the spontaneous character of the original inputs. While stressing different aspects and advancing various explanations, most participants of Horizons 1999 agreed in a remarkable way on some fundamental consequences of this conflict which was much more than a Balkan crisis. German and Russian actors' role and impact have to be reassessed. The future potential of military missions and the capability of Western societies to wage war must be re-evaluated. The so-called new international order -or disorder- is to be discussed, as well as the changing role of the UN and the Westphalian principle of sovereignty. The possibly most interesting aspects may be related to the questions of adhocism, virtual politics and missing agendas, possibly leading towards a new conception of agency." (extract

Deep Learning for Classification of Peak Emotions within Virtual Reality Systems

Research has demonstrated well-being benefits from positive, ‘peak’ emotions such as awe and wonder, prompting the HCI community to utilize affective computing and AI modelling for elicitation and measurement of those target emotional states. The immersive nature of virtual reality (VR) content and systems can lead to feelings of awe and wonder, especially with a responsive, personalized environment based on biosignals. However, an accurate model is required to differentiate between emotional states that have similar biosignal input, such as awe and fear. Deep learning may provide a solution since the subtleties of these emotional states and affect may be recognized, with biosignal data viewed in a time series so that researchers and designers can understand which features of the system may have influenced target emotions. The proposed deep learning fusion system in this paper will use data collected from a corpus, created through collection of physiological biosignals and ranked qualitative data, and will classify these multimodal signals into target outputs of affect. This model will be real-time for the evaluation of VR system features which influence awe/wonder, using a bio-responsive environment. Since biosignal data will be collected through wireless, wearable sensor technology, and modelled through the same computer powering the VR system, it can be used in field research and studios

Space—A Virtual Frontier: How to Design and Evaluate a Virtual Reality Experience of the Overview Effect

A select small group of people have an amazing opportunity to see the Earth from a unique perspective—from space. The effect this experience has on an individual has been described as extraordinary and profound, consisting of a cognitive shift in worldview that leads to a deeper understanding of the fragility and vulnerability of our planet, and an increased feeling of connectedness. This experience, termed the “Overview Effect,” has been reported by many space-travelers. Its key outcome—an enhanced feeling of interconnectedness—contributes to both one’s well-being and the sense of responsibility for the Earth. If this profoundly positive experience could be made accessible to more people than just space-travelers, this might ultimately contribute to a healthier and more caring society, where more individuals deeply feel the interconnection of all living beings and responsibility for our collective future. Given virtual reality (VR) technology’s potential to induce experiences affecting an immersant in a similar way as a real experience, we see an opportunity to leverage this technology to attempt to elicit the Overview Effect as a virtual experience. Through a virtual installation, the experience could be made accessible to people around the world, and for researchers to study this otherwise rare phenomenon. This article builds the case for VR as a tool for inducing and studying the Overview Effect. It reviews the psychological research on the Overview Effect and awe, and proposes guidelines for: (1) the design of VR experiences to elicit an Overview Effect and (2) evaluation methods for assessing if, or to what degree, the experience was achieved. Finally, we discuss existing implementations of the Overview Effect in VR. Thus, we are making an applied contribution in the form of design guidelines, and contributions to knowledge in the form of a review of research related to the Overview Effect. We invite researchers and VR creators to utilize and expand on the guidelines proposed in this paper to design transformative VR experiences that induce positive change, and promote a feeling of connectedness and care for each other, and our Spaceship Earth