Search results for "Virtual reality"
showing 10 items of 376 documents
A grid representation for distributed virtual environments
2004
Fast Internet connections and the widespread use of high performance graphic cards are making Distributed Virtual Environments (DVE) very common nowadays. The architecture and behavior of these systems are very similar to new grid computing applications where concepts such as sharing and high scalability are extremely exploited. However, there are several key issues in these systems that should still be improved in order to design a scalable and cost-effective DVE system. One of these key issues is the partitioning problem. This problem consists of efficiently assigning clients (3-D avatars) to the arbiters (servers) in the system. As an alternative to the ad-hoc heuristic proposed in the l…
A VR-Enhanced Rollover Car Simulator and Edutainment Application for Increasing Seat Belt Use Awareness
2021
Most countries have active road safety policies that seek the objective of reducing deaths in traffic accidents. One of the main factors in this regard is the awareness of the safety measures, one of the most important being the correct usage of the seat belt, a device that is known to save thousands of lives every year. The presented work shows a VR-enhanced edutainment application designed to increase awareness on the use of seat belts. For this goal, a motorized rollover system was developed that, synchronized with a VR application (shown in a head-mounted display for each user inside a real car), rolls over this car with up to four passengers inside. This way, users feel the sensations …
A Comparative Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Table and a HoloLens-Based Augmented Reality System for Anatomy Training
2020
Anatomy training with real cadavers poses many practical problems for which new training and educational solutions have been developed making use of technologies based on real-time 3-D graphics. Although virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have been previously used in the medical field, it is not easy to select the right 3-D technology or setup for each particular problem. For this reason, this article presents a comprehensive comparative study with 82 participants between two different 3-D interactive setups: an optical-based AR setup, implemented with a Microsoft HoloLens device, and a semi-immersive setup based on a VR Table. Both setups are tested using an anatomy training s…
Analyzing the performance of a cluster-based architecture for immersive visualization systems
2008
Cluster computing has become an essential issue for designing immersive visualization systems. This paradigm employs scalable clusters of commodity computers with much lower costs than would be possible with the high-end, shared memory computers that have been traditionally used for virtual reality purposes. This change in the design of virtual reality systems has caused some development environments oriented toward shared memory computing to require modifications to their internal architectures in order to support cluster computing. This is the case of VR Juggler, which is considered one of the most important virtual reality application development frameworks based on open source code. Thi…
Cognitive assessment of OCD patients: Neurovr vs neuropsychological test
2014
This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Neuro- Virtual Reality as tool for the neuropsychological assessment in OCD patients. We used the neuropsychological battery and a virtual version of the Multiple Errand Test (V-MET), developed using the NeuroVR software, in order to evaluate the executive functions, the ability to plan ahead on complex problem solving tasks in daily life in 30 obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) patients and 30 healthy controls. The results showed the presence of difficulties of OCD patients: lower levels of divided attention and higher levels of errors; higher mean rank of inefficiencies, interpretation failures and rule breaks and longer ti…
Shopping with virtual hands
2020
Retailers can use virtual reality as a new touchpoint for their customers: within an existent channel or as a new sales channel. Thus, it is crucial to understand the differences and similarities between the physical and the virtual shopping environment. Shopping simulations make it possible to test, observe, and collect data in a controlled, low-cost, and fast way compared to field experiments. However, past studies might have provided biased results due to the characteristics of the sample used. This study analyzes how consumers behave in two virtual shopping tasks. The exploratory, experimental research uses an immersive VR shopping environment and a sample of participants balanced acros…
Developing design knowledge and a conceptual model for virtual reality learning environments
2021
This chapter focuses on applying design science research for virtual reality learning environment (VRLE) design processes. Six selected case studies are presented in the context of VRLEs. The case selections were analyzed in terms of their contributions to design knowledge. The objective of this book chapter is twofold: 1) for researchers, the design knowledge contributions of case studies are highlighted for future reference, and 2) for developers and practitioners, design principles are presented for the development of VRLEs. The final outcome of the present study is a conceptual model describing the current design knowledge in the field of VRLEs and identifying the research gaps that sho…
Enter the Serious E-scape Room: A Cost-Effective Serious Game Model for Deep and Meaningful E-learning
2019
Escape rooms are a phenomenon that has taken the world by storm in the last decade. Simultaneously Virtual Reality is a promising technology for innovation in education, training and e-learning. Combining these two concepts, this paper outlines a new model for designing serious games in virtual reality environments for high quality, deep and meaningful learning, the Serious E-scape Room. It describes the theoretical grounding, general guidelines and principles of the model. It also presents the case study “Room of Keys”, a serious virtual escape room for biology concepts. To test the assumptions of the model, researchers conducted a mixed research study with 148 students in a US high school…
The cone of gaze
2011
Gaze direction is an important cue that regulates social interactions. Although humans are very accurate in determining gaze directions in general, they have a surprisingly liberal criterion for the presence of mutual gaze. We first established a psychophysical task to measure the cone of gaze, which required observers to adjust the eyes of a virtual head to the margins of the area of mutual gaze. Then we examined differences between 2D, 3D, and genuine real life gaze. Finally, the tolerance for image distortions when the virtual head is not viewed from the proper vantage point was investigated. Gaze direction was remarkably robust toward loss in detail and distortion. Important lessons for…
Multisensory Experiences in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Interaction Paradigms
2020
Multisensory stimuli can be integrated in systems that make use of different paradigms, such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) or, in a wider sense, Mixed Reality (MR), enhancing user experiences within the virtual content. However, despite the many technological solutions that exist (both hardware and software), only visual and sonic stimuli can be considered as highly integrated in consumer-grade applications. This chapter addresses the current state of the art in multisensory experiences, taking also in consideration the aforementioned interaction paradigms, and brings the benefits and challenges. As an example, authors introduce ROMOT, a RObotic 3D-MOvie Theatre, that supp…