Mat Collishaw’s Thresholds A Multisensory Journey from Early Photography to Virtual Reality

In Spring 2021, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Florida International University (FIU) designed a virtual reality (VR) training prototype for novices to learn how to work with industrial robots. Developed with the support of a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) by a team of architecture and computer science faculty, the Robotics Academy immersive learning environment prototype leverages advanced technologies to teach robotics in a fully immersive VR environment. This paper will describe the learning environment, the introductory lesson prototype, the learning evaluation tools, and the comparative outcomes of testing this learning prototype with a test group and a control group.As robotic automation continues to transform manufacturing, construction, and other industries, VR may offer a solution for training the labor force for more technically demanding jobs. VR provides computer-generated simulations of the real or an imagined environment that can serve as a rich and engaging space for learning (Mantovani et al., 2003). Recent research demonstrates that immersive environments can facilitate learning (and the assessment of learning) by providing a safe and low-cost setting for practice and rehearsal (Beck, 2019). Training workers to operate robots in a traditional classroom setting often relies on low teacher to student ratios as a means for accommodating individualized or small group coaching using a dedicated training robot. This pedagogical method can be both costly and time consuming. Meanwhile, on-the-job training can both slow down production and expose inexperienced trainers and trainees to potentially hazardous conditions. Immersive virtual learning environments offer a potential solution to reduce the cost of traditional training and mitigate exposure to hazardous conditions while learning how to operate industrial robots.The design team for the Robotics Academy created an immersive learning environment with simulated robots and input devices while the curriculum team developed both a script introducing the fundamentals of industrial robotic safety and a series of self-directed activities for learning how to operate an industrial robot. To measure the effectiveness of our VR learning tool the evaluation team offered 45 minutes of self-directed learning using a VR headset to a test group of twenty-one second year architecture students with no prior knowledge or experience working with industrial robots. A control group of twenty-one second year architecture students with similar background received training using the same script paired with an image-based slide lecture in a traditional classroom setting, but they were not provided access to the VR training tool or practice time to work with a robot. Both groups were tested with a short quiz to assess their retention of key concepts from the script and a practicum test using a teach pendant input device for controlling an industrial robot. Finally, students were asked to rate their own level of confidence, self-reliance, and readiness to proceed to the next level of training. On the written test students showed similar rates of retention of key concepts from the training script with a modestly higher average score for in-person training over the VR training tool. However, in a series of timed exercises, students who used the VR training tool demonstrated higher levels of task accomplishment with fewer errors and faster completion times for practicum testing. Finally, those who used the VR training tool reported higher levels of self-confidence. While more learning outcome testing is necessary, these initial results indicate that immersive learning environments like our VR tool may be an effective method for educating the labor force for jobs that involve automation with technology such as industrial robots.

How Virtual Reality Is Changing the Reality of Aging.

Today, virtual reality and immersive environments are lines of research which can be applied to numerous scientific and educational domains. Immersive digital media needs new approaches regarding its interactive and immersive features, which means the design of new narratives and relationships with users. Additionally, ICT (information and communication theory) evolves through more immersive and interactive scenarios, it being necessary to design and conceive new forms of representing information and improving users’ interaction with immersive environments. Virtual reality and technologies associated with the virtuality continuum, such as immersive and digital environments, are emerging media. As a medium, this approach may help to build and represent ideas and concepts, as well as developing new languages. This review analyses the cutting-edge expressive, interactive and representative potential of immersive digital technologies. It also considers future possibilities regarding the evolution of these immersive technologies, such as virtual reality, in coming years, in order to apply them to diverse scientific, artistic or informational and educational domains. We conclude that virtual reality is an ensemble of technological innovations, but also a concept, and propose models to link it with the latest in other domains such as UX (user experience), interaction design. This concept can help researchers and developers to design new experiences and conceive new expressive models that can be applied to a wide range of scientific lines of research and educational dynamics.

Exploring virtual worlds

Highlights: The proposed analysis develops a virtual reality (VR)simulator for the Museum of India to enhance heritage preservation efforts. The Emotion questionnaire validates the impact of virtual museum tours on emotional states, including positive, negative, and boredom, compared to traditional methods. Immersive VR significantly enhanced user experience, and the VR-simulator system showed a more effective positive impact and reduced adverse effects compared to the non-VR group. Abstract: Cultural heritage currently has a significant social and economic impact on a global scale. This study evaluates user experience in cultural heritage through virtual reality (VR). While previous research has explored the use of digital technologies in museums, there needs to be a greater understanding of VR's effects on user engagement, emotional connection, and knowledge retention within heritage contexts. This study developed a VR-Simulator for the Le-Corbusier Museum, Chandigarh, India, also called VRSLM, and accessed the impact and emotions of participants using the Achievement Emotion Questionnaire (AEQ). VR-Simulator provides participants with an immersive and interactive museum experience using a Mobile-VR headset. The study includes historical analysis, 3D visualization creation, multimedia integration, Unity, VR environment development, and deployment as an IRUSU Play VR app. VRSLM framework was evaluated with 40 participants, divided into two equal groups: VR-Simulator and Non-VR. They were asked to visit the museum using VR and traditional methods. The impact of the VRSLM system was measured by applying a statistical test and comparing it with the non-VR group. The results indicated that the VR-Simulator group had more positive emotions than the non-VR group. The overall mean score of the positive emotion factors was (M=4.2 vs. M=2.6), the negative score was (M=2.0 vs. M=2.5), and the boredom emotion factor scored (M=3.1 vs. M= 2.6), of VR-simulator and non-VR-group-respectively. T-tests and factor analyses were also applied to find out the impact of VR, indicating a significant difference between the groups regarding users' emotions and engagement effects on the participants. The findings suggest that VR simulations significantly improve user engagement and create a more positive impact in immersive environment than traditional methods. These results offer valuable insights for museums, curators, and heritage sites, suggesting that VR can revolutionize heritage experiences by deepening visitor understanding. VRSLM framework was evaluated with 40 participants, divided into two equal groups: VR-Simulator and Non-VR. They were asked to visit the museum using VR and traditional methods. The impact of the VRSLM system was measured by applying a statistical test and comparing it with the non-VR group. The results indicated that the VR-Simulator group had more positive emotions than the non-VR group. The overall mean score of the positive emotion factors was (M=4.25 vs. M=2.60), the negative score was (M=2.02 vs. M=2.57), and the boredom emotion factor scored (M=3.12 vs. M= 2.68), of VR-Simulator and non-VR-group-respectively. T-tests and factor analyses were also applied to find out the impact of VR, indicating a significant difference between the groups regarding users' emotions and engagement effects on the participants. The findings suggest that VR-Simulator significantly improve user engagement and create a more immersive learning environment than traditional methods. These results offer valuable insights for museums, curators, and heritage sites, suggesting that VR can revolutionize heritage experiences by deepening visitor understanding.

The purpose of virtual reality is to make possible a sensorimotor and cognitive activity for a user in a digitally created artificial world. Recent advances in computer technology have led to a new generation of VR devices such as VR headsets. Accordingly, virtual reality poses many new scientific challenges for researchers and professionals. The aim of this book, a manual meant for both designers and users of virtual reality, is to present the current state of knowledge on the use of VR headsets in the most complete way possible. The book is divided into 13 chapters. The objective of the first chapter is to give an introduction to VR and clarify its scope. The next chapter presents a theoretical approach to virtual reality through our Immersion and Interaction methodology also known as 3I² model’’. Then, a chapter about human senses is necessary to understand the sensorimotor immersion, especially vision. These chapters are followed by several chapters which present the different visual interfaces and the VR headsets currently available on the market. These devices can impart comfort and health problems due to sensorimotor discrepancies. A chapter is devoted to these problems, followed by a chapter that gives a detailed discussion of methods and 32 solutions to dispel, or at least to decrease, VR sickness. The following three chapters present different VR applications that use VR headsets (behavioural sciences, industrial uses and Digital Art) and the final chapter provides conclusions and discusses future VR challenges.

The article considers the possibility of using virtual and mixed reality in the preparation of geography teachers. The modern regulatory framework and requirements for teachers in Russia were analyzed. It is shown that new pilot projects in education require teachers with skills in working with virtual reality. The experience of preparing students of a pedagogical university in geography without the use of this technology is generalized; problems and their possible solutions using virtual technologies are indicated. Attention is paid to the application of technologies of mixed and virtual reality in the study of various areas in the training of geography teachers. VR headsets were used in practical classes with students. During study of complex spatial objects, virtual reality technology allowed students to learn more the object of study, understand the essence of the studied object, and understand the three-dimensional model, while panoramic pictures increased the degree of immersion. The application of this technology is appropriate for tasks that do not require the making of complex content for a virtual reality environment, due to the need to create a large amount of content, its dynamics, as well as ease of use.

BackgroundProper donning and doffing of personal protection equipment (PPE) and hand hygiene in the correct spatial context of a health facility is important for the prevention and control of nosocomial infections. On-site training is difficult due to the potential infectious risks and shortages of PPE, whereas video-based training lacks immersion which is vital for the familiarization of the environment. Virtual reality (VR) training can support the repeated practice of PPE donning and doffing in an immersive environment that simulates a realistic configuration of a health facility.ObjectiveThis study aims to develop and evaluate a VR simulation focusing on the correct event order of PPE donning and doffing, that is, the item and hand hygiene order in the donning and doffing process but not the detailed steps of how to don and doff an item, in an immersive environment that replicates the spatial zoning of a hospital. The VR method should be generic and support customizable sequencing of PPE donning and doffing.MethodsAn immersive VR PPE training tool was developed by computer scientists and medical experts. The effectiveness of the immersive VR method versus video-based learning was tested in a pilot study as a randomized controlled trial (N=32: VR group, n=16; video-based training, n=16) using questionnaires on spatial-aware event order memorization questions, usability, and task workload. Trajectories of participants in the immersive environment were also recorded for behavior analysis and potential improvements of the real environment of the health facility.ResultsComparable sequence memorization scores (VR mean 79.38, SD 12.90 vs video mean 74.38, SD 17.88; P=.37) as well as National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index scores (VR mean 42.9, SD 13.01 vs video mean 51.50, SD 20.44; P=.16) were observed. The VR group had an above-average usability in the System Usability Scale (mean 74.78>70.0) and was significantly better than the video group (VR mean 74.78, SD 13.58 vs video mean 57.73, SD 21.13; P=.009). The analysis and visualization of trajectories revealed a positive correlation between the length of trajectories and the completion time, but neither correlated to the accuracy of the memorization task. Further user feedback indicated a preference for the VR method over the video-based method. Limitations of and suggestions for improvements in the study were also identified.ConclusionsA new immersive VR PPE training method was developed and evaluated against the video-based training. Results of the pilot study indicate that the VR method provides training quality comparable to video-based training and is more usable. In addition, the immersive experience of realistic settings and the flexibility of training configurations make the VR method a promising alternative to video instructions.

The Industrial Revolution 4.0 is reshaping social studies to address real-life problems and foster critical thinking skills. Problem-Based Learning (PBL) focuses on resolving actual issues, while Virtual Reality (VR) provides an immersive virtual learning environment within the classroom. This study investigates the effect of VR-assisted PBL, specifically the “Museum Sumpah Pemuda”, on critical thinking tendencies and learning motivation in social studies education. Utilizing a quasi-experimental approach with a pretest and posttest design, the study population consisted of 75 eighth-grade students aged 13-15 years, divided into three classes. Cluster random sampling was applied to select the control class (VIIIB) and the experimental class (VIIIC), each comprising 25 students. The research utilized a critical thinking self-assessment questionnaire developed by Masured Reasons LLC, featuring 20 questions, alongside Facione & Gittens's critical thinking indicators. Additionally, the learning motivation questionnaire was based on criteria from Hamzah B. Uno and included 24 questions. Results from the MANOVA hypothesis test (p<0.05) indicate a significant effect of VR-assisted PBL “Museum Sumpah Pemuda”, on both critical thinking tendencies and learning motivation in social studies learning. These findings suggest that VR-assisted PBL not only cultivates 21st-century skills but also resonates with students' experiences in the technology-driven era of 4.0. Keywords: Problem Based Learning, Virtual Reality, Critical Thinking, Learning Motivation, Social Studies

The use of machine learning approaches to detecting the human emotion of excitement via electroencephalography (EEG) while immersed in an immersive virtual reality environment is studied in this investigation. The ability to detect excitement has many potential applications such as in affective entertainment, neuromarketing and particularly in virtual reality computer gaming. Users are exposed to a roller-coaster experience as the emotional stimuli, which is expected to evoke the emotion of excitement, while simultaneously wearing virtual reality goggles, which delivers the virtual reality experience of excitement, and an EEG headset, which acquires the raw brain signals detected when exposed to this excitement stimuli. In this study, a deep learning approach is used to improve the excitement detection rate to well above the 90% accuracy level. In a prior similar study, the use of conventional machine learning approaches involving k-Nearest Neighbour (kNN) classifiers and Support Vector Machines (SVM) only achieved prediction accuracy rates of between 65-89%. Using a deep learning approach here, rates of 78-96% were achieved. This demonstrates the superiority of adopting a deep learning approach over other machine learning approaches for detecting human excitement when immersed in an immersive virtual reality environment.

With the rapid advances in rendering technology, the implementation of highly realistic avatars in a virtual reality (VR) environment has become a possibility. Such realistic avatars have significant effects on the user’s avatar perception and interactive experience. However, they consume excessive computing resources and cause the uncanny valley phenomenon, which can degrade the user experience, necessitating extensive research on the visual realism of realistic avatars. Against this backdrop, this study performs an in-depth analysis on the effect of the visual realism of avatars on the user’s avatar perception in a VR environment, thereby adjusting visual realism through various factors and evaluating its effect on avatar perception. The aim is to investigate the optimal level of visual realism that allows for efficient utilization of computing resources while allowing avatar perception. Unlike previous studies that mainly focused on visual realism in two-dimensional environments, this study considers the characteristics of VR environments and investigates the various levels of visual realism that affect avatar perception in an immersive environment. In this study, the MetaHuman Creator of Unreal Engine was used to create highly realistic personalized avatars. An experiment was conducted with 40 participants recruited to evaluate the effect of visual realism on avatar perception in both VR head-mounted display (HMD) and two-dimensional display environments. This study contributes significantly to the field of personalized avatar research by providing more comprehensive analysis and insights. The analysis results indicate that the immersive environment has a significant effect on avatar perception. In particular, high avatar perception was observed in the VR HMD environment, implying that enhanced immersive experiences are important in virtual reality. The study also examined the impact of texture and the level of detail on avatar perception. The results show that there is no significant difference between moderate and high levels of detail, which indicates that when designing avatars in virtual reality, greater visual realism may not always lead to higher avatar perception. The findings of this study suggest a new direction for efficient utilization of computing resources and enhanced user experiences. It is further expected that these findings will present a standard for rendering avatars in virtual reality applications.

A real-time flight simulation tool is proposed using a virtual reality head-mounted display (VR-HMD) for remotely piloted airships operating in beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) conditions. In particular, the VR-HMD was developed for stratospheric airships flying at low/high altitudes. The proposed flight simulation tool uses the corresponding aerodynamics characteristics of the airship, the buoyancy effect, mass balance, added mass, propulsion contributions and ground reactions in the FlightGear Flight Simulator (FGFS). The VR headset was connected to the FGFS along with the radio controller containing the real-time orientation/state of each button, which is also simulated to provide better situational awareness, and a head-up display (HUD) that was developed to provide the required flight data. In this work, a system was developed to connect the FGFS and the VR-capable graphics engine Unity to a PC and a wireless VR-HMD in real time with minimal lag between data transmission. A balance was found for FGFS to write to a CSV file at a period of 0.01 s. For Unity, the file was read every frame, which translates to around 0.0167 s (60 Hz). A test procedure was also conducted with a similar rating technique based on the NASA TLX questionnaire, which identifies the pilot’s available mental capacity when completing an assigned task to assure the comfortability of the proposed VR-HMD. Accordingly, a comparison was made for the aircraft control using the desktop simulator and the VR-HMD tool. The results showed that the current iteration of the system is ideal to train pilots on using similar systems in a safe and immersive environment. Furthermore, such an advanced portable system may even increase the situational awareness of pilots and allow them to complete a sizeable portion of actual flight tests with the same data transmission procedures in simulation. The VR-HMD flight simulator was also conceived to express the ground control station (GCS) concept and transmit flight information as well as the point of view (POV) visuals in real-time using the real environment broadcast using an onboard camera.

This study investigates the integration of Virtual Reality (VR), specifically the Oculus Quest 3, within architectural education to enhance sustainable design practices. Using a first-principal approach to design thinking, the research explores how immersive VR environments can improve spatial cognition, support iterative design, and encourage environmentally-conscious decision-making. The study was conducted with ten postgraduate architecture students at Nelson Mandela University, who engaged in a small house design project within a virtual design studio. Students were able to create 3D models, explore them at a 1:1 scale in VR, and receive immediate feedback to refine their designs. Findings indicate that VR significantly enhances students’ spatial awareness, allowing them to better understand proportions, relationships, and functionality within their designs. The immersive environment also supports rapid design iteration, enabling students to test multiple design options efficiently and make real-time adjustments. Moreover, VR facilitated the integration of sustainability principles, as students could visualize energy flows, natural lighting, and material impacts, leading to more environmentally-informed design decisions. Participants reported heightened engagement and satisfaction with the design process, noting that the interactive and experiential nature of VR made learning more intuitive and enjoyable. The results suggest that VR offers transformative potential for architectural pedagogy. By incorporating immersive technologies into the design studio, educators can provide a more holistic, hands-on learning experience that develops spatial understanding, creativity, and sustainability awareness. This study highlights the importance of integrating VR into architectural curricula, preparing students to navigate the increasingly digital, collaborative, and sustainability-focused demands of contemporary design practice.

People who are to live, study and work abroad will face more challenges in the new cultural environment and suffer more acculturative stress. Virtual Reality (VR), by which an immersive learning environment can be built, may help them adapt to a foreign culture at a lower cost of time and money. In order to work out a design method for culture learning in VR, we have designed a VR application so that learners can experience and learn the typical western festival culture – Christmas culture – in an immersive environment. To evaluate the effectiveness of the VR method, 50 EFL Chinese university students were enrolled in our experiments and randomly assigned to the VR group and the non-VR group, the data was drawn from cultural knowledge questionnaire, behavior test and Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS). The ANCOVA revealed no major effect for group factor on knowledge learning. Similarly, the Mixed ANOVA identified no major effect for group factor on behavior learning and attitude learning. There was no interaction effect between time and group in all experiments. Our results show that the VR method is preferred by most of the participants, but it shows no remarkable advantage over the non-VR method. Moreover, regression analysis between the culture learning and the sense of presence in VR shows that presence has the potential to improve the performance of intercultural interaction engagement. Our findings are of practical value for culture learning in VR.

From real to virtual: Kinematic adjustments in gait biomechanics of healthy older adults.