Immersive Media Research Articles

An interdisciplinary research field transformed into an intermedial science exploration programme: how to explore neurotronics research and development in a school student laboratory programme

Abstract This work presents the development and implementation of an interdisciplinary and intermedial science outreach programme designed for school students. The programme integrates biological systems and technological advancements to provide students with hands-on laboratory experiences and immersive media, including virtual reality videos and augmented reality posters. Through a co-creation process involving scientists and educators, the programme aims to enhance students understanding of bio-inspired information pathways and neurogenesis. Preliminary evaluations indicate high engagement and educational value, suggesting that such interdisciplinary approaches can significantly enrich science education. Graphical abstract

Exploring the Role of Immersive Media Technologies in Environmental Communication: A Case Study of Underwater Earth Projects

ABSTRACT In the field of environmental communication, immersive media have become powerful tools for engaging audiences and promoting deeper connections with the natural world. This article investigates the role of immersive technologies in environmental communication through a case study of the Underwater Earth project. Employing a thematic analysis approach, the study examines the use of immersive technologies as the medium for conveying environmental messages, including narrative techniques, visual elements, interactive features, and user engagement strategies. The study also highlights the importance of user experiences when creating impactful environmental narratives in virtual environments. The implications of this research extend to environmental experts, communication practitioners, and technology developers who are seeking to leverage immersive technologies for environmental advocacy and education. By understanding the strengths and limitations of immersive technologies as an environmental communication medium, practitioners can use these insights to create more compelling immersive experiences that inspire management and promote sustainability in an increasingly digital world.

Planar or Spatial: Exploring Design Aspects and Challenges for Presentations in Virtual Reality with No-coding Interface

The proliferation of virtual reality (VR) has led to its increasing adoption as an immersive medium for delivering presentations, distinct from other VR experiences like games and 360-degree videos by sharing information in richly interactive environments. However, creating engaging VR presentations remains a challenging and time-consuming task for users, hindering the full realization of VR presentation's capabilities. This research aims to explore the potential of VR presentation, analyze users' opinions, and investigate these via providing a user-friendly no-coding authoring tool. Through an examination of popular presentation software and interviews with seven professionals, we identified five design aspects and four design challenges for VR presentations. Based on the findings, we developed VRStory, a prototype for presentation authoring without coding to explore the design aspects and strategies for addressing the challenges. VRStory offers a variety of predefined and customizable VR elements, as well as modules for layout design, navigation control, and asset generation. A user study was then conducted with 12 participants to investigate their opinions and authoring experience with VRStory. Our results demonstrated that, while acknowledging the advantages of immersive and spatial features in VR, users often have a consistent mental model for traditional 2D presentations and may still prefer planar and static formats in VR for better accessibility and efficient communication. We finally shared our learned design considerations for future development of VR presentation tools, emphasizing the importance of balancing of promoting immersive features and ensuring accessibility.

Immersive Stories: From Technological Determinism Towards Narrative Determinism

Following the wave of immersive production that occurred between 2015 and 2018, and in the face of new virtual, augmented, and mixed-reality devices, this article discusses the need to move from a technology- or device-focused perspective in the analysis and use of immersive technology towards a story-focused or story-first perspective. It starts with a technological perspective, contextualising the evolution of immersive technologies and their interpretation from a technological determinism point of view. Secondly, the ecological perspective provides an integrative reading of the technique, its use, and its experience, based on the concept of the environment. Finally, and after acknowledging previous research on the effects of immersive media on the audience, the article considers the narrative elements that are reinforced by immersive technologies in journalism and nonfiction, based on the qualitative analysis of projects. The article highlights narrative resources associated with the social character of the story, the spatio-temporal framework, and the emotional impact. It suggests a shift towards “narrative determinism,” which would allow us to analyse and employ immersive resources in terms of their contribution to storytelling and to overcome the limitations of perspectives that are highly dependent on specific platforms or technologies.

Improving Depth Perception in Immersive Media Devices by Addressing Vergence-Accommodation Conflict.

Recently, immersive media devices have seen a boost in popularity. However, many problems still remain. Depth perception is a crucial part of how humans behave and interact with their environment. Convergence and accommodation are two physiological mechanisms that provide important depth cues. However, when humans are immersed in virtual environments, they experience a mismatch between these cues. This mismatch causes users to feel discomfort while also hindering their ability to fully perceive object distances. To address the conflict, we have developed a technique that encompasses inverse blurring into immersive media devices. For the inverse blurring, we utilize the classical Wiener deconvolution approach by proposing a novel technique that is applied without the need for an eye-tracker and implemented in a commercial immersive media device. The technique's ability to compensate for the vergence-accommodation conflict was verified through two user studies aimed at reaching and spatial awareness, respectively. The two studies yielded a statistically significant 36% and 48% error reduction in user performance to estimate distances, respectively. Overall, the work done demonstrates how visual stimuli can be modified to allow users to achieve a more natural perception and interaction with the virtual environment.

Study on the Development of a Virtual Reality Application for Skeletal Anatomy Learning Using Rapid Application Development (RAD)

The use of innovative multimedia technology continues to evolve and has now become a primary technology tool in education. Currently, the utilization of virtual reality (VR) technology is being used as an immersive medium for learning, especially in the field of medicine. Immersive technology is presented in 3D visualization, approaching real and relevant objects in medical education as an alternative to traditional teaching aids such as cadavers. In this research, an exploration of the VR environment was conducted in a case study of the skeletal system using 3D skull bone objects. The exploration involved tasks such as preparing the 3D skull bone object data assets in the 3D development environment, exporting data assets to the 3D-VR environment, and configuring aspects related to visualization and object control based on visual C#. So far, documentation of the 3D-VR application development environment and the trial results of the case study object development on the Unity platform have been produced. Additionally, documentation of the interface design application using Rapid Application Development (RAD) has also been generated. The Android-based VR application has functioned well in accommodating the skull object, designed with 3 layers of the skeletal system adjusted to their respective depths. The skull consists of 22 components, including cranium.

Navigating the Metaverse: A Comprehensive Analysis of Consumer Electronics Prospects and Challenges

Rapid innovation in consumer electronics has made our lives more comfortable. Consumer electronics serve as the primary platform for the Metaverse (MV), offering users an immersive and interactive medium that connects the digital and real worlds. Consumer electronics play a crucial role in ensuring the accessibility and the user experience within the Metaverse. Despite the vital role of consumer electronics in enabling an immersive metaverse experience, a detailed survey has yet to cover different facets. Addressing this research gap, we present a comprehensive review covering several applications, case studies, and challenges of consumer electronics in Metaverse. We present the role and scope of different consumer electronics devices like VR(Virtual Reality) headsets, AR(Augmented Reality) headsets, haptic feedback devices, and smartphones in Metaverse applications. We present an illustrative case study on how consumer electronics assist education in the Metaverse. Several device-specific challenges include restricted field of view, latency issues, synchronization issues, and non-device-specific challenges like interoperability, scalability, and data privacy. Our survey shall help researchers explore more prospects for making this integration stronger.

Exploration of the Integration of Immersive Media Technology into Ideological and Political Education Courses in Colleges and Universities

Exploration of the Integration of Immersive Media Technology into Ideological and Political Education Courses in Colleges and Universities

Evaluating User Engagement and Preference in Virtual Reality and Augmented Virtuality for Interactive Storytelling

Abstract Technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented virtuality (AV) based on head-mounted display (HMD) have made immersive interactive narrative experience possible. To investigate the differences between HMD VR and HMD AV for interactive storytelling, an app entitled the Extended Journey has been designed, developed and deployed on both VR headsets and optical see-through (OST) mixed reality (MR) headsets. Subsequently, a within-subjects design experiment with sixty participants was conducted to measure different factors of user experience in HMD VR and HMD AV conditions. Additionally, a between-subjects design experiment with 62 participants was conducted to evaluate narrative immersion and presence. Quantitative results from the experiments reveal that HMD VR narrative had statistically significantly better narrative immersion, presence, enjoyment and perceived affinity of computer-generated (CG) characters compared with HMD AV narrative in the context of galleries and museums. Based on Sundar's Modality-Agency-Interactivity-Navigability (MAIN) model, we proposed and validated that sense of being-there and interaction mediated the relationship between immersive media modality and narrative immersion as well as empathy. Qualitative data and behavioral tests showed that young people have a higher preference for HMD VR over HMD AV, but for specific use scenarios, there is still a certain possibility of choosing HMD AV due to security and space limitations. These findings have theoretical implications for the psychology of VR and AV, and practical applications for HMD-based immersive narrative in general.

Immersive storytelling for pro-environmental behaviour change: The Green Planet augmented reality experience

Immersive media is becoming more mainstream but its role in challenging social norms and individuals’ behaviours is less understood. We implemented a survey at The Green Planet Augmented Reality Experience, one of the largest immersive experiences in the United Kingdom, investigating the potential of nature-themed augmented reality (AR) experiences to encourage sustainability beliefs and pro-environmental behaviours, with a one-month follow-up. A video condition group was also recruited to watch a 2D screen-capture video of the AR experience. Results suggest that the AR group had increased in sustainability attitudes and pro-environmental behaviours after (vs. before) the experience, and this persisted at follow-up one month later. When compared to the video group, the AR group scored higher in sustainability beliefs immediately after engaging with the media (but did not differ in pro-environmental behavioural intentions). At a one-month follow-up, both groups appeared to have declined in sustainability beliefs and behaviours in comparison to immediately after media exposure (but were still greater when compared to before exposure). While the two groups did not differ in sustainability beliefs, AR visitors reported to have performed more pro-environmental behaviours in the month following the experience and even increased significantly more since before attending the experience when compared to those in the video condition. Finally, we built a model of cognitive mechanisms of longitudinal pro-environmental behaviour change by media, identifying the sense of presence and connection with nature as mechanisms through which immersive media can promote greater behaviour change when compared to traditional video media. Limitations and industry implications are discussed.

Pericles VR: towards pedagogical innovation through gamified adaptation of classic literature

ABSTRACT Our paper seeks to investigate how mediation using emerging technologies can increase student engagement within the context of teaching English Literature in Singapore. Through a discussion of our ongoing project to create an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Pericles, Prince of Tyre as an animated game in virtual reality, we focus upon the interdependencies between narrative content, style of visualization and interactive engagement to demonstrate the potential of fully immersive media in an educational context. Pericles is one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays: in five acts, it tells the dramatic story of a family separated at sea and reunited by fate. Our findings will highlight the opportunities that works of Shakespeare that fall outside the group of texts commonly studied offer for innovation within the classroom, as well as the benefits of taking a practice-led approach to research that draws together Shakespeare scholars, artists, researchers, and technical developers to adopt a playful yet meaningful approach towards educating secondary-level students. Most importantly, however, we will focus on demonstrating how our adaptation facilitates conclusions regarding employing animated immersive media for novel ways of teaching “boring”, complex, canonical literary texts. We suggest our adaptation prompts a reconsideration of means of student engagement for classical literature in general, and Shakespeare’s work in particular.

Immersive Media and Massive Twinning: Advancing Toward the Metaverse

Immersive Media and Massive Twinning: Advancing Toward the Metaverse

Ambisonics’ setup quality assessment through measurements and computations based on ITD and ILD functions using subbands and a Gammatone Filter Bank

Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center (PSNC) developed an ambisonic installation and workflow as part of audio-visual 8K VR 360° immersive media experiments. This work aimed to investigate the quality of performance of the PSNC setup through both subjective tests as well as simulations providing objective parameters of interaural characteristics in a real-life scenario of PSNC studio. For the objective part, an algorithm for angle estimation has been proposed and computations were performed.

Application of Immersive Media Technology in Ideological and Political Theory Courses Instruction at Shandong Vocational Colleges

This paper describes how virtual classrooms and out-of-classroom instruction can be used to help students in ideological and political theory courses strengthen their identities and improve the efficiency of their assignments. By using immersive media technology, the course is turned into a form of entertainment, enriched with content, and combined with methods such as digital video editing and manipulation to meet the needs of students in university ideological and political theory courses. Virtual reality technology can create realistic virtual environments created by computers, enabling students to perceive and manipulate a variety of virtual objects, interact with them, and create a sense of immersion in the virtual environment. Research has shown the potential benefits of using immersive media technologies and augmented reality in education. The potential of virtual reality in education has been increasingly emphasized and has been widely researched and applied.

The medium modulates the medusa effect: Perceived mind in analogue and digital images

We effortlessly attribute mental states to other people. We also attribute minds to people depicted in pictures, albeit at a reduced strength. Intriguingly, this reduction in intensity continues for images of people within a photograph itself—a phenomenon known as the Medusa effect. The present study replicates the Medusa effect for images shown digitally and on paper. Crucially, we demonstrate that we can reduce the magnitude of the Medusa effect by depicting people digitally within a computer screen (e.g., as if one were interacting with a person on a Zoom call). As well as modulating the quantity of the Medusa effect, changes in pictorial medium can affect the quality of the perceived mind. Specifically, the dimension of Experience—what a depicted person can feel—reflected participants' observations that they could interact with an onscreen person embedded in a digital image. This combination of a robust Medusa effect and the ability to control it both quantitatively and qualitatively opens many avenues for its future application, such as manipulating and measuring mind in immersive media.

Optimizing Communication System Performance through Hybrid Modulation: A Comprehensive Analysis and Guideline

There is a clear need for dependable high-speed communication systems in light of 5G's recent rapid development. The enormous data that recently developed immersive media generate need to be transmitted, and traditional modulation techniques are unable to provide a suitable level of communication. Consequently, to improve communication system performance, hybrid modulation is needed. This paper examines the communication process and conducts a performance analysis to establish a reasonable method for choosing a hybrid modulation scheme. The constellation diagram, power spectral density, bandwidth efficiency, eye diagram, and bit error rate are the main components that determine a communication system's performance. Based on the analysis, the author concludes that to achieve a better-performing communication system, there must be a compromise between these performance factors. Specific recommendations are provided regarding performance indicators listed in the article, such as the constellation diagram, power spectrum density, bandwidth efficiency, eye diagram, and bit error rate. This work aims to address these issues to provide new researchers with guidance when selecting a hybrid modulation approach and to suggest a line of inquiry in the increasingly complicated and time-consuming age of large data volumes.

The effects of augmented reality on prosocial behavior intentions in the disaster news context: The mediating role of physical presence and empathy

Despite the increasing adoption of augmented reality (AR) in journalism, there is limited scholarly attention devoted to understanding its effects compared to traditional modalities. This study investigates user engagement with AR-enabled disaster news through a between-subjects experiment ( N = 89), comparing AR, image, or text-only modalities. The results demonstrate that psychological responses to the technological affordances of AR (perceived vividness, interactivity, and novelty) did not mediate the effect of AR on physical presence. In addition, the positive indirect effect of AR on empathy was shown via physical presence. Furthermore, AR positively influenced intentions for news sharing through an increase in physical presence and empathy sequentially. These findings contribute to the growing body of research on immersive media in the journalism context, shedding light on the often-overlooked impact of AR compared to other leaner modalities, such as image or text.

Auswirkungen der visuellen Flussgeschwindigkeit auf das Radfahrerlebnis in der virtuellen Realität

AbstractApplying virtual reality to exercise has revealed mood- and performance-enhancing properties of immersive media. Social–cognitive theory and the Proteus effect suggest that avatar appearance contributes to this relation by eliciting behavioral changes. Attempting to influence exercise parameters without modifying the virtual avatar, the present study investigated the effects of differing visual flow speeds on physiological and perceived effort during aerobic exercise. Eighty-two university students participated in three separate experimental trials. During each trial, a virtual cycling track was presented at one of three velocities (16, 20, 24 km/h) in counterbalanced order, while participants cycled at a moderate intensity for 20 min. Objective and subjective measures of effort and affective states were recorded every five minutes. With increasing visual flow speed, a linear decrease of heart rate, perceived effort, and arousal and a linear increase of valence were expected. Mixed linear model analyses revealed no significant main effect of visual flow speed on any dependent variable. A nonlinear relation between visual flow speed and heart rate was identified through pairwise comparisons between visual flow conditions.

Exploring empathic engagement in immersive media: An EEG study on mu rhythm suppression in VR.

This study investigates the influence of immersive media, particularly Virtual Reality (VR), on empathic responses, in comparison to traditional television (TV), using electroencephalography (EEG). We employed mu rhythm suppression as a measurable neural marker to gauge empathic engagement, as its increase generally signifies heightened empathic responses. Our findings exhibit a greater mu rhythm suppression in VR conditions compared to TV conditions, suggesting a potential enhancement in empathic responses with VR. Furthermore, our results revealed that the strength of empathic responses was not confined to specific actions depicted in the video clips, underscoring the possibility of broader implications. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on the effects of different media environments on empathic engagement, particularly emphasizing the unique role of immersive technologies such as VR. It invites further investigation into how such technologies can shape and potentially enhance the empathic experience.

Understanding How Immersive Media Enhance Prosociality: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

The aim of this article is to present a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature on the relationship between immersive media and prosociality, specifically in the discipline of social issues. The search was conducted in January 2023 and included research published up to and including 2022. Both parts of the review consider 43 studies. For the meta-analysis, by combining these studies we obtained a total sample size of 5,390 participants. This systematic literature review mainly explores the types of immersive technology that have been used to create the immersive media stimuli considered in the studies and the types of mediated experiences elicited by these productions. Separate meta-analyses were also conducted to explore the moderating role of these variables. The results demonstrate that immersive media can have a significant positive impact on prosociality with a medium effect size. However, this effect can be moderated by the type of immersive experience elicited and by the prosocial outcome being evaluated.