Interactive Virtual Reality System Research Articles

Virtual space experience design of grand canal cultural heritage landscape: Panoramic interaction and guided tour algorithm

<h3>This work presents the application of interactive virtual reality (IVR) technology in the preservation and presentation of cultural heritage (CH) for China’s Grand Canal. The Grand Canal is a historical engineering marvel and an icon in Chinese cultural and economic development. This work addresses the need for the enhancement of traditional methods for CH education and preservation through immersive and interactive experiences. In this study, an IVR system is developed that is tailored to represent China’s Grand Canal with the objective of providing users with historical accuracy and better engagement. The IVR experience is designed based on core user experience (UX) principles to maintain usability, accessibility, and engagement. Key features of the model include panoramic interactions, higher participation, and realistic representations through better graphic rendering and 3-D modelling. A guided tour algorithm was employed for personalized and adaptive UX to increase user satisfaction. The findings found after the IVR implementation through the sourced feedback reveal that the IVR system has improved user engagement, comprehension, satisfaction, and immersion compared to traditional touring methods. The statistical analysis, including comparative analysis, cross-tabulation, and correlation tests, supported these conclusions.</h3>

The Biomechanical Evaluation of a Human-Robot Collaborative Task in a Physically Interactive Virtual Reality Simulation Testbed

In this study, we developed a low-cost simulated testbed of a physically interactive virtual reality (VR) system and evaluated its efficacy as an occupational virtual trainer for human-robot collaborative (HRC) tasks. The VR system could be implemented in industrial training applications for sensorimotor skill acquisitions and identifying potential task-, robot-, and human-induced hazards in the industrial environments. One of the challenges in designing and implementing such simulation testbed is the effective integration of virtual and real objects and environment, including human movement biomechanics. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the movement kinematics (joint angles) and kinetics (center of pressure) of the human participants while performing pick-and-place lifting tasks with and without using a physically interactive VR testbed. Results showed marginal differences in human movement kinematics and kinetics between real and virtual environment tasks, suggesting the effective transfer of training benefits from VR to real-life situations.

Development of a Full-body OpenSim Musculoskeletal Model Incorporating Head-mounted Virtual Reality Headset

In this study, we developed and validated a full-body musculoskeletal model in OpenSim to estimate muscle and joint forces while performing various motor tasks using a virtual reality (VR) system. We compared the results from our developed full-body musculoskeletal model to those from previous studies by simulating kinematic and kinetic data of participants performing pick-and-place lifting tasks using with and without a physically interactive VR system. Results showed that scaling errors between the two environments are comparable, while the overall errors were consistent with previous studies. Overall, the results from the inverse dynamic simulations showed the promise of our developed OpenSim models in determining potential intervention or prevention strategies to reduce the musculoskeletal injury incidences while simulating human-device interaction tasks.

Realidade virtual aplicada ao ensino de química / Virtual reality applied to chemistry teaching

This paper proposes the development and application of Virtual Reality (VR) to assist in the teaching-learning process in the discipline of chemistry. VR allows the interaction and navigation of users in 3D environments maintained by a computer, using channels for mapping and analyzing user behavior, enabling the exchange of information between the virtual environment and the user, affecting one or several human senses. It is an interaction and entertainment technology that can be successfully applied to support teaching strategies in high school subjects. With the evolution of education, that is, the improvement of the processes of exploration, discovery, observation and construction of knowledge, new teaching tools have emerged, from which virtual learning environments stand out for allowing in a new and different way that people can do and carry out experiments or tasks that they could not do in the physical/real world, such as flying, visiting places that do not exist or difficult to access through the manipulation and analysis of the object of study itself. Thus, VR will be fundamental in this educational evolution process, where the use of digital tools is increasingly sought for the successful application of active teaching methodologies in the classroom, and especially at this time of pandemic. Therefore, the objective of this paper refers to the development of an interactive VR system using glasses, designed, modeled and rendered using Blender's free software, to assist in the teaching of the chemistry discipline, which can be extended to other disciplines.

A comparison of the affective affordances of a static and interactive VR system on learner FLA and motivation

This paper introduces a virtual reality (VR) system which was designed to promote English speaking proficiency as learners carry out collaborative information gap tasks. In a former study, a simpler system was developed to explore the effect of modality on learners’ foreign language anxiety (FLA) where results suggested that anxiety was statistically significantly lower in the VR environment compared to a voice and video chat system. However, of three key affordances—presence, interactivity, and autonomy—the previous system only focused on presence. The current system features an interactive component also. In this paper, we present results of a study which compared the two systems (presence-only versus interactive system) with the aim of answering the question: Does more-fully utilizing the affordances of VR lower or increase learners’ FLA? In a counterbalanced design, 30 participants (15 pairs) completed a spot-the-difference task in two different VR environments: static-VR (former system) and interactive-VR (current system). Results of a post-experimental questionnaire suggested that there was no difference in participants’ FLA for the two domains. However, a significant difference was found in terms of ease of communication and enjoyment which favored the interactive-VR mode. Additionally, compared to predictions that the interactive-VR task would be more cognitively demanding, it was considered simpler than the static-VR task. This suggests that using more of the affordances of VR by increasing interactivity further may make the embodied experience more life-like and therefore increase opportunities for learning. This paper introduces the system, implications for researchers and teachers, and future research directions.

ВИРТУАЛЬНАЯ РЕАЛЬНОСТЬ ИЛИ ВИДЕОКУРС: СРАВНИТЕЛЬНЫЙ АНАЛИЗ РЕЗУЛЬТАТОВ САМООБУЧЕНИЯ СЕРДЕЧНО-ЛЕГОЧНОЙ РЕАНИМАЦИИ

Most of the existing virtual reality (VR) Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) self-instruction training methods are based on low embodied and noninteractive 360-degree videos, and the effects of the highly immersive embodied VR CPR training system lack rigorous experimental verification. In our study, we compare the learning outcomes of self-instruction CPR training based on a highly immersive and interactive VR system (experimental group) with selfinstruction training based on 2D videos (control group) in terms of willingness to perform CPR, knowledge of CPR, self-efficacy and CPR test performances. We conducted a prepost betweengroup experiment in a local college in Yixin, Jiangsu Province, China. Sixty undergraduate students (30 male and 30 female) aged from 18 to 25 were randomly assigned to the video group or the VR group. There were no significant differences in demographic variables and baseline pretest between the two groups. Both groups received training on cardiac compressions and automated external defibrillator (AED) assisted CPR. Our results revealed that both the VR and video methods significantly improved the participants’ CPR knowledge, self-efficacy and willingness to perform CPR. Our results showed that the immersive VR group had a significant disadvantage in their grasp of compression depth compared with the non-immersive media group. The correct compression depth of the video group was significantly higher than the VR group, and there was no difference between the two groups in terms of compression speed and full rebound rate. Our study suggested that both self-instruction training based on VR and self-instruction training based on video were effective methods, and the highly immersive and embodied VR method did not achieve better results than the video method.

Interactive real-time auralization of airborne sound insulation in buildings

Sound insulation auralization can be used as valuable tool to study the perceptual aspects of sound transmission in built environments for assessment of noise effects on people. It may help to further develop guidelines for building constructions. One advanced goal of real-time sound insulation auralization is to appropriately reproduce the condition of noise effects on the human perception and cognitive performance in dynamic and interactive situations. These effects depend on the kind of noise signal (i.e. speech, music, traffic noise, etc.) and on the context. This paper introduces a sound insulation auralization model. The sound insulation filters are constructed for virtual buildings with respect to complex sound propagation effects for indoor and outdoor sound sources. The approach considers the source room sound field with direct and diffuse components along with source directivity and position. The transfer functions are subdivided into patches from the source room to the receiver room, which also covers composite building elements, thus providing more detail to the actual building situations. Furthermore, the receiving room acoustics includes the reverberation of the room based on its mean free path, absorption and binaural transfer functions between its radiating walls elements and the listener. This more exact approach of sound insulation model agrees reasonably well with the ISO standard (i.e. diffuse field theory) under standard settings. It is also shown that the sound field significantly influences the transmitted energies via building elements depending on the directivity and position of the source. The proposed method is validated as a general scheme and includes more details for real-time auralization in specific situations especially in the cases where the simplified diffuse sound field approach fails. It is capable to be used in interactive Virtual Reality (VR) systems, which opens new opportunities for psychoacoustics research in noise effects on human.

The Evaluation of User Experience and Functional Workload of a Physically Inter- active Virtual Reality System

In this study, we evaluated the user experience of a physically interactive virtual reality (VR) system, which was developed to provide passive kinesthetic haptics in order to enhance motor learning functions during an occupational virtual training. We compared the user experience (e.g., perceived ease-of-use, ease-of-learning, and usefulness) and the functional workload between real and virtual environments by simulating a pick-and-place lifting task in both environments. Results showed an increase in user experience— such as ease of use and learning and usefulness—and a decrease in the overall functional workload with the progression of successive VR tasks.

Effects of Initial Starting Distance and Gap Characteristics on Children's and Young Adults' Velocity Regulation When Intercepting Moving Gaps.

ObjectiveThis study investigated how children and young adults regulate their velocity when crossing roads under varying traffic conditions.BackgroundTo cross roads safely, pedestrians must adapt their movements to the moving vehicles around them while tightly coupling their movement to visual information.MethodUsing an Oculus Rift, 16 children and 16 young adults walked on a treadmill and intercepted gaps between two simulated moving vehicles in an immersive virtual environment. We varied the participants’ initial distance from the curb to the interception point, as well as gap characteristics, including gap size and vehicle size.ResultsVarying the initial distance led to systematic adjustments in participants’ approach velocities. The inter-vehicle gap and the vehicle size affected the crossing position induced by the initial distance. However, participants did not systematically scale their positions according to the initial distance in narrow gap. Notably, children did not finely tune their movements when they approached wide gap from a closer distance or when they approached the large vehicle from closer distance.ConclusionChildren were less precise in coupling their movements to the moving vehicle in complex traffic environments. In particular, large moving vehicles approaching at closer distances can pose risks when children cross roads.ApplicationThese findings suggest the need for an intervention program to improve children’s skill in perceiving larger vehicles and timing their movements when crossing roads. We suggest using an interactive virtual reality system to practice this skill.

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.

Vision-based fall detection system for improving safety of elderly people

Recognition of human movements is very useful for several applications, such as smart rooms, interactive virtual reality systems, human detection and environment modeling. The objective of this work focuses on the detection and classification of falls based on variations in human silhouette shape, a key challenge in computer vision. Falls are a major health concern, specifically for the elderly. In this study, the detection is achieved with a multivariate exponentially weighted moving average (MEWMA) monitoring scheme, which is effective in detecting falls because it is sensitive to small changes. Unfortunately, an MEWMA statistic fails to differentiate real falls from some fall-like gestures. To remedy this limitation, a classification stage based on a support vector machine (SVM) is applied on detected sequences. To validate this methodology, two fall detection datasets have been tested: the University of Rzeszow fall detection dataset (URFD) and the fall detection dataset (FDD). The results of the MEWMA-based SVM are compared with three other classifiers: neural network (NN), naive Bayes and K-nearest neighbor (KNN). These results show the capability of the developed strategy to distinguish fall events, suggesting that it can raise an early alert in the fall incidents.

Immersive human–computer interactive virtual environment using large-scale display system

Large-scale display system with immersive human–computer interaction (HCI) is an important solution for virtual reality (VR) systems. In contrast to the traditional human–computer interactive VR system that requires the user to wear heavy VR headsets for visualization and data gloves for HCI, the proposing method utilizes a large-scale display screen (with or without 3D glasses) to visualize the virtual environment and a bare-handed gesture recognition solution to receive user instructions. The entire framework is named as an immersive HCI system. Through a virtual 3D interactive rectangular parallelepipe, we establish the correspondence between the virtual scene and the control information. A bare-handed gesture recognition method is presented based on extended genetic algorithm. An arm motion estimation method is designed based on the fuzzy predictive control theory. Experimental results showed that the proposed method has lower error rates than most existing solutions with acceptable recognition frequency rates.

Additional Virtual Reality Sitting Balance Training Using XBox Kinect™ in Patients with Neurological Disorders: A Pilot Study

Introduction: Sitting balance is a prerequisite to upper extremity function, standing and walking, which is affected in various neurological diseases. It is important to attain a good level of sitting balance before one can proceed to standing. In recent years, virtual reality game training has gained a widespread application. Aim: This pilot study aimed to examine the role of additional virtual reality sitting balance training using a commercial interactive virtual reality system- Xbox Kinect™ in patients with neurological disorders.Materials and Methods: Four patients with sitting balance impairments following neurological disorders received two weeks of virtual reality based therapy along with the conventional physiotherapy. Sitting balance was evaluated using FIST (Function In Sitting Test) scores at baseline, one week and after two weeks of intervention.Results: All four patients showed clinically significant improvement in FIST score between the pre and post intervention. Percentage of improvement in FIST score was approximately 27% with a minimum change of 10 points in the FIST score Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID=6.5).Conclusion: Additional virtual reality training may improve sitting balance control in neurological patients with balance impairments. It can be used as an adjunct in routine neurorehabilitation.

Maximizing post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation using a novel telerehabilitation interactive virtual reality system in the patient's home: study protocol of a randomized clinical trial

BackgroundTelerehabilitation (TR), or the provision of rehabilitation services from a distance using telecommunication tools such as the Internet, can contribute to ensure that patients receive the best care at the right time. This study aims to assess the effect of an interactive virtual reality (VR) system that allows ongoing rehabilitation of the upper extremity (UE) following a stroke, while the person is in their own home, with offline monitoring and feedback from a therapist at a distance. Methods/designA single-blind (evaluator is blind to group assignment) two-arm randomized controlled trial is proposed, with participants who have had a stroke and are no longer receiving rehabilitation services randomly allocated to: (1) 4-week written home exercise program, i.e. usual care discharge home program or (2) a 4-week home-based TR exercise program using VR in addition to usual care i.e. treatment group. Motor recovery of the UE will be assessed using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment-UE and the Box and Block tests. To determine the efficacy of the system in terms of functional recovery, the Motor Activity Log, a self-reported measure of UE use will be used. Impact on quality of life will be determined using the Stroke Impact Scale-16. Lastly, a preliminary cost-effectiveness analysis will be conducted using costs and outcomes for all groups. DiscussionFindings will contribute to evidence regarding the use of TR and VR to provide stroke rehabilitation services from a distance. This approach can enhance continuity of care once patients are discharged from rehabilitation, in order to maximize their recovery beyond the current available services.

Dynamic Affordances in Embodied Interactive Systems: The Role of Display and Mode of Locomotion

We investigated how the properties of interactive virtual reality systems affect user behavior in full-body embodied interactions. Our experiment compared four interactive virtual reality systems using different display types (CAVE vs. HMD) and modes of locomotion (walking vs. joystick). Participants performed a perceptual-motor coordination task, in which they had to choose among a series of opportunities to pass through a gate that cycled open and closed and then board a moving train. Mode of locomotion, but not type of display, affected how participants chose opportunities for action. Both mode of locomotion and display affected performance when participants acted on their choices. We conclude that technological properties of virtual reality system (both display and mode of locomotion) significantly affected opportunities for action available in the environment (affordances) and discuss implications for design and practical applications of immersive interactive systems.

Fast Roaming Algorithm Based on Complex Scenes

The system quickly build virtual scene and the scene of several aspects like transport, application layer interaction techniques were studied in this paper, to build an easy development and deployment, scalability, easy maintenance, based on experience and strong Internet roaming online interactive virtual reality systems. Rapid method for constructing virtual scene scene WebVR transport mechanisms and interactive virtual scene surface were studied, research has better practical value.

Editorial

It is my pleasure to introduce you the first issue of the SBC Journal on 3D Interactive Systems (JIS) in 2012. This issue contains three original papers, which surprisingly cover the same research topic, the development of virtual reality systems. The conception of fully interactive virtual reality systems is still a challenge. To choose the best interaction techniques and devices to each application task, to combine different technologies in a single system, to quickly prototype these systems, and to fulfill the expectations of the final user are just some few examples of problems that need to be faced by developers. The use of virtual reality and 3D interaction is yet new and there is not sufficient standards to follow in order to succeed. The first paper of this issue, “Visual Programming for Virtual Reality Applications Based on InTml”, was written by Pablo Figueroa, Santiago Gil, Raul Oses, Juan Toro, Catalina Rodriguez, Christian Benavides and Esteban Correa, from Colombia. The paper presents VPE, a visual programming environment developed to help in the development of portable virtual reality applications. More than this, the authors report advantages and drawbacks of their approach and share with us the lessons learned with this work. The paper “Assessment Systems for Training Based on Virtual Reality: A Comparison Study” authored by Ronei M. Moraes and Liliane S. Machado, from Brazil, discusses some of the challenges to construct a medical simulator based on virtual reality. An important question concerning the use of virtual reality based training is how to know when the user will be ready to practice in real situations. In this paper, the authors compared four methodologies for online assessment. The goal is to identify methods that could be used to reconfigure the simulation according to users’ performance in real time. I invite you to read the paper and make your own choices. The third and last paper, “Experiences with Virtual Learning Using 3D Interactive Systems for Education and Training”, was written by Damian Schofield, from USA, and is also related to virtual reality simulators. The author presents a virtual learning environment (ViRILE) developed by his group and uses it to highlight the complex operational problems that have been encountered during the process. In this paper, the lessons learned with the experience are extrapolated into general guidelines that are here shared with the readers. We hope this issue will fulfill your expectations. Enjoy it!

Full Body Acting Rehearsal in a Networked Virtual Environment — A Case Study

In order to rehearse for a play or a scene from a movie, it is generally required that the actors are physically present at the same time in the same place. In this paper we present an example and experience of a full body motion shared virtual environment (SVE) for rehearsal. The system allows actors and directors to meet in an SVE in order to rehearse scenes for a play or a movie, that is, to perform some dialogue and blocking (positions, movements, and displacements of actors in the scene) rehearsal through a full body interactive virtual reality (VR) system. The system combines immersive VR rendering techniques as well as network capabilities together with full body tracking. Two actors and a director rehearsed from separate locations. One actor and the director were in London (located in separate rooms) while the second actor was in Barcelona. The Barcelona actor used a wide field-of-view head-tracked head-mounted display, and wore a body suit for real-time motion capture and display. The London actor was in a Cave system, with head and partial body tracking. Each actor was presented to the other as an avatar in the shared virtual environment, and the director could see the whole scenario on a desktop display, and intervene by voice commands. A video stream in a window displayed in the virtual environment also represented the director. The London participant was a professional actor, who afterward commented on the utility of the system for acting rehearsal. It was concluded that full body tracking and corresponding real-time display of all the actors' movements would be a critical requirement, and that blocking was possible down to the level of detail of gestures. Details of the implementation, actors, and director experiences are provided.

Virtual reality applications for addressing the needs of those aging with disability.

As persons with disabilities age, progressive declines in health and medical status can challenge the adaptive resources required to maintain functional independence and quality of life [1]. These challenges are further compounded by economic factors, medication side effects, loss of a spouse or caregiver, and psychosocial disorders [1-2]. With the gradual loss of functional independence and increased reliance on others for transportation, access to general medical and rehabilitation care can be jeopardized [2]. The combination of these factors when seen in the context of the average increase in lifespan in industrialized societies has lead to a growing crisis that is truly global in proportion. While research indicates that functional motor capacity can be improved, maintained, or recovered via consistent participation in a motor exercise and rehabilitation regimen [3], independent adherence to such preventative and/or rehabilitative programming outside the clinic setting is notoriously low [1]. This state of affairs has produced a compelling and ethical motivation to address the needs of individuals who are aging with disabilities by promoting home-based access to low-cost, interactive virtual reality (VR) systems designed to engage and motivate individuals to participate with "game"-driven physical activities and rehabilitation programming. The creation of such systems could serve to enhance, maintain and rehabilitate the sensorimotor processes that are needed to maximize independence and quality of life. This is the theme of the research to be presented at this MMVR workshop.

A Framework for Virtual Reality with Tangible Augmented Reality-Based User Interface

In this paper, we propose a framework for virtual reality, I2-NEXT, which enables users to interact with virtual objects by tangible objects in immersive networked virtual environment. The primary goal of this framework is to support rapid development of immersive and interactive virtual reality systems as well as various types of user interfaces. The proposed framework consists of user interface for interactions, immersive virtual environment, and networking interface. In this framework, we adopt several design patterns to guarantee that either developers or users (artists) can easily implement their VR applications without strong knowledge of VR techniques such as programming, libraries etc. One of the key features of this framework is the presence of the device module which supports a natural user interaction in a virtual environment. For example, the proposed framework provides users with tangible objects so that the users are able to manipulate virtual objects by touching real objects. The proposed framework also supports large scale stereoscopic display through clustering technique. To realize the effectiveness of the proposed framework, we have been developing an application for digital heritage reconstruction. Having been through development of the system, we believe that virtual reality technology is one of the promising technologies which enable users to experience realities in a digital space. Detailed explanations of each component and system architecture are presented.