Virtual Reality Applications Research Articles

More than meets the eye: Augmented reality in surgical oncology.

In the field of surgical oncology, there has been a desire for innovative techniques to improve tumor visualization, resection, and patient outcomes. Augmented reality (AR) technology superimposes digital content onto the real-world environment, enhancing the user's experience by blending digital and physical elements. A thorough examination of AR technology in surgical oncology has yet to be performed. A scoping review of intraoperative AR in surgical oncology was conducted according to the guidelines and recommendations of The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyzes Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) framework. All original articles examining the use of intraoperative AR during surgical management of cancer were included. Exclusion criteria included virtual reality applications only, preoperative use only, fluorescence, AR not specific to surgical oncology, and study design (reviews, commentaries, abstracts). A total of 2735 articles were identified of which 83 were included. Most studies (52) were performed on animals or phantom models, while the remaining included patients. A total of 1112 intraoperative AR surgical cases were performed across the studies. The most common anatomic site was brain (20 articles), followed by liver (16), renal (9), and head and neck (8). AR was most often used for intraoperative navigation or anatomic visualization of tumors or critical structures but was also used to identify osteotomy or craniotomy planes. AR technology has been applied across the field of surgical oncology to aid in localization and resection of tumors.

Effectiveness of a Virtual Reality Application on Mitigating Children's Pain and Anxiety throughout Phlebotomy

Effectiveness of a Virtual Reality Application on Mitigating Children's Pain and Anxiety throughout Phlebotomy

Does Preoperative Virtual Reality Experience Enhance Implant Positioning Accuracy in Total Hip Arthroplasty?

Purpose Total hip arthroplasty (THA) requires precise implant positioning to ensure long-term success. Herein, we evaluated the effect of virtual reality (VR) on the surgical precision of THA, particularly when used by experienced surgeons. Methods In this single-center, prospective, case-control study, 34 patients who underwent primary THA performed by a single experienced surgeon were divided into the control (without VR simulation) and VR (with VR simulation) groups. Preoperative planning involved the creation of three-dimensional models from computed tomography scans using ZedHip® software (Lexi, Tokyo, Japan). The primary outcomes assessed included the accuracy of implant placement, operative time, and intraoperative blood loss. The secondary outcomes included postoperative hospital stay and in-hospital complications. Results A significant improvement in radiographic inclination (RI) was observed in the VR group as compared to controls. Other surgical parameters, such as radiographic anteversion, operation time, blood loss, and postoperative hospital stay, showed no significant differences between the groups. Discrepancies in planned versus actual implant sizes were notedbut were not significantly different between groups. Conclusion VR application in preoperative planning improved the RI accuracy in acetabular cup placement for THA, demonstrating its potential to enhance surgical precision for experienced surgeons. This study highlights the evolving role of VR, from a training tool to an integral part of advanced surgical planning in orthopedics.

Current applications and future perspective of virtual reality in dental education and practice in Saudi Arabia: A scoping review

ObjectiveThis scoping review aimed to evaluate the current state of virtual reality (VR) implementation in dental education and practice in Saudi Arabia, highlighting its advantages and challenges. MethodsA scoping review examined VR’s role in regrading dental education and practice in Saudi Arabia by searching electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, from inception to July 2024. Studies including VR applications for education, skills development, or anxiety/pain management involving Saudi dental students and practitioners were included. ResultsEleven relevant studies were identified: 5 focused on education and 6 on clinical practice. Educational studies showed mixed effectiveness of VR versus traditional methods but positive student perceptions. Clinical application studies also had mixed results on VR’s impact on anxiety and pain, though some benefits were noted. VR systems included distraction-based, simulator-based, and hybrid VR/augmented reality with artificial intelligence. ConclusionWhile the current implementation of VR in dental practice in Saudi Arabia shows promise, particularly in enhancing students’ engagement and reducing patients’ anxiety, more comprehensive and robust research is needed to validate its effectiveness fully. Strategic efforts should focus on expanding research, tailoring applications, and integrating VR with traditional methods to align with the healthcare objectivesofVision2030.

A Machine Learning Approach to Classifying EEG Data Collected with or without Haptic Feedback during a Simulated Drilling Task.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), computer simulations, and virtual reality (VR) are increasingly becoming accessible tools that can be leveraged to implement training protocols and educational resources. Typical assessment tools related to sensory and neural processing associated with task performance in virtual environments often rely on self-reported surveys, unlike electroencephalography (EEG), which is often used to compare the effects of different types of sensory feedback (e.g., auditory, visual, and haptic) in simulation environments in an objective manner. However, it can be challenging to know which aspects of the EEG signal represent the impact of different types of sensory feedback on neural processing. Machine learning approaches offer a promising direction for identifying EEG signal features that differentiate the impact of different types of sensory feedback during simulation training. For the current study, machine learning techniques were applied to differentiate neural circuitry associated with haptic and non-haptic feedback in a simulated drilling task. Nine EEG channels were selected and analyzed, extracting different time-domain, frequency-domain, and nonlinear features, where 360 features were tested (40 features per channel). A feature selection stage identified the most relevant features, including the Hurst exponent of 13-21 Hz, kurtosis of 21-30 Hz, power spectral density of 21-30 Hz, variance of 21-30 Hz, and spectral entropy of 13-21 Hz. Using those five features, trials with haptic feedback were correctly identified from those without haptic feedback with an accuracy exceeding 90%, increasing to 99% when using 10 features. These results show promise for the future application of machine learning approaches to predict the impact of haptic feedback on neural processing during VR protocols involving drilling tasks, which can inform future applications of VR and simulation for occupational skill acquisition.

Changes of oxidative stress in 3D film to be prepared for echocardiography: A randomized controlled study.

Echocardiography (ECHO) is a nonprocedure that causes acute stress in children. Fear, anxiety, and fluctuations in children's blood pressure and heart rate can potentially lead to alterations in echocardiographic measurements. The insufficient research on virtual reality pediatric preparation applications, particularly in the context of echocardiographic procedures, underscores the necessity for additional studies focusing on pediatric patients. This study sought to assess the impact of virtual reality applications tailored explicitly for ECHO on children's oxidative stress levels. This was a prospective, randomized, controlled experimental study. Forty-eight children (experimental/24, control/24) aged 7 to 12 years who had an ECHO appointment in the pediatric cardiology outpatient clinic in the 3 months from June to August 2019 participated in the study. Participants whose blood analyses showed hemolysis were eliminated, and the study was completed with 37 children in total: 16 children in the experiment and 21 children in the control. Post hoc power analysis was performed for sample adequacy, and the power of the study was found to be 0.99. A 3D film was prepared for the research and applied to the experimental group before the procedure. All children's oxidative stress levels (cortisol, malondialdehyde, nitric oxide) and glutathione levels were checked after ECHO. The stress hormone cortisol and malondialdehyde levels were lower in the 3D-applied experimental group than in the control group. As another crucial anti-stress antioxidant factor, glutathione level increased in the experimental group compared to the control group (P < .05). The research revealed that the 3D film used to prepare ECHO reduces the stress parameters associated with heart risk and may affect the ECHO measurements. At the same time, the study also proved the positive effect of 3D film preparation by increasing the anti-stress factor.

ConIQA: A deep learning method for perceptual image quality assessment with limited data

Effectively assessing the realism and naturalness of images in virtual (VR) and augmented (AR) reality applications requires Full Reference Image Quality Assessment (FR-IQA) metrics that closely align with human perception. Deep learning-based IQAs that are trained on human-labeled data have recently shown promise in generic computer vision tasks. However, their performance decreases in applications where perfect matches between the reference and the distorted images should not be expected, or whenever distortion patterns are restricted to specific domains. Tackling this issue necessitates training a task-specific neural network, yet generating human-labeled FR-IQAs is costly, and deep learning typically demands substantial labeled data. To address these challenges, we developed ConIQA, a deep learning-based IQA that leverages consistency training and a novel data augmentation method to learn from both labeled and unlabeled data. This makes ConIQA well-suited for contexts with scarce labeled data. To validate ConIQA, we considered the example application of Computer-Generated Holography (CGH) where specific artifacts such as ringing, speckle, and quantization errors routinely occur, yet are not explicitly accounted for by existing IQAs. We developed a new dataset, HQA1k, that comprises 1000 natural images each paired with an image rendered using various popular CGH algorithms, and quality-rated by thirteen human participants. Our results show that ConIQA achieves superior Pearson (0.98), Spearman (0.965), and Kendall’s tau (0.86) correlations over fifteen FR-IQA metrics by up to 5%, showcasing significant improvements in aligning with human perception on the HQA1k dataset.

Rancang Bangun Media Pembelajaran Sistem Reproduksi Wanita Berbasis Virtual Reality

Midwifery practices have contributed to reducing maternal and child mortality rates by applying biomedical knowledge, one of which is anatomy. Anatomy education typically uses cadavers, models, and books, but it is considered less effective. This study aims to create a virtual reality-based application for quality learning media on the female reproductive system. This research is a development study, which employs a waterfall model to create a high-quality educational media application. The Midwifery Department at Poltekkes Kemenkes Yogyakarta conducted the research in 2022. Based on the needs analysis, it is necessary to develop interactive learning media, one of which utilizes virtual reality technology. Blender for 3D Web applications and A-Frame for Virtual Reality Web. Overall, the application testing resulted in a feasibility percentage of 80.84%. We rated the Virtual Reality application for the Female Reproductive System as very feasible, requiring only minor improvements for learning purposes.

Use of Virtual Reality in School-Aged Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Novel Approach.

Virtual reality (VR) applications in paediatric rehabilitation are recent but promising. This brief report describes a VR rehabilitation program for a small sample of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The program focused explicitly on executive functions, a key area of concern for this population. It was conducted over 11 weeks in the CARE Lab. This lab was designed with appropriate structural characteristics and sophisticated technology to provide a rehabilitative setting with recreational and semi-immersive features. Before and after the VR training, the children were evaluated in terms of visual attention, inhibition, planning abilities, and visual-motor coordination. The rehabilitation programs were customised according to the clinical needs and the functional profile of each patient, proposing different games with variable complexity levels. These preliminary results showed a global and clinically significant change in executive functions, especially visual attention and inhibition skills. These findings suggest interesting implications for clinical practice, providing new information for professionals regarding the application of VR in the field of paediatric rehabilitation.

The New Dimension of Surgery: Telesurgery and Surgical Nursing

In the recent COVID-19 pandemic, it has been observed that surgical patients have turned more towards telemedicine applications to meet their health care needs due to the fact that they cannot apply to hospitals unless they are mandatory and even the majority of non-urgent medical activities, including elective surgeries, are paused. Telesurgery, one of the telehealth concepts in the provision of health services, has emerged as a promising application known as remote surgery, which provides remote surgical care to patients. Today, telesurgical interventions performed away from patients using surgical robots, virtual reality applications, advanced computer and network technologies have become a rising trend in the field of surgery. It is obvious that telesurgery applications, which aim to provide high quality remote surgery with worldwide expertise, have some obstacles due to the fact that it is a very new technology. However, despite the obstacles, it is witnessed that telesurgical interventions are being successfully applied day by day thanks to different application methods. It is predicted that telesurgery, which is expected to reach and serve more patients in the future, will be more widely applied and developed with its high-speed advanced network connection, lower cost rates and reaching all over the world, even to space and the depths of the sea. When we look at the nursing practices in telesurgery, which is a new application area in the field of surgery, it is stated that positive results have been achieved, but the number of studies is still insufficient. Depending on the telesurgery technology, which is expected to develop rapidly in the coming years, it is thought that there will be a rapid increase in the number of studies on telesurgery in the field of surgical nursing. Therefore, in this review, it was aimed to clarify telesurgical interventions, which have been started to be applied by surgeons as a new trend in recent years and which is a very new and highly developed application area for nurses, and to examine the surgical nursing interventions applied in this field.

Transforming Hospitality with Virtual Reality

The hospitality industry plays a crucial role in promoting sustainable community resilience. However, the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) technology to enhance this resilience within the hospitality sector remains underexplored. This study aims to bridge this research gap by investigating the applications of VR in the hospitality industry and its impact on sustainable community resilience. A qualitative methodology was employed, involving in-depth interviews with hospitality industry professionals and technology experts. Thematic analysis techniques were applied to analyze the data and identify key themes.The findings reveal that VR implementation in the hospitality sector has significant potential to enhance guest experiences, operational efficiency, and employee training. Notably, the study highlights VR's capacity to serve as a platform for promoting sustainable and inclusive tourism, thereby fostering community resilience. Furthermore, VR can be utilized to develop comprehensive training programs for individuals with specific needs, enhancing accessibility and inclusivity within the hospitality industry. This research underscores the importance of adopting VR technology in the hospitality sector to strengthen sustainable community resilience. The findings provide valuable insights for stakeholders in the hospitality and tourism industry to develop innovative and sustainable strategies. By addressing the research gap, this study contributes to the limited body of knowledge on VR's role in promoting sustainable community resilience within the hospitality context.

Nursing student’s perceptions, satisfaction, and knowledge toward utilizing immersive virtual reality application in human anatomy course: quasi-experimental

BackgroundA paradigm shift in nursing education is required to prepare Z generation of nursing students through integrated innovative technologies as teaching strategies such as immersive virtual reality in several bioscience and main courses to facilitate and enhance learning process.Aim/objectiveExamine the effect of utilizing an immersive virtual reality application on students’ perceptions, knowledge, and satisfaction in an anatomy course.MethodsA quasi-experimental (pre-post test, one group) design was conducted among 1st year nursing students (N = 138) enrolled in an anatomy course in the spring semester of 2023–2024 in the nursing program in the health professions faculty at Al-Quds University. The technology acceptance model (TAM) was used for data collection.ResultsThe results showed that 96% of participants were satisfied with using the VR application, and it retains their knowledge in the human anatomy course. 92% of the total, were under the age of twenty, and 84% were females. 80.1% (2.99 ± 0.58) of those students had more positive perspectives of VR applications in the nursing courses. Additionally, there were significant differences in students’ satisfaction and knowledge toward using VR applications after the anatomy lecture (p = 0.029, p = 0.05, respectively).ConclusionVirtual reality is a supplemental innovative tool for promoting learning. Nursing students perceive immersive virtual reality technologies positively and prefer using three-dimensional images in their anatomy courses, which helps them recall their knowledge, understand concepts of educational content, identify learning objectives, and improve learning outcomes. This study found that virtual reality can improve nursing students’ understanding, satisfaction, and knowledge of anatomy.

Inclusion in Virtual Reality Technology: A Scoping Review

Despite the significant growth in virtual reality applications and research, the notion of inclusion in virtual reality is not well studied. Inclusion refers to the active involvement of different groups of people in the adoption, use, design, and development of Virtual Reality (VR) technology and applications. In this review, we provide a scoping analysis of existing virtual reality research literature about inclusion. We categorize the literature based on target group into ability, gender, and age, followed by those that study community-based design of VR experiences. In the latter group, we focus mainly on Indigenous Peoples as a clearer and more important example. We also briefly review the approaches to model and consider the role of users in technology adoption and design as a background for inclusion studies. We identify a series of generic barriers and research gaps and some specific ones for each group, resulting in suggested directions for future research.

Employing Elements of Virtual Reality to Enhance Social Skills Among Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Quasi Experimental Study

Children with ADHD fail to establish good relationships with others and practice undesirable behaviors that disturb those around them. Additionally, this disorder may create difficulties in social performance and adaptation to different life contexts. Nonetheless, in light of recent technological advancements, traditional education programs no longer cover deficiencies resulting from this disorder. It is also no longer attractive among children with ADHD. Therefore, in this research study, the researchers designed four Google Cardboard Virtual Reality (VR) applications that were developed with several domain experts' supervision to enhance four social skills (greeting back, waiting for a turn during an ordering, not interrupting others while talking, and cooperating) among children with ADHD which had the potential to help them integrate smoothly into society. A quasi-experimental study was conducted for one group in the Developmental and Behavioral Disorders Clinics and Centers in Maternity and Children's Hospital in Najran Region, Saudi Arabia. The results were promising and showed an improvement in the social skills of the participants with mild or moderate ADHD symptoms. In contrast, there was no improvement in social skills in participants with severe ADHD symptoms.

Advanced techniques and high-performance computing optimization for real-time rendering

Real-time rendering is a cornerstone of modern interactive media, enabling the creation of immersive and dynamic visual experiences. This paper explores advanced techniques and high-performance computing (HPC) optimization in real-time rendering, focusing on the use of game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine. It delves into mathematical models and algorithms that enhance rendering performance and visual quality, including Level of Detail (LOD) management, occlusion culling, and shader optimization. The study also examines the impact of GPU acceleration, parallel processing, and compute shaders on rendering efficiency. Furthermore, the paper discusses the integration of ray tracing, global illumination, and temporal rendering techniques, and addresses the challenges of balancing quality and performance, particularly in virtual and augmented reality applications. The future role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in optimizing real-time rendering pipelines is also considered. By providing a comprehensive overview of current methodologies and identifying key areas for future research, this paper aims to contribute to the ongoing advancement of real-time rendering technologies.

Developments in robotic teleoperation

PurposeThe aim of this article is to provide details of recent technological developments in robotic teleoperation.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a short introduction, the two main sections of this article provide examples of recent research involving the application of virtual reality and haptic technologies, respectively, to robotic teleoperation. Brief conclusions are drawn.FindingsTeleoperation systems are being developed which incorporate virtual reality and haptic feedback technologies. Those using virtual reality seek to enhance the operator’s feeling of immersion in the scene and improve their situation awareness and trials involving diverse tasks illustrate that the technology can achieve these aims and overcome many limitations of traditional systems. Haptic feedback further enhances the degree of operator involvement and control and is now being adopted in commercial minimally invasive surgical systems. Systems which combine virtual reality with haptic feedback are being developed and have the potential to allow operators to conduct increasingly complex tasks.Originality/valueThrough reference to recent research, this illustrates how virtual reality and haptic technologies are enhancing the capabilities of robotic teleoperation.

Exploring the Economic Viability of Virtual Reality in Architectural, Engineering, and Construction Education

The role of technology in education is becoming increasingly important, and the introduction of advanced technology and AI is transforming the way we learn. Virtual reality (VR) is an effective technology that enhances student engagement and improves learning outcomes. However, the cost of implementing VR is a significant concern for educational institutions, making integrating VR technology into education challenging. To address this challenge, this study aims to explore the costs associated with integrating VR into architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) education. The study had three objectives: to identify relevant case studies that utilized VR in AEC education, to perform keyword analysis, and to conduct a cost analysis of the selected case studies. The thematic analysis identified VR applications in various categories, including VR platforms, construction safety training, design review simulators, civil engineering labs, building information modeling (BIM) integration, architectural design, and surveying engineering. The results revealed that the cost of VR varies based on the application, indicating that it is possible to implement VR in education even on a limited budget. This research provides valuable insights and recommendations for researchers and practitioners who want to adopt VR technology in AEC education effectively.

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.

Virtual Reality-Based Psychoeducation for Dementia Caregivers: The Link between Caregivers' Characteristics and Their Sense of Presence.

In neuropsychology and clinical psychology, the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) experiences for knowledge acquisition and the potential for modifying conduct are well documented. Consequently, the scope of VR experiences for educational purposes has expanded in the health field in recent years. In this study, we sought to assess the effectiveness of ViveDe in a psychoeducational caregiver program. ViveDe is a VR application that presents users with possible daily life situations from the perspective of individuals with dementia. These situations can be experienced in immersive mode through 360° video. This research aimed to ascertain the associations between the sense of presence that can be achieved in VR and some users' psychological characteristics, such as distress and empathetic disposition. The study involved 36 informal caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease. These participants were assessed using scales of anxiety and depression, perceived stress, empathy, and emotional regulation. They were asked to participate in a six-session psychoeducation program conducted online on dementia topics, in addition to experiencing the ViveDe application. The immersive VR sessions enabled the caregivers to directly experience the symptoms of dementia (e.g., spatial disorientation, agnosia, difficulty in problem-solving, and anomia) in everyday and social settings. The results indicated that although the experience in ViveDe (evaluated using the XRPS scale and five questions about emotional attunement) showed efficacy in producing a sense of first-person participation in the symptoms of dementia, further research is needed to confirm this. The structural equation model provided evidence that the characteristics of individuals who enjoy the VR experience play a determining role in the perceived sense of presence, which in turn affects the efficacy of the VR experience as a psychoeducational tool. Further research will be conducted to ascertain the potential role of these elements in conveying change in the caregivers of people with dementia. This will help us study the long-term effectiveness of a large-scale psychoeducation program in VR.

Cultivating Student Competencies and Practical Exploration in the Pharmaceutical Service Teaching Model

With the increasing demand for healthcare and the rapid development of the pharmaceutical service field, pharmaceutical education faces new challenges and opportunities. Traditional pharmaceutical service te aching models can no longer fully meet the requirements of modern pharmaceutical talent cultivation, necessitating the integration of modern educational technologies and innovative teaching methods. This paper first provides an overview of the existing pharmaceutical service teaching models and then explores the cultivation of student competencies within this model, including systematic knowledge and skills development, formation of clinical decision-making abilities, enhancement of communication and collaboration skills, and education on professional ethics and regulatory compliance. Finally, this paper proposes innovative practices in the pharmaceutical service teaching model, such as innovations in practice bases and internship projects, the application of virtual reality and simulation technologies, and the development of interdisciplinary teaching projects, aiming to provide new ideas and methods for pharmaceutical education.