Virtual Reality Conference Research Articles

Social-Aware Group Display Configuration in VR Conference

Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged due to advancements in hardware and computer graphics. During the pandemic, conferences and exhibitions leveraging VR have gained attention. However, large-scale VR conferences, face a significant problem not yet studied in the literature -- displaying too many irrelevant users on the screen which may negatively impact the user experience. To address this issue, we formulate a new research problem, Social-Aware VR Conference Group Display Configuration (SVGD). Accordingly, we design the Social Utility-Aware VR Conference Group Formation (SVC) algorithm, which is a 2-approximation algorithm to SVGD. SVC iteratively selects either the P-Configuration or S-Configuration based on their effective ratios. This ensures that in each iteration, SVC identifies and chooses the solution with the highest current effectiveness. Experiments on real metaverse datasets show that the proposed SVC outperforms 11 baselines by 75% in terms of solution quality.

Virtual reality against Zoom fatigue? A field study on the teaching and learning experience in interactive video and VR conferencing.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the absence of in-person teaching was partially compensated for through videoconferencing. However, lecturers complain that students do not participate actively in video-based online seminars. One reason cited for this is Zoom fatigue. Conferences in virtual reality (VR), accessible with and without head-mounted display, represent one potential remedy to this issue. The research to date does not shed any light on the (1.) teaching experience, (2.) student demand, (3.) learning experience (including participation and social presence), and (4.) learning performance (declarative and spatial) associated with VR conferences. The present work will compare these aspects for videoconferencing, independent study, and - in the case of teaching experience - with in-person teaching. A compulsory seminar in General Physiology was offered during the 2020/21 winter semester and the 2021 summer semester as part of the Human Medicine program at the Faculty of Medicine at Ulm University. The seminars were offered in three different formats with identical content: (a) VR conference, (b) video conference, and (c) independent study, with students selecting the format of their choice. In the VR conferences, the lecturer taught using a head-mounted display while students participated via PC, laptop, or tablet. The learning experience and learning performance were assessed using questionnaires and a knowledge test. A semi-structured interview was conducted to assess the VR teaching experience. The lecturer's teaching experience in the VR conferences was similar to in-person teaching. Students predominantly chose independent study and videoconferencing. The latter resulted in worse outcomes with regard to learning experience (including participation and social presence) and spatial learning performance than the VR conferences. Declarative learning performance differed only slightly between teaching formats. VR conferencing offers lecturers new didactic opportunities and a teaching experience similar to that of in-person teaching. Students prefer time-efficient videoconferencing and independent study, but rate participation and social presence, among other things, higher in VR conferencing. If faculty and students are open to the technology, VR conferencing can promote interactive exchange in online seminars. This subjective assessment is not associated with better declarative learning performance.

Toward VR in VR: Assessing Engagement and Social Interaction in a Virtual Conference

The pandemic brought about an unprecedented number of virtual conferences, given the heavy restrictions on travel to in-person meetings. Despite all the advances in technology, people still complain about virtual events. There is Zoom fatigue, confinement malaise, and a longing for personal social interactions. This paper discusses our experience organizing the IEEE Virtual Reality Conference (IEEE VR) as a virtual event. IEEE VR was a success with 1200+ registered paying participants, dozens of workshops and tutorials, and hundreds of technical papers. We used (1) a virtual environment platform, together with (2) discussion tools and (3) videoconferencing/broadcast/online tools to further provide effective social interaction and increase engagement. In this paper, we explore the synergies between virtual environments and other online tools and assess user engagement by analyzing the messages exchanged between participants across different genders and geographical regions. To this end, we apply diverse engagement metrics for online conferences. Our analysis shows that these metrics have the potential to highlight engagement, diversity, and inclusion by combining textual messages, participant geographic and gender information, communities of participants, and visitation patterns in a virtual environment. Drawing on our results and experiences, we propose guidelines for organizing technical virtual events to increase diversity and social interaction.

Multisensory stimulation

Multisensory stimulation

Reflections from five years of Sonic Interactions in Virtual Environments workshops

For the past five years, the authors have been running at the IEEE Virtual Reality Conference a Workshop called Sonic Interactions in Virtual Environments (SIVE). The main goal of the workshop series has been to increase among the virtual reality community awareness of the importance of sonic elements when designing multimodal and immersive virtual environments. Starting from this experience, this paper presents a survey of the main active research topics related to sound in virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), ranging from basic research in spatial audio rendering and sonic interaction design to applications in interactive environments for training, health, rehabilitation, entertainment, and art. Looking at the different research topics emerging from laboratories worldwide, the paper discusses how different research communities can collaborate and benefit from each other in order to increase sound awareness in VR and AR.

Introducing the IEEE Virtual Reality 2019 Special Issue

The thirty-three papers included in this special issue were presented at the 2019 8th Virtual Reality Conference that was held in Osaka, Japan, March 23-27, 2019.

Preface

Presents the preface to the 2019 Virtual Reality Conference.

Introducing the IEEE Virtual Reality 2017 Special Issue.

The papers in this special issue were presented at the IEEE Virtual Reality (VR) Conference that was held in Los Angeles, CA, from March 18-22, 2017.

IEEE Visualization and Graphics Technical Committee (VGTC)

Presents a listing of the technical committee from the 2017 IEEE Virtual Reality Conference (IEEE VR 2017).

NIRS neurofeedback in ADHD

NIRS neurofeedback in ADHD

Simulating Cooperative Interactions to Investigate the Neural Correlates of Joint Attention

Event Abstract Back to Event Simulating Cooperative Interactions to Investigate the Neural Correlates of Joint Attention Nathan Caruana1*, Alexandra Woolgar1 and Jon Brock1 1 ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders , Cognitive Science, Australia Joint attention is a fundamental aspect of social cognition, enabling effective intersubjective experiences. However, due to lacking ecological measures, we currently know little about its neural representation, or how this diverges in developmental disorders such as autism. Joint attention is conceptualised as involving two distinct functions. Responding to joint attention (RJA) involves converging with someone else's focus of attention. Initiating joint attention (IJA), involves guiding others to converge with one's own attentional focus. The Parallel Distributed Processing (PDP) model accounts for the overlapping function, and developmental divergence of RJA and IJA. Consistent with this model, we anticipated that sources of activation associated with RJA and IJA would reflect partially independent regions, existing in a distally distributed, posterior and anterior network. Inspired by the second person perspective (2PP) approach to social cognition research, we developed a co-operative, virtual reality task for the acquisition of fMRI and MEG data. Using eye-tracking techniques, subjects interacted with an onscreen avatar, which responded contingently to their gaze. Subjects completed the task under the impression that they were interacting with a confederate, outside the scanner, who was controlling the avatar's eye movements. Our analyses have focused on comparing neural activation during the execution of RJA and IJA behaviour, as well as during conditions where participants complete the same task 'alone'. Our fMRI univariate whole brain analyses revealed temporoparietal and anterior networks associated with gaze detection, attention orienting and mentalising processes. An MEG case study, using the same task and a novel saccade-related beamforming analysis was also conducted to localise activation associated with preparing saccades for the execution of RJA and IJA. These data and critical issues in designing interactive paradigms will be discussed. Keywords: fMRI, MEG, eye tracking, joint attention, virtual reality Conference: XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 27 Jul - 31 Jul, 2014. Presentation Type: Poster Topic: Emotional and Social Processes Citation: Caruana N, Woolgar A and Brock J (2015). Simulating Cooperative Interactions to Investigate the Neural Correlates of Joint Attention. Conference Abstract: XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.217.00046 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 19 Feb 2015; Published Online: 24 Apr 2015. * Correspondence: Mr. Nathan Caruana, ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Cognitive Science, North Ryde, Australia, nathan.caruana@mq.edu.au Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Nathan Caruana Alexandra Woolgar Jon Brock Google Nathan Caruana Alexandra Woolgar Jon Brock Google Scholar Nathan Caruana Alexandra Woolgar Jon Brock PubMed Nathan Caruana Alexandra Woolgar Jon Brock Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics - 2014 IEEE Virtual Reality Conference [title page

IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics - 2014 IEEE Virtual Reality Conference [title page

State of the Journal

IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG) has published more papers in 2013 than in any previous year. TVCG continues to be in an excellent state. For the first time, the entire proceedings of IEEE VAST 2013 papers became part of the VIS special issue of TVCG. At the start of October 2013, TVCG had received more than 265 regular submissions, more than last year at the same time. This year we also observed a healthy number of 150 and 402 submissions to the IEEE VR Conference issue and the VIS conference issue that contains the Proceedings of the IEEE Information Visualization, Scientific Visualization, and Visual Analytics Science and Technology 2013 Conferences, respectively. We are expecting a total of nearly 900 submissions to TVCG by the end of 2013. A total of 137 articles were published in the first 10 regular issues with 1,769 printed pages, and the VR and VIS special issues containing 21 and 101 conference papers, respectively. All submissions in both special issues went through a rigorous two-round journalquality review process. Practically all the 2012 papers have also been decided. From the 293 regular submissions (including 20 extended versions of Best Papers from several top venues in graphics and visualization), 76 regular papers and all 20 special section papers were eventually accepted; 86 out of 333 SciVis plus InfoVis conference submissions were published in the VIS special issue. TVCG continues to offer authors a remarkably effi cient processing of submitted manuscripts: The average time from submission to fi rst decision is about three months and the average time from submission to publication as a preprint in the digital library is about seven months. Its 2012 impact factor is 1.895 with the largest number of total publications appeared two years prior. During 2013, the authors of TVCG regular papers were invited to give an oral presentation of their recent work at TVCG’s partner conferences. A total of 35 TVCG papers were presented at the IEEE Virtual Reality Conference, ACM SIGGRAPH Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics and Games, ACM SIGGRAPH/Eurographics Symposium on Computer Animation, Pacifi c Graphics, and IEEE VIS 2013.

Message from the Paper Chairs and Guest Editors

The apers in this special issue were presented at the 2013 IEEE Virtual Reality Conference held March 16-20, 2013, in Orlando, Florida.

IEEE Virtual Reality Conference 2013 [table of contents

Presents the table of contents of the proceedings of the 2013 IEEE Virtual Reality Conference as published in this issue of the IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics .

Guest Editors' Introduction: Special Section on the IEEE Virtual Reality Conference (VR)

The articles in this special section contain selected papers from the IEEE Virtual Reality Conference (VR).

Message from the Paper Chairs and Guest Editors

The articles in this special issue contain the full paper proceedings of the IEEE Virtual Reality Conference 2012 (IEEE VR 2012), held March 4-8, 2012 in Orange County, California.

Spatial behavior of mongolian gerbils in complex virtual environments

Event Abstract Back to Event Spatial behavior of mongolian gerbils in complex virtual environments Kay Thurley1, 2*, Josephine Henke1, Aline Wätzig1, Benedikt Ludwig1, Cristian Tatarau1, Joachim Hermann1, 2 and Christian Leibold1, 2 1 Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Department Biology II, Germany 2 Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Munich, Germany Virtual reality (VR) environments are increasingly used to study spatial behavior in rodents. In many approaches so far the design of the environments did not go beyond simple open fields or linear tracks. How to make rodents learn to navigate in more complex virtual environments is hardly investigated. We use a VR setup with a spherical treadmill that is surrounded by a 360° toroidal screen onto which the virtual environment is projected. This design permits a fixation of the animal such that it can freely rotate around its vertical body axis. We trained gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) to perform spatial tasks in virtual mazes of different complexity. First the animals learned to run back and forth between the two ends of a virtual linear track. At the ends they received a food reward. They had to learn to orient with only visual information, not to collide with the virtual walls and optimize the path from one reward to the next. Performance increased within about ten training sessions to almost optimal values: The animals avoided virtual walls and ran straight paths from one track end to the other. Running speed was consistent with what is typically observed in real environments. When afterwards presenting more complex mazes such as U- or 8-shaped arenas the animals were able to transfer their previously acquired skills to the new tasks after only a few trials. We furthermore implemented two-alternative choice tasks using a virtual y-maze were animals were required to run to the end of one arm depending on their decision. Keywords: navigation, rodent, virtual reality Conference: Bernstein Conference 2012, Munich, Germany, 12 Sep - 14 Sep, 2012. Presentation Type: Poster Topic: Motor control, movement, navigation Citation: Thurley K, Henke J, Wätzig A, Ludwig B, Tatarau C, Hermann J and Leibold C (2012). Spatial behavior of mongolian gerbils in complex virtual environments. Front. Comput. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: Bernstein Conference 2012. doi: 10.3389/conf.fncom.2012.55.00178 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 11 May 2012; Published Online: 12 Sep 2012. * Correspondence: Dr. Kay Thurley, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Department Biology II, Munich, Germany, thurley@bio.lmu.de Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Kay Thurley Josephine Henke Aline Wätzig Benedikt Ludwig Cristian Tatarau Joachim Hermann Christian Leibold Google Kay Thurley Josephine Henke Aline Wätzig Benedikt Ludwig Cristian Tatarau Joachim Hermann Christian Leibold Google Scholar Kay Thurley Josephine Henke Aline Wätzig Benedikt Ludwig Cristian Tatarau Joachim Hermann Christian Leibold PubMed Kay Thurley Josephine Henke Aline Wätzig Benedikt Ludwig Cristian Tatarau Joachim Hermann Christian Leibold Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Guest Editors' Introduction: Special Section on the IEEE Virtual Reality Conference (VR)

Guest Editors' Introduction: Special Section on the IEEE Virtual Reality Conference (VR)

Guest Editor's Introduction Special Section on the Virtual Reality Conference (VR)

The four papers in this special section are expanded versions of the four best papers from the IEEE Virtual Reality (VR) Proceedings.