Virtual Reality Services Research Articles

СТАНДАРТИ ТА ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ МЕРЕЖІ 5GІ МОЖЛИВІСТЬ ЇЇ РЕАЛІЗАЦІЇ

The paper investigates the architecture of the 5G network and proposed a variant of the SCOM based parameter monitoring system. You can use this system to collect and analyze network performance information, detect deviations, and notify them for timely removal. Technologies were introduced for the use of the fifth generation GPP mobile network of the fifth generation. Analyzed and proposed for implementation. The current capabilities of the 5th generation network and the technologies for their implementation were also explored. This paper analyzes and provides recommendations for the implementation of the following servers. 5G networks make it possible to significantly increase data rates through various radio access technologies (RATs), and through the use of new 5G NR (New Radio) radio spectrum. Smart Home and Smart Building are available in a variety of different Internet of Things (IoT) services: video surveillance, home automation and control, security management, and more. Virtual Reality (VR) service creates the illusion of moving a person to another world, affecting the sense organs, especially the sight (VR-glasses). Augmented Reality (Augmented Reality) Augmented Reality service combines a real environment with virtual objects. These services are intended not only for entertainment but also for science. The 5G network, along with IoT Internet of Things technology, with the help of Industrial IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) sensors, as well as AI (Artificial Intelligence), can significantly increase the degree of automation of production. This gives the opportunity in real time to analyze large amounts of diverse data (Big Data), both on the basis of insights, and using machine and deep learning (Machine learning, Deep learning). These may include, for example, e-Health, Mission Critical Communication, Tactile Internet, and others. Unmanned transport may be used as part of the Smart City service, but may exist separately. Also on the 5G platform it is possible to implement ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) driver assistance systems.

Subjective Assessment of 360° Image Projection Formats

Recently, the use of virtual reality has been spreading rapidly in many industrial fields, such as games and entertainment, and 360° contents are widely used in various applications of the virtual reality (VR) market. The 360° contents create a virtual space comparable to real scenes. Coupled with the rapid growth of the 360° image/video field, many projection formats have been developed and published. However, the studies which identify the best format for a variety of applications are still limited. Therefore, it is desirable to evaluate the visual quality of the projection formats used in the current market, and the result of the evaluation can be used as an important consideration capable of providing 360° VR service of better quality. Here, we propose a methodology for the subjective test and briefly present ten 360° projection formats used in our experiment. The proposed methodology for the subjective test uses a combination of the Degradation Category Rating (DCR) and Pair Comparison methods. We performed the subjective test with 15 participants for each test step, the experimental set-up for which followed the proposed methodology. The results show that the equirectangular projection format (best known and widely used format in most commercial products) did not give the highest quality. Hybrid equiangular cubemap and equatorial cylindrical projection gave the best quality compared with the other eight formats. Based on the results of the DCR, it is noted that different monitors (size and resolution) do not affect the ranking of 360° image projection formats. Our work presents the ranking of ten published projection formats which is useful for identifying the best format for a future 360° image standard.

The Role of Public Libraries of China in Developing the Knowledge and Information­Based Economy

The aim of this paper is to unlock the potential of modern Chinese public libraries as an important factor in developing the knowledge-and information-based economy.Research methodology. The author uses the analysis of statistics on the activities of public libraries in China, the content analysis of their websites, the comparative analysis of innovative products and services that are in demand. The systematic approach to studying the activities of the network of public libraries of the People’s Republic of China made it possible to determine the specific functions of national and regional libraries, to determine the status of their corporate cooperation in improving the quality of meeting the information needs of users.Results. The author reveals the main provisions of the Law on Public Libraries of China (2018) — the first legislative act in the country that regulates all aspects of the activities of the largest type of libraries. The author describes the tasks and functions of public libraries in China as a basic socio-communication institute, which performs information, educational, socio-cultural, socializing, recreational functions, has a powerful potential for enhancing the intellectual level of society, the development of creativity of the general public, in particular children and youth. The author indicates the role of government funding for the modernization of Chinese libraries by the government, creating comfortable conditions for an access for all categories of users to the world’s information resources. The paper highlights the importance of the active development of innovative online and mobile services by public libraries, virtual reality services aimed at implementing youth creative ideas and skills, aspirations for innovative experiments, the acquisition of practical skills of working with high-tech equipment based on the structure of libraries of creative space «i-Space».Novelty. It is shown that in the context of developing the digital economy and knowledge-and information-based society, the priority in public libraries of China is to create the conditions for creative ideas and abilities for young people, aspirations for innovative experiments, and the acquisition of practical skills of working with high-tech equipment (robotized technology, 3D printers, 3D scanners, laser cutters, digital music and video recording studios, virtual reality glasses and helmets, etc.).The practical significance. The experience of Chinese public libraries is worth studying and being implemented in the libraries of those countries that have adopted the government programs to develop the digital society and knowledge-and information-based economy. This experience shows that the diversification of high-tech library services allows them to create “idea incubators” and creative workshops, informal leisure and educational centres for local communities that promote the self-development and realization of creative abilities of young people, form their desire for technical creativity and innovative experiments as a basis for developing the intellectual capital of the country and a key for developing the knowledge-and information-based economy.

A View Synthesis-Based 360° VR Caching System Over MEC-Enabled C-RAN

With the development of virtual reality (VR) technology, the future of VR systems is evolving from single-user wired connections to multi-user wireless connections. However, wireless online rendering and transmission incur extra processing and transmission latency, as well as higher bandwidth requirements. To meet the requirements of wireless VR applications and enhance the quality of the VR user experience, this paper designs a view synthesis-based 360° VR caching system over Cloud Radio Access Network (C-RAN), where both mobile edge computing (MEC) and hierarchical caching are supported. In the system, an MEC-Cache Server is deployed in the pooled Base band Units (BBU pool) and used for view synthesis and caching. In addition, the remote radio heads (RRHs) can also cache some video contents. If the requested content of a specific view is cached in the BBU pool or RRHs, or can be synthesized with the aid of the cached adjacent views, it is unnecessary to request the content from the remote VR video source server. Therefore, the transmission latency and backhaul traffic load for VR services can be decreased. We formulate a hierarchical collaborative caching problem aiming to minimize the transmission latency, which is proved NP-hard. To address the impractical expenses of the offline optimal method, an online MaxMinDistance caching algorithm with low complexity is proposed. Numerical simulation results demonstrate that the proposed caching strategy provides significantly improved cache hit rate, backhaul traffic load, transmission latency, and Quality of Experience (QoE) performances relative to conventional caching strategies.

Virtual Reality Industry Forum's View on State of the Immersive Media Industry

Founded at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2017, the Virtual Reality Industry Forum (VRIF) ( <uri xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">www.vr-if.org</uri> ) is chartered with the mission to further the widespread availability of high-quality audiovisual (AV) virtual reality (VR) experiences. Its charter includes delivering guidelines and advocating industry consensus around common technical standards for the end-to-end VR interoperability from content production through distribution to consumption. VRIF delivered the first release of its guidelines in early 2018, detailing an initial set of best practices and recommendations for realizing high-quality, interoperable 360° video experiences. It is currently working toward releasing Guidelines version 2.0 with the inclusion of new features such as live VR services, high dynamic range (HDR) support, use of text and fonts, and watermarking for theatrical VR. New features on VRIF’s 2019 roadmap include guidelines around volumetric content production and distribution, cloud VR and edge computing, augmented reality (AR) support, and enabling social VR experiences.

A mobile multimedia content handoff scheme based on proxy mobile IPv6 for VR/AR

This paper proposes a novel mobile multimedia content handoff scheme for a content delivery network (CDN) based on proxy mobile IPv6 (PMIPv6). PMIPv6 is a network-based mobility management protocol. In PMIPv6, when a mobile node (MN) that is currently receiving content from one domain moves into neighboring domain, it can maintain its existing session seamlessly. However, when the MN moves continuously, the content delivery path may become long, potentially leading to heavy network traffic and degradation of the quality of service (QoS) through delay and jitter. The proposed handoff scheme (PMIPv6-CDN Handoff) selects an optimal content server as a mobile node (MN) moves in a handoff and receives content. This scheme offers several benefits such as routing path optimization and a reduced transmission delay. Therefore, it can be applied to virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) services, which are sensitive to transmission delay.

3D Data Interface Standards for Implementing 3D Virtual Reality Application Services

최근 VR(Virtual Reality)&#8228;AR(Augmented Reality)에 대한 사용자의 관심이 확대되며 3D 주변 장치의 발전 및 활용의 증가로 이어지고 있는 가운데 3D 가상현실 서비스에 대한 필요성이 한층 더 증가하고 있다. 3D 가상현실 응용 서비스 개발에 있어서 3D 장면의 공유나 전송을 위해서 여러 응용에서 공동으로 사용할 수 있는 3D 데이터 형식이 요구된다. 이와 관련된 국제표준으로는 ISO/IEC 19775-1 X3D (Extensible 3D)가 있다. 이 표준에 의해 응용 간의 호환성 있는 3D 데이터 전송 및 교환은 해결할 수 있으나 각 응용에서 범용 프로그래밍 언어를 이용하여 새로운 3D 장면을 생성하거나 수정하기 위해서는 프로그래밍에 필요한 데이터 구조나 함수의 정의가 필요하다. 이 때 프로그램의 재사용이나 데이터의 공동 사용을 고려하여 응용 프로그램을 개발한다면 공통적으로 사용 가능한 3D 데이터의 처리가 가능하게 된다. 이를 위해서는 각 응용 프로그램에서 3D 데이터 처리에서 요구되는 변수, 클래스, 함수들을 위한 표준화된 인터페이스가 필요하다. 본 논문에서는 X3D 기반의 3D 가상환경 데이터를 이용하여 응용 개발을 하는데 있어서 범용 프로그래밍 언어 중 하나인 C++를 이용하여 X3D 가상현실 장면 접근 인터페이스를 만들어 응용 개발에서의 3D 가상환경 장면과 오브젝트의 생성, 변경, 교환 등을 제공하는 인터페이스를 제공함으로써 호환성 있는 3차원 장면을 생성하고 수정하는 방법에 대해 기술한다. 또한 각 응용 프로그래밍 과정에서 요구되는 3D 데이터 구조에서 가상현실 장면으로의 접근 및 각 3D 가상환경 객체 데이터를 처리할 수 있는 함수들, 가상현실 장면에서의 입력 또는 출력 할 수 있는 이벤트들의 처리 등을 C++를 이용하여 정의하는 언어 바인딩 방법과 예제에 대해 설명한다.Recently, interest in VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality) has been increasing, and so too has the advancement and use of 3D devices. Accordingly, there is an increased need for 3D virtual reality services in various application areas. When developing these 3D VR application services, a common 3D data format is required in order to share and transfer 3D scenes between various applications. International standard ISO/IEC 19775-1 X3D (Extensible 3D) is a related standard that allows for interchangeable 3D data transfer between applications. However, difficulties remain in defining data structures and functions for applications generated using general programming languages such as C++. If interchangeable data structures and functions are defined, commonly usable 3D data processing can be obtained. A standardized interface should be provided for variables, classes, and functions required during 3D data processing. In this paper, a method of creating and updating X3D based 3D scenes using the C++ programming language is described. Using the C++ programming language, X3D virtual reality scene access interfaces have been developed in order to create, change, and exchange 3D virtual environments and objects. In addition, the C++ language based binding method is explained, as is access to 3D data structures for virtual reality scenes, functions for 3D objects, and event processing for input and output in 3D scenes. Implementation examples are included.

Selective Timewarp Based on Embedded Motion Vectors for Interactive Cloud Virtual Reality

Interactive virtual reality (VR) services such as VR gaming require considerable computing power for rendering higher quality VR images at a high frame rate. Thus offloading such VR processing to a cloud or edge computing entity is promising, but is accompanied by long latency leads for a user to see an image of the past viewport, resulting in prohibitive motion sickness. Time warp is a technique for VR that warps a rendered image before scanning it out to the display to correct for the head movement occurring after the rendering and will play an important role in reducing the perceived latency in cloud/edge VR. However, time warp has to be applied to the image areas excluding the head-locked objects such as head-up display, menu bar, and notification that are intended to have a fixed position on a screen; otherwise, they are shown to judder. In this paper, we propose an algorithm that identifies head-locked objects in encoded VR frames at low computational load with no explicit information of the head-locked objects for selective time warp in the cloud/edge VR environments. First, we make a key observation from testbed experiments that motion vectors embedded in an encoded VR video stream are highly correlated with the user’s head motion. Based on this finding, the head-locked object detection algorithm is designed to: 1) find a raw shape of each head-locked object from motion vectors embedded in frames and 2) identify the exact pixel-level head-locked region within a limited search area (along the boundary of each raw shape) by monitoring pixel color changes over frames. In order to achieve even lower computational load, the costly part of the algorithm is activated only when a new head-locked object appears. The experimental study demonstrates that the algorithm is able to detect multiple head-locked objects with zero pixel error under limited computational load.

Virtual Reality Over Wireless Networks: Quality-of-Service Model and Learning-Based Resource Management

In this paper, the problem of resource management is studied for a network of wireless virtual reality (VR) users communicating over small cell networks (SCNs). In order to capture the VR users' quality-of-service (QoS) in SCNs, a novel VR model, based on multi-attribute utility theory, is proposed. This model jointly accounts for VR metrics such as tracking accuracy, processing delay, and transmission delay. In this model, the small base stations (SBSs) act as the VR control centers that collect the tracking information from VR users over the cellular uplink. Once this information is collected, the SBSs will then send the three dimensional images and accompanying surround stereo audio to the VR users over the downlink. Therefore, the resource allocation problem in VR wireless networks must jointly consider both the uplink and downlink. This problem is then formulated as a noncooperative game and a distributed algorithm based on the machine learning framework of echo state networks (ESNs) is proposed to find the solution of this game. The use of the proposed ESN algorithm enables the SBSs to predict the VR QoS of each SBS and guarantees the convergence to a mixed-strategy Nash equilibrium. The analytical result shows that each user's VR QoS jointly depends on both VR tracking accuracy and wireless resource allocation. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm yields significant gains, in terms of total utility value of VR QoS, that reach up to 22.2% and 37.5%, respectively, compared to Q-learning and a baseline proportional fair algorithm. The results also show that the proposed algorithm has a faster convergence time than Q-learning and can guarantee low delays for VR services.

VR-CPES: A Novel Cyber-Physical Education Systems for Interactive VR Services Based on a Mobile Platform

The evolution of virtual reality technology allows users to immerse themselves into virtual environments, providing a new experience that is impossible in the real world. The appearance of cyber-physical systems and the Internet of things makes humans to understand and control the real world in detail. The integration of virtual reality into cyber-physical systems and the Internet of things may induce innovative education services in the near future. In this paper, we propose a novel, a virtual reality-based cyber-physical education system for efficient education in a virtual reality on a mobile platform, called VR-CPES. VR-CPES can integrate the real world into virtual reality using cyber-physical systems technology, especially using digital twin. We extract essential service requirements of VR-CPES in terms of delay time in the virtual reality service layer. In order to satisfy the requirements of the network layer, we design a new, real-time network technology interworking software, defined as network and time-sensitive network. A gateway function for the interworking is developed to make protocol level transparency. In addition, a path selection algorithm is proposed to make flexible flow between physical things and cyber things. Finally, a simulation study will be conducted to validate the functionalities and performance in terms of packet loss and delay as defined in the requirements.

Virtual Reality for Prototyping Service Journeys

The use of virtual elements for developing new service prototyping environments and more realistic simulations has been suggested as a way to optimise the service prototyping process. This work examines the application of virtual reality (VR) in prototyping service journeys and it hypothesises that VR can recreate service journeys in a highly immersive, agile, and inexpensive manner, thus allowing users to have a representative service experience and enabling service designers to extract high-quality user feedback. To that end, a new service prototyping method, called VR service walkthrough, is presented and evaluated through an empirical comparative study. A VR service walkthrough is a virtual simulation of a service journey, representing how the service unfolds over space and time. A comparative study between the VR service walkthrough method and an adapted service walkthrough method evaluates the application of both methods using a location-based audio tour guide service as a case study. Two user groups (each with 21 users) were used to evaluate both methods based on two factors: the user experience they offered and the subjective meaningfulness and quality of feedback they produced. Results show that the VR service walkthrough method gave a performance similar to that of the service walkthrough method. It was also able to communicate the service concept in an immersive way and foster constructive feedback.

Virtual Reality-Wireless Local Area Network: Wireless Connection-Oriented Virtual Reality Architecture for Next-Generation Virtual Reality Devices

In order to enhance the user experience of virtual reality (VR) devices, multi-user VR environments and wireless connections should be considered for next-generation VR devices. Wireless local area network (WLAN)-based wireless communication devices are popular consumer devices with high throughput and low cost using unlicensed bands. However, the use of WLANs may cause delays in packet transmission, owing to their distributed nature while accessing the channel. In this paper, we carefully examine the feasibility of wireless VR over WLANs, and we propose an efficient wireless multiuser VR communication architecture, as well as a communication scheme for VR. Because the proposed architecture in this paper utilizes multiple WLAN standards, based on the characteristics of each set of VR traffic, the proposed scheme enables the efficient delivery of massive uplink data generated by multiple VR devices, and provides an adequate video frame rate and control frame rate for high-quality VR services. We perform extensive simulations to corroborate the outstanding performance of the proposed scheme.

Internet of Things (IoT) for Seamless Virtual Reality Space: Challenges and Perspectives

This paper addresses a novel virtual reality (VR) system that is based on the real world in which we live. The ultimate goal is to implement it as though a VR user freely exists in a place. To this end, it is most important to reconstruct a VR space that provides six degree-of-freedom (DOF), namely, yaw, pitch, roll, surge, sway, and heave. However, most currently released VR services that are based on the real world limit users’ movements to three DOF. Even if the services support six DOF, most are highly complex and based on computer graphics. To overcome this problem, we first assume that there is a full Internet of things (IoT) infrastructure for collecting important data for VR space reconstruction. This assumption is realistic because many researchers expect that in the near future, IoT technology will lead to a world that connects not only people to people but also things to things. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end system architecture for the VR space that is based on the real world along with the element technologies that constitute the proposed system. This paper also includes a detailed survey of both conventional and emerging studies by other researchers.

Development of an Interactive Virtual Reality Service based on 360 degree VR Image

Development of an Interactive Virtual Reality Service based on 360 degree VR Image

Novel Control Framework for Multi-User Display and Data Transmission in Networked Virtual Reality Services

Novel Control Framework for Multi-User Display and Data Transmission in Networked Virtual Reality Services

A study on BIM-based immersive Virtual Reality services for decision support

최근 건설산업은 프로젝트 수행이 복잡화, 대형화되고 있는 실정으로 각 단계별 참여주체 간 협업의 어려움과 국내 건설산업에서 각 분야의 정보교류 및 의사소통이 원활하지 못하는 실정에 따라 여러 문제점이 발생되고 있다.BR 이에 따라 정부에서는 BIM기술 활용을 적극 도입하기 시작하였으나, 기존 2차원적 이미지의 시각화에서 3차원적 이미지의 시각화가 진행이 되었음에도 불구하고 단순한 형태의 이미지 활용에 그치고 있는 실정이다.BR 이러한 문제를 해결하기 위해 BIM을 활용한 효율적인 시각화 방식의 도입이 시급하다.BR 본 연구에서는 건설산업 분야의 전 과정에서 지원하는 설계 도구로의 단순 시각화에서 벗어나 몰입형 가상현실기법을 적용한 사용자간의 의사소통 및 정보공유의 효율화를 위한 콘텐츠 개발을 목적으로 한다.BR 본 연구는 이론고찰 및 선행사례를 통한 기초연구를 통해 즉각적인 시각화로 생산성 향상과 설계프로세스 진행의 오류를 최소화시키며 새로운 방식의 시뮬레이션 시스템을 개발하여 향후에는 의사결정지원을 위한 BIM기반 시각화 시스템 구축에 대한 연구가 이루어 질 것으로 보인다.BR 특히 본 연구는 건설관리 효율화를 높이기 위해 차별화된 공정시각화 시스템의 기능을 구축함으로써 건설관리업무에 실무적으로 적용하여 분석 평가하고자 한다.

Real-Time Human Pose Estimation: A Case Study in Algorithm Design for Smart Camera Networks

Monitoring human activities finds novel applications in smart environment settings. Examples include immersive multimedia and virtual reality, smart buildings and occupancy-based services, assisted living and patient monitoring, and interactive classrooms and teleconferencing. A network of cameras can enable detection and interpretation of human events by utilizing multiple views and collaborative processing. Distributed processing of acquired videos at the source camera facilitates operation of scalable vision networks by avoiding transfer of raw images. This allows for efficient collaboration between the cameras under the communication and latency constraints, as well as being motivated by aiming to preserve the privacy of the network users (no image transfer out of the camera) while offering services in applications such as assisted living or virtual placement. In this paper, collaborative processing and data fusion techniques in a multicamera setting are examined in the context of human pose estimation. Multiple mechanisms for information fusion across the space (multiple views), time, and different feature levels are introduced to meet system constraints and are described through examples.

Approach to describing virtual reality competence components for services in production networks

Advanced information and communication technologies increasingly imbue the value-added process. The use of virtual reality (VR) and congeneric technologies generates potentials for optimizing product development, product manufacturing as well as product utilization. At the same time with reference to both organizational and business models, there are various approaches for networking and co-operation. This paper introduces an attempt how Virtual Reality competence components can be described for a competence-cell-based networking approach. Concerning the competence-cell-based description, a differentiation is made between the VR business object model, VR activity model, VR method model and the model of non-personal VR resources. The intended objective is to perform VR services within the networked value-added chain and thus to increase the efficiency of value-added processes.

Analysis of end-to-end QoS for networked virtual reality services in UMTS

Virtual reality services may be considered a good representative of advanced services in the new-generation network. The focus of this article is to address quality of service support for VR services in the context of the UMTS QoS framework specified by the 3G standardization forum, the Third Generation Partnership Project. We propose a classification of VR services based on delivery requirements (real-time or non-real-time) and degree of interactivity that maps to existing UMTS QoS classes and service attributes. The mapping is based on matching VR service requirements to performance parameters and target values defined for UMTS applications. Test cases involving heterogeneous VR applications are defined, using as a reference a general model for VR service design and delivery. Measurements of network parameters serve to determine the end-to-end QoS requirements of the considered applications, which are in turn mapped to proposed VR service classes.

Mobile virtual reality services

This paper addresses the capability needed in a telecommunication system to support mobile access to real-time sights and sounds of a complex environment defined as a virtual reality service (VRS) episode. The constant growth in data transmission rates and the innovative advances in the development of terminal and networking equipment are paving the way for the provision of a VRS and the creation of VRS episodes in the near future. These advancements are necessary for transmitting, transporting, and receiving data at super-high transmission rates for establishing VRS episodes. This paper describes a mobile VRS environment in general and the core architecture and describes the various entities employed to perform a VRS episode setup task. The proposed VRS architecture is in full harmony with preceding generations of all-IP multimedia networks currently under study in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).