Virtual Reality Representation Research Articles

The influence of Survivor stories and a virtual reality representation of a residential school on reconciliation in Canada

Indigenous Peoples in Canada have endured many genocidal efforts, such as residential schools. Across the country, initiatives to promote critical historical education about residential schools are underway, ranging in duration, content, and immersion. In this study, we tested whether a promising high-immersion approach, a virtual reality residential school, could improve non-Indigenous participants' attitudes and feelings toward Indigenous people. We compared the effects of the virtual residential school to a transcript condition, in which participants read the transcripts of the narration that accompanied the virtual residential school, and an empty control condition. The study had three time points: Baseline (N = 241), intervention (N = 241), and follow-up (N = 132). Immediately following the intervention, what participants learned about the residential school, both through virtual reality and reading the transcripts, increased non-Indigenous participants' empathy, political solidarity, and outgroup warmth for Indigenous people, relative to the control. The virtual reality school, but not transcripts, also increased privity relative to the control. These effects decreased over time. In summary, though both written and virtual reality forms of critical historical education were effective in the short term, to maintain the long-term effects of critical historical education, ongoing or recurring education is likely necessary. These results extend the virtual reality literature to unstudied concepts (political solidarity, privity) and critical historical education literature to a new form of media (virtual reality). We discuss the findings in relation to literature on critical historical education and virtual reality as well as outline future directions.

The Course of the Trochlear Nerve Presented via a 3-Dimensional Photorealistic Anatomic Model

Several factors contribute to the anatomical complexity of the trochlear nerve, including small diameter, complex and longest intracranial course, deep location, and numerous neurovascular relationships. A 3-dimensional (3D) photorealistic model of the cranial nerves provides a detailed and immersive representation of the anatomy, enabling one to improve surgical planning, advanced surgical research, and training. The purpose of this work is to present a 3D photogrammetric study for a more intuitive and interactive way to explore and describe the entire course of trochlear nerve. Two injected-fixed head human specimens (4 sides) were examined. The dissection protocol was divided into the following steps: 1) brain hemisphere exposure; 2) hemispherectomy dissecting all cranial nerves and partial removal of the free edge of the tentorium; 3) middle fossa and lateral wall of cavernous sinus exposure; and 4) orbital exposure. A detailed 3D photogrammetric model was generated for each dissection step. Four main volumetric models were generated during a step-by-step layered dissection of the entire nerve pathway highlighting its different segments. Finally, a full and integrated model of the entire course of the nerve was created. The models are available for visualization on monoscopic display, virtual, and augmented reality environment. The present photogrammetric model provides a more comprehensive understanding of the nerve's anatomy in its different segments, allows for customizable views thus simulating different perspectives, and can be a valuable alternative to traditional dissections. It is an advanced tool for surgical planning and surgical simulation as well as virtual reality representation of the anatomy.

Virtual Reality and Alternate Realities in Neal Stephenson’s “Snow Crash”

Cyberpunk literature encapsulates the genre's essence by representing technology integration and human existence in a dark, impending future. It shows a society rife with disparities and introduces unconventional heroes who navigate a world where the boundaries between the virtual and tangible realms. The primary objective of this research is to examine the representations of Virtual Reality and Alternate Reality in cyberpunk literature, mainly focusing on Neal Stephenson's "Snow Crash." The focus lies on how this significant work illustrates the portrayal of virtual and alternate realities in American science fiction, viewed through Postmodernism Literary Theory. An extensive discussion revealed that "Snow Crash" is a platform for addressing societal issues through its sturdy framework, examination of human interactions, and ethical considerations. It allows writers to explore intricate ideas, particularly emphasizing the significance of technology and scientific advancement. This exploration delves into the transformative potential of technology on society, ethics, and human experience, allowing for insightful social commentary. Also, "Snow Crash" mirrors societal shifts in scientific, technological, social, and cultural aspects affected by economic systems like mass consumerism and multinational capitalism. It embodies a paradigm that vividly portrays postmodern ideology, challenging established notions, especially concerning identity, within postmodern societies. Finally, the study's implications and limitations are discussed.

Effect of Reaching Movement Modulation on Experience of Control in Virtual Reality

Users’ motion representation in virtual reality (VR) can be modulated visually by introducing a mismatch with their real motion, which can bring benefits to exercise and rehabilitation and has great potential for exergame applications in VR. Users’ experience of control is a critical consideration for user experience in human–computer interaction and should be paid special attention when movement modulation is implemented in VR. However, how movement modulation affects users’ experience of control and motor performance has not been fully investigated in detail. This research included 49 participants and investigated how the experience of control is influenced by reaching movement modulation in two types: the enhancement and reduction modes. Different modulation modes were designed to study their influence on the explicit experience of control in self-ratings and the implicit measured experience of control in intentional binding and electroencephalography. Participants’ movement trajectory, velocity, and completion time were analyzed for motor performance. The results illustrate a significant effect of movement modulation on the users’ motor performance and experience of control in self-ratings and EEG. This study makes a major contribution through a comprehensive analysis of the experience of control with movement modulation and provides important and practical design considerations on movement modulation design in future exercise-based applications with positive controlling experiences in VR.

Tourism consumers' time estimation of virtual reality experience: Combining self-reporting and physiological measures

An internal clock model was adopted to explore the mechanism whereby experiences of virtual reality influence tourism consumers' time estimation. A multidimensional virtual reality theater simulator was used to create virtual reality experiences for 172 participants. Self-reported and physiological data were collected to test the model. The results of the study revealed that focused attention, indicated by heart and respiratory rates, is an essential determinant of subjective time estimation. Arousal serves as a significant mediator between focused intention and time estimation, while enjoyment has a marginally negative influence on time estimation. These findings extend the internal clock model. They also have important practical implications for media providers and tourism destination agents seeking to engage tourism consumers in virtual reality experiences.

Exploring the Relationship Between Attribute Discrepancy and Avatar Embodiment in Immersive Social Virtual Reality.

Social virtual reality (VR) is an emerging set of platforms where users interact while embodying avatars. Given that VR headsets track real physical movements and map them onto one's avatar body, the nature of one's digital representation is an important aspect of social VR. However, little is known about how the visual proximity of an avatar to the self shapes user experience in naturalistic, social VR environments. In this article, we use this context to explore how embodiment is influenced by the perceived differences between the physical attributes of a user and the virtual attributes of their avatar. We selected a number of attributes for this measure that have been shown to be important for customization and representation in VR. Participants created an avatar, spent time in social VR, and reported on their experience in a questionnaire. Our results demonstrate a significant negative association between attribute discrepancy and avatar embodiment, the psychological experience of one's virtual body as their own body. We discuss implications for theories of self-representation and suggest urgency on the part of games and VR designers to improve the methods of creating avatars.

Comprehensive uncertainty analysis for surface water and groundwater projections under climate change based on a lumped geo-hydrological model

Sustainable management of aquifers requires long-term predictions of their aquifer-scale groundwater balance under climate change with meaningfully quantified uncertainty. In our analysis, we account for uncertainty in model parameters, measured data, model errors, stochastic model inputs (e.g., rainfall, potential evapotranspiration), and climate scenarios. To afford this analysis, we rely on an extension of lumped hydrological models that includes groundwater flow and storage, called lumped geohydrological model (LGhM). It shows good model performance and is three orders of magnitude faster than 2D or 3D numerical groundwater models. We use Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) for Bayesian inference on a calibration period to quantify posterior parameter uncertainty and lumped data-and-model error. Then, we perform Monte Carlo forward runs with stochastic weather inputs under three different climate scenarios to quantify uncertainty in long-term predictions up to the year 2040. We apply our approach on a virtual reality representation of the Wairau Plain aquifer, New Zealand. We hypothesize that the variability in future climate is the most important impact factor. To test this hypothesis, we disentangle the overall uncertainty between data/model, parameters, weather, and climate inputs. We expect our approach to be highly useful for arbitrary types of catchments because the LGhM model structure can easily be adapted.

Virtual reality as a technology of memory: Immersive presence in Polish politics of memory

Abstract Experiences that take place in virtual reality (VR) become part of users’ autobiographical memory. As memories can impact users’ self-perception, personal beliefs, and social interactions, storyliving in VR narratives can be used to manipulate memory and mould users’ self according to the preferences of the VR narrative creators. Poland's Ministry of Culture and National Heritage has, in recent years, generously invested in the production of VR films that depict events from the Polish historical canon. VR is a spatial technology that positions users ‘inside’ a virtual storyworld and leverages users’ sense of body position and movement to enhance memory and a sense of presence. Three dimensions of presence – self, social, and spatial – are relevant to understanding the role of VR in the politics of memory. The article interrogates a recent Polish VR production, Wiktoria 1920 (2020, dir. Tomasz Dobosz), and argues that VR representations exploit a sense of presence to shape users’ memory, perspective, and emotions in relation to the past.

Egyptian archaeology in multiple realities: Integrating XR technologies and museum outreach

We present a study of the general public's experience with virtual, augmented, and mixed reality representations (XR) of Egyptological collections at the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East based on 3D models of objects. Our research presents potential strategies for the development of more interactive experiences to enhance education, preservation of cultural heritage, and archaeological scholarship. Furthermore, we provide a discussion of the advantages and limitations of incorporating and maintaining XR technologies as foundational tools in museum outreach. We argue that when equipped with proper training of facilitators, allocation of resources to maintain technology, and adequate preparation across staff and departments, virtual technologies in museum programming have the potential to enrich visitor experience within the existing museum environment by diversifying the modes of interaction between individuals and objects, engaging multiple senses, cementing memories, and igniting intellectual curiosity.

What constitutes the virtual: representation and memory in ancient Roman frescos

This paper examines a specific historical context of the virtual reality (VR), commonly associated with contemporary society, in order to consider its lineage. It sets up an argument that identifies archaeological examples, which worked with subjective perceptions of space, as predecessors to the digital technologies familiar in the 21st century context. While the paper acknowledges the use of VR representation throughout history and around the world, the focus will be on key Roman villas, specifically on their frescos, and the importance of these immersion spaces in Roman society for reasons that approach both the social and introspective. As technology is not a term merely beholden to the digital, encompassing major revolutionary human advancements such as language or agriculture, the paper examines the historical technologies, i.e. the representational techniques, that produced virtual realities and immersive environments of the past. It uses the Ancient Roman context to illustrate the relationship between representation, subject(s), and society, which can be examined from a historical context and further applied to the contemporary.

Applying digital twins for the management of information in turnaround event operations in commercial airports

The aerospace sector is one of the many sectors in which large amounts of data are generated. Thanks to the evolution of technology, these data can be exploited in several ways to improve the operation and management of industrial processes. However, to achieve this goal, it is necessary to define architectures and data models that allow to manage and homogenise the heterogeneous data collected. In this paper, we present an Airport Digital Twin Reference Conceptualisation’s and data model based on FIWARE Generic Enablers and the Next Generation Service Interfaces-Linked Data standard. Concretely, we particularise the Airport Digital Twin to improve the efficiency of flight turnaround events. The architecture proposed is validated in the Aberdeen International Airport with the aim of reducing delays in commercial flights. The implementation includes an application that shows the real state of the airport, combining two-dimensional and three-dimensional virtual reality representations of the stands, and a mobile application that helps ground operators to schedule departure and arrival flights.

Alice in Wonderland: The effects of body size and movement on children’s size perception and body representation in virtual reality

Previous work shows that in adults, illusory embodiment of a virtual avatar can be induced using congruent visuomotor cues. Furthermore, embodying different-sized avatars influences adults’ perception of their environment’s size. This study (N = 92) investigated whether children are also susceptible to such embodiment and size illusions. Adults and 5-year-old children viewed a first-person perspective of different-sized avatars moving either congruently or incongruently with their own body. Participants rated their feelings of embodiment over the avatar and also estimated the sizes of their body and objects in the environment. Unlike adults, children embodied the avatar regardless of visuomotor congruency. Both adults and children freely embodied different-sized avatars, and this affected their size perception in the surrounding virtual environment; they felt that objects were larger in a small body and vice versa in a large body. In addition, children felt that their body had grown in the large body condition. These findings have important implications for both our theoretical understanding of own-body representation, and our knowledge of perception in virtual environments.

Exploring the future building: representational effects on projecting oneself into the future office space

While virtual reality (VR) has been explored in the field of architecture, its implications on people who experience their future office space in such a way has not been extensively studied. In this explorative study, we are interested in how VR and other representation methods support users in projecting themselves into their future office space and how this might influence their willingness to relocate. In order to compare VR with other representations, we used (i) standard paper based floor plans and renders of the future building (as used by architects to present their creations to stakeholders), (ii) a highly-detailed virtual environment of the same building experienced on a computer monitor (desktop condition), and (iii) the same environment experienced on a head mounted display (VR condition). Participants were randomly assigned to conditions and were instructed to freely explore their representation method for up to 15 min without any restrictions or tasks given. The results show, that compared to other representation methods, VR significantly differed for the sense of presence, user experience and engagement, and that these measures are correlated for this condition only. In virtual environments, users were observed looking at the views through the windows, spent time on terraces between trees, explored the surroundings, and even “took a walk” to work. Nevertheless, the results show that representation method influences the exploration of the future building as users in VR spent significantly more time exploring the environment, and provided more positive comments about the building compared to users in either desktop or paper conditions. We show that VR representation used in our explorative study increased users’ capability to imagine future scenarios involving their future office spaces, better supported them in projecting themselves into these spaces, and positively affected their attitude towards relocating.

Affective Image Sequence Viewing in Virtual Reality Theater Environment: Frontal Alpha Asymmetry Responses From Mobile EEG

Background: Numerous studies have investigated emotion in virtual reality (VR) experiences using self-reported data in order to understand valence and arousal dimensions of emotion. Objective physiological data concerning valence and arousal has been less explored. Electroencephalography (EEG) can be used to examine correlates of emotional responses such as valence and arousal in virtual reality environments. Used across varying fields of research, images are able to elicit a range of affective responses from viewers. In this study, we display image sequences with annotated valence and arousal values on a screen within a virtual reality theater environment. Understanding how brain activity responses are related to affective stimuli with known valence and arousal ratings may contribute to a better understanding of affective processing in virtual reality.Methods: We investigated frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) responses to image sequences previously annotated with valence and arousal ratings. Twenty-four participants viewed image sequences in VR with known valence and arousal values while their brain activity was recorded. Participants wore the Oculus Quest VR headset and viewed image sequences while immersed in a virtual reality theater environment.Results: Image sequences with higher valence ratings elicited greater FAA scores than image sequences with lower valence ratings (F [1, 23] = 4.631, p = 0.042), while image sequences with higher arousal scores elicited lower FAA scores than image sequences with low arousal (F [1, 23] = 7.143, p = 0.014). The effect of valence on alpha power did not reach statistical significance (F [1, 23] = 4.170, p = 0.053). We determined that only the high valence, low arousal image sequence elicited FAA which was significantly higher than FAA recorded during baseline (t [23] = −3.166, p = 0.002), suggesting that this image sequence was the most salient for participants.Conclusion: Image sequences with higher valence, and lower arousal may lead to greater FAA responses in VR experiences. While findings suggest that FAA data may be useful in understanding associations between valence and arousal self-reported data and brain activity responses elicited from affective experiences in VR environments, additional research concerning individual differences in affective processing may be informative for the development of affective VR scenarios.

Smith and Smitherson’s Theatre of the Absurd

Smith and Smitherson’s Theatre of the Absurd

Beyond Representation in Virtual Reality: The Abstract Art of Jane LaFarge Hamill and Kevin Mack

Abstract Although virtual reality (VR) is largely associated with a dependency on realist imagery award-winning visual effects professional Kevin Mack and oil painter Jane LaFarge Hamill use VR to produce abstract works. Abstract art and early abstract film reveal the importance of such experimentation to each medium’s latent potential and how early oddities, in due course, enter the mainstream. The author examines Mack and Hamill’s respective works to propose that experimenting with abstraction in virtual reality is crucial to its unfolding as a creative medium.

HEARTBEAT4D: An Open-source Toolbox for Turning 4D Cardiac CT into VR/AR.

Four-dimensional data sets are increasingly common in MRI and CT. While clinical visualization often focuses on individual temporal phases capturing the tissue(s) of interest, it may be possible to gain additional insight through exploring animated 3D reconstructions of physiological motion made possible by augmented or virtual reality representations of 4D patient imaging. Cardiac CT acquisitions can provide sufficient spatial resolution and temporal data to support advanced visualization, however, there are no open-source tools readily available to facilitate the transformation from raw medical images to dynamic and interactive augmented or virtual reality representations. To address this gap, we developed a workflow using free and open-source tools to process 4D cardiac CT imaging starting from raw DICOM data and ending with dynamic AR representations viewable on a phone, tablet, or computer. In addition to assembling the workflow using existing platforms (3D Slicer and Unity), we also contribute two new features: 1. custom software which can propagate a segmentation created for one cardiac phase to all others and export to surface files in a fully automated fashion, and 2. a user interface and linked code for the animation and interactive review of the surfaces in augmented reality. Validation of the surface-based areas demonstrated excellent correlation with radiologists' image-based areas (R > 0.99). While our tools were developed specifically for 4D cardiac CT, the open framework will allow it to serve as a blueprint for similar applications applied to 4D imaging of other tissues and using other modalities. We anticipate this and related workflows will be useful both clinically and for educational purposes.

Virtual Reality and Embodiment in Multimodal Meaning Making

Immersive virtual reality (VR) technology is becoming widespread in education, yet research of VR technologies for students’ multimodal communication is an emerging area of research in writing and literacies scholarship. Likewise, the significance of new ways of embodied meaning making in VR environments is undertheorized—a gap that requires attention given the potential for broadened use of the sensorium in multimodal language and literacy learning. This classroom research investigated multimodal composition using the virtual paint program Google Tilt Brush™ with 47 elementary school students (ages 10–11 years) using a head-mounted display and motion sensors. Multimodal analysis of video, screen capture, and think-aloud data attended to sensory-motor affordances and constraints for embodiment. Modal constraints were the immateriality of the virtual text, virtual disembodiment, and somatosensory mismatch between the virtual and physical worlds. Potentials for new forms of embodied multimodal representation in VR involved extensive bodily, haptic, and locomotive movement. The findings are significant given that research of embodied cognition points to sensorimotor action as the basis for language and communication.

Towards a Sensitive Urban Wind Representation in Virtual Reality

Wind can influence people’s behavior and their way of inhabiting an architectural or urban space. Furthermore, virtual reality (VR) enables the simulation of different physical and sensitive phenomena such as the wind. We aim to analyze the effects of different wind representations in terms of perception of its properties and sense of presence in VR. We carry out two within-subject studies aiming at evaluating different wind representation suggestions (including audiovisual and tactile stimuli) to identify their effects on wind properties’ perception and sense of presence in the VR scene. Our analysis showed significant effects of tactile restitution over the visual effects used in the study, both for understanding wind properties and for increasing the sense of presence in the VR scene. The tactile condition (T) reduced the estimation error of wind direction by 27% compared to the visual condition (V). The wind force error was reduced by 9.8% using (T) with (V). (T) increased the sense of presence by 12.2% compared to (V). Our second experiment showed an overestimation of the wind force perceived compared to the reference value of the Beaufort scale. For the maximum force value evaluated, the average result was 91% higher than the reference value, while for the lower, the average answer was 77% higher than the reference value. Previous studies have evaluated wind rendering in virtual reality, and others have studied the visualization of wind simulation results. To our knowledge, our study is the first to compare the perception of these two types of representations as well as the effects of wind on elements of the context. We also compared the wind perception to a reference-based method, the Beaufort scale.

A learning workflow based on an integrated digital toolkit to support education in manufacturing system engineering

Digital modelling of manufacturing systems is experiencing a fast development, but it still shows significant limitations when considering integration and interoperability of enabling technologies. Indeed, there is still a lack of reference integrated workflows to perform the wide span of tasks, ranging from layout configuration and performance evaluations to 3D representations. Commercial software tools are either too complex or expensive to be approached by non-specialists, therefore it is hard to design effective learning activities in manufacturing system engineering. This paper proposes a structured learning workflow based on an open toolkit that takes advantage of a common ontology-based data model to smoothly integrate digital tools for manufacturing system modelling, performance evaluation, and virtual reality representation. After detailing methodologies and digital tools, the proposed workflow is applied to a pilot case in higher education.