Virtual Realm Research Articles

Avatars in the virtual realm: an integrated approach to enhance digital community interaction

Avatars in the virtual realm: an integrated approach to enhance digital community interaction

The Digital Gender Paradox: A Reflective Analysis of Inequality in the Virtual Realm in India

V In the fast-evolving digital age, technology promises to break barriers and offer equal opportunities to all. Yet, within the virtual realm of India, a paradox emerges: digital platforms appear inclusive, gender-based disparities persist, reflecting deep-rooted societal inequalities. The research aims to explore the complexities of the "Digital Gender Paradox," focusing on how the digital world both empowers and marginalizes women. By analysing access to technology, participation in the digital economy, and online safety, the study uncovers the subtle and overt challenges women face in navigating the digital landscape. Through a reflective lens, it evaluates the extent to which digital spaces can become catalysts for gender equality or reinforce existing biases. There is significant relationships regarding access to digital resources and participation in the digital economy based on gender and LGBTQ+ identity, particularly influenced by geographic location. The findings shows a t-value of 3.607 and p-value of 0.001, indicating that rural respondents (mean = 2.7310) face more barriers than urban respondents (mean = 2.9877). Government initiatives positively impact online experiences, the F-value of 1.219 and p-value of 0.307 shows no significant age-related differences, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies to bridge the digital gender and LGBTQ+ gap in India.

Pictures in our heads: Politics of space, time, and memory in Polish virtual reality storyworlds

This article examines the entangled politics of space, time and memory in the virtual realm of extended reality (XR). The illiberal right-wing Law and Justice party (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość) has been investing in the creation and dissemination of virtual reality (VR) content centred on historical themes since 2018. By mapping out the experiential geography of populism in virtual places, the article aims to identify the main features of this new immersive mode of politics. The article argues three main points on space, time, and memory: (1) in VR, places are storylived spaces that are conceived and designed by their creators to elicit a specific sense of place, accompanied by specific emotions and thoughts; (2) from an experiential point of view, the past does not exist in VR, only the virtual present, turning VR into a contemporary technology of myth-making and myth-living; (3) since VR experiences become integrated into the autobiographical memory, VR is a technology that shapes the self. In effect, VR storyworlds establish places for the embodied rehearsal of cultural memory narratives.

A pilot study: developing acoustic model for immersive environment

In the landscape of higher education in Malaysia, the adoption of immersive technologies still in its infancy, particularly within the field of building science education. This research endeavors to elevate the learning experiences of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) concepts, with a specific focus on lighting and acoustics. The ongoing study seeks to revolutionize current learning methodologies by converting traditional modules into an immersive virtual environment, offering learners an interactive, and sensory-rich experience with the subject matter. To ensure the effectiveness of the acoustic immersive environment, this paper prioritizes the initial step of developing the acoustic simulation model. In an early pilot study, on-site measurements of sound pressure levels were recorded at various points within a basic classroom setting and an acoustic model will be developed subsequently. Consequently, the alignment between the developed acoustic model and real-world physical measurements establishes a solid foundation for the subsequent calibration process, during which the acoustic model will be tailored to meet VR-ready specifications delve into immersive environment model. This finding ensures a seamless transition of real-world acoustic conditions into the virtual realm, amplifying the authenticity and educational impact of the VR learning experience, thereby contributing to the advancement of immersive technologies in higher education.

Artificial intelligence - an imperative of the digital society

Artificial Intelligence (AI), ranging from basic algorithms to advanced systems, is reshaping our way of life and daily activities. It has a direct impact on mass media and communication, altering traditional paradigms and introducing new technological approaches. AI employs sophisticated algorithms to generate various types of media content, adapting to both traditional environments translated into the virtual realm and inherently digital media. Within the European Union, particular attention is given to online security, connectivity, digital skills, digital businesses, and digital public services. The EU’s cyber security strategy, along with data protection and governance laws, contributes to enhancing access to secure information and databases. The way we approach artificial intelligence will shape the future. To contribute to building a resilient Europe, citizens and institutions should benefit from the advantages offered by AI and feel secure.

Virtual masculinities: Gamification, escape, and body control in Ernest Cline’s ready player one (2011)

This paper examines the intersection of masculinity and technology in Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, focusing on how virtual spaces like the OASIS serve as arenas for constructing and performing masculinity. Through the lenses of gamification, technological escape, and control over the virtual body, the novel presents a nuanced critique of how men navigate identity in a digital, hyperreal world. The study argues that Ready Player One not only reflects hegemonic masculine ideals but also reveals the vulnerabilities and limitations of such constructions in both real and virtual realms. By analyzing the protagonist Wade Watts's journey, the paper explores how the gamification of identity in the OASIS allows for the performance of idealized masculinity while simultaneously exposing its fragility. It examines how technology serves as an escape from real-world vulnerabilities, offering temporary empowerment but ultimately highlighting the unsustainability of virtual refuges. Furthermore, the paper investigates how control over the virtual body in the OASIS reflects broader cultural pressures on men to conform to societal standards of masculinity. Drawing on scholarly work in digital media, gender studies, and gaming culture, this analysis contributes to a deeper understanding of how digital environments both construct and deconstruct traditional gender norms. Ultimately, the paper argues that while the OASIS provides a space for performing idealized masculinity, it also underscores the limitations of virtual identities, revealing the need for a more grounded understanding of masculinity that transcends the illusory empowerment offered by technology.

Bridging Divide with Innovative Media: Telexistence and Human Augmentation

This paper explores the transformative potential of haptic design and human augmentation, inspired by Dr. Minamizawa's keynote address at the 2024 Emerging Media for Communicating Sustainable Development Goals conference (held in Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 30 March, 2024). By integrating tactile feedback into prosthetics and wearable devices, and employing robotic avatars and virtual interfaces, these technologies bridge the physical and virtual realms, redefining presence and interaction. The convergence of haptic design with telexistence and human augmentation enhances sensory engagement and bodily awareness, challenging traditional boundaries between biology and technology. However, these advancements might also raise ethical considerations and societal concerns about privacy, accessibility, autonomy, and safety. The future of human augmentation demands responsible development and inclusive dialogue to ensure empowerment, equity, and collective progress. This paper highlights the need for a human-integration approach to navigate the opportunities and challenges presented by these emerging technologies.

Neural Sensing: Toward a New Approach to Understanding Emotional Responses to Place

ABSTRACTAs GIS progressively permeates our everyday lives, it becomes increasingly significant to incorporate emotional factors into the design and use of GIS technologies. While existing methods such as self‐report and AI‐enhanced techniques prevail in collecting emotional factors, they often miss real‐time emotional nuances and synchronization with geographically referenced and other accompanying data. To bridge this gap, we introduce “Neural Sensing,” a novel approach that combines Electroencephalogram (EEG) with GIS technologies to quantitatively measure emotional responses to places. This approach offers a unique lens to understand human dynamics in a hybrid physical–virtual realm, especially by delving into our mental worlds. To demonstrate the utility of Neural Sensing, we have designed a pilot empirical study to analyze emotional reactions to geographical environments. This approach broadens the domain of GIS methodologies from remote sensing and social sensing to a neural sensing approach. Through this study, we underscore the importance of the mental dimension of the hybrid physical–virtual world and encourage GIScientists to emphasize human experiences and feelings in GIS analyses.

Review on synergizing the Metaverse and AI-driven synthetic data: enhancing virtual realms and activity recognition in computer vision

The Metaverse’s emergence is redefining digital interaction, enabling seamless engagement in immersive virtual realms. This trend’s integration with AI and virtual reality (VR) is gaining momentum, albeit with challenges in acquiring extensive human action datasets. Real-world activities involve complex intricate behaviors, making accurate capture and annotation difficult. VR compounds this difficulty by requiring meticulous simulation of natural movements and interactions. As the Metaverse bridges the physical and digital realms, the demand for diverse human action data escalates, requiring innovative solutions to enrich AI and VR capabilities. This need is underscored by state-of-the-art models that excel but are hampered by limited real-world data. The overshadowing of synthetic data benefits further complicates the issue. This paper systematically examines both real-world and synthetic datasets for activity detection and recognition in computer vision. Introducing Metaverse-enabled advancements, we unveil SynDa’s novel streamlined pipeline using photorealistic rendering and AI pose estimation. By fusing real-life video datasets, large-scale synthetic datasets are generated to augment training and mitigate real data scarcity and costs. Our preliminary experiments reveal promising results in terms of mean average precision (mAP), where combining real data and synthetic video data generated using this pipeline to train models presents an improvement in mAP (32.35%), compared to the mAP of the same model when trained on real data (29.95%). This demonstrates the transformative synergy between Metaverse and AI-driven synthetic data augmentation.

Pelatihan Internet of Things (IoT) di SMA Negeri 1 Donorojo dalam Rangka Program Kerja KKN UNISNU Jepara

In the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era began to enter the virtual realm through connectivity between humans, machines, and data spread in various places and known as the Internet of Things (IoT) where the technology is needed in the current era. Internet of Things (IoT) is a technology that connects physical devices, vehicles, household appliances, and various other items. The Community Service Method used is offline training. The results of this Community Service are 30 participants who participated in the training with initially there were only 4 participants who understood the concept and application of IoT to 29 participants with a percentage of 86.2%, followed by participants' interest in the IoT field from 3 participants to 28 participants with a percentage of 89.2%, and activeness in question and answer sessions and discussions from 5 participants to 30 participants with a percentage of 83.3%.

Metaversal Real Estate Dynamics: The MRED Framework for Informed Decision-making in Virtual Space

Venturing into the digital frontier, the metaverse challenges our traditional understanding of real estate, beckoning a deep dive into its virtual realms and the complexities they harbour. This research seeks to provide an integrative framework for comprehending the intricacies of virtual real estate within the metaverse, emphasising its valuation, governance and sustainability. Utilising an exploratory design, the study amalgamates insights from existing metaverse literature and stakeholder perspectives to fashion a robust framework, which is further augmented by derived theoretical propositions. The findings shed light on the multifarious challenges inherent to the metaverse’s virtual real estate. There is a spotlight on the substantial energy demands of the metaverse and the consequent ecological imperative for sustainable digital practices. It underscores the need for malleable governance mechanisms in a decentralised metaverse and champions the harmonisation of age-old ownership philosophies with avant-garde technological solutions such as blockchain. The research also postulates a collaborative ethos for virtual space creation and propounds innovative financial paradigms tailored to the unique economic rhythm of the metaverse. Future research vectors could span the cultural and psychological facets of virtual domains and the ripple effects on conventional real estate frameworks.

Beyond digital interfaces: The human element in online teaching and its influence on student experiences.

Amidst the digital transformation of education, the essence of the human touch in online teaching remains pivotal. Despite growing literature, there remains a significant gap in understanding how the human element in online teaching directly influences student engagement and learning outcomes, especially in diverse educational contexts. This study develops a quantifiable index capturing the essence of humanized online teaching and investigates the determinants influencing this humanization. Additionally, an index encapsulating students' online learning experiences, as perceived by their instructors, has been constructed. Bridging these indices, the research unravels the intricate relationship between the humanization of online teaching and the resulting student experiences in the virtual realm. Sourced from a self-constructed questionnaire and encompassing responses from 152 instructors across 22 Malaysian institutions, the data revealed an average incorporation of 81.38% humanized online teaching elements. Key determinants, such as subject matter, teaching experience, Internet quality, and platform choices, emerged as significant influences. A regression model showed approximately 31.7% (R-squared = 0.317, p<0.001) of the variation in the dependent variable. A significant moderate positive correlation (r = 0.423, p<0.001) between the Humanized Online Teaching Index and the Students' Online Learning Experiences Index highlights the intertwined nature of humanized instructional methodologies and enhanced student engagement in online settings. Though contextualised during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic, the study's implications transcend the immediate circumstances, offering transformative insights for future online teaching methodologies and enhancing student experiences in the evolving digital age.

Causes and Consequences of Cyberbullying Against Women in Bangladesh: A Comprehensive Study

Cyberbullying has emerged as a significant threat to women in Bangladesh, with the digital realm becoming a new battleground for harassment and intimidation. With the rapid advancement and widespread integration of information and communication technology (ICT), a unique form of wrongdoing has emerged within the virtual realm of the internet. This phenomenon, commonly referred to as cyberbullying, has gained widespread prevalence, particularly on social media platforms, where individuals readily participate in activities such as verbal abuse, dissemination of false information, and propagation of hate speech. In the context of Digital Bangladesh, where the use of the internet and social media is experiencing rapid growth, cyberbullying has become a frequent and noteworthy occurrence. The consequences of cyberbullying are enduring and multifaceted. This article seeks to explore the global issue of cyberbullying, with a specific focus on the situation in Digital Bangladesh, particularly concerning women. The primary aim of this article is to scrutinize cyberbullying, comprehending its underlying causes and investigating its widespread consequences. Additionally, the article directs attention to the legislative measures in Bangladesh designed to address this global issue and examines how the country is addressing cyberbullying in the current and forthcoming periods. The insights derived from this study can serve as a valuable reference for young individuals, educators, lawmakers, advocates, and concerned citizens, offering them a comprehensive understanding of the prevailing cyberbullying landscape in Digital Bangladesh.

Language Choices and Digital Identity of High School Student Text Messages in the New Capital City of Indonesia: Implication for Language Education

This research investigates the language choices and digital identities represented in text messages exchanged by high school students in the New Capital City of Indonesia (Ibu Kota Nusantara/IKN) and the implications of these linguistic practices for language teaching. Using a corpus of messages transmitted via WhatsApp collected from 100 high school students, this study produced 2.1 million tokens of 83,414 word types. This study uses corpus linguistic analysis to investigate the distinctive features of language usage, lexical changes, and communication trends in the digital discourse of IKN high school students. Data analysis utilizes features from AntConc corpus tools, including word lists, collocations, concordances, and N-grams. Concerning the features uncovered the subtle nuances that contribute to the unique linguistic identity of the student authors. This research highlights how digital language patterns attribute individual identity within the context of IKN high school students. The data analysis discovers three linguistic patterns in the electronic texts produced by IKN High School students, reflecting their general digital identity as language users in IKN, namely (1) lexical choice, (2) orthographic selection, and (3) lexical bundles. Furthermore, the study reveals the complex construction of digital identity through language, with students negotiating social positions, connections, and personal identities via their linguistic choices in electronic texts. The research findings contribute to the implications of language teaching in the IKN area and a deeper understanding of how students within the IKN area express themselves through language in the virtual realm, thus shaping their digital identities.

Introduction: The Writer’s Place

Spatial psychology, a multidisciplinary field combining psychology, neuroscience, and environmental studies, investigates the relationship between individuals and their spatial surroundings (Montello 1998, pg. 143). Grounded in the fundamental notion that cognition is not solely confined to the mind but is intricately intertwined with the spatial environments in which individuals operate, spatial psychology and the psychology of place seek to unravel the cognitive processes, behavioural patterns, and emotional responses that unfold within specific spatial contexts (Poshansky, Fabian, Kaminoff 1983, pg.57). Spatial psychology addresses questions related to how humans perceive, process, and navigate space, encompassing both physical and virtual realms. Informed by spatial psychology, in this special issue we foreground the idea that place is space imbued with meaning, allowing authors the chance to reflect on places of production and to consider (either critically or creatively) the impact of place on their creative ponderings, creative process, and creative products. We asked contributors to consider the following questions: • What are the characteristics of the writer’s (preferred or limited) place of writing, and how important is the articulation/decoration/function of that place in the creative process e.g., the writer’s chair, desk, bookcase, pictures, music, temperature? • What is the writer’s experience – how does the writer ‘feel’ when writing – and how does the place of writing influence that experience, the creative process, and creative outputs; can the place be imagined/ virtual; how does technology affect the planning or design of the writing space; what does the writing in that place smell or taste like? • Does the writer (or their editor?) feel that the work created in a place of the writer’s own making is of a higher quality than if produced in a place they would prefer not to be? • Is the writer’s place only/solely the mind/body, and if so, what goes on in writing in that place?

The TikTok Application: A Virtual Portal for Manifesting the Collective Aspirations of the Masses

Social media, as a virtual platform for social contact, has undoubtedly brought about significant social changes over time, thanks to the ever-advancing technology of today. As society progresses, the way individuals behave can vary between their actions in the physical world and their actions in the online realm. The omnipresent TikTok application has enthralled a wide array of populations, encompassing both the privileged and the labouring class, across various age brackets. Social change refers to a fundamental shift in the structure and functioning of social relationships, encompassing aspects such as power dynamics, decision-making processes, social influence, family connections, and population patterns. In this instance, the author will examine how the TikTok application might effectively redirect individuals' desires towards an institution or the public in the virtual realm. This research employs a qualitative approach through a literature review, wherein prior studies are analysed and synthesized to create a new body of literature.

Improving Security and Environmental Awareness through Game-Based Learning with Minecraft

This paper presents an innovative educational approach centered on the use of the game Minecraft to shape attitudes and develop knowledge in young people. The Children’s University summer camps, although they revolve around various subjects, share a common goal: to enhance environmental and safety awareness and foster technological interest among younger generations. These camps enable students from participating elementary schools to learn interactively about key areas such as sustainable energy sources, information protection, and security in buildings. In the virtual realm of Minecraft, players encounter real-life challenges that demand the utilisation of their creativity and problem-solving abilities. The effectiveness of the camps was measured through questionnaire surveys. 33.3% of participants felt the knowledge acquired at the camp was very useful, and 38.9% felt it was useful for their future studies or careers. 55.6% of the participants felt that their problem-solving skills and creativity had greatly improved during the camp, while 27.8% noticed a less significant improvement in these skills. The camps were characterised by an atmosphere of cooperation and openness. The results of questionnaire surveys confirmed the effectiveness of the camps, not only in terms of improving environmental and safety awareness but also in terms of fostering creative work through cooperation.

Blockchain-Enabled Secure and Interoperable Authentication Scheme for Metaverse Environments

The metaverse, which amalgamates physical and virtual realms for diverse social activities, has been the focus of extensive application development by organizations, research institutes, and companies. However, these applications are often isolated, employing distinct authentication methods across platforms. Achieving interoperable authentication is crucial for when avatars traverse different metaverses to mitigate security concerns like impersonation, mutual authentication, replay, and server spoofing. To address these issues, we propose a blockchain-enabled secure and interoperable authentication scheme. This mechanism uniquely identifies users in the physical world as well as avatars, facilitating seamless navigation across verses. Our proposal is substantiated through informal security analyses, employing automated verification of internet security protocols and applications (AVISPA), the real-or-random (ROR) model, and Burrows–Abadi–Needham (BAN) logic and showcasing effectiveness against a broad spectrum of security threats. Comparative assessments against similar schemes demonstrate our solution’s superiority in terms of communication costs, computation costs, and security features. Consequently, our blockchain-enabled, interoperable, and secure authentication scheme stands as a robust solution for ensuring security in metaverse environments.

Application of digital twins for simulation based tailoring of laser induced graphene

In the era of man–machine interfaces, digital twins stand as a key technology, offering virtual representations of real-world objects, processes, and systems through computational models. They enable novel ways of interacting with, comprehending, and manipulating real-world entities within a virtual realm. The real implementation of graphene-based sensors and electronic devices remains challenging due to the integration complexities of high-quality graphene materials with existing manufacturing processes. To address this, scalable techniques for the in-situ fabrication of graphene-like materials are essential. One promising method involves using a CO2 laser to convert polyimide into graphene. Optimizing this graphitization process is hindered by complex parameter interactions and nonlinear terms. This article explores how these digital replicas can enhance the fabrication of laser-induced graphene (LIG) through laser simulation and machine learning methods to enable rapid single-step LIG patterning. This approach aims to create a universal simulation for all CO2 lasers, calculating optical energy flux and utilizing machine learning to control and predict LIG conductivity (ability to conduct current), morphology, and electrical resistance. The proposed procedure, integrating digital twins in the LIG production process, will avoid or reduce the preliminary tests required to determine the proper laser parameters to reach the desired LIG characteristics. Accordingly, this approach will reduce the time and costs associated with these tests and thus increase the efficiency and optimize the procedure.

Use of Virtual Reality and 3D Models in Contemporary Practice of Cardiology.

To provide an overview of the impact of virtual and augmented reality in contemporary cardiovascular medical practice. The utilization of virtual and augmented reality has emerged as an innovative technique in various cardiovascular subspecialties, including interventional adult, pediatric, and adult congenital as well as structural heart disease and heart failure. In particular, electrophysiology has proven valuable for both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The incorporation of 3D reconstruction modeling has significantly enhanced our understanding of patient anatomy and morphology, thereby improving diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes. The interactive modeling of cardiac structure and function within the virtual realm plays a pivotal role in comprehending complex congenital, structural, and coronary pathology. This, in turn, contributes to safer interventions and surgical procedures. Noteworthy applications include septal defect device closure, transcatheter valvular interventions, and left atrial occlusion device implantation. The implementation of virtual reality has been shown to yield cost savings in healthcare, reduce procedure time, minimize radiation exposure, lower intravenous contrast usage, and decrease the extent of anesthesia required. These benefits collectively result in a more efficient and effective approach to patient care.