VR-based Environment Research Articles

Behavioural Gap Assessment of Human-Vehicle Interaction in Real and Virtual Reality-Based Scenarios in Autonomous Driving

In the field of autonomous driving research, the use of immersive virtual reality (VR) techniques is widespread to enable a variety of studies under safe and controlled conditions. However, this methodology is only valid and consistent if the conduct of participants in the simulated setting mirrors their actions in an actual environment. In this paper, we present a first and innovative approach to evaluating what we term the behavioural gap, a concept that captures the disparity in a participant’s conduct when engaging in a VR experiment compared to an equivalent real-world situation. To this end, we developed a digital twin of a pre-existed crosswalk and carried out a field experiment (N = 18) to investigate pedestrian-autonomous vehicle interaction in both real and simulated driving conditions. In the experiment, the pedestrian attempts to cross the road in the presence of different driving styles and an external Human-Machine Interface (eHMI). By combining survey-based and behavioural analysis methodologies, we develop a quantitative approach to empirically assess the behavioural gap, as a mechanism to validate data obtained from real subjects interacting in a simulated VR-based environment. Results show that participants are more cautious and curious in VR, affecting their speed and decisions, and that VR interfaces significantly influence their actions.

Virtual Reality Improves Functional Use of Vision in Persons With Albinism

A number of technology-based low-vision aids have been tested and reported in the literature. Virtual reality (VR) assistive devices permit virtually limitless personalized customization of image qualities to meet the needs of each individual with low vision who is reading, using apps, or viewing videos on a computer screen. This study was aimed at evaluating visual acuity in a fully integrated, high-resolution VR-based environment. Twenty individuals with albinism (12 women and 8 men) were recruited in four cohorts, each of which was evaluated in sessions that were 6 months long. The participants were trained and tested with either an Oculus Quest VR headset or an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset, depending on their cohort membership. Two tests for visual acuity, using the Snellen chart and the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (LogMAR) chart, were administered to each participant at baseline using clinical protocols and at months 1 and 6 in VR with the Snellen and LogMAR charts presented at appropriate virtual distances. For both the Snellen and LogMAR tests, visual acuity was significantly better in VR at months 1 and 6 than at baseline when the participants were tested with or without corrective lenses. All participants agreed that VR could be useful for people with low vision. VR shows great promise for improving employment options for individuals with low vision.

Virtual Reality-based Methods for Training Novice Electrophysiology Trainees-A Pilot Study.

Developing an accurate and detailed 3-dimensional (3D) mental model of cardiac anatomy is critical for electrophysiology (EP) trainees. Due to its immersive nature, virtual reality (VR) may provide a better learning environment than traditional teaching methods for assimilating 3D cardiac anatomy. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the technical feasibility of an interactive, remote VR-based method for teaching cardiac anatomy to novice EP trainees. We created a shared, remote VR environment that allows the shared viewing of high-resolution 3D cardiac models. Eighteen trainees accepted for pediatric and adult EP fellowships were recruited. We performed a cohort study comparing the traditional teaching methods with the VR learning environment. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and a satisfaction survey. The adult EP trainees were given a multiple-choice pre- and post-test exam to assess their anatomical knowledge. Both the adult and pediatric EP trainee cohorts rated the VR experience positively and preferred the VR environment to the more traditional teaching method. All the participants expressed interest in incorporating the VR learning environment into the EP fellowship curriculum. The usability of the system was relatively low, with approximately one-third of participants rating the system as hard to use. The impact of the VR session on exam performance was mixed among the adult cohort. We demonstrated the feasibility of gathering geographically dispersed EP fellows in training with a shared VR-based environment to teach cardiac anatomy. Although we were not able to demonstrate a learning benefit over the traditional lecture format in the adult cohort, the training environment was favorably received by all the participants.

Procedural learning in virtual reality: The role of immersion, interactivity, and spatial ability.

Although there is much enthusiasm for using virtual reality (VR) in training and education, research findings on the benefits of VR over traditional learning environments are mixed. This disconnect in the literature may be because the cognitive mechanisms that underlie learning in VR have not been addressed systematically. This research explored immersion and interactivity, two key features of VR that set it apart from traditional training approaches. In addition, the impact of spatial ability (SA) on learning outcomes was also assessed. In this experiment, 83 college students learned a maintenance procedure in a virtual environment (VE). Students were assigned randomly to one of three between-subjects training groups. In the Desktop group, students used a desktop-based environment and interacted with it using a mouse and keyboard. In the VR-voice group, students used a VR-based environment and interacted using voice-based commands, while those in the VR-Gesture group interacted using gesture-based commands. To measure learning, students completed a written recall test. There were no significant differences in learning outcome across the three groups, but SA was a significant moderator. Overall, those with high SA outperformed those with low SA in the Desktop condition; however, this effect was not significant in the VR conditions. In fact, those with low SA performed best in the VR-gesture condition compared to the VR-voice or Desktop training. These results suggest that VR environments that incorporate gesture-based interactions may help individuals with low SA better understand the content of the lesson.

Quantifying the Effects of Working in VR for One Week.

Virtual Reality (VR) provides new possibilities for modern knowledge work. However, the potential advantages of virtual work environments can only be used if it is feasible to work in them for an extended period of time. Until now, there are limited studies of long-term effects when working in VR. This paper addresses the need for understanding such long-term effects. Specifically, we report on a comparative study $i$, in which participants were working in VR for an entire week-for five days, eight hours each day-as well as in a baseline physical desktop environment. This study aims to quantify the effects of exchanging a desktop-based work environment with a VR-based environment. Hence, during this study, we do not present the participants with the best possible VR system but rather a setup delivering a comparable experience to working in the physical desktop environment. The study reveals that, as expected, VR results in significantly worse ratings across most measures. Among other results, we found concerning levels of simulator sickness, below average usability ratings and two participants dropped out on the first day using VR, due to migraine, nausea and anxiety. Nevertheless, there is some indication that participants gradually overcame negative first impressions and initial discomfort. Overall, this study helps lay the groundwork for subsequent research, by clearly highlighting current shortcomings and identifying opportunities for improving the experience of working in VR.

An Intuitive VR-based Environment for Monitoring and Control of Electrical Power Substations

A Virtual Reality System provides an intuitive tridimensional user interface, with distinct interaction when compared to a traditional 2D layout, allowing the user to manipulate data similar to the real world. Such systems give the users physical and cognitive immersion, by granting a mental model compatible with field operation. In this work, we present the development aspects and some results of a Virtual Reality based solution to provide a more natural and intuitive environment for controlling electrical operation centers. The solution intends to minimize the issues caused by the operation of electric power substations due to the lack of spatial and functional information on the traditional operation interfaces. The research is being carried out with the collaboration between the energy electric company of Minas Gerais–Brazil (CEMIG) and the Federal University of Uberlândia. Besides operating generation and transmission actives, the environment presents great potential for the training of operators and other professionals of support and maintenance.

Establishment of Virtual-Reality-Based Safety Education and Training System for Safety Engagement

The current safety education and training system has a number of problems, namely that the actual risks in the field are not reflected and that workers cannot be engaged in safety education. Therefore, we conducted a study to build a VR-based safety education system that reflects the problems actually occurring in the field. The risk points of the electrical construction sites were derived through in-depth interviews with various stakeholders such as field workers, safety managers, and management. A risk scenario was also constructed by analyzing the causes and effects of existing accident cases. A safety education system was constructed to which the established risk scenario was applied. In the virtual construction site, the site’s own model, safety equipment, and members were implemented in a 3D model to form a virtual reality environment. This environment is intended to provide an educational environment wherein workers can immerse themselves in safety, specifically because this VR-based environment can induce active participation by providing safety information through various experiences. In addition, in this study, a VR-based safety education system that reflects the field conditions was designed to prepare basic data for the modernization and activation of safety education.

Novel virtual reality based training system for fine motor skills: Towards developing a robotic surgery training system.

Training surgeons to use surgical robots are becoming part of surgical training curricula. We propose a novel method of training fine-motor skills such as Microscopic Selection Task (MST) for robot-assisted surgery using virtual reality (VR) with objective quantification of performance. We also introduce vibrotactile feedback (VTFB) to study its impact on training performance. We use a VR-based environment to perform MST with varying degrees of difficulties. Using a well-known human-computer interaction paradigm and incorporating VTFB, we quantify the performance: speed, precision and accuracy. MST with VTFB showed statistically significant improvement in performance metrics leading to faster completion of MST with higher precision and accuracy compared to that without VTFB. The addition of VTFB to VR-based training for robot-assisted surgeries may improve performance outcomes in real robotic surgery. VTFB, along with proposed performance metrics, can be used in training curricula for robot-assisted surgeries.

VR-based realistic assessment of annoyance for the noise of children running in apartment buildings

This study assessed annoyance response to temporal variations of sound energy of heavy floor impact in apartment buildings by using a virtual reality environment. As for a real moving sound source, the noise of a child running diagonally on the floor was reproduced by applying HRTF to the sound source of a single impact ball. Annoyance was assessed in the acoustic environment where visual information was provided by using HMD and directional information was given by using HRTF. A comparison scale using the equal-appearing interval (EQI) was adopted to reflect the sense of daily life. As a result, when visual information was provided in the VR environment, the annoyance of subjects decreased. On the other hand, directional information was given, the subjects became more sensitive to annoyance. Consequently, annoyance was more affected by the direction of a heavy moving sound source than the visual information. The VR-based environment of this study turned out to be realistic in a pyschoacoustic experiment.

The effect of a virtual reality learning environment on learners’ spatial ability

This study employed electroencephalography to record event-related potentials to investigate the difference in learning performance between learners with different levels of spatial ability in a traditional learning environment that utilizes presentation slides and a learning environment that incorporates virtual reality (VR). Thirty-two university students participated in the experiment. The N1 and P2 components were results that indicated selective attention at an early stage; their amplitudes were proportional to the cognitive loads. The experiment results revealed that the main effect of learning environment was significant. The N1 and P2 components had larger amplitudes and indicated higher cognitive loads in the presentation slides-based environment than in the VR-based environment. The main effect of spatial ability was also significant. The N1 and P2 amplitudes evoked in the high spatial ability (HSA) learners were smaller than those evoked in the low spatial ability (LSA) learners, indicating that the LSA learners possessed fewer cognitive resources and bore relatively high cognitive loads. The interaction effect of learning environment and spatial ability was significant. Larger P2 amplitude was observed in LSA learners in the presentation slides-based environment than in the VR-based environment, implying that VR facilitates the reduction of cognitive loads in LSA learners. The P2 amplitude detected in HSA learners did not show any significant difference in both learning environments, indicating that the VR-based learning environment did not enhance their learning. This result supports the ability-as-compensator hypothesis to a certain extent.

Virtual Reality and Assistive Technologies: A Survey

This paper conducts an extensive survey on existing Virtual Reality (VR)-based rehabilitation approaches in the context of different types of impairments: mobility, cognitive, and visual. Some VR-based assistive technologies involve repetitions of body movements, some require persistent mental exercise, while some work as sensory substitution systems. A multi-modal VR-based environment can incorporate a number of senses, (i.e., visual, auditory, or haptic) into the system and can be an immense source of motivation and engagement in comparison with traditional rehabilitation therapy. This survey categorizes virtual environments on the basis of different available modalities. Each category is again subcategorized by the types of impairments while introducing available devices and interfaces. Before concluding the survey, the paper also briefly focuses on some issues with existing VR-based approaches that need to be optimized to exploit the utmost benefit of virtual environment-based rehabilitation systems .

Assessment of human perceptual sensitivity to physically non-conforming motion in virtual environments

Recent advances in neuroscience have shown that the neuropathological disorders are closely related with diseases such as Alzheimers. Those damages are particularly associated with the intermediate visual perceptual processing which can cause the motion perception defects and abnormal visuospatial functions in daily living of patients. In this paper, we propose virtual reality-based assessment tools for measuring human perceptual sensitivity to dynamic erroneous motions, particularly designed to assess possible early stage of brain damages and its associated visual dysfunctions. The main thrust of this paper is on perceptually tuned virtual reality system that can produce realistic natural behavior. The proposed method contains multiple assessment layers to check the awareness of erroneous motion in natural scenes at various severities. Our VR-based game-type environment provides an effective test bed for various dynamic motion-based perceptual sensitivity experiments. Our initial human subject tests show that game-based test environment produces more coherent and consistent data, preferable to survey-based methods.

Are Learning Styles Relevant To Virtual Reality?

This study aims to investigate the effects of a virtual reality (VR)-based learning environment on learners with different learning styles. The findings of the aptitude-by-treatment interaction study have shown that learners benefit most from the VR (guided exploration) mode, irrespective of their learning styles. This shows that the VR-based environment offers promise in accommodating individual differences in terms of learning style. In addition, the significant positive effect of the VR (guided exploration) mode—which provides additional navigational aids—over the VR (non-guided exploration) mode—which does not provide additional navigational aids—also implies the importance of providing VR-based learning environments with proper instructional design to achieve the desired educational outcomes.