VR Development Research Articles

Virtual ecological landscape design of theme parks based on entertainment robots and VR devices

Currently, the design of virtual ecological landscapes in theme parks has become an innovative form of entertainment. This study aims to explore how to construct virtual ecological landscapes in theme parks through entertainment robots and VR devices, in order to provide an interactive entertainment experience between tourists and nature. We have built an outdoor sensing system and collected environmental data through sensors. Implement motion control of entertainment robots through programming, enabling them to interact according to environmental changes. Then, through information control and feedback technology, interaction with tourists is achieved. Analyze the motion trajectory of robots to optimize their performance, use virtual reality technology for design and rendering, achieve interactive effects through VR development platforms, and optimize VR devices through controlled simulation technology to enhance the virtual experience of tourists. Finally, combining the principles of ecological landscape design with landscape design techniques, applying VR design technology to achieve the design of virtual ecological landscapes in theme parks, considering the layout and combination of natural elements, in order to create virtual landscapes that are similar to real ecology. Through the application of VR technology, tourists can experience the landscape changes under different seasons and weather conditions, increasing the fun and realism of interaction. The results indicate that the virtual ecological landscape design of the theme park has been achieved through the combination of entertainment robots and VR devices. Tourists can obtain an immersive entertainment experience through interaction with robots and the application of virtual reality technology. Through robot trajectory analysis and ecological landscape recognition technology, the landscape design effect is optimized.

TRENDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF VIRTUAL REALITY TOOLS IN THE GLOBAL DESIGN PRACTICE

The article is devoted to consideration of general trends in the development of virtual reality in architecture. It has been determined that the conditions for the usage of VR in architecture are becoming more and more favourable as each year these technologies are improved and their availability increases. As a result of the increasingly widespread use of smartphones, virtual reality applications have appeared that can be easily downloaded and installed on a phone. From the variety of tools for working with virtual reality, those that can be useful for applicability in architecture were selected. The chosen relevant tools were systematised into two categories: hardware and software. Recommendations for their application, depending on the request or stage of the project, are presented. It has been determined which form of virtual reality, devices, and software are the most suitable for the analysis, simulation, and design of the architectural environment. Special attention in the research is paid to artificial intelligence and the analysis of its influence on VR in architecture. The speed of development, compared to the traditional methods, economic expediency, and enhanced realism are singled out among the advantages of artificial intelligence. The prospects for VR development in architecture and its impact on the profession are examined. VR can also be used to create innovative new designs for buildings, allowing architects to explore the potential of materials, textures, and shapes in a way that was not possible before. Architects and designers can use VR to create, experimentalise, and refine design solutions virtually before starting construction. In the future, VR will become an integral part not only of the design process but also of presentation and approval. It is a powerful tool that helps establish communication between all the process participants. VR in architecture has enormous potential, the implementation of which will provide high social and economic results. Keywords: virtual reality, augmented reality, architectural environment, design, artificial intelligence.

Determining the Optimal Model for Developing Virtual Reality Applications

In the work, a comparative analysis of the currently used models for developing VR applications is carried out, and on the basis of its results, a number of our own key principles of successful VR development are put forward.

The Abu Dhabi Police Virtual Training Centre: A case study for building a virtual reality development capacity and capability

Abstract Virtual reality (VR) technology has revolutionized the way organizations are approaching the training of their workforce. By adopting elements of gamification, VR developers are now able to develop simulations that studies are beginning to demonstrate can teach vocational content in a more effective, efficient, and cost-effective manner, in comparison to traditional teaching approaches, such as classroom tuition for example. VR simulators are considered to be especially effective when used for replicating real-life training scenarios and this is the reason that they are beginning to be adopted by policing. To date, studies have examined their application in a small variety of policing scenarios but no literature has examined exactly how the police develop such VR training simulators, and this is the primary research gap that the study seeks to fill. This is achieved by using a single holistic case study methodology (Yin, 2018. Case Study Research: Design and Methods (6th edn). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage) to examine the design process of nine simulators developed by the Abu Dhabi Police Virtual Training Centre (ADPVTC). By examining detailed design documents this article identifies the use of elements of the constructivist pedagogical approach to learning to underpin the development process used, and associated hardware and software specifications and outlines practical methods of scalability, portability, and mitigation of health and safety risks. In doing so, whilst also providing a blueprint, and the argument for police services to consider the implementation of their own internal VR development capacity and capability, we discuss the possible implications of this for policing. Limitations are also outlined, with the primary issue being the absence of a formal effectiveness evaluation of the products produced, particularly those used for training.

The Effectiveness of Digital Technologies Used for the Visitor’s Experience in Digital Museums. A Systematic Literature Review from the Last Two Decades

The rapid advancement of technology has created a vibrant digital museum services and solutions industry. There is a drive for museums to overcome interaction and engagement issues, therefore providing a favorable atmosphere for a digital heritage economy. The research objectives of this paper are the recognition of the digital technologies used for the growth of digital museums. The study used the PRISMA statement 2020 to investigate the powerful technologies applied to the digital museum to develop the visitor’s experience. The final 46 articles included for the investigation and VOS software and key occurrence terms find the major classification themes of the literature. The digital museums, visitors' experiences, and digital technologies. The study's findings indicated that digital technologies significantly impact visitors' experience and interest after digital technologies like AR and VR development. In addition, many new inclusions of digital technologies like Personalization / Wearable Devices, Gesture Technology / Non-touch Interactives, Mobile Technologies, Indoor GPS tracking systems, Artificial Intelligence, Flexible Technology Exhibit Platforms, Virtual Touring, and clouding are also enhancing the visitor's experience in museums.

Virtual Reality Application of Interactive Interior: The Development Study for Computer and Android Smartphones

This research describes the process, obstacles, and results in making a Virtual Reality Application of interactive interior using Unity 3D. In this research, we propose a VR application that supports interaction and VR views between users and the digital environment using computers and android smartphones. The study has three stages, namely input, process, and output. C# script was developed for user interaction with the digital environment. The user can interact in a small interior room with digital objects such as moving around, changing furniture color, and switching the light on or off. The research successfully created a virtual reality application using Unity3D for computers and android smartphones. This study clearly describes the step of making virtual reality applications and the problems encountered during the process—also, a more stabilized method for developing the interactive user feature. Moreover, the research brings another opportunity for VR application development that focuses on other VR development factors such as immersion, imagination, and insight.

Virtual reality technology in physical education: a systematic review in instructional design & implementation

Virtual reality is an immersive technology that is utilized in education. The increasing growth of physical education research led to the need for a comprehensive examination. Furthermore, due to the rapid growth of VR research, this systematic analysis intends to investigate the instructional design used to develop virtual reality in physical education over the previous five years. As a result, 31 previous research articles on virtual reality technology and physical education were analyzed for this paper. The most instructional design used for VR development is ADDIE followed by Bloom’s Taxonomy, while for the implementation of VR, undergraduate students are not the only option for using VR-based applications.

Future of Houses

The Future of Houses: Designing for a Circular Economy, is an interactive, educational VR experience born out of a larger project at Curtin University, Western Australia, that seeks to communicate scientific research into ‘Energy Futures’. Produced in a tertiary environment in 2021 by Kath Dooley and collaborators working across disciplines, the project is a single-player VR experience that combines 360-degree video and a computer-generated environment constructed using Unreal Engine. Designed for a user with an interest in ecomedia, The Future of Houses seeks to educate them on the topic of the circular economy (CE), this being a cycle of design and consumption based on the principles of material reuse and recycling. Curtin University researchers have produced significant work in this area through the Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute (CUSP). One CUSP initiative is the Legacy Living Lab (L3) in Fremantle, Western Australia, a building that was constructed according to CE principles, so as to be easily assembled and dissembled, therefore facilitating recycling and reuse. The Future of Houses harnesses interactive, digital storytelling techniques, resulting in an educative and entertaining VR experience. This begins with a linear 360-degree stereoscopic video component that addresses the viewer in first-person tense, introducing CE concepts and profiling the Legacy Living Lab (L3) as one example of a CE building. After watching the video, the user then has the ability to enter a gamified virtual environment where they can explore the features of L3 as an active participant, gaining further information about sustainable features. Working in tandem, the two components seek to take the user on a transformational journey, drawing upon notions of The Hero’s Journey (Campbell 1949) and Mezirow’s phases of transformational learning in adult education (2006). The result is a project that creates a personal encounter with a CE building, which might influence the user’s future decision making related to house design and construction. A focus on user experience during the development of the work functioned as a means to unite a multidisciplinary team of sustainability researchers and narrative designers, overcoming different vocabularies and approaches to VR development. The facilitator, a screenwriter and director, moved into the territory of game developer when collaborating with a team of VR programmers on the conceptualisation of a project with multiple interactive elements. Bibliography Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Pantheon Books. 1949. Dooley, Kath (Director/Producer). The Future of Houses: Designing for a Circular Economy. VR experience Curtin University. 2021. Mezirow, Jack. An Overview of Transformative Learning. In Lifelong Learning: Concepts and Contexts. Edited by P. Sutherland & J. Crowther. New York and London: Routledge. 2006.

Construction and Application of Virtual Reality-Based Sports Rehabilitation Training Program.

This paper adopts virtual reality technology to conduct in-depth research and analysis on sports rehabilitation training, designs a corresponding sports rehabilitation training program, and applies it to practice. An AR algorithm based on dynamic target tracking under VSLAM is proposed. The algorithm can effectively reject dynamic targets in static scenes while ensuring that the virtual objects registered based on dynamic template target tracking are still in the world coordinate system of VSLAM. To facilitate patients' hand function rehabilitation training, this paper uses OpenPose for 2D gesture pose recognition, combines camera pose information and depth information provided by VSLAM to map key points of the hand into the world coordinate system, and then completes the interaction by collision detection algorithm. The virtual interaction module is implemented in this paper to meet the demand for multiuser off-site interaction in virtual training. This paper uses the Unity3D software and Photon Server server to create a VR virtual scene and design a user interaction mechanism to realize a system that supports multiple users to train together online, which effectively extends the application scope of the VR training system. The module utilizes Unity3D's VR development capabilities to develop VR virtual basketball gym scenes and single-player offline interaction mechanisms such as virtual user single shooter and shooter; then, Photon Server is used to design and implement a multiuser remote login system and a multiuser interpass mechanism, thus achieving the effect of multiplayer remote online interaction in the same VR space. Finally, the proposed module was validated, and the results proved the effectiveness of the sports rehabilitation training program.

Immersive Collaborative VR Application Design

Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a renewed interest in expanding the capabilities of remote collaboration tools. Studies show the importance of noticing peripheral cues, pointing to or manipulating real-world objects in face-to-face meetings. This case study investigated the opportunities of combining traditional video conferencing with a multi-user VR platform to enable the interactive collaborative design of a VR training experience between multiple stakeholders working from their homes. In this article, the authors reflect on the experience and contribute a fully online and immersive collaborative design workflow for future VR development projects. The authors believe this workflow is of benefit for remote collaboration in general, but particularly in severely restricted environments when face-to-face meetings are impossible.

VR Realism Scale-Revalidation of contemporary VR headsets on a Polish sample.

This paper presents validation of the VR Simulation Realism Scale on a Polish sample. The scale enables a self-report measurement of perceived realism of a virtual environment in four main aspects of such realism-scene realism, audience behavior realism, audience appearance realism and sound realism. However, since the development of the original scale, the VR technology significantly changed. We aimed to respond to that change and revalidate the original measure in the contemporary setting. For the purpose of scale validation, data was gathered from six studies with 720 participants in total. Five experiments and one online survey were conducted to examine psychometric properties of the scale in accordance with the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Evidence based on internal structure, relations to other variables and test content was obtained. The factorial structure of the original scale was tested and confirmed. The connections between realism and immersion, presence, aesthetics were verified. A suppressed relationship between realism and positive affect was discovered. Moreover, it was confirmed that scale result is dependent on the quality of VR graphics. Results of the analyses provide the evidence that the VR Simulation Realism Scale is a well-established tool that might be used both in science and in VR development. However, further research needs to be done to increase external validity and predictive power of the scale.

Recommendations for the Design and Implementation of Virtual Reality for Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation: Systematic Review.

BackgroundVirtual reality (VR) is increasingly being used for the assessment and treatment of impairments arising from acquired brain injuries (ABIs) due to perceived benefits over traditional methods. However, no tailored options exist for the design and implementation of VR for ABI rehabilitation and, more specifically, traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation. In addition, the evidence base lacks systematic reviews of immersive VR use for TBI rehabilitation. Recommendations for this population are important because of the many complex and diverse impairments that individuals can experience.ObjectiveThis study aims to conduct a two-part systematic review to identify and synthesize existing recommendations for designing and implementing therapeutic VR for ABI rehabilitation, including TBI, and to identify current evidence for using immersive VR for TBI assessment and treatment and to map the degree to which this literature includes recommendations for VR design and implementation.MethodsThis review was guided by PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). A comprehensive search of 11 databases and gray literature was conducted in August 2019 and repeated in June 2020. Studies were included if they met relevant search terms, were peer-reviewed, were written in English, and were published between 2009 and 2020. Studies were reviewed to determine the level of evidence and methodological quality. For the first part, qualitative data were synthesized and categorized via meta-synthesis. For the second part, findings were analyzed and synthesized descriptively owing to the heterogeneity of data extracted from the included studies.ResultsIn the first part, a total of 14 papers met the inclusion criteria. Recommendations for VR design and implementation were not specific to TBI but rather to stroke or ABI rehabilitation more broadly. The synthesis and analysis of data resulted in three key phases and nine categories of recommendations for designing and implementing VR for ABI rehabilitation. In the second part, 5 studies met the inclusion criteria. A total of 2 studies reported on VR for assessment and three for treatment. Studies were varied in terms of therapeutic targets, VR tasks, and outcome measures. VR was used to assess or treat impairments in cognition, balance, and anxiety, with positive outcomes. However, the levels of evidence, methodological quality, and inclusion of recommendations for VR design and implementation were poor.ConclusionsThere is limited research on the use of immersive VR for TBI rehabilitation. Few studies have been conducted, and there is limited inclusion of recommendations for therapeutic VR design and implementation. Future research in ABI rehabilitation should consider a stepwise approach to VR development, from early co-design studies with end users to larger controlled trials. A list of recommendations is offered to provide guidance and a more consistent model to advance clinical research in this area.

The E-truth. Changes in the Perception of Truth under the Impact of Cyberspace

The changes regarding the perception of reality under the impact of the development of information technologies also determined the conceptual rethinking of the truth. In this article we briefly follow the limits of the epistemic integration of the cyberspace, the need to develop new methodological perspectives and introduce a new concept of synthesis: the e-truth. It is viewed from the perspective of seeking truth in relation to data processing, computational simulation, AI and VR development. This research must be performed from the perspective of the epistemic-ontic correspondence using a positivist methodology correlated to the cyberspace (e-positivism). Finally, we briefly review the construction of the e-truth within the context of the pandemic caused by Covid 19.

Analysis of training simulators for control of tractor equipment and machine-tractor aggre-gates

The article discusses the relevance of training simulators for controlling tractor equipment and MTA. Using agricultural machinery as an example, the relevance of AR and VR development prospects is shown. The drawbacks of modern training simulators and the possibility of their elimination using VR and AR technologies have been identified. The main directions in augmented reality are considered.

Immersive learning: Applications of virtual reality for undergraduate education

Virtual reality technology has applications across many academic disciplines and has the potential to contribute to student centered, experiential learning opportunities. Some academic libraries have begun to offer access to this technology as part of their mission to provide broad access to information and learning resources. The virtual reality studio in the Taylor Family Digital Library, the central library at the University of Calgary, was introduced in the summer of 2016, five years after the building first opened. Since the launch of the virtual reality studio, it has experienced a diverse range of uses encompassing teaching, learning, and research across many disciplines. Due to its success, VR offerings have been expanded to include a semi-mobile VR cart, a VR development room, and loanable VR equipment. This article will describe the configuration, access policies, and outreach activities around the library’s VR services and spaces, and discuss in more detail how they have been used in undergraduate classes including kinesiology, dance, literatures, and art history.

Oil Depot Safety Inspection and Emergency Training System Based on Virtual Reality Technology

An oil depot safety inspection and emergency training system based on VR technology is proposed in this paper for the safety inspection and emergency training with the problems of high cost, high risk, difficulty to repeat, unsatisfactory training effect and single form in hazardous chemical industry such as oil-gas storage. The system utilizes VR development engine, applies 3D Max, Unity 3D and Visual Studio and other development software to complete 3D scenarios building and visualization of the oil depot, furthermore, achieves highly realistic picture effects by HD scriptable render pipeline technology, so as to realize dynamic simulation of various application scenarios such as realistic three-dimensional roaming, knowledge learning, safety inspection and typical fire accident emergency drill. The application results show that the system can effectively improve the pertinence, interesting, operability and implementation effect of oil depot safety inspection and emergency training, so as to achieve the purposes for improving the level of safety knowledge and skill and reducing safety accident.

Understanding usability evaluation setup for VR products in industry

VR development practices have a diverse set of practices compared to traditional software development. Tasks like scene design, acoustic design, vergence manipulation, image depth, etc. are specific to VR apps and hence require evaluation processes that may be different from the traditional means. Usability Evaluation is one such process which is being executed in an unconventional way by Industrial Practitioners today. In this paper, the researchers detail a Systematic Literature Review of the Usability Evaluation Methods practised by Industrial researchers while building VR Products. The researchers found that VR Product teams follow unique methods to improve usability in their products. Further, the researchers consolidate these methods and provide insights into choosing the best to build a real-world VR Product based on the defined product constraints

A VR nyitottság hatása a helyimázs kialakulását befolyásoló tényezőkre

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER The present study focuses on the relationship of stages of the attitude toward virtual tourism (interest, preference, substitution) considered as VR readiness and development of place image, thus the way VR affects the development of the picture about a place in an individual. The study basically analyses the impacts of the virtual openness to the formation of the place image, the way of its effects and the possible ability of influencing its formation. METHODOLOGY Research works with the results of a representative online survey, it uses variance based (PLS-SEM) structural equitation modelling, and develops a model as well as suggests practical implications. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS Results show that out of the created factors virtual openness has less direct impact on the personal confidence or on the social confidence but indirectly it possesses an influencing power on the formation of the personal confidence about the given place. Since such elements take place among the external factors which are considered by place marketing for to be adequate brand building, we can conclude that the virtual tools in place marketing should be applied along them, since in this way we can take advantage of the trend of virtuality and also of that the picture about the places is indirectly connected with the travel decision of the individual. The researched character strengths appropriating another implication since the strongest connection is among the external orientation and the social confidence so if we use the elements of the external orientation by the virtual technologies in order to influence image creation, we can focus on the forming of the social confidences as well which can also form to own confidence with time combining the rational, evident judgement with the elements also having an impact on the emotional level. RECOMMENDATIONS The actual trends in tourism highlight such social and technological trends and changes which integration is inevitable in the sector, nevertheless it is to be considered on which areas these applications should be applied, in what aspects could they affect the individual. Namely, virtual tourism can even endanger some traditional forms of tourism, but it could also be a modern and effective marketing tool, in place marketing activities for example. Acknowledgements: The research was financed by the EFOP-3.6.1-16-2016-00004 Comprehensive Development for Implementing Smart Specialization Strategies at the University of Pecs” project, and the Higher Education Institutional Excellence Programme of the Ministry of Human Capacities in Hungary, within the framework of the 4th thematic programme „Enhancing the Role of Domestic Companies in the Reindustrialization of Hungary” of the University of Pecs (reference number of the contract: 20765-3/2018/FEKUTSTRAT).

HyperCell: A Bio-inspired Design Framework for Real-time Interactive Architectures

HyperCell: A Bio-inspired Design Framework for Real-time Interactive Architectures

The Future of Virtual Environments: The Development of Virtual Technology

Although the application of virtual technology is experiencing an exponential growth during the last three to four decades, researchers still did not catch up with a clear development direction of virtual technology. There is an urge to seek the direction of virtual technology development in the future. Based on previous studies of VR and the virtual technology development process, this study aims to investigate: (1) if the direction of virtual technology development changed throughout the long process or it remained consistent over time; and (2) if there was predictable direction of virtual technology development. To understand the phenomenon, this research studies the events of virtual technology development process diachronically from 1950s to present. Our team presents findings from the development process describing four periods of virtual technology development, namely telepresence, interactivity, connectivity and synthesis. The four period of development could describe the condition of the virtual technology development. These relationships are situated within the historical contexts of the virtual technology development. With the analysis of virtual technology development in historical context, this article forecasts the future of VR development. The findings will contribute to future creation of stereoscopic virtual worlds.