VR Headset Research Articles

‘It’s not so scary anymore. It’s actually exhilarating’: A proof-of-concept study using virtual reality technology for music performance training under pressure

Extended lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic severely ruptured the capacity of performing artists to connect with peers and colleagues in professional and educational contexts. In this study we test a protocol for the use of immersive performance technologies in tertiary institutions to provide developing and early career musicians to connect with pedagogues and access safe, realistic spaces within which to practice performing under varying degrees of pressure. We investigated the affordances of a VR environment to trigger performance anxiety, and the effectiveness of a synchronous digitally mediated environment for tertiary educators to train a key performance psychology skill. Heart rate, self-reported anxiety and confidence measurements were taken over four levels of situational stress and performance demands. Results revealed that the technology enabled a pre-performance routine to be effectively taught online by an instructor to a musician wearing a VR headset. Notably, this was achieved by both participants being in separate locations without detriment to the teacher-student relationship. This study provides encouraging insight into the capacity for immersive technologies to help students effectively manage the stresses of live performance in both virtual and real worlds.

Cognitive load in immersive media settings: the role of spatial presence and cybersickness

Faced with the ongoing diversification and commercial success of highly immersive media technologies (e.g., VR headsets), both content producers and scientific scholars have become highly invested in understanding the psychological consequences of experiencing media in these new and lifelike ways. While many studies underscore positive effects of high media immersivity—such as increased enjoyment or persuasive success—others warn about the intense cognitive load that technologies such as VR might put on their users. In a laboratory experiment with N = 121 participants, we compare the cognitive load experienced while watching a 360° video on a laptop screen or via an immersive VR head-mounted display. Furthermore, we scrutinize two prominent explanations for the additional cognitive load in immersive media settings, i.e., the role of spatial presence and cybersickness. As expected, the VR condition results in higher cognitive load, spatial presence, and cybersickness than the 2D condition. However, by means of a parallel mediation model, we observe that only cybersickness emerges as a meaningful mediator of participants’ strained cognitive capacity; spatial presence, on the other hand, remains statistically irrelevant in this regard. We discuss our findings considering implications for media producers and future research.

The impacts of lens and stereo camera separation on perceived slant in Virtual Reality head-mounted displays.

Stereoscopic AR and VR headsets have displays and lenses that are either fixed or adjustable to match a limited range of user inter-pupillary distances (IPDs). Projective geometry predicts a misperception of depth when either the displays or virtual cameras used to render images are misaligned with the eyes. However, misalignment between the eyes and lenses might also affect binocular convergence, which could further distort perceived depth. This possibility has been largely ignored in previous studies. Here, we evaluated this phenomenon in a VR headset in which the inter-lens and inter-axial camera separations are coupled and adjustable. In a baseline condition, both were matched to observers' IPDs. In two other conditions, the inter-lens and inter-axial camera separations were set to the maximum and minimum allowed by the headset. In each condition, observers were instructed to adjust a fold created by two intersecting, textured surfaces until it appeared to have an angle of 90°. The task was performed at three randomly interleaved viewing distances, monocularly and binocularly. In the monocular condition, observers underestimated the fold angle and there was no effect of viewing distance on their settings. In the binocular conditions, we found that when the lens and camera separation were less than the viewer's IPD, they exhibited compression of perceived slant relative to baseline. The reverse pattern was seen when the lens and camera separation were larger than the viewer's IPD. These results were well explained by a geometric model that considers shifts in convergence due to lens and display misalignment with the eyes, as well as the relative contribution of monocular cues.

Poe in Richmond: Creating a Virtual Poe Collection

Poe in Richmond: Creating a Virtual Poe Collection

HoloKinect: Holographic 3D Video Conferencing.

Recent world events have caused a dramatic rise in the use of video conferencing solutions such as Zoom and FaceTime. Although 3D capture and display technologies are becoming common in consumer products (e.g., Apple iPhone TrueDepth sensors, Microsoft Kinect devices, and Meta Quest VR headsets), 3D telecommunication has not yet seen any appreciable adoption. Researchers have made great progress in developing advanced 3D telepresence systems, but often with burdensome hardware and network requirements. In this work, we present HoloKinect, an open-source, user-friendly, and GPU-accelerated platform for enabling live, two-way 3D video conferencing on commodity hardware and a standard broadband internet connection. A Microsoft Azure Kinect serves as the capture device and a Looking Glass Portrait multiscopically displays the final reconstructed 3D mesh for a hologram-like effect. HoloKinect packs color and depth information into a single video stream, leveraging multiwavelength depth (MWD) encoding to store depth maps in standard RGB video frames. The video stream is compressed with highly optimized and hardware-accelerated video codecs such as H.264. A search of the depth and video encoding parameter space was performed to analyze the quantitative and qualitative losses resulting from HoloKinect's lossy compression scheme. Visual results were acceptable at all tested bitrates (3-30 Mbps), while the best results were achieved with higher video bitrates and full 4:4:4 chroma sampling. RMSE values of the recovered depth measurements were low across all settings permutations.

Virtual Reality as Treatment Method for Knee Osteoarthritis - Short Review

Virtual reality is computer-generated technology for therapeutic uses and rapidly growing in popularity. This review focused on the outcomes of the study show that virtual reality as treatment approach is a safe and acceptable therapy providing participants with satisfaction and motivation to exercise. Therapists are using VR to help people rehabilitate from osteoarthritis, strokes and injuries. The efficiency of Virtual Reality treatment was observed in patient with OA knee and many other diseases. Virtual reality approach Physical rehabilitation focuses on pain treatment, gait re-education, body balance improvement, increased mobility, and muscular strength development. Because of VR and modern technology, this activity should be done quickly and safely under the supervision of the therapist. Virtual reality is cost-effective of VR headsets and the expansion of Virtual reality apps. Using virtual reality to create fascinating and demanding settings can help you active and interested in your rehab.

Comparison of Knowledge Change in a Virtual Reality Simulation Across Four Platform Technologies

Introduction There has been an increase in the delivery of educational and training content using computer-based simulations across a range of platforms. Minimal studies have compared the effectiveness of multiple digital delivery platforms with one another using the same simulation. Objective This research investigated differences in knowledge change due to the platform used for delivery of a stand-alone learning simulation. Methods A pretest–posttest design was used to evaluate 127 participants. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: desktop, tablet, mobile VR (Google Cardboard), and virtual reality headset. A pretest was given prior to participants’ completion of a learning simulation. Upon completion of the learning simulation, participants completed a posttest. Results This study indicated that all participants improved knowledge scores across the four platforms used to deliver the learning simulation. All participants positively increased their overall scores from the pretest to the posttest. There were no statistically significant differences in knowledge change between the four groups. Conclusion All participants positively increased their overall scores from the pretest to the posttest regardless of platform technology used to deliver the virtual reality learning simulation. This indicates that it is possible to effectively deliver the same learning simulation across different platforms that include a mix of 2D and immersive technologies.

Right heart catherisation – a virtual reality

Abstract Introduction Right heart catheterisation (RHC) is the gold standard for assessing patients with pulmonary hypertension. Doctors require training in this procedure in a safe and friendly environment with minimal risk to patients. Due to the Covid pandemic, formal RHC teaching workshops were cancelled in our country, so we sought to develop a Virtual Reality Right Heart Catheterisation (VRRHC) training program to fulfil this area of need without the need for face to face contact. The aim was to improve training, competency and confidence in this technique with improved diagnostic skills and reduction of procedural errors. Method We approached a health technology company to design a VRRHC training module based on our current RHC simulation workshops. Phase 1 required virtual insertion of RHC via the right internal jugular vein using micro-puncture, double Seldinger technique under ultrasound guidance, followed by insertion of the RHC to the right atrium, right ventricle and pulmonary artery with pulmonary artery occlusion using real time pressure tracings and fluoroscopy. Thermodilution cardiac outputs and chamber saturations were also performed. The proprietary platform technology was delivered via a laptop and VR headset. Clinicians perform the VRRHC with imaging, monitoring and haptic feedback with the collection of real time performance tracking allowing user data (e.g. failed steps and proficiency scores) to be captured and subsequently visualised in the learning management system. We collected analytics and data on user engagement, experience and retention, targeted learning outcomes and learning curve, reduction in operating costs, reduction in procedure times due to higher proficiency, early diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension, reduced complications, improved interpretation and diagnosis. Results The program was launched in October 2021. Preliminary data shows a learning curve is associated with both using VR (10–15 minutes) and the RHC procedure itself. Initial time to completion of the RHC was 30–40 mins, reducing to 20–30 minutes with experience and 15 minutes in experts. Completion rates increase with experience from 40–50% to 100% and error rates reduce with frequency of completion. Conclusion A Virtual Reality Right Heart Catheter training program is safe, feasible and non-invasive. Increased experience results in increased completion rates, reduced procedure time and reduced errors. Using this program will potentially have beneficial effects on doctor training, outcomes, patient safety and health economics with no risk to a real patient. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Private grant(s) and/or Sponsorship. Main funding source(s): Janssen Pharmaceuticals

Virtual reality for immersive multi-user firefighter-training scenarios

BackgroundVirtual reality (VR) applications can be used to provide comprehensive training scenarios that are difficult or impossible to represent in physical configurations. This includes team training for emergency services such as firefighting. Creating a high level of immersion is essential for achieving effective virtual training. In this respect, motion-capture systems offer the possibility of creating highly immersive multi-user training experiences, including full-body avatars. MethodsThis study presents a preliminary prototype that helps extinguish a virtual fire on a container ship as a VR training scenario. The prototype provides a full-body and multi-user VR experience based on the synthesis of position data provided by the motion-capture system and orientation data from the VR headsets. Moreover, the prototype facilitates an initial evaluation of the results. ResultsThe results confirm the value of using VR for training procedures that are difficult to implement in the real world. Furthermore, the results show that motion-capture-based VR technologies are particularly useful for firefighting training, in which participants can collaborate in difficult-to-access environments. However, this study also indicates that increasing the immersion in such training remains a challenge. ConclusionsThis study presents a prototypical VR application that enables the multi-user training of maritime firefighters. Future research should evaluate the initial results, provide more extensive training scenarios, and measure the training progress.

Lingering effects associated with the consumer use of virtual reality

Since the release of the Oculus Rift CV1 in 2016, millions of VR headsets have made their way into consumers’ homes. Since then, users have created large quantities of data about their experiences in VR through posts made to online discussion forums. We examine this data to gain insights on what sorts of “lingering effects” users report having experienced after VR, and on the progression of these effects over time. We found three major categories of lingering effects (besides simulator sickness) during our qualitative analysis: perceptual effects, behavioral effects, and changes in dreams. The perceptual and behavioral categories were further divided into sub-themes: disruption of body ownership and proprioception, loss of a sense of depth in the real world, visual aftereffects, the need to verify the reality of the real world through touch, hesitation when moving in the real world, and attempts to apply VR interaction metaphors to real life interactions. Users were nearly unanimous that these lingering effects only occurred after spending at least 1 h in VR, and that these effects completely disappeared several weeks after they first appeared (assuming the user continued to spend time in VR). There was less agreement about how long these effects lasted after exiting a specific VR session. The results of our analysis suggest that users feel that there are no long-term side effects to the use of VR. We pair this analysis with an analysis of interviews conducted with 20 novice users who were loaned Oculus Quest HMDs to use for 4 weeks. Semi-structured interviews with participants further substantiated the findings of our analysis of online discussions.

P39 Virtual reality headset as an alternative to Entonox for intraarticular corticosteroid injection

P39 Virtual reality headset as an alternative to Entonox for intraarticular corticosteroid injection

Immersive services in libraries: perspectives and views of library professionals

The paper aims to determine whether AR and VR library services are useful and, if so, what are the associated opportunities and challenges. Based on the literature review, 40 libraries that have implemented augmented virtual reality services were identified. An online survey of library professionals belonging to the 40 identified libraries was conducted. Sixty-nine percent of libraries use HTC Vive as their preferred VR headset device. Further, 54 percent of the respondents stated the circulation of VR devices as a new service. Findings show that libraries are offering new services such as 3D Model Gallery, 3D Scanning, 3D Printing, and Data Visualization. SWOT analysis of immersive services in libraries identified VR content archiving, copyrighting of 3D content, and constructing metadata schemas for virtual content as the challenging areas that need further research. The study will be useful to library professionals who plan to introduce or experiment with augmented virtual reality services.

Evaluating the Impact of VR Headset Microclimate Temperature on Perceptions of Thermal Discomfort and Forehead Temperature

Modern head mounted displays are high performance wearable computers. However, the effect of headset temperature on user thermal discomfort is rarely discussed. Here, user ratings of thermal discomfort during a VR game across three different thermal conditions between 28° – 43° C was measured. Perceived thermal discomfort ratings, administered every 12-minutes, decreased over time and as the HMD microclimate tem-perature (MCT) increased. Additionally, thermal discomfort increased more quickly for MCTs above 38° C. The HIGH temperature condition (MCT > 38° C) was rated uncomfortable after 24-mintues. Post- – pre-VR forehead temperatures in both the MID and HIGH conditions were significantly higher than in the LOW condition. The current findings suggest users perceive MCT temperatures above 38° C as uncomfortable. To maximize thermal comfort for extended use manufacturers of VR headsets should limit MCT to < 38° C.

Development of a Virtual Object Weight Recognition Algorithm Based on Pseudo-Haptics and the Development of Immersion Evaluation Technology

In this work, we propose a qualitative immersion evaluation technique based on a pseudo-haptic-based user-specific virtual object weight recognition algorithm and an immersive experience questionnaire (IEQ). The proposed weight recognition algorithm is developed by considering the moving speed of a natural hand tracking-based, user-customized virtual object using a camera in a VR headset and the realistic offset of the object’s weight when lifting it in real space. Customized speeds are defined to recognize customized weights. In addition, an experiment is conducted to measure the speed of lifting objects by weight in real space to obtain the natural object lifting speed weight according to the weight. In order to evaluate the weight and immersion of the developed simulation content, the participants’ qualitative immersion evaluation is conducted through three IEQ-based immersion evaluation surveys. Based on the analysis results of the experimental participants and the interview, this immersion evaluation technique shows whether it is possible to evaluate a realistic tactile experience in VR content. It is predicted that the proposed weight recognition algorithm and evaluation technology can be applied to various fields, such as content production and service support, in line with market demand in the rapidly growing VR, AR, and MR fields.

Erratum: The Impact of Radial Distortions in VR Headsets on Perceived Surface Slant

Erratum: The Impact of Radial Distortions in VR Headsets on Perceived Surface Slant

Artemis

We, humans, are entering into a virtual era and indeed want to bring animals to the virtual world as well for companion. Yet, computer-generated (CGI) furry animals are limited by tedious off-line rendering, let alone interactive motion control. In this paper, we present ARTEMIS, a novel neural modeling and rendering pipeline for generating ARTiculated neural pets with appEarance and Motion synthesIS. Our ARTEMIS enables interactive motion control, real-time animation, and photo-realistic rendering of furry animals. The core of our ARTEMIS is a neural-generated (NGI) animal engine, which adopts an efficient octree-based representation for animal animation and fur rendering. The animation then becomes equivalent to voxel-level deformation based on explicit skeletal warping. We further use a fast octree indexing and efficient volumetric rendering scheme to generate appearance and density features maps. Finally, we propose a novel shading network to generate high-fidelity details of appearance and opacity under novel poses from appearance and density feature maps. For the motion control module in ARTEMIS, we combine state-of-the-art animal motion capture approach with recent neural character control scheme. We introduce an effective optimization scheme to reconstruct the skeletal motion of real animals captured by a multi-view RGB and Vicon camera array. We feed all the captured motion into a neural character control scheme to generate abstract control signals with motion styles. We further integrate ARTEMIS into existing engines that support VR headsets, providing an unprecedented immersive experience where a user can intimately interact with a variety of virtual animals with vivid movements and photo-realistic appearance. Extensive experiments and showcases demonstrate the effectiveness of our ARTEMIS system in achieving highly realistic rendering of NGI animals in real-time, providing daily immersive and interactive experiences with digital animals unseen before. We make available our ARTEMIS model and dynamic furry animal dataset at https://haiminluo.github.io/publication/artemis/.

건물 화재시 피난 행동 예측기법으로서 가상현실 기술 활용성

Purpose: The consideration of evacuation behavior can be an important means of preventing potential casualties. Furthermore, virtual reality technology can lead to advancements in behavioral studies on architectural spaces and disasters. Method: In this study, we have examined the application of virtual reality technology using theories of evacuation behavior, analysis of previous studies, and a virtual reality fire evacuation experiment. Result: Evacuation behavioral studies have used virtual reality technology as it has become more commercially available, covering a variety of topics. However, methodologies and analysis techniques are still insufficiently systematic. In research design, specific research scope based on the characteristics and progress of evacuation behavior should be established. Immersive VR headsets are widely used as an experimental method, but due to problems such as motion sickness and dizziness, it is necessary to consider technically how and which equipment to use. In addition, increasing immersion and minimizing the difference compared to the real world are crucial for a more efficient virtual reality experiment. Therefore, it is necessary to consider increasing the immersion by stimulating additional senses, perhaps by using heat and smoke along with additional visual and auditory elements, while maintaining the safety of participants as the highest priority.

11‐3: Invited Paper: New Materials for Film Optics and Game‐Changing Head‐Mount Devices

The recent drive towards high performance AR and VR headsets has generated a new demand for materials designed for the targeted requirements of this sector. Many of the most pressing challenges associated with this technology relate to improving the user experience through improved optical components in the combiner. This paper will present the challenges and status of new materials specifically designed for this application. Materials for both passive components, such as flat lenses and gratings as well as for active components will be discussed.

Evaluation of Pupillary Distance (PD) Measurement using Smartphone-based Pupilometer

Measurement of the pupillary distance (PD) is one of the important steps of the spectacles-making process. PD measurement can be done using the PD Ruler, Auto-refractometer, and smartphones’ apps. The study aims to evaluate PD measurement apps (Pupil Distance Meter Pro from Vistech Project, PD Pupil Distance for Eye Glasses and VR Headset from Glassify Me, and The Ultimate PD Rule) and compared them with Auto-refractometer as the gold standard. A total of 39 students (age 19-22) were involved in this study. The result of this study indicated that there was no difference between the measurement of the PD using the Glassify me app and the Auto-refractometer (p = 0.48). However, there was a mean difference of 0.2 mm between them. It could be concluded that the Glassify me app has the best accuracy compared to other apps (p value 0.48). This app was recommended to be used as an alternative to PD measurement.

P‐74: Student Poster: High Efficiency μLED Light Engine for AR/VR Displays

By tailoring the radiation pattern through cavity effect, together with a compact compound parabolic concentrator, the light efficiency of μLED is increased by 1.9×. Such a high brightness μLED light engine helps to enhance the ambient contrast ratio for AR displays or to reduce the power consumption for VR headsets.