Interactive edutainment system with enhanced personalized user interface framework

A review of the evidence on active and passive learning in virtual environments (VEs) suggests that both conditions have shown superiority under some conditions of learning and testing, but there is no consistent outcome pattern. Measures of transfer between virtual and real environments have also revealed a variety of outcomes. Following either active or passive learning in a VE, experiment 1 assessed measures of orientation and distance estimation in that VE and in a real-world equivalent environment. On measures of direct and relative distance, more accurate estimates were found for active than passive VE explorers. A suggestion was also noted for the orientation estimates to benefit from real-world rather than VE testing. With an improvement to the procedure, experiment 2 found similar real versus virtual orientation judgements, suggesting that an opportunity for active learning during the test procedure probably influenced orientation measures in experiment 1. We conclude that the effects of interactivity are unreliable and vary with the measures used, and that testing in virtual and real environments leads to similar outcomes.

The current study concerns the identification of possible differences in perception between the virtual and the real world in terms of the effect on brain activity. For this reason, an EEG device was used to capture participants' brain activity in different brain areas during their exposure to different virtual and real environments. The environments considered in this study portray a classroom environment with a scenario suitable for teacher training and professional development. The first aim of the experiment is to investigate if exposure to a virtual environment can affect motor, cognitive or other function of the users, and the second aim is to test if the graphics content and nature of such an environment can influence the user experience. During the study, the optimum duration of exposure in a virtual environment was also assessed by measuring the time that the brain needs to perceive and adapt to the new state. Our results, consisting of EEG data analyzed in 10 Regions of Interest (ROIs) and responses from an Igroup Presence questionnaire, indicated a significant difference in each brain area, especially in the frontal and occipital region, when a participant was exposed to a non-realistic virtual environment, compared to a realistic one, highlighting the impact of the selected virtual environment design. The results of the experiment can play an important role in defining the characteristics of optimal virtual environments for virtual reality-based training applications.

Virtual reality (VR) enables the study of visually-guided behavior in situations that are otherwise not amenable to laboratory research. An example is a fire evacuation scenario, in which building occupants have to find their way to safety through smoke and flames, identify safe egress routes, and avoid threats. First, however, it must be determined whether evacuation behavior in VR is comparable to that in a real environment. We are thus initially studying participant responses to a fire alarm in matched virtual and real environments. The present experiment investigates how the decision to evacuate is influenced by visual cues about a neighbor’s behavior. In the Control group, a lone participant is exposed to a fire alarm while performing a bogus task. In the Passive group, a participant performs the same task with a confederate who ignores the fire alarm. In the Active group, the confederate immediately leaves the room when the fire alarm sounds. The gender of the participant is crossed with the gender of the confederate. 75 participants experience the scenario in a real environment (25 per group), and 75 others in a matched virtual environment presented in a wireless head mounted display (HMD), with avatars of the confederates. In the real environment, two-thirds of participants in the Control group evacuated the room. In the Active group, nearly all did so, whereas in the Passive group all but one did. More female than male participants evacuated in the Control group, but there were no other gender effects. Data collection in the virtual environment is in progress, and will be completed by spring. The findings thus far demonstrate a very strong influence of neighbor behavior on a participant’s evacuation decision. The results will provide answers to the much-debated question of whether evacuation behavior is similar in virtual and real environments. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015

Advances in Virtual Reality (VR) systems, Intelligent Tutoring Systems and Agent Technology make it possible to design and develop Virtual Training Environments (VTEs), where the trainees can immerse themselves and interact directly with the learning domain. This paper presents the Interaction Specification Workspace (ISW) architecture for the specification and design of virtual environments for training purposes. ISW architecture provides the interaction designer with the capability to specify the training interaction with the virtual environment using the Virtual Reality Multi Flow Graph (VR-MFG) as the underlying interaction specification model. ISW implements a design space, where the processes of interaction specification and design of VTEs take place inside a three-dimensional virtual environment, the objects of which are tools by themselves. Inside this workspace, the designer can associate the abstract objects (the components of the VR-MFG) with “actual” objects of the target virtual environment (kept in a “world” database) and apply a number of agent templates with training capabilities.

It is expected that See-Through Head-Mounted Display (STHMD), which superimposes the virtual environment generated by computer graphics (CG) on the real world, can vividly execute various simulations and designs by using both of the real and virtual environment around us. In STHMDs, information given as a virtual environment has to exactly match with the real environment, because both environments are visible. This is one of the problems to be solved for practical use. Particularly for matching of locations and size between real and virtual objects, disaccordance is likely to occur between the world coordinate of the real environment where the user of STHMD actually exists and that of the virtual environment described as parameters of CG, which directly causes displacement of locations where virtual objects are superimposed. This must be calibrated so that the virtual environment is superimposed properly. Among causes of such errors, we focused both on systematic errors of visual parameters caused in manufacturing process and differences between actual and supposed location of user's eye on STHMD when in use. The former is required to be calibrated only once after the fabrication of STHMDs, whereas the latter has to be calibrated every time users start using STHMDs. We have proposed calibration methods which are suitable to properties of these causes of errors. In the method, the direct fitting of the virtual cursor drawn in the virtual environment onto targets in the real environment is performed. Then, based on the result of fitting, the least square method identifies values of the visual parameters which minimize differences between locations of virtual cursor in the virutal environment and targets in the real environment. Application of the method to the STHMD which we have made is also repored. The differences between the virtal cursor and targets in the real environment due to systematic errors caused in the manufacturing process were reduced to about 1 [mm] per target, which was less than one-thirtieth of that before the calibration. The differences between the virtual cursor and targets in the real environment due to the location of user's eyes were also reduced about 2 [mm] per target, which was a half of that before the calibration. This result was well enough to prove the effectiveness of the calibration methods.

In this paper, an immersive virtual roller coaster is introduced. A three Degree-Of-Freedom (3DOF) computer controlled simulator with special effects is designed, implemented, and tested. The simulator platform moves in response to control signals generated by a three-dimensional (3D) virtual gaming environment. In order to add more reality to the gaming environment, external effects, that represent a fourth dimension to virtual environment, are added to the simulator environment such as smell, sound, light, and sense of temperature (heat or cold) that are synchronized with the events happening in the 3D virtual gaming environment. The controlled simulator is developed for entertainment purposes and to suit all ages. The proposed system was tested and verified in the sense that the platform interacts with all events occur in the 3D virtual environment and external effects. The proposed 4D entertainment machine can be used in amusement parks and family entertainment centers and malls.

To understand the nature of hemispatial attention allocation in virtual reality (VR), a line bisection task (LBT) was administered both in a real environment and a virtual environment to assess the rate of pseudoneglect. The mental construction of real and virtual environments was assumed to increase visuospatial activity in right hemisphere-related cognitive processes; an alteration in the activity that manifests in the direction and rate of line bisection lateral error. In the present study, fifty-one right-handed healthy college students were recruited. They performed a line bisection task in real and virtual environments. The obtained data showed that LBT errors in real and VR environments were correlated and individually consistent. Furthermore, a leftward LBT error was found in the physically real environment, however, in a VR the line bisection bias drifted towards the right hemispace. Participants with a lower right-handedness score showed a lower rate of left LBT bias in a real environment, but in VR, their LBT error showed a stronger rightwards error. Participants showed an individually consistent pattern in both real and VR environments, but VR-induced visuospatial reality construction was associated with rightward LBT bias in a virtual environment.

In this paper, a collision contact modeling method for virtual reality environments is presented. Models in virtual environments are typically represented using triangle meshes. Most traditional collision contact simulations require the surface information of rigid bodies. This makes traditional collision contact simulations inapplicable for most virtual environments. This paper presents methods to model the behavior of colliding objects in virtual environments using triangle mesh representations of the objects. RAPID™ is used to obtain the approximate collision contact information between individual triangle meshes. Impulse calculations are combined with the collision detection to simulate post-collision behavior of objects. A three-point method is introduced to calculate the final resting place of objects or calculate unstable equilibrium and further dynamics of objects. These methods have been integrated with the Virtual Assembly Design Environment (VADE) to enhance VADE’s existing dynamics simulation capabilities. A series of test cases are presented and analyzed to validate these new methods.

The virtual reality Walking Corsi Test

The performance levels of human subjects in size identification and size discrimination experiments in both real and virtual environments are presented. The virtual environments are displayed with a PHANToM desktop three degree-of-freedom haptic interface. Results indicate that performance of the size identification and size discrimination tasks in the virtual environment is comparable to that in the real environment, implying that the haptic device does a good job of simulating reality for these tasks. Additionally, performance in the virtual environment was measured at below maximum machine performance levels for two machine parameters. The tabulated scores for the perception tasks in a sub-optimal virtual environment were found to be comparable to that in the real environment, supporting previous claims that haptic interface hardware may be able to convey, for these perceptual tasks, sufficient perceptual information to the user with relatively low levels of machine quality in terms of the following parameters: maximum endpoint force and maximum virtual surface stiffness. Results are comparable to those found for similar experiments conducted with other haptic interface hardware, further supporting this claim. Finally, it was found that varying maximum output force and virtual surface stiffness simultaneously does not have a compounding effect that significantly affects performance for size discrimination tasks.

ABSTRACTHandcrafting has been used for purposes ranging from learning and entertainment to stress relief. However, clay art and handicrafts require specialized space and physical materials. In this paper, we propose a virtual figure model crafting system that is developed to allow users to directly experience the figure model crafting process using a head-mounted, display-based, virtual reality environment. In the proposed system, users can freely generate the shape of a figure and decorate its exterior. In order to provide realistic crafting user experiences, we leverage motion grammar-based gestural input with Leap Motion and consider the support of multiple difficulty levels for user engagement. The preliminary user study results confirm that the proposed system provides immersive and interactive crafting experiences in a virtual environment.

Nowadays the process of workstation design tends to include assessment steps in a virtual environment (VE) to evaluate the ergonomic features. These approaches are cost-effective and convenient since working directly on the digital mock-up in a VE is preferable to constructing a real physical mock-up in a real environment (RE). This study aimed at understanding the ability of a VR-based assembly tasks simulator to evaluate physical risk factors in ergonomics. Sixteen subjects performed simplified assembly tasks in RE and VE. Motion of the upper body and five muscle electromyographic activities were recorded to compute normalized and averaged objective indicators of discomfort, that is, rapid upper limb assessment score, averaged muscle activations, and total task time. Rated perceived exertion (RPE) and a questionnaire were used as subjective indicators of discomfort. The timing regime and complexity of the assembly tasks were investigated as within-subject factors. The results revealed significant differences between measured indicators in RE and VE. While objective measures indicated lower activity and exposure in VE, the subjects experienced more discomfort than in RE. Fairly good correlation levels were found between RE and VE for six of the objective indicators. This study clearly demonstrates that ergonomic studies of assembly tasks using VR are still challenging. Indeed, objective and subjective measurements of discomfort that are usually used in ergonomics to minimize the risks of work-related musculoskeletal disorders development exhibit opposite trends in RE and VE. Nevertheless, the high level of correlation found during this study indicates that the VR-based simulator can be used for such assessments.

This paper proposes a new method of object manipulation in a Virtual Environment that uses a visual and haptic feedback based manipulation aid. If the displayed position of the object is constrained on a face of another object in the virtual environment, a user can place the virtual object at a precise position as easily as in a real environment. The visual feedback based manipulation aid constrains the motion of the virtual object as if it were moved in a real environment. Furthermore, in simultaneous correspondence with the visual constraints, the haptic feedback based manipulation aid constrains the motion of the user’s hand in the real environment. The proposed method introduces a magnetic metaphor: the user has the sensation of manipulating a virtual object on a rigid surface without using a large and powerful robot arm and the time consuming simulation of detailed physical phenomena. The properties of this manipulation aid based on two kinds of feedback are discussed. Experimental results show the effectiveness of our proposed method.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a prototype pluggable service‐oriented virtual learning environment, enabling teachers to create an integrated teaching environment using tools that have been chosen to best meet their academic requirements.Design/methodology/approachThis is an implementation of a WAFFLE Bus. A microkernel software design pattern is used to enable tools to be added and removed from the system. An enterprise service bus is used to provide workflow and message transformation functionality. Tools are managed through web service interfaces and Shibboleth is used to effect interoperability at the web application user interface. The initial services for the prototype were chosen to implement a simple web service teaching workflow.FindingsFirst, Shibboleth is shown to provide a solution to the virtual learning environment tools' interoperability problem. Second, the service‐oriented virtual learning environment naturally leads to the ability to operate with many different types of information channels in and out of the system. This leads to a multiplicity of possible types of context‐dependent user interface. Third, immersive 3D, possibly the most interesting interface, will provide a context amenable to even the smallest development teams for the introduction of artificial intelligence into teaching. Finally, web service workflow is shown to provide a viable option for the implementation of learning designs with advantages and disadvantages compared to existing approaches.Research limitations/implicationsDifferent types of information channels are associated with different security problems. It will be important to determine what the best ways are of establishing secure channels to student personal learning environments. The present web service workflow design tools are of the highest quality and usability, but the design process is still a job for a specialist. It might be possible, however, to modify these open source tools to bring the design process within the grasp of non‐specialists.Originality/valueThe software system presented herein represents one possible path leading away from VLE monolithy using a service‐oriented approach. A new solution to the tools' interoperability problem is presented along with a multi‐faceted approach to the user interface. The enterprise service bus creates a flexible platform for the delivery of web service teaching and learning workflows. It is posited that the use of an immersive 3D user interface will create a context that facilitates the introduction of an artificial intelligence layer into the virtual learning environment that can serve robot teaching avatars.

Though virtual reality (VR) has been advanced to certain levels of maturity in recent years, the general public, especially the population of the blind and visually impaired (BVI), still cannot enjoy the benefit provided by VR. Current VR accessibility applications have been developed either on expensive head-mounted displays or with extra accessories and mechanisms, which are either not accessible or inconvenient for BVI individuals. In this paper, we present a mobile VR app that enables BVI users to access a virtual environment on an iPhone in order to build their skills of perception and recognition of the virtual environment and the virtual objects in the environment. The app uses the iPhone on a selfie stick to simulate a long cane in VR, and applies Augmented Reality (AR) techniques to track the iPhone’s real-time poses in an empty space of the real world, which is then synchronized to the long cane in the VR environment. Due to the use of mixed reality (the integration of VR & AR), we call it the Mixed Reality cane (MR Cane), which provides BVI users auditory and vibrotactile feedback whenever the virtual cane comes in contact with objects in VR. Thus, the MR Cane allows BVI individuals to interact with the virtual objects and identify approximate sizes and locations of the objects in the virtual environment. We performed preliminary user studies with blind-folded participants to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed mobile approach and the results indicate that the proposed MR Cane could be effective to help BVI individuals in understanding the interaction with virtual objects and exploring 3D virtual environments. The MR Cane concept can be extended to new applications of navigation, training and entertainment for BVI individuals without more significant efforts.