Sound Representing Self-Motion in Virtual Environments Enhances Linear Vection

Presentation of more haptic information to improve the users interactive capability is an important and challenging task in the virtual environment. As an emerging haptic feedback technology, electrovibration is an underlying solution to enhance the systems interactivity and improve user experience. However, such a solution is rarely studied in a virtual environment. In this work, we explore a new VR interaction method based on electrovibration technology with a touch screen and conduct evaluations about it. The key idea is to incorporate a set of manipulation gestures and three types of electrovibration in the VR interaction to help users acquire different kinds of tactile perception in the virtual manipulation. We present the evaluation in which we compare user performance measured first in a Fitts law task to evaluate different electrovibration types and then in a virtual office application to assess the interactive user interface. Our results show that the precision of interactions is significantly improved with the electrovibration haptic feedback. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to introduce electrovibration haptic feedback into the VR human-computer interaction and our work enlightens the potential of the electrovibration touchscreen-based interaction in virtual environments.

In this demonstration, we introduce Face/On, an embedded feedback device that leverages the contact area between the user's face and a virtual reality (VR) head-mounted display (HMD) to provide rich haptic feedback in virtual environments (VEs). Head-worn haptic feedback devices have been explored in previous work to provide directional cues via grids of actuators and localized feedback on the users' skin. Most of these solutions were immersion breaking due to their encumbering and uncomfortable design and build around a single actuator type, thus limiting the overall fidelity and flexibility of the haptic feedback. We present Face/On, a VR HMD face cushion with three types of discreetly embedded actuators that provide rich haptic feedback without encumbering users with invasive instrumentation on the body. By combining vibro-tactile and thermal feedback with electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), Face/On can simulate a wide range of scenarios and benefit from synergy effects between these feedback types.

Vibrotactile feedback in virtual motor learning: A systematic review

Current immersive Virtual Reality (VR) system strategies do not fully support dynamic Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and since there is a growing need for better immersion, due consideration should be given to integrate additional modalities for improved HCI. While feedback in Virtual Environments (VE) is predominantly provided to the user through the visual and auditory channels, additional modalities such as haptics can increase the sense of presence and efficiency in VE simulations. Haptic interfaces can enhance the VE interaction by enabling users to “touch” and “feel” virtual objects that are simulated in the environment. This paper examines the reasons behind its integration based on the limitations of present immersive projection system.

Many applications of virtual reality appeared in different fields of the rehabilitation medicine. Nevertheless poor evidences of their effectiveness still exist. The aim of this original paper was to present the results of a retrospective analysis of 10 years of a non-immersive VR system application, for the treatment of the motor upper limb impairment in stroke patients. We observed a significant improvement in the motor outcomes, compared to standard rehabilitation, nevertheless a translation of the same effect on harder outcome such as independence wasn't observed.

The usability of virtual reality (VR) controller interfaces are often complex and difficult for first time users. Most controllers provide minimal feedback which relegates the potential for heightened interaction and feedback within virtual experiences. This research explores how haptic technology systems partnered with VR can deliver immersive interactions between user and virtual environment (VE). This research involves the development of a haptic glove interface prototype that incorporates a force feedback and vibrotactile feedback system. It focuses on determining a workflow that communicates in real-time user interaction and environmental feedback using Unreal Engine and the produced haptic glove system. Testing and calibrating the prototype feedback system provided a baseline for developers to rationalise and improve accuracy of current real-time virtual feedback systems. The evaluation of this research in industry unfolds new technical knowledge for implementing a wider range of haptic technologies within VR. This further development would involve reviewing the usability and interaction standards for VR users in the design process.

The ability to recognize and classify human gestures bears a huge potential of improving haptic feedback in virtual environments: when it is possible to predict how a user wants to explore or manipulate his environment both the visual and the auditive feedback may be adapted in order to enhance the immersiveness of haptic displays. Within this work a software approach is suggested that allows for such a real-time classification of gestures in a continuous data stream. A visually based tracking system is used to record the hand movements, while Hidden Markov models are applied to analyze the data. After presenting the methodological background and the software implementation, the outcome of an evaluation study is discussed. It reveals satisfying results of gesture classification and, what is particularly important, the recognition is fast enough to enable multi-modal haptic feedback.KeywordsGesture recognitionHidden Markov modelMulti-modal haptic feedbackVirtual reality

Now, the design of a Virtual Reality (VR) application is still a specialised and time consuming task. Many techniques and software tools have been created facilitating the development process. However, they require considerable knowledge of VR technology. Furthermore, modelling the behaviours of the objects in a Virtual Environment (VE) requires programming skills. For this reason, we have developed an approach called 'VR-WISE' that allows specifying a VR application at a conceptual level, free from implementation details and from the viewpoint of a domain expert, allowing non-VR experts to participate in the design of VEs. This approach uses ontologies, incorporating domain knowledge and high-level modelling concepts for describing the VE. In this paper, we explain how object-behaviour can be described at a conceptual level. We show how simple behaviours can be combined for composing complex behaviours. We illustrate the different modelling concepts by means of examples.

Virtual environments have been widely adopted for design and training tasks in the industrial domain. Low-cost automation (LCA) is a technology that automatizes some activities using mostly standard automation mechanisms available off the shelf. However, LCA systems should adapt to existing standard production lines and workstations. Thus, workers must customize standard LCA templates and perform adaptation and customization steps. This activity can be very time consuming with physical LCA systems, and in case of errors, it may be necessary to rebuild many parts from scratch. Thus, LCA systems would greatly benefit from a design and prototyping step experienced in a virtual simulation environment. An immersive virtual reality (IVR) application for rapid and easy prototyping of LCA solutions has been investigated in previous work; the assessment of the system usability proved that the users highly appreciated the proposed solutions. This research explores further improvements to exploit the existing IVR application as a training tool for LCA prototyping trainees. The proposed application now provides users with two different interaction paradigms based on the VIVE controllers and the Manus Prime II data gloves. The application’s interface has been revised to allow a proper comparison of the two interaction models. The two interfaces have been compared, involving 12 participants in an LCA building task. The System Usability Scale (SUS) and the NASA Task Load Index (TLX) questionnaires have been used to assess the usability and workload of the two solutions.

As a typical cross-application between medicine and industry, the study of motion rehabilitation technology based on virtual reality (VR) has attracted more and more scholars’ attention recently . Based on the review of relevant research work, this paper firstly analyzes three starting points for VR technology to improve motor nerve function: first, VR is used to optimize the motor imagination effect; second, virtual environment can provide repetitive task training; third, virtual learning tasks are transferred to the real environment. Then, it summarizes three core elements that should be considered when designing virtual rehabilitation environment: visual presentation of movement, immediate behavioral feedback mechanism, and rich contextual information. The latest applications of VR in the rehabilitation of neurological injuries such as stroke and spinal cord injury are then reviewed, and the clinical potential and initial results of VR rehabilitation technology were demonstrated. Finally, the core problems faced by VR of neurological rehabilitation are summarized: In-depth understanding of the key influence mechanism of various sensory information in VR in the neural process is the key to fully explore the potential of VR technology. The purpose of this review is to provide theoretical support and technical reference for the clinical application and research of VR in the field of neurorehabilitation.

Virtual reality applications have begun to offer great potential for communication in recent years. Creating an immersive virtual social environment that simulates a real social environment requires providing users with communication cues such as visual, verbal, and nonverbal cues to increase their sense of inhabiting the virtual world. In this work, we will investigate the influence of avatar representation and behavior on communication in an immersive, multiuser, same-place virtual environment by comparing three conditions of avatar representation: video see-through, scanned realistic avatar, and no-avatar representations. Subjective and objective measurements will be used to describe participants' observations and track their movement behavior to ascertain the effect of avatar representations on communication, based on personal presence, social presence, and trustworthiness.

Virtual Reality (VR) systems are a trend in the educational field. We can observe in academic literature that VR applications are widely adopted as Three-Dimensional Virtual Learning Environments (3D VLEs) in different fields of knowledge. However, one of the discussions highlighted in this context refers to the contribution that these environments really offer for student knowledge acquisition. In this scenario, this paper presents the results obtained from an experimental study conducted with high school students interested in learning Plane and Spatial Geometry. The volunteers explored the 3D VLE applied in the experiment, in which it is possible to create and visualize spatial figures from selected plane figures. The interactions in the virtual environment were registered for statistic analysis of the interaction level of participants. To assess the level of knowledge acquisition, a Theoretical Model for Assessment of Knowledge Acquisition was applied The results of the experiment conducted in this research indicated that it is possible to evaluate learning in 3D VLE by applying the Model abovementioned and showed that participants gained knowledge about the object of study using the 3D VLE learning method. Thus, it was possible to verify if the 3D VLEs are really contributing to the learner's knowledge acquisition.

Gaze-based interactions promise to be fast, intuitive and effective in controlling virtual and augmented environments. Yet, there is still a lack of usable 3D navigation and observation techniques. In this work: 1) We introduce a highly advantageous orbital navigation technique, AnyOrbit, providing an intuitive and hands-free method of observation in virtual environments that uses eye-tracking to control the orbital center of movement; 2) The versatility of the technique is demonstrated with several control schemes and use-cases in virtual/augmented reality head-mounted-display and desktop setups, including observation of 3D astronomical data and spectator sports.

Decision making is vital in complex sporting tasks but is difficult to test and train. New technologies such as virtual and augmented reality offer novel opportunities for improving decision making, yet it remains unclear whether training gains using these new approaches will improve decision making on-field. To clarify the potential benefits, a clear conceptualization of decision making is required, particularly for invasive team sports such as football, basketball and field hockey, where decisions are complex with many possible options offered. Therefore, the aim of this position paper is to establish a framework for the design of virtual and augmented environments that help invasive team sport athletes to train their decision-making capacities. To achieve this, we propose a framework for conceptualising ‘natural’ decision making within the performance environment in invasive team sports that views decision making as a continuous cyclical process where the ball carrier interacts with teammates to create ‘windows of opportunity’, and where skilled decision makers often delay decisions to create time, and in turn new opportunities, rather than necessarily selecting the first option available to them. Within the framework, we make a distinction between decision making and anticipation, proposing that decision making requires a series of on-going anticipatory judgments. Based on the framework, we subsequently highlight the consequences for testing and training decision making using virtual and augmented reality environments, in particular outlining the technological challenges that need to be overcome for natural decision making to be represented within virtual and augmented environments.

Gesture-based touchless devices are becoming a widespread alternative to traditional gaming devices such as joysticks or gamepads. However, the impact of such devices on the user experience has to be evaluated, especially if we consider that most users are more familiar with classical handheld gaming controllers. In virtual reality applications, they influence not only the traditional usability, but also the user perception related to some peculiarities of immersive environments. In this paper, we evaluate both these aspects by comparing the user experience with the Myo armband touchless interface and the Vive controller distributed with the HTC Vive headset. We focused on a virtual navigator we developed for HTC Vive to allow users exploring the organs of the human body and navigating inside them. We recruited 78 subjects to test the virtual environment and asked them to fill in a questionnaire: we combined two generic purpose questionnaires focusing on the system usability (UMUX and SUS) and a presence questionnaire, which was specifically designed for virtual environments. We conducted a statistical analysis to study the effects of a touchless interaction on the user experience. The results revealed a better usability of the Vive controller, even though the effort to learn how to use the two devices is similar. In particular, difficulties in using Myo have a significant impact on immersion and adaptation in the virtual environment.