In this study, we present a novel mixed reality navigation system to facilitate brachytherapy, which is an effective method for curing cancer. The accuracy of needle positioning is a vital problem in brachytherapy that can influence the treatment effect. The purpose of the developed system is to help doctors more quickly and easily position the needles and improve seed accuracy in brachytherapy surgery

Virtual reality (VR) has clear potential for improving simulation training in many industries. Yet, methods for testing the fidelity, validity and training efficacy of VR environments are, in general, lagging behind their adoption. There is limited understanding of how readily skills learned in VR will transfer, and what features of training design will facilitate effective transfer. Two potentially

This paper describes the design and preliminary test of a virtual reality driving simulator capable of conveying haptic and visual messages to promote eco-sustainable driving behavior. The driving simulator was implemented through the Unity game engine; a large street environment, including high-speed and urban sections, was created to examine different driving behaviors. The hardware setup included

To achieve pedagogic goals and deal with environmental constraints such as noise when lecturing, teachers adapt their speech production in terms of frequency, intensity, and temporal aspects. The mastery of appropriate vocal skills is key to teachers’ speech intelligibility, health, and educational effectiveness. This project tests the relevance of virtual reality (VR) for training teachers’ vocal

Prior to adopting new technologies for training, evaluations must be executed to demonstrate their benefit. Specifically, the appeal of virtual reality has led to applications across domains. While many evaluations have been conducted on their effectiveness, there has yet been a review to summarize and categorize the evidence on training outcomes. To assess the benefits these new technologies may bring

There has been an increasing interest in applying immersive virtual reality (VR) applications to support various instructional design methods and outcomes not only in K-12 (Primary and Secondary), but also in higher education (HE) settings. However, there is a scarcity of studies to provide the potentials and challenges of VR-supported instructional design strategies and/or techniques that can influence

How touch is conceptualised matters in shaping technical advancements, bringing opportunities and challenges for development and design and raising questions for how touch experience is reconfigured. This paper explores the notion of touch in virtual reality (VR). Specifically, it identifies how touch ‘connection’ is realised and conceptualised in virtual spaces in order to explore how digital remediation

Mixed reality (MR) is a cutting-edge technology at the forefront of many new applications in the tourism and cultural heritage sector. This study aims to reshape the museum experience by creating a highly engaging and immersive museum experience for visitors combing real-time visual, audio information and computer-generated images with museum artefacts and customer displays. This research introduces

Immersive systems can be used to capture new data, create new experiences, and provide new insights by generating virtual elements of physical and imagined worlds. Immersive systems are seeing increased application across a broad array of fields. However, in many situations it is unknown if an immersive application performs as well or better than the existing application in accomplishing a specific

In spatial augmented reality applications, incorrect projection mapping may occur when projecting images onto moving non-rigid surfaces. This may detract from the user experience, as the image may not be perceived as originally intended. This is especially apparent when using low-cost projectors and cameras or when surfaces are moving quickly. In this paper, an algorithm is developed which predicts

Increased life expectancy leads to an increase in the number of older adults and in the prevalence of aging-associated diseases and disabilities. Active aging strategies—particularly those based on physical exercise therapy— have great positive impact on older people’s health. Virtual reality (VR) represents an innovative approach to involve and motivate patients during therapy sessions. Exergaming

The development of new car interior concepts requires tools, particularly in development phases before concept milestones, which enable subjective experiences and evaluations in static and driving situations. On the one hand, variant comparisons are necessary; on the other hand, the level of immersion should be high enough that participants can behave as they would in real cars. Virtual reality technologies

We present the VROnSite platform that supports immersive training of first responder units’ on-site squad leaders. Our training platform is fully immersive, entirely untethered to ease use and provides two means of navigation—abstract and natural walking—to simulate stress and exhaustion, two important factors for decision making. With the platform’s capabilities, we close a gap in prior art for first

Vection is defined as an illusory self-motion sensation induced in stationary observers that can be experienced in a real/virtual world. Vection, as a result of immersion in virtual reality (VR) environments, can subsequently lead to a sense of inability to maintain postural control and cause cybersickness symptoms. The multisensory integration of visual and vestibular (balance) information plays a

Children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience a variety of difficulties related to three primary symptoms: hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. The most common type of ADHD has a combination of all three symptom areas. These core symptoms may negatively impact the academic and social performance of children throughout their school life. The AHA (ADHD-Augmented)

nondestructive evaluation (NDE) is an analysis technique used to evaluate the properties of a material, component, structure or system without causing damage. In this paper, we introduce a novel mixed reality system for NDE training. In particular, we model and simulate the inspected object and the inspection probe. The operator trainees with the wearable headsets are able to move and zoom the inspected

Upper-limb virtual rehabilitation (VR) in adult acquired brain injury (ABI) is based largely on systems administered on a one-to-one basis. Multi-user interaction between co-located participants may offer advantages over single-user methods. The present study examined the feasibility of deploying a co-located VR system (Resonance) in a clinical setting. Following a baselining period, 5 patients with

Food portion size estimation is a critical yet challenging task in dietary assessment. Augmented reality technology enables the presentation of food dimensions and volume in a virtual three-dimensional object. It has the potential to improve perception and estimation of portion sizes. This study aims to develop and evaluate a novel mobile augmented reality application, namely Virtual Atlas of Portion

Serious games, professional entertainment (e.g. e-sport), or the immersive simulation of critical scenarios by means of virtual reality belong to the scope of the video game industry. With implications in economic (gambling) and professional careers (e-sports), researchers have focused on the high-level analysis of the win/lose chances and on the player’s profile (good/bad performers). At the low-level

Game-based virtual reality systems have been shown to enhance motor function, motivation and therapy adherence in cerebral palsy (CP) children. In these systems, several types of virtual body representations have been implemented, however without conclusive support of guidelines nor the most appropriate choice for enhancing motor performance. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine how the subjective

The role of eye movements in mental imagery and visual memory is typically investigated by presenting stimuli or scenes on a two-dimensional (2D) computer screen. When questioned about objects that had previously been presented on-screen, people gaze back to the location of the stimuli, even though those regions are blank during retrieval. It remains unclear whether this behavior is limited to a highly

In light of recent advances in technology, there has been growing interest in virtual reality (VR) simulations for training purposes in a range of high-performance environments, from sport to nuclear decommissioning. For a VR simulation to elicit effective transfer of training to the real-world, it must provide a sufficient level of validity, that is, it must be representative of the real-world skill

The colour-in-context theory suggests that our reactions to colour vary depending on the context in which the colour is presented. Our understanding of how colour affects mood in different contexts is not well understood. We used Virtual Reality to explore mood and valence (colour preference) responses to colours in three different contexts: a living room, a hospital waiting room, and an empty cube-shaped

Since watching movies is a social experience for most people, it is important to know how an application should be designed for enabling shared cinematic virtual reality (CVR) experiences via head-mounted displays (HMDs). Viewers can feel isolated when watching omnidirectional movies with HMDs. Even if they are watching the movie simultaneously, they do not automatically see the same field of view

This work presents the design and evaluation of a set of three mini exercise games (exergames), called “Ellic’s Exercise Class,” which allows people to play in virtual reality (VR) using a head-mounted display (HMD) with the intention to promote physical activities. The exergames require the player to move hands, arms, and body to interact with sporting gameplay events. The game design methodology

Escape room is a live-action adventure game, where the players search clues, solve puzzles and achieve the assigned tasks. This paper proposed a novel escape room system combining augmented reality and deep learning technology. The system adopts a client–server architecture and can be divided into the server module, the smart glasses module and the player–hardware interaction module. The player–hardware

The development of extended reality in recent years is opening doors for using extended reality devices (virtual reality, augmented, and mixed reality devices) in education and healthcare. The purpose of this pilot study was to test the use of augmented reality in teaching healthcare practitioners in a stroke assessment simulation designed for clinical training, where students at nursing school are

Cybersickness remains a major challenge in the virtual reality community. It occurs mainly when navigating in a 3D immersive virtual environment. Several parameters are known to influence the users’ cybersickness level while navigating, that can be either technological or neuro-psychological. This study investigates two of these parameters that are the distance from a virtual barrier and the choice

Facial expressions play a crucial role in modulating the emotional responses in the viewers. Touch is an important factor in shaping human emotions and social communication. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of viewing and touching a virtual emotional face on the emotional responses of a viewer/toucher. In the case of touching the model, the effects of physical properties, namely

Virtual reality (VR) has become popular in mental health research. Several studies have explored the use of VR in the context of biofeedback protocols. In the present paper, we report on the development and evaluation of a VR-based respiratory biofeedback game to foster diaphragmatic breathing. The game integrates respiratory biofeedback, restorative VR and gamification. The game is designed to run

There is a looming shortage of well-trained professionals in the wood construction workforce. To challenge this shortage, we developed a simulated learning environment that leverages a novel Virtual Reality (VR) system to train novice workers in wooden wall construction. A comprehensive task analysis was first used to best identify training requirements. Then, a virtual building site was modeled and

By now, the realm of virtual reality is abuzz with high-quality visuals, enough to simulate a real-world scene. The use of intelligence in virtual reality systems, however, is a milestone yet to be achieved to make possible seamless realism in a virtual environment. This paper presents a model, rational ubiquitous navigation to improve believability of a virtual environment. The model intends to augment

Simulation-based training has been widely used in medical education. More specifically, various systems for minimally invasive surgery training have been proposed in the past two decades. The aim of this article is to review and summarize the existing simulation-based training systems for laparoscopic surgery in terms of their technical realizations. Forty-three training systems were found and analyzed

Landmines are frequently used for defence and attack. Thus, landmine detection is vital to preventing the damages incurred. Various landmine detection methods have been developed from the past to the present. Thus, a need has arisen for the employment of qualified personnel in this field. In today’s landmine detection training, soldiers are first subjected to theoretical training about landmine types

In this paper, we present ‘Virtual Observation’ (VO) a software tool for contextual observation and assessment of user’s directly from within the virtual reality (VR) simulation framework. Unlike other recording systems, the VO system described in this paper focuses on recording and reconstructing VR user’s positional, rotational and input data to recreate the same experience the user had with a VR

The phenomenon of cybersickness is currently hindering the mass market adoption of head-mounted display (HMD) virtual reality (VR) technologies. This study examined the effects of dynamic field-of-view (FOV) restriction on the cybersickness generated by ecological HMD-based gameplay. Forty participants were exposed to a commercially available HMD game (Marvel Powers United VR) under both unrestricted

This paper describes the development of a three-dimensional (3D) physics-based fire simulation model that employs the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations to realistically emulate the combustion process. Then, we animate the 3D interactive burning processes by rendering a flame under a set of influence factors and with various solid boundaries and obstacles. It is insufficient to simply create a

With the development of consumer-grade virtual reality (VR) systems, the interface and interaction design for immersive virtual environments have become a critical issue for VR application designers and developers. The previous design experience from conventional VR applications may not be effective anymore. This work investigated two types of menu interfaces (fixed menu and handheld menu) and three

Alternative reality (XR) tools are becoming more commonplace in the realm of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC); however, these digitally immersive technologies vary greatly in their degree of virtuality and individual capabilities. While many studies detail the performance of one specific XR technology for a particular use case, little work exists comparing numerous modern XR technologies

Among other aspects like attention and focus, the effectiveness of actions, such as training in percussion, also relies on the correct gesture and strength of the individual carrying out the activity repetitively to develop proper muscle memory and train motor skills. To make this process economical and efficient, we propose a system that models the feature of direction and strength of a tap and receives

Most interactive user interfaces (UIs) for virtual reality (VR) applications are based on the traditional eye-centred UI design principle, which primarily considers the user’s visual searching efficiency and comfort, but the hand operation performance and ergonomics are relatively less considered. As a result, the hand interaction in VR is often criticized as being less efficient and precise. In this

Stroke rehabilitation suffers from low levels of patient engagement, impeding recovery. Virtual rehabilitation (VR) approaches can improve patient outcomes; however, there is limited understanding of the participant’s user experience and the field lacks a validated, objective measure of VR engagement. A neurophysiological measure of engagement in healthy adults was therefore examined, to inform future

Previous studies show that VR images can influence consumers’ attitudes and behaviors by evoking imagination. In this study, we introduce a reality-based closed-loop 3D image (hereafter Virtualgraph). Then, we try to see whether such image would increase evocativeness in a mobile commerce environment and whether higher telepresence of the visual image of a product can increase the purchase intention

In this paper, we proposed a novel method for virtual reality (VR) sickness reduction based on dynamic field of view (FOV) processing. Dynamic FOV processing is performed based on the estimated VR sickness for each video frame. The level of sickness is estimated using VR sickness model, which is obtained by defining the relationship between the motion information and the measured VR sickness. For motion

We have developed a novel and affordable way to texture virtual hands from individually taken photographs and integrated the virtual hands into a mixed reality neurorehabilitation system. This mixed reality system allows for serious game play with mirrored and non-mirrored hands, designed for patients with unilateral motor impairments. Before we can ethically have patients use the system, we must show

Recently, 360° panorama technologies have been used to create videos and pictures of real and virtual environments, thus opening new possibilities for psychological research. The aim of this study is to compare a 360° real panorama environment to a computer-simulated one to verify if they are equally efficient in generating sense of presence, emotions, and relaxation in individuals. The study employs

This research report describes the development of a virtual reality (VR) laboratory stressor to study the effects of exposure to stressful events. The aim of the research was to develop a VR simulation that would evoke stressor responses at a level that was tolerable for participants. Veterans with and without warzone-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were presented with VR simulations of

Virtual reality can be used for educational purposes, particularly in demanding professions such as firefighting. Such virtual training may be useful for preparing trainees for distress, fear, or frustration experienced during real rescue operations. Evoking cognitive schemas, especially of other people, during training appears to be crucial as well, as the greatest stressors in the firefighting profession

This study investigated the perceptual characteristics of pulsive brakes presented by passive haptic interfaces. A passive-type haptic interface based on the damping brake of a DC motor was used to generate impact; this has merits of inherent safety and energy efficiency. This haptic interface expresses impacts by resisting the operator’s hand via the resistive force generated by a damping brake. In

Augmented reality technology is attracting increased attention, given the popularity of the smartphone. The utilisation of the smartphone with AR technology is also enabling mobile augmented reality (MAR) to become accessible. Stereoscopic vision offers users the benefit of depth perception, which can help improve user memory. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect on knowledge retention

Virtual reality (VR) might increase the ecological validity of psychological studies as it allows submerging into real-life experiences under controlled laboratory conditions. We intended to provide empirical evidence for this claim at the example of the famous invisible gorilla paradigm (Simons and Chabris in Perception, 28(9), 1059–1074, 1999). To this end, we confronted one group of participants

Recently, virtual reality (VR) technologies started gaining momentum in surgical simulation-based training by allowing clinicians to practice their skills before performing real procedures. The design of such simulators is usually focused on the primary operative tasks to be taught, but little attention is paid to secondary tasks that the user needs to perform, such as changing his/her point of view

Virtual reality (VR) is popular across many fields and is increasingly used in sports as a training tool. The reason, therefore, is recently improved display technologies, more powerful computation capacity, and lower costs of head-mounted displays for VR. As in the real-world (R), visual effects are the most important stimulus provided by VR. However, it has not been demonstrated whether the gaze

Cybersickness is a known issue in virtual reality affecting a notable percentage of the populations. However, predicting the level and incidence of cybersickness in new systems is difficult. Past publications were analyzed for their factors and resulting cybersickness scores. These factors were then used to develop three predictive models using demographics, software, and hardware factors. Using demographic

In this survey, we explore Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality within social learning spaces, such as classrooms and museums, while also extending into relevant social interaction concepts found within more reality-based and social immersive media frameworks. To provide a foundation for our findings we explore properties and interactions relevant to educational use in social learning spaces; in addition

We present a framework for alternative reality (XR) technologies to enable an understanding of what constitutes an XR environment when used in the context of design and engineering of large, complex systems. The framework provides guidelines for implementing the corresponding desired human sensory experience. This work is founded on the existing literature which defines theoretical Spectra, such as

Sociocognitive evaluation is an important component of comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. However, concerns have been raised as to whether traditional assessment methods such as paper-and-pencil questionnaire adequately represent real-life abilities. Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to increase ecological value by providing experimental conditions that are similar to those in a real-world

Fire is a major hazard in built environments. Fires in buildings cause fatalities, serious injuries and tremendous damage. Most fires can be extinguished in the early stages of the fire’s development, with the right equipment and correct use of the equipment. However, as there can be as little as a few minutes between a fire starting and very dire consequences, rapid and correct responses are critical

Starting from the pro-environmental potential of virtual reality (VR), the aim was to understand how different statistical information formats can enhance VR persuasive potential for plastic consumption, recycling and waste. Naturalistic, immersive virtual reality environments (VREs) were designed ad hoc to display three kinds of statistical evidence formats, featured as three different formats (i

Contemporary virtual reality systems enable academics to more efficiently explore and analyze complex three-dimensional (3D) content, but their utility is limited by visual short-term memory. Janus, a geometry agnostic shader script, circumvents this cognitive limitation by automatically rendering complex object meshes to fit entirely within the field-of-view of consumer head-mounted displays. The