Burn patients engage in repetitive painful therapeutic treatments, such as wound debridement, dressing changes, and other medical processes high in procedural pain. Pharmacological analgesics have been used for managing pain, but with ineffective results and negative side effects. Studies on pain management for burn patients suggested that Virtual Reality can treat procedural pain. This paper describes

A large number of people in the world need to use a wheelchair because of different disabilities. Driving a wheelchair requires complex physical and cognitive abilities which need to be trained. Virtual training helps users acquire driving skills in a safe environment. The aim of this paper is to describe and technically validate simulation models for both manual (MW) and powered wheelchairs (PW) based

This study examined whether an interviewer’s nonverbal behavior influences observers’ competence ratings in a recruitment interview using 360-degree videos experienced with immersive virtual reality (VR-cardboard) and 2D screen displays. Participants (n = 110) observed a recruitment interview and assessed three competences of the applicant (behavior in a team, customer care, and sales skill). We used

Background Recent research has established virtual reality (VR) applications as a valid and viable tool for neuropsychological assessment. In contrast, there are only a few studies on its potential as a therapeutic program. To examine the prospects of VR as a tool for functional rehabilitation, a VR training program of attentional functions was conceptualized during a Hackathon in 2018. The prototype

Purpose Do apparatuses and eyestrain have effects on learning performances and quality of experience? Materials and Methods: 42 participants played a serious game simulating a job interview with a Samsung Gear VR Head-Mounted Display (HMD) or a computer screen. Participants were randomly assigned to 3 groups: PC, HMD biocular, and HMD stereoscopy (S3D). Participants played the game thrice. Eyestrain

Locomotion is a fundamental interaction element allowing navigation inside the virtual environment, and the walking-in-place (WIP) techniques have been actively developed as a balanced compromise between naturalness and efficiency. One popular method to implement the WIP technique was to use a low-cost, easy to set up, and markerless Kinect, but required integration of multiple sensors or covered limited

Artificial intelligence models can produce powerful predictive computer vision tools for healthcare. However, their development simultaneously requires computational skill as well as biomedical expertise. This barrier often impedes the wider utilization of AI in professional environments since biomedical experts often lack software development skills. We present the first development environment where

Virtual and augmented reality allows the utilization of natural user interfaces, such as realistic finger interaction, even for purposes that were previously dominated by the WIMP paradigm. This new form of interaction is particularly suitable for applications involving manipulation tasks in 3D space, such as CAD assembly modeling. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the suitability of natural

Children with upper limb motor impairment often undergo repetitive therapeutic physiotherapy sessions to minimize functional disabilities of the affected area. Even though therapeutic processes can improve functional outcomes and minimize persistent disabilities, patients often neglect to participate fully in physical therapies due to the associated procedural pain. Over recent decades, there has been

The world space defined by a traditional virtual reality application is generally regarded as separate from the real-world space in which users actually exist. In this paper, we present a method that enables such detached spaces to connect in an integrated space. In particular, we show that by using a specially manufactured calibration board and three consumer-grade position tracking devices, a reference

The contribution of this paper is toward three directions, namely (a) in identifying the advantages and disadvantages of the current state-of-the-art methods that allow laymen in programming to author VR experiences; (b) in examining how easily non-experts in programming can author VR experiences by analysing the responses from several testers toward easiness and usability when using the proposed authoring

Virtual reality (VR) is a promising tool and is increasingly used in many different fields, in which virtual walking can be generalized through detailed modeling of the physical environment such as in sports science, medicine and furthermore. However, the visualization of a virtual environment using a head-mounted display (HMD) differs compared to reality, and it is still not clear whether the visual

Cybersickness describes the nausea and discomfort that frequently emerges upon exposure to a virtual reality (VR) environment. The extent to which cybersickness leads to temporary constraints in cognitive functioning after VR exposure is a critical aspect of evaluating the risk to human safety where VR tasks are used for workforce training. Here, we examined whether VR exposure results in deteriorated

The main goal of this paper is to investigate the effect of different types of self-representations through floating members (hands vs. hands + feet), virtual full body (hands + feet vs. full-body avatar), walking fidelity (static feet, simulated walking, real walking), and number of tracking points used (head + hands, head + hands + feet, head + hands + feet + hip) on the sense of presence and embodiment

The incorporation of both virtual content and real world in augmented reality (AR) allows real-time engagement with the virtual objects. The selection of an appropriate tracking algorithm is important to optimise the performance of mobile AR applications given the limited processing capabilities and memories of mobile devices like smartphones. Tracking in AR consists of four essential components, namely

Practical applications of virtual reality (VR), defined as a three-dimensional digital representation of a real or imagined space, have become increasingly popular and are now applied in workplace training, physical rehabilitation, psychological therapy, and many other settings. Feelings akin to motion sickness, called VR sickness, can arise from interacting with VR programs, and researchers have shown

A primary affordance of virtual reality (VR) headsets is to give the user spatial presence or the illusion of being in the virtual environment. Although considerable research connects VR to spatial presence, spatial awareness, and spatial ability, little is known about how users develop spatial presence in VR learning environments. This study addresses that gap by exploring spatial presence experience

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-021-00527-0

One important feature of a neuropsychological test is its ecological validity, which defines how much patients’ test scores are linked to real-life functioning. However, many of the currently available neuropsychological tools show low to moderate levels of ecological validity. Virtual reality (VR) emerged as a possible solution that might enhance the ecological value of standard paper-and-pencil tests

Virtual reality (VR) sickness is a condition that may occur during or after exposure to a virtual environment and can induce symptoms such as headache and eye strain. VR sickness can be influenced by several factors. One individual factor that might affect VR sickness is personality. Non-individual factors that may influence VR sickness are sound and content difficulty. The aim of this study was to

Scene Walk is a video viewing technique suited to first-person video recorded from wearable cameras. It integrates a 2D video player and visualisation of the camera trajectory into a non-photorealistic partial rendering of the 3D environment as reconstructed from image content. Applications include forensic analysis of first-person video archives, for example as recorded by emergency response teams

Previous studies have revealed that attention and inhibition are impaired in individuals with elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety. Virtual reality (VR)-based neuropsychological assessment may be a valid instrument for assessing attention and inhibition given its higher ecological validity when compared to classical tests. However, it is still unclear as to whether a VR assessment can predict

Cybersickness (CS) is a term used to refer to symptoms, such as nausea, headache, and dizziness that users experience during or after virtual reality immersion. Initially discovered in flight simulators, commercial virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMD) of the current generation also seem to cause CS, albeit in a different manner and severity. The goal of this work is to summarize recent

Inferring users’ perceptions of Virtual Environments (VEs) is essential for Virtual Reality (VR) research. Traditionally, this is achieved through assessing users’ affective states before and after being exposed to a VE, based on standardized, self-assessment questionnaires. The main disadvantage of questionnaires is their sequential administration, i.e., a user’s affective state is measured asynchronously

Recent studies show that user’s visual attention during virtual reality museum navigation can be effectively estimated with deep learning models. However, these models rely on large-scale datasets that usually are of high structure complexity and context specific, which is challenging for nonspecialist researchers and designers. Therefore, we present the deep learning model, ALRF, to generalise on

Virtual reality (VR) may be a good alternative for cadaveric temporal bone surgical dissection courses, which are an important part of otolaryngology resident’s training. The aim of the study was to assess the VR temporal bone surgery simulator in an antromastoidectomy simulation. The VR system was based on the Geomagic Touch Haptic Device from 3D System. The research was designed as a prospective

Balance disorders can have substantial adverse implications on the performance of daily activities and lead to an increased risk of falls, which often have severe negative consequences for older adults. Quantitative assessment through computerized force plate-based posturography enables objective assessment of postural control but could not successfully represent specific abilities required during

Sense of presence plays an essential role in realistic answers in virtual reality and is, therefore, relevant to promote. Prior studies suggest that a relationship exists between familiarity and presence through the memory process. Indeed, the recall of memories could reactivate the mental state and emotions associated with their context. The present study thus examined the effectiveness of contextual

In immersive Virtual Reality (VR), your brain can trick you into believing that your virtual hands are your real hands. Manipulating the representation of the body, namely the avatar, is a potentially powerful tool for the design of innovative interactive systems in VR. In this study, we investigated interactive behavior in VR by using the methods of experimental psychology. Objects with handles are

We assessed the contribution of binocular disparity and the pictorial cues of linear perspective, texture, and scene clutter to the perception of distance in consumer virtual reality. As additional cues are made available, distance perception is predicted to improve, as measured by a reduction in systematic bias, and an increase in precision. We assessed (1) whether space is nonlinearly distorted;

Virtual reality (VR) is widely recognised as a promising technology for training emergency first responders and other safety–critical workers. It is uniquely able to immerse trainees in extreme situations that are too risky or dangerous to be examined in traditional real-world safety training. Most organisations seeking to implement VR safety training often limit their decisions to financial and technological

Augmented reality, whereby computer-generated images are overlaid onto the physical environment, is becoming significant part of the world of education and training. Little is known, however, about how these external images are treated by the sensorimotor system of the user – are they fully integrated into the external environmental cues, or largely ignored by low-level perceptual and motor processes

The interaction time of students who did spatial ability tests in a virtual reality environment is analyzed. The spatial ability test completion times of 240 and 61 students were measured. A desktop display as well as the Gear VR were used by the former group and by the latter one, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between the probability of correct

This research investigates the relationships between the way virtual space is explored, the perception of presence and the degree of entertainment experienced during the experience. All participants (N = 147) interact with an omnidirectional video clip in three different conditions (VR, 360º, 2D). Throughout the two experimental sessions, affective, cognitive, and behavioural information is collected

Virtual field trip is a way of providing users with some knowledge and exposure of a facility without requiring them to physically visit the location. Due to the high computational costs that are necessary to produce virtual environments (VEs), the potential for photorealism is sacrificed. Often these three-dimensional (3D) modeled applications use an unrealistic VE and, therefore, do not provide a

The following case study was carried out on a sample of one experimental and one control group. The participants of the experimental group watched the movie section from the standardized LATEMO-E database via virtual reality (VR) on Oculus Rift S and HTC Vive Pro devices. In the control group, the movie section was displayed on the LCD monitor. The movie section was categorized according to Ekman's

This research investigated the effects of virtual displays on kinematic parameters during direct pointing at a virtual target. Two virtual displays, three egocentric distances, and three indices of difficulty (IDs) were the independent variables considered in the study. Twelve participants (M = 29.8 ± 3.45 years of age) with normal visual acuity performed a pointing movement in the two VR displays

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