Combining VR and Biofeedback

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 176-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Rockstroh ◽  
Johannes Blum ◽  
Anja S. Göritz
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Electrodermal Activity ◽  
Display Type ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Subjective Stress ◽  
Stress Induction ◽  
Computer Screen ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
Physical Presence ◽  
Healthy Participants

Abstract. This study explored the effects of combining virtual reality (VR) and biofeedback on the restorativeness of the created experience as judged by the user and the user’s sense of presence. In a between-subjects experiment, we disentangled the effects of display type (VR vs. computer screen) and biofeedback (electrodermal activity biofeedback vs. no biofeedback) in the context of immersive simulated relaxation environments. After a stress induction, 94 healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of four relaxing treatments. There were no treatment-specific differences in subjective stress or physiological arousal. However, VR compared with computer screen increased the sense of presence and, partly, perceived restorativeness. When combined with VR, biofeedback increased physical presence and, in part, perceived restorativeness. The study offers insight that allows for the identification of future research avenues.

scholarly journals I walk, therefore I am: a multidimensional study on the influence of the locomotion method upon presence in virtual reality

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 577-590
Author(s):  
José L Soler-Domínguez ◽  
Carla de Juan ◽  
Manuel Contero ◽  
Mariano Alcañiz
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Electrodermal Activity ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Head Bobbing ◽  
Controversial Topic ◽  
Being There ◽  
First Time

Abstract A defining virtual reality (VR) metric is the sense of presence, a complex, multidimensional psychophysical construct that represents how intense is the sensation of actually being there, inside the virtual environment (VE), forgetting how technology mediates the experience. Our paper explores how locomotion influences presence, studying two different ways of artificial movement along the VE: walking-in-place (through head bobbing detection) and indirect walking (through touchpad). To evaluate that influence, a narrative-neutral maze was created, from where 41 participants (N=41) had to escape. Measuring presence is a controversial topic since there is not a single, objective measure but a wide range of metrics depending on the different theoretical basis. For this reason, we have used for the first time, representative metrics from all three traditional dimensions of presence: subjective presence (SP) (self-reported through questionnaires), behavioral presence (BP) (obtained from unconscious reactions while inside the VE), and physiological presence (PP) [usually measured using heart rate or electrodermal activity (EDA)]. SP was measured with the ITC-SOPI questionnaire, BP by collecting the participants’ reactions, and PP by using a bracelet that registered EDA. The results show two main findings: (i) There is no correlation between the different presence metrics. This opens the door to a simpler way of measuring presence in an objective, reliable way. (ii) There is no significant difference between the two locomotion techniques for any of the three metrics, which shows that the authenticity of VR does not rely on how you move within the VE.

scholarly journals The Representation of Food-Related Environments in Virtual Reality

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1309-1309
Author(s):  
James Hollis ◽  
Shelley Woodall
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Electrodermal Activity ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
Innovative Tool ◽  
Education Tool

Abstract Objectives Virtual reality (VR) potentially provides an innovative tool for nutrition education/counselling. The objective of this study was to determine the a) sense of ‘presence’ (the feeling of being in a scene) experienced in two food related VR scenes b) capture information regarding the participants experiences in VR. Methods Two 3D, food-related scenes were created for this study: supermarket or fast food restaurant. The scenes were displayed using a VR head mounted display or on a standard PC monitor. The participants were able to move around each scene and could interact with various elements to obtain nutrition information about a food. Thirty-one adults were recruited for this study and reported to the laboratory on 4 occasions separated by at least 48 hours. Participants were randomized to a treatment order. On reporting to the laboratory, the participants had surface electrodes attached to determine heart rate and electrodermal activity. The participant was then required to sit quietly for 10 minutes for baseline measures to be collected. Then, in the VR treatments, a VR headset was placed on the participants head and the relevant scene displayed. For the PC treatments, the same scenes were displayed on a PC monitor. The participants were required to remain in the different scenes for at least 5 minutes. Then, the headset was removed and the participant completed questionnaires regarding their experiences in the VR and PC scenes. Results Participants ranged in age from <25 years to over 65 years. All participants used computers in their daily life but generally had no or little experience in VR. Participants reported a higher sense of presence in the VR treatments compared to the PC treatments (P < 0.05). The VR scenes also created a greater sense of the scene being the ‘dominant reality’ and elicited a greater sense that the participant were actually in the scene (P < 0.05). There was no difference in the participant's ability to complete tasks in the VR and PC scenes. Moreover, feelings of nausea were not different between the VR and PC scenes. The participant's heart rate was significantly higher in the VR treatments (P < 0.05). Conclusions This study provides data that supports the development of VR as a nutrition education/counselling tool. Further research is required to develop VR as an effective education tool. Funding Sources None.

Mixed Reality based Collaboration for Design Processes

i-com ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-137
Author(s):  
Natalie Hube ◽  
Mathias Müller ◽  
Esther Lapczyna ◽  
Jan Wojdziak
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Automotive Industry ◽  
Design Space ◽  
Mixed Reality ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Remote Collaboration ◽  
Virtual Reality Technology ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Physical Presence

AbstractDue to constantly and rapidly growing digitization, requirements for international cooperation are changing. Tools for collaborative work such as video telephony are already an integral part of today’s communication across companies. However, these tools are not sufficient to represent the full physical presence of an employee or a product as well as its components in another location, since the representation of information in a two-dimensional way and the resulting limited communication loses concrete objectivity. Thus, we present a novel object-centered approach that compromises of Augmented and Virtual Reality technology as well as design suggestions for remote collaboration. Furthermore, we identify current key areas for future research and specify a design space for the use of Augmented and Virtual Reality remote collaboration in the manufacturing process in the automotive industry.

scholarly journals Embodiment is related to better performance on an immersive brain computer interface in head-mounted virtual reality: A pilot study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia M Juliano ◽  
Ryan P Spicer ◽  
Athanasios Vourvopoulos ◽  
Stephanie Lefebvre ◽  
Kay Jann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Motor Rehabilitation ◽  
Computer Screen ◽  
Computer Interfaces ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
Immersive Systems ◽  
Sensorimotor Rhythms

AbstractBrain computer interfaces (BCI) can be used to provide individuals with neurofeedback of their own brain activity and train them to learn how to control their brain activity. Neurofeedback-based BCIs used for motor rehabilitation aim to ‘close the loop’ between attempted motor commands and sensory feedback by providing supplemental sensory information when individuals successfully establish specific brain patterns. Existing neurofeedback-based BCIs have used a variety of displays to provide feedback, ranging from devices that provide a more immersive and compelling experience (e.g., head-mounted virtual reality (HMD-VR) or CAVE systems) to devices that are considered less immersive (e.g., computer screens). However, it is not clear whether more immersive systems (i.e., HMD-VR) improve neurofeedback performance compared to computer screens, and whether there are individual performance differences in HMD-VR versus screen-based neurofeedback. In this pilot experiment, we compared neurofeedback performance in HMD-VR versus on a computer screen in twelve healthy individuals. We also examined whether individual differences in presence or embodiment correlated with neurofeedback performance in either environment. Participants were asked to control a virtual right arm by imagining right hand movements. Real-time brain activity indicating motor imagery, which was measured via electroencephalography (EEG) as desynchronized sensorimotor rhythms (SMR; 8-24 Hz) in the left motor cortex, drove the movement of the virtual arm towards (increased SMR desynchronization) or away from (decreased SMR desynchronization) targets. Participants performed two blocks of 30 trials, one for each condition (Screen, HMD-VR), with the order of conditions counterbalanced across participants. After completing each block, participants were asked questions relating to their sense of presence and embodiment in each environment. We found that, while participants’ performance on the neurofeedback-based BCI task was similar between conditions, the participants’ reported levels of embodiment was significantly different between conditions. Specifically, participants experienced higher levels of embodiment in HMD-VR compared to the computer screen. We further found that reported levels of embodiment positively correlated with neurofeedback performance only in the HMD-VR condition. Overall, these preliminary results suggest that embodiment may improve performance on a neurofeedback-based BCI and that HMD-VR may increase embodiment during a neurofeedback-based BCI task compared to a standard computer screen.

Contribution of Motion Parallax and Stereopsis to the Sense of Presence in Virtual Reality

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 20502-1-20502-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siavash Eftekharifar ◽  
Anne Thaler ◽  
Nikolaus F. Troje
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Electrodermal Activity ◽  
Motion Parallax ◽  
Subjective Feeling ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Viewing Condition ◽  
Stressful Environment ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Sense Of Presence

Abstract The sense of presence is defined as a subjective feeling of being situated in an environment and occupying a location therein. The sense of presence is a defining feature of virtual environments. In two experiments, we aimed at investigating the relative contribution of motion parallax and stereopsis to the sense of presence, using two versions of the classic pit room paradigm in virtual reality. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to cross a deep abyss between two platforms on a narrow plank. Participants completed the task under three experimental conditions: (1) when the lateral component of motion parallax was disabled, (2) when stereopsis was disabled, and (3) when both stereopsis and motion parallax were available. As a subjective measure of presence, participants completed a presence questionnaire after each condition. Additionally, electrodermal activity (EDA) was recorded as a measure of anxiety. In Experiment 1, EDA responses were significantly higher with restricted motion parallax as compared to the other two conditions. However, no difference was observed in terms of the subjective presence scores across the three conditions. To test whether these results were due to the nature of the environment, participants in Experiment 2 experienced a slightly less stressful environment, where they were asked to stand on a ledge and drop virtual balls to specified targets into the abyss. The same experimental manipulations were used as in Experiment 1. Again, the EDA responses were significantly higher when motion parallax was impaired as compared to when stereopsis was disabled. The results of the presence questionnaire revealed a reduced sense of presence with impaired motion parallax compared to the normal viewing condition. Across the two experiments, our results unexpectedly demonstrate that presence in the virtual environments is not necessarily linked to EDA responses elicited by affective situations as has been implied by earlier studies.

scholarly journals A Comparison of Active and Passive Virtual Reality Exposure Scenarios to Elicit Social Anxiety

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoones A. Sekhavat ◽  
Poorya Nomani
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
Two Parameters ◽  
Virtual Reality Exposure ◽  
Healthy Participants

Social phobia is an anxiety disorder that results in an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. As a safe and controlled tool, Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) has been used to treat anxiety disorders and phobias. This paper aims to study whether VRET with active scenarios can challenge a person more than passive scenarios. By comparing participants who were exposed to active and passive scenarios in VRET, we show that active scenarios are more effective than passive scenarios to elicit social anxiety in healthy participants. We focus on eliciting social anxiety and creating the sense of presence as two parameters enhancing the efficacy of VRET scenarios.

The application of virtual reality in health professions� digital education: a narrative review (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine Tudor Car ◽  
Bhone Myint Kyaw ◽  
Josip Car
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Health Professions ◽  
Health Professions Education ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Educational Content ◽  
Potential Applications

BACKGROUND Digital technology called Virtual Reality (VR) is increasingly employed in health professions’ education. Yet, based on the current evidence, its use is narrowed around a few most applications and disciplines. There is a lack of an overview that would capture the diversity of different VR applications in health professions’ education and inform its use and research. OBJECTIVE This narrative review aims to explore different potential applications of VR in health professions’ education. METHODS The narrative synthesis approach to literature review was used to analyse the existing evidence. RESULTS We outline the role of VR features such as immersion, interactivity and feedback and explain the role of VR devices. Based on the type and scope of educational content VR can represent space, individuals, objects, structures or their combination. Application of VR in medical education encompasses environmental, organ and micro level. Environmental VR focuses on training in relation to health professionals’ environment and human interactions. Organ VR educational content targets primarily human body anatomy; and micro VR microscopic structures at the level of cells, molecules and atoms. We examine how different VR features and health professional education areas match these three VR types. CONCLUSIONS We conclude by highlighting the gaps in the literature and providing suggestions for future research.

Preservice Teachers’ Professional Noticing When Viewing Standard and 360 Video

2020 ◽  
pp. 002248712093954
Author(s):  
Karl W. Kosko ◽  
Richard E. Ferdig ◽  
Maryam Zolfaghari
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Teacher Noticing ◽  
Professional Noticing ◽  
Novel Technology

Use of video as a representation of practice in teacher education is commonplace. The current study explored the use of a new format (360 video) in the context of preservice teachers’ professional noticing. Findings suggest that preservice teachers viewing 360 videos attended to more student actions than their peers viewing standard video. In addition, using a virtual reality headset to view the 360 videos led to different patterns in where preservice teachers looked in the recorded classroom, and to increased specificity of mathematics content from the scenario. Thus, findings and results support the use of 360 video in teacher education to facilitate teacher noticing. However, future research is needed to further explore this novel technology.

scholarly journals Cybersickness in current-generation virtual reality head-mounted displays: systematic review and outlook

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Polona Caserman ◽  
Augusto Garcia-Agundez ◽  
Alvar Gámez Zerban ◽  
Stefan Göbel
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Subjective Evaluation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Current Generation ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Head Mounted Displays ◽  
Skin Response ◽  
Golden Standard

AbstractCybersickness (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 literature on CS with modern HMDs, to determine the specificities and profile of immersive VR-caused CS, and to provide an outlook for future research areas. A systematic review was performed on the databases IEEE Xplore, PubMed, ACM, and Scopus from 2013 to 2019 and 49 publications were selected. A summarized text states how different VR HMDs impact CS, how the nature of movement in VR HMDs contributes to CS, and how we can use biosensors to detect CS. The results of the meta-analysis show that although current-generation VR HMDs cause significantly less CS ($$p<0.001$$ p < 0.001 ), some symptoms remain as intense. Further results show that the nature of movement and, in particular, sensory mismatch as well as perceived motion have been the leading cause of CS. We suggest an outlook on future research, including the use of galvanic skin response to evaluate CS in combination with the golden standard (Simulator Sickness Questionnaire, SSQ) as well as an update on the subjective evaluation scores of the SSQ.

scholarly journals Rear-Seat Productivity in Virtual Reality: Investigating VR Interaction in the Confined Space of a Car

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Jingyi Li ◽  
Ceenu George ◽  
Andrea Ngao ◽  
Kai Holländer ◽  
Stefan Mayer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Rear Seat ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Confined Space ◽  
Physical Restraints ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
Research And Design

Ubiquitous technology lets us work in flexible and decentralised ways. Passengers can already use travel time to be productive, and we envision even better performance and experience in vehicles with emerging technologies, such as virtual reality (VR) headsets. However, the confined physical space constrains interactions while the virtual space may be conceptually borderless. We therefore conducted a VR study (N = 33) to examine the influence of physical restraints and virtual working environments on performance, presence, and the feeling of safety. Our findings show that virtual borders make passengers touch the car interior less, while performance and presence are comparable across conditions. Although passengers prefer a secluded and unlimited virtual environment (nature), they are more productive in a shared and limited one (office). We further discuss choices for virtual borders and environments, social experience, and safety responsiveness. Our work highlights opportunities and challenges for future research and design of rear-seat VR interaction.

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