scholarly journals Do the Physical Characteristics of a Virtual Reality Device Contraindicate Its Use for Balance Assessment?

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason P. Mihalik ◽  
Luv Kohli ◽  
Mary C. Whitton
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Balance Performance ◽  
Balance Assessment ◽  
Immersive Virtual Environments ◽  
Functional Balance ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Balance Error

Context:Virtual reality environments may allow researchers to investigate functional balance performance without risks associated with testing in the real world.Objective:To investigate the effects of the mass of a head-mounted display (HMD) on balance performance.Design:Counterbalanced pretest-posttest.Setting:Virtual reality laboratory.Participants:20 healthy college students.Intervention(s):Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) with a tracker-only headband and again with tracker plus HMD was performed.Main Outcome Measures:BESS error scores, elliptical sway area, and center of pressure travel distance were recorded.Results:No effect of the HMD mass on balance performance was observed. A significant stance by surface interaction was present but was negated when the HMD conditions were included in the model.Conclusions:The mass of a HMD has not been proven to adversely affect balance performance. These data suggest the HMD mass is not a contraindication to the use of immersive virtual environments in future concussion research involving balance.

scholarly journals Postural Control Disturbances Induced by Virtual Reality in Stroke Patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1510
Author(s):  
Charles Morizio ◽  
Maxime Billot ◽  
Jean-Christophe Daviet ◽  
Stéphane Baudry ◽  
Christophe Barbanchon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Dynamic Condition ◽  
Static Condition ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Post Stroke ◽  
Subacute Stroke

People who survive a stroke are often left with long-term neurologic deficits that induce, among other impairments, balance disorders. While virtual reality (VR) is growing in popularity for postural control rehabilitation in post-stroke patients, studies on the effect of challenging virtual environments, simulating common daily situations on postural control in post-stroke patients, are scarce. This study is a first step to document the postural response of stroke patients to different challenging virtual environments. Five subacute stroke patients and fifteen age-matched healthy adults were included. All participants underwent posturographic tests in control conditions (open and closed eyes) and virtual environment without (one static condition) and with avatars (four dynamic conditions) using a head-mounted device for VR. In dynamic environments, we modulated the density of the virtual crowd (dense and light crowd) and the avoidance space with the avatars (near or far). Center of pressure velocity was collected by trial throughout randomized 30-s periods. Results showed that more challenging conditions (dynamic condition) induced greater postural disturbances in stroke patients than in healthy counterparts. Our study suggests that virtual reality environments should be adjusted in light of obtaining more or less challenging conditions.

A Kinematic Evaluation of Linear and Parabolic Pointing in Virtual Reality

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-90
Author(s):  
John Sermarini ◽  
Joseph T. Kider ◽  
Joseph J. LaViola ◽  
Daniel S. McConnell
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Movement Time ◽  
Interaction Style ◽  
Task Constraint ◽  
Immersive Virtual Environments ◽  
Pointing Task ◽  
Pointing Movements ◽  
Movement Distance ◽  
Kinematic Evaluation

We present the results of a study investigating the influence of task and effector constraints on the kinematics of pointing movements performed in immersive virtual environments. We compared the effect of target width, as a task constraint, to the effect of movement distance, as an effector constraint, in terms of overall effect on movement time in a pointing task. We also compared a linear ray-cast pointing technique to a parabolic pointing technique to understand how interaction style may be understood in the context of task and effector constraints. The effect of target width as an information constraint on pointing performance was amplified in VR. Pointing technique acted as an effector constraint, with linear ray-cast pointing resulting in faster performance than parabolic pointers.

Visiting Tourist Landmarks in Virtual Reality Systems by Real-Walking

2010 ◽  
pp. 180-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Steinicke ◽  
G. Bruder ◽  
J. Jerald ◽  
H. Frenz
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Interaction Space ◽  
Immersive Virtual Environments ◽  
Redirected Walking ◽  
Virtual City

In recent years virtual environments (VEs) have become more and more popular and widespread due to the requirements of numerous application areas in particular in the 3D city visualization domain. Virtual reality (VR) systems, which make use of tracking technologies and stereoscopic projections of three-dimensional synthetic worlds, support better exploration of complex datasets. However, due to the limited interaction space usually provided by the range of the tracking sensors, users can explore only a portion of the virtual environment (VE). Redirected walking allows users to walk through large-scale immersive virtual environments (IVEs) such as virtual city models, while physically remaining in a reasonably small workspace by intentionally injecting scene motion into the IVE. With redirected walking users are guided on physical paths that may differ from the paths they perceive in the virtual world. The authors have conducted experiments in order to quantify how much humans can unknowingly be redirected. In this chapter they present the results of this study and the implications for virtual locomotion user interfaces that allow users to view arbitrary real world locations, before the users actually travel there in a natural environment.

scholarly journals Cartographic Scale in Immersive Virtual Environments

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Hruby ◽  
Irma Castellanos ◽  
Rainer Ressl
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Short Review ◽  
Temporal Scale ◽  
Level Of Detail ◽  
Immersive Virtual Reality ◽  
Conceptual Integration ◽  
Immersive Virtual Environments ◽  
High Level ◽  
Immersive Visualization

Abstract Scale has been a defining criterion of mapmaking for centuries. However, this criterion is fundamentally questioned by highly immersive virtual reality (VR) systems able to represent geographic environments at a high level of detail and, thus, providing the user with a feeling of being present in VR space. In this paper, we will use the concept of scale as a vehicle for discussing some of the main differences between immersive VR and non-immersive geovisualization products. Based on a short review of diverging meanings of scale we will propose possible approaches to the issue of both spatial and temporal scale in immersive VR. Our considerations shall encourage a more detailed treatment of the specific characteristics of immersive geovisualization to facilitate deeper conceptual integration of immersive and non-immersive visualization in the realm of cartography.

scholarly journals Using 3D Worlds in Prison: Driving, Learning and Escape

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Sara Farley
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
General Population ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Paper Briefly ◽  
Immersive Virtual Environments ◽  
Prison Setting ◽  
Processing Power ◽  
Prison Environment ◽  
The One

Affordable hardware and increased processing power have resulted in a surge in the number and adoption of virtual reality applications and immersive virtual environments. These applications are able to immerse the user in an environment other than that of their immediate geographical location. The one population that is unable to move even within their own geographical location are prisoners. Prisoners are secluded away from the general population, unable to travel, attend education beyond the prison walls or interact with a wide variety of people. At least to a certain extent, these constraints are able to be overcome with the use of virtual reality and immersive virtual environments.This paper briefly examines the constraints experienced by prisoners and the technical limitations of the prison environment. It explores the very few cases where these technologies are already used within the prison setting. A number of potential uses for virtual reality within prisons are proposed, including the justification for these approaches and a description of how these technologies are being used outside of the prison setting.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Authenticity of Virtual Environments: Comparison of Three Devices

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aila Kronqvist ◽  
Jussi Jokinen ◽  
Rebekah Rousi
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Simulator Sickness ◽  
Quality Of Results ◽  
Immersive Virtual Environments ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Immersive Virtual Environment ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Insight Into

Immersive virtual environments (VEs) have the potential to provide novel cost effective ways for evaluating not only new environments and usability scenarios, but also potential user experiences. To achieve this, VEs must be adequately realistic. The level of perceived authenticity can be ascertained by measuring the levels of immersion people experience in their VE interactions. In this paper the degree of authenticity is measured via anauthenticity indexin relation to three different immersive virtual environment devices. These devices include (1) a headband, (2) 3D glasses, and (3) a head-mounted display (HMD). A quick scale for measuring immersion, feeling of control, and simulator sickness was developed and tested. The HMD proved to be the most immersive device, although the headband was demonstrated as being a more stable environment causing the least simulator sickness. The results have design implication as they provide insight into specific factors which make experience in a VE seem more authentic to users. The paper emphasizes that, in addition to the quality of the VE, focus needs to be placed on ergonomic factors such as the weight of the devices, as these may compromise the quality of results obtained when examining studying human-technology interaction in a VE.

scholarly journals Multimodality with Eye tracking and Haptics: A New Horizon for Serious Games?

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shujie Deng ◽  
Julie A. Kirkby ◽  
Jian Chang ◽  
Jian Jun Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Serious Games ◽  
Haptic Feedback ◽  
Current Understanding ◽  
Immersive Virtual Environments ◽  
New Applications ◽  
And Training

The goal of this review is to illustrate the emerging use of multimodal virtual reality that can benefit learning-based games. The review begins with an introduction to multimodal virtual reality in serious games and we provide a brief discussion of why cognitive processes involved in learning and training are enhanced under immersive virtual environments. We initially outline studies that have used eye tracking and haptic feedback independently in serious games, and then review some innovative applications that have already combined eye tracking and haptic devices in order to provide applicable multimodal frameworks for learning-based games. Finally, some general conclusions are identified and clarified in order to advance current understanding in multimodal serious game production as well as exploring possible areas for new applications.

scholarly journals Distance Compression in the HTC Vive Pro: A Quick Revisitation of Resolution

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Buck ◽  
Richard Paris ◽  
Bobby Bodenheimer
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Distance Perception ◽  
Spatial Perception ◽  
Target Object ◽  
Extensive Study ◽  
Immersive Virtual Environments ◽  
Two Systems

Spatial perception in immersive virtual environments, particularly regarding distance perception, is a well-studied topic in virtual reality literature. Distance compression, or the underestimation of distances, is and has been historically prevalent in all virtual reality systems. The problem of distance compression still remains open, but recent advancements have shown that as systems have developed, the level of distance compression has decreased. Here, we add evidence to this trend by beginning the assessment of distance compression in the HTC Vive Pro. To our knowledge, there are no archival results that report any findings about distance compression in this system. Using a familiar paradigm for studying distance compression in virtual reality hardware, we asked users to blind walk to a target object placed in a virtual environment and assessed their judgments based on those distances. We find that distance compression in the HTC Vive Pro mirrors that of the HTC Vive. Our results are not particularly surprising, considering the nature of the differences between the two systems, but they lend credence to the finding that resolution does not affect distance compression. More extensive study should be performed to reinforce these results.

scholarly journals Virtual reality relaxation for the general population: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Riches ◽  
Lisa Azevedo ◽  
Leanne Bird ◽  
Sara Pisani ◽  
Lucia Valmaggia
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
General Population ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Promising Area ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Abstract Purpose Relaxation has significant restorative properties and implications for public health. However, modern, busy lives leave limiting time for relaxation. Virtual reality (VR) experiences of pleasant and calming virtual environments, accessed with a head-mounted display (HMD), appear to promote relaxation. This study aimed to provide a systematic review of feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of studies that use VR to promote relaxation in the general population (PROSPERO 195,804). Methods Web of Science, PsycINFO, Embase, and MEDLINE were searched until 29th June 2020. Studies were included in the review if they used HMD technology to present virtual environments that aimed to promote or measure relaxation, or relaxation-related variables. The Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) quality assessment tool was used to assess methodological quality of studies. Results 6403 articles were identified through database searching. Nineteen studies published between 2007 and 2020, with 1278 participants, were included in the review. Of these, thirteen were controlled studies. Studies predominantly used natural audio-visual stimuli to promote relaxation. Findings indicate feasibility, acceptability, and short-term effectiveness of VR to increase relaxation and reduce stress. Six studies received an EPHPP rating of ‘strong’, seven were ‘moderate’, and six were ‘weak’. Conclusions VR may be a useful tool to promote relaxation in the general population, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when stress is increasing worldwide. However, methodological limitations, such as limited randomised controlled trials and longer-term evidence, mean that these conclusions should be drawn with caution. More robust studies are needed to support this promising area of VR relaxation.

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