Virtual Environments Psychotherapy: A Case Study of Fear of Flying Disorder

1997 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max M. North ◽  
Sarah M. North ◽  
Joseph R. Coble
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Real World ◽  
Psychological Disorders ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Fear Of Flying ◽  
The Real ◽  
Display Technology ◽  
The Subject

Current computer and display technology allows the creation of virtual environment scenes that can be utilized for treating a variety of psychological disorders. This case study demonstrates the effectiveness of virtual environment desensitization (VED) in the treatment of a subject who suffered from fear of flying, a disorder that affects a large number of people. The subject, accompanied by a virtual therapist, was placed in the cockpit of a virtual helicopter and flown over a simulated city for five sessions. The VED treatment resulted in both a significant reduction of anxiety symptoms and the ability to face the phobic situations in the real world.

Influence of Physical Characteristics of Routes on Distance Cognition in Virtual Environments

2005 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 777-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ebru Cubukcu ◽  
Jack L Nasar
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Real World ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Spatial Behavior ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Parking Garage ◽  
The Real ◽  
Predicting Behavior

Discrepanices between perceived and actual distance may affect people's spatial behavior. In a previous study Nasar, using self report of behavior, found that segmentation (measured through the number of buildings) along the route affected choice of parking garage and path from the parking garage to a destination. We recreated that same environment in a three-dimensional virtual environment and conducted a test to see whether the same factors emerged under these more controlled conditions and to see whether spatial behavior in the virtual environment accurately reflected behavior in the real environment. The results confirmed similar patterns of response in the virtual and real environments. This supports the use of virtual reality as a tool for predicting behavior in the real world and confirms increases in segmentation as related to increases in perceived distance.

scholarly journals Transfer of Calibration in Virtual Reality to both Real and Virtual Environments

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 1943-1947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah M. Solini ◽  
Ayush Bhargava ◽  
Christopher C. Pagano
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Real World ◽  
Optic Flow ◽  
Calibration Transfer ◽  
The Real ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Virtual Display ◽  
World Environment

It is often questioned whether task performance attained in a virtual environment can be transferred appropriately and accurately to the same task in the real world. With advancements in virtual reality (VR) technology, recent research has focused on individuals’ abilities to transfer calibration achieved in a virtual environment to a real-world environment. Little research, however, has shown whether transfer of calibration from a virtual environment to the real world is similar to transfer of calibration from a virtual environment to another virtual environment. As such, the present study investigated differences in calibration transfer to real-world and virtual environments. In either a real-world or virtual environment, participants completed blind walking estimates before and after experiencing perturbed virtual optic flow via a head-mounted virtual display (HMD). Results showed that individuals calibrated to perturbed virtual optic flow and that this calibration carried over to both real-world and virtual environments in a like manner.

The Effects of Optic Flow, Proprioception, and Texture on Novice Locomotion in Virtual Environments

1995 ◽  
Vol 39 (21) ◽  
pp. 1405-1409 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. R. James ◽  
J. K. Caird
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Real World ◽  
Optic Flow ◽  
Target Object ◽  
Perceptual Information ◽  
Proprioceptive Information ◽  
The Real ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Error Measures

The ability of a user to move to different locations within a virtual environment (VE) is a fundamental action that subserves the activities of exploration and manipulation. By empirical analogy, the perceptual information used to locomote to a target within a virtual environment is compared to the perceptual information used to walk to a location in the real world. An experiment is reported that had participants move to a location as accurately as possible within a VE where a target object was presented. The amount of visual feedback available to participants was manipulated. Three conditions were compared: static viewing of the target and virtual environment before locomotion, the disappearance of the target object as movement to the object was initiated, and locomotion to the target while both object and environment were present. In addition, the composition of virtual environments was either textured or polygonal. Error measures indicated that users locomote within VE's with less accuracy than those that walk blindfolded in the real world. Texture had its largest effect on the accuracy of movement when optic flow was not available, that is, static estimates of distance. Discussions center on the relative contribution of visual, cognitive, and proprioceptive information to VE user movement accuracy.

The Development of Augmented Reality Environment: A Case Study on the Parts Feeding Systems

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. Huang ◽  
S. Agarwal ◽  
F. W. Liou
Keyword(s):  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Real World ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Computer Engineering ◽  
Current Case ◽  
The Real ◽  
Parts Feeding ◽  
Feeding Systems

Abstract Due to the advances in computer engineering technologies, currently much effort has been devoted to simulate the real world in a computer generated environment. However, there are always differences between a virtual environment and the real world, and those variations can be from the complexities and the uncertainties of initial conditions, contributing parameters and the models employed. Before a virtual environment is put into work for design and development, some way of quantifying possible errors or uncertainties in the computer model is needed so that a robust and reliable system can be achieved. The aim of this paper is to present a current case study on an augmented reality environment with 3-D tracking and dynamic simulation technologies for the parts feeding systems, so that engineers can run high-fidelity simulation to test new materials, components, and systems before investing valuable resources in construction.

The Binding Problem in Presence Research

2005 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 616-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Harvey ◽  
Maria V. Sanchez-Vives
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Real World ◽  
Perceptual Experience ◽  
Conscious Experience ◽  
Binding Problem ◽  
The Real ◽  
Neuronal Ensembles ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Standing Problem

An important contributor to the feeling of being present is the unity of one's perceptual experience. That is, the constellation of sensorial cues in a virtual environment must be in accord with some basic rules which, in the real world, govern the relationship between sensory events. A similar and long standing problem in neuroscience is how is it that the temporally and spatially segregated activity in neuronal ensembles is reassembled in order to generate a seamless conscious experience. This issue, which was first addressed by the Gestalt psychologists, is commonly referred to as the binding problem. In this paper we will discuss how the problem of binding is related to the problem of presence, and how the study of the neurophysiological substrates subserving this process may lead to an understanding of contextual relationships critical to generating presence in virtual environments.

Path Reproduction Tests Using a Torus Treadmill

1999 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 587-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroo Iwata ◽  
Yoko Yoshida
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Real World ◽  
Target Object ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Proprioceptive Feedback ◽  
The Real ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Locomotion Interface ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Reproduction Tests

This paper describes experiments regarding navigation performance using a new locomotion interface for walking through virtual space. Although traveling on foot is the most intuitive style of locomotion, proprioceptive feedback from walking is not provided in most applications of virtual environments. We developed an infinite surface driven by actuators for enabling a sense of walking. Torus-shaped surfaces are selected to realize the locomotion interface. The device employs twelve sets of treadmills, connected side by side and driven in perpendicular directions. The virtual infinite surface is generated by the motion of the treadmills. A walker can go in any direction while his/her position is fixed in the real world. The device is called a Torus Treadmill. Navigation performance was measured by path-reproduction tests. Subjects were immersed in a virtual grass-covered plain on which a cone-shaped target object was placed. The subjects first traveled to the target object. After they reached it, the target object disappeared and the rehomed subjects were asked to return to the place where the target object was placed. We also set two target objects, and the subject traveled along a bent path. We compared two locomotion modes: walking on the Torus Treadmill and moving purely by joystick operation. The results of the bent-path experiment showed that the accuracy of the path reproduction in the Torus Treadmill mode is better than that of joystick mode.

Can people with brain injury transfer route knowledge from a virtual environment to the real world?

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy C. Davies ◽  
Gerd Johansson ◽  
Anita Linden ◽  
Kersin Boschian ◽  
Berigt Sonesson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Injury ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Real World ◽  
Route Knowledge ◽  
The Real

scholarly journals Performance in complex life situations: effects of age, cognition, and walking speed in virtual versus real life environments

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Kafri ◽  
Patrice L. Weiss ◽  
Gabriel Zeilig ◽  
Moshe Bondi ◽  
Ilanit Baum-Cohen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Real World ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Age Effects ◽  
Shopping Mall ◽  
Complex Task ◽  
The Real ◽  
Gait Parameters

Abstract Background Virtual reality (VR) enables objective and accurate measurement of behavior in ecologically valid and safe environments, while controlling the delivery of stimuli and maintaining standardized measurement protocols. Despite this potential, studies that compare virtual and real-world performance of complex daily activities are scarce. This study aimed to compare cognitive strategies and gait characteristics of young and older healthy adults as they engaged in a complex task while navigating in a real shopping mall and a high-fidelity virtual replica of the mall. Methods Seventeen older adults (mean (SD) age = 71.2 (5.6) years, 64% males) and 17 young adults (26.7 (3.7) years, 35% males) participated. In two separate sessions they performed the Multiple Errands Test (MET) in a real-world mall or the Virtual MET (VMET) in the virtual environment. The real-world environment was a small shopping area and the virtual environment was created within the CAREN™ (Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment) Integrated Reality System. The performance of the task was assessed using motor and physiological measures (gait parameters and heart rate), MET or VMET time and score, and navigation efficiency (cognitive performance and strategy). Between (age groups) and within (environment) differences were analyzed with ANOVA repeated measures. Results There were no significant age effects for any of the gait parameters but there were significant environment effects such that both age groups walked faster (F(1,32) = 154.96, p < 0.0001) with higher step lengths (F(1,32) = 86.36, p < 0.0001), had lower spatial and temporal gait variability (F(1,32) = 95.71–36.06, p < 0.0001) and lower heart rate (F(1,32) = 13.40, p < 0.01) in the real-world. There were significant age effects for MET/VMET scores (F(1,32) = 19.77, p < 0.0001) and total time (F(1,32) = 11.74, p < 0.05) indicating better performance of the younger group, and a significant environment effect for navigation efficiency (F(1,32) = 7.6, p < 0.01) that was more efficient in the virtual environment. Conclusions This comprehensive, ecological approach in the measurement of performance during tasks reminiscent of complex life situations showed the strengths of using virtual environments in assessing cognitive aspects and limitations of assessing motor aspects of performance. Difficulties by older adults were apparent mainly in the cognitive aspects indicating a need to evaluate them during complex task performance.

Predictive Value of Assessing Vehicle Interior Design Ergonomics in a Virtual Environment

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Reuding ◽  
Pamela Meil
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Interior Design ◽  
Real World ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
Complex Activity ◽  
Vehicle Interior ◽  
Design Work ◽  
The Real ◽  
The Stability

The predictive value and the reliability of evaluations made in immersive projection environments are limited when compared to the real world. As in other applications of numerical simulations, the acceptance of such techniques does not only depend on the stability of the methods, but also on the quality and credibility of the results obtained. In this paper, we investigate the predictive value of virtual reality and virtual environments when used for engineering assessment tasks. We examine the ergonomics evaluation of a vehicle interior, which is a complex activity relying heavily on know-how gained from personal experience, and compare performance in a VE with performance in the real world. If one assumes that within complex engineering processes certain types of work will be performed by more or less the same personnel, one can infer that a fairly consistent base of experience-based knowledge exists. Under such premises and if evaluations are conducted as comparisons within the VE, we believe that the reliability of the assessments is suitable for conceptual design work. Despite a number of unanswered questions at this time we believe this study leads to a better understanding of what determines the reliability of results obtained in virtual environments, thus making it useful for optimizing virtual prototyping processes and better utilization of the potential of VR and VEs in company work processes.

scholarly journals Self-Paced (Asynchronous) BCI Control of a Wheelchair in Virtual Environments: A Case Study with a Tetraplegic

2007 ◽  
Vol 2007 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Leeb ◽  
Doron Friedman ◽  
Gernot R. Müller-Putz ◽  
Reinhold Scherer ◽  
Mel Slater ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Brain Computer Interface ◽  
Computer Interface ◽  
Beta Oscillations ◽  
Brain Waves ◽  
The Subject ◽  
First Time ◽  
Electroencephalogram Eeg ◽  
Spinal Cord Injured

The aim of the present study was to demonstrate for the first time that brain waves can be used by a tetraplegic to control movements of his wheelchair in virtual reality (VR). In this case study, the spinal cord injured (SCI) subject was able to generate bursts of beta oscillations in the electroencephalogram (EEG) by imagination of movements of his paralyzed feet. These beta oscillations were used for a self-paced (asynchronous) brain-computer interface (BCI) control based on a single bipolar EEG recording. The subject was placed inside a virtual street populated with avatars. The task was to “go” from avatar to avatar towards the end of the street, but to stop at each avatar and talk to them. In average, the participant was able to successfully perform this asynchronous experiment with a performance of 90%, single runs up to 100%.

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