Manipulating situational risk in human-automation research – Validation of a new experimental paradigm in virtual reality

Although situational risk has often been postulated as an important contextual factor in the literature of human-automation research, experimental evidence is scarce due to the difficulty operationalizing risk in an ethical way that is comparable to what real life operators can be exposed to. This study serves as a manipulation check of a newly developed experimental paradigm, in which a subjectively experienceable situational risk can be manipulated as part of a virtual reality environment. It is varied by the altitude participants must carry out the tasks in, including the possibility of virtually falling in case of a mistake. Results revealed medium to large effect sizes in subjective as well as objective metrics signifying a more pronounced perception of risk in the higher altitude condition. This is evidence for a successful manipulation of situational risk in a new paradigm that meets the same requirements of other multi-task environments used in human-automation research.

Download Full-text

Task Lines and Motion Guides

Presence Teleoperators & Virtual Environments ◽

10.1162/105474698565875 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. 494-502 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Paul G. Backes ◽

Stephen F. Peters ◽

Linh Phan ◽

Kam S. Tso

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Space Station ◽

Direct Interaction ◽

Ground Control ◽

Virtual Reality Environment ◽

New Paradigm ◽

Initial Application ◽

Task Description

The new task lines and motion guides approaches to telerobotics are described. Motion guides is a new paradigm for teleoperation of a robot where the path is teleoperated rather than the robot, and the robot is constrained to follow the path. Continuous commands to the robot are only onedimensional: forward, back, or halt along the motion guide. Task lines have subtasks attached to motion guides. The task lines and motion guides have been implemented in a virtual reality environment to enable task description and execution in a natural, virtual reality graphics environment rather than via direct interaction with a command program. Subtasks are represented in the virtual reality environment by icons attached to the motion guides. The combination of task lines and motion guides is valuable for ground control of Space Station robots, which is the initial application for this technology.

Download Full-text

Η επανασύνδεση με ένα αγαπημένο πρόσωπο που έχει αποβιώσει, μέσω της εικονικής πραγματικότητας. Απόψεις και προβληματισμοί ενώπιον πρωτοφανούς προκλήσεως

Bioethica ◽

10.12681/bioeth.24851 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 52

Author(s):

Niki Nikolaou (Νίκη Νικολάου)

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Present Article ◽

Real Life ◽

Human Existence ◽

Virtual Reality Environment ◽

Special Equipment ◽

Operational System ◽

The Family ◽

Definition Of ◽

Scientific Fields

A team of documentary producers and computer programmers, while they were in a laboratory creating a virtual reality environment, could never have imagined how much impact their project would have not only to the family involved but also to a large percentage of humanity and other scientific fields. In particular, they created a virtual park and a virtual girl, who in real life had died, and, through the special equipment, they placed the living mother in this environment. The mother ‘‘met’’ her daughter, ‘‘touched’’ her, ‘‘talked’’ to her, they celebrated her daughter’s birthday together’’ and, at the end, they ‘‘said goodbye’’ to each other.This endeavor was the result of a combination of techniques and elements of various sciences. Of course it is admirable, but at the same time it raises doubts, intense concerns and many questions such as: ‘‘What are the limits of the technological applications?’’; ‘‘What aspects and at what extent of the human existence can they involved?’’; ‘‘How is the human existence affected?”; Can an application play with human emotions and, specifically, with the pain and misery of a human, in this case of a mother mourning her child?’’ The issue is difficult and even more difficult the moral and bioethical dilemmas that arise.All the above-mentioned will be presented and studied in this present article. In particular, initially reference will be made to the definition of virtual reality, to the means which lead to the achievement of a completely operational system, as well as to the areas of application of its systems. Therefore, the way of creation and the context of the documentary will be presented, to be followed by a very short reference to the thoughts that the mother of the girl had expressed. Afterwards various opinions will be presented, questions and dilemmas arising by the documentary will be mentioned and commented and alongside some questions will be asked for reflection. The conclusions will complete this present article.

Download Full-text

Approach to the differences between kayaking in a virtual reality environment and real life

10.52141/gcmas2021_186 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Virginia Bueyes-Roiz ◽

Ivett Quiñones-Urióstegui ◽

Jimena Quinzaños-Fresnedo

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Real Life ◽

Virtual Reality Environment

Download Full-text

Top-Down Processing and Visual Reorientation Illusions in a Virtual Reality Environment

Swiss Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1024/1421-0185.63.3.143 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 63 (3) ◽

pp. 143-149 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Fred W. Mast ◽

Charles M. Oman

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Visual Processing ◽

Line Length ◽

Perceptual Cues ◽

Virtual Reality Environment ◽

Top Down ◽

Test Conditions ◽

The Subject ◽

Processing Mechanisms

The role of top-down processing on the horizontal-vertical line length illusion was examined by means of an ambiguous room with dual visual verticals. In one of the test conditions, the subjects were cued to one of the two verticals and were instructed to cognitively reassign the apparent vertical to the cued orientation. When they have mentally adjusted their perception, two lines in a plus sign configuration appeared and the subjects had to evaluate which line was longer. The results showed that the line length appeared longer when it was aligned with the direction of the vertical currently perceived by the subject. This study provides a demonstration that top-down processing influences lower level visual processing mechanisms. In another test condition, the subjects had all perceptual cues available and the influence was even stronger.

Download Full-text