Extended Reality technologies as a tool for managing crises and shaping tourism safety perceptions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Karadimitriou ◽  
Elina Michopoulou

New technologies are considered by different industries as a useful tool for having efficient emergency and crisis management. For tourism industry in particular (that involves and interfaces with multiple other industries), it is critically important to act proactively in a risk situation, to effectively face a disaster, and to reduce the impact of a crisis. This chapter provides an overview of the Extended Reality (XR) technologies (Augmented Reality [AR]; Virtual Reality [VR]; Mixed Reality [MR]). It discusses opportunities of using XR in tourism, and it provides contemporary examples of XR applications. It also focuses on emergency management via XR in tourism. Finally, it provides specific recommendations for XR use before, during, and after a crisis in order to better prepare for, manage and recover from emergencies and crisis.

Author(s):  
Maria Francisca Casado-Claro ◽  
Marina Mattera

This chapter proposes a comprehensive approach to understand not only how augmented reality and virtual reality operate within the tourism industry, but also how mixed reality can contribute to enhance the visitor experience and how tourism organizations can move beyond traditional communication and physical experiences into a new type of tourism approach that helps them stay relevant in the long term, as well as in the mid-term. Since the tourism industry is amongst the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, changes are essential to ensure an adequate adaptation to the ‘new normal'. Technology enables various tourist organizations to generate greater value creation and opens possibilities to be able to extend the visit beyond physical presence, to ensure the safety of workers and visitors, to improve processes, and to make them more competitive overall. If this is carried out in collaboration with all stakeholders, one destination can generate a solid network to promote itself and become competitive during travel restrictions and in preparation for a post-pandemic new normal.


Author(s):  
Clara E. Fernandes ◽  
Ricardo Morais

This technical paper will assess new technological advances that could change the way we buy clothes, exploring existing solutions that are still commonly confused with each other: Smart fitting rooms (SFR), interactive mirrors (IM), Virtual Reality (VR), and Augmented Reality (AR). The methodological approach based on an exploratory research will start with a literature review on SFR and IM, comparing the main differences between these two technologies and addressing their unsuccessful attempts in retail. Our research will also assess daily technologies, which could possibly improve the customer’s experience with online shopping, as well as customers with reduced mobility. With smart gadgets in every corner, consumers are more difficult to convince with innovative products. We will propose future possibilities for fashion retail, where results will be presented as a first approach, in hopes of creating innovative solutions for the future. Moreover, sustainable implications related with this approach will be addressed in our additional considerations. This technical study considers only two basic solutions that were eventually too complicated to fit into fashion retail, exploring additional solutions that could change these limitations. Although explored and researched in the last years, solutions like IM and SFR were once part of what was considered the future of fashion retail. However, poor business models and lack of technological advances at the time limited these solutions. New technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed-Reality (MR), combined with the latest smartphone evolution could relaunch solutions like these.  


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor Nelson

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), provide immersive experiences that are increasingly considered for implementation within Theme Parks. This paper seeks to determine the impact of virtual technologies on the Theme Parks. The method for this paper involved interviews with industry leading experts from the Theme Park industry. The interviews were structured to determine more detailed information on how they are approaching VR/AR in Theme Park attractions. Theme Parks need to provide guests with something they can’t get at home. There are many challenges with head mounted displays (HMD) in Theme Parks, as a result, several participants pointed to Mixed Reality (MR) as a better current solution. It mixes physical spaces with digital overlays with less complicated and operationally challenging technology. New attractions using VR/AR/MR technologies need to carefully consider what content they will use, mechanics of the experience and the business case to ultimately achieve overall success.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor Nelson

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), provide immersive experiences that are increasingly considered for implementation within Theme Parks. This paper seeks to determine the impact of virtual technologies on the Theme Parks. The method for this paper involved interviews with industry leading experts from the Theme Park industry. The interviews were structured to determine more detailed information on how they are approaching VR/AR in Theme Park attractions. Theme Parks need to provide guests with something they can’t get at home. There are many challenges with head mounted displays (HMD) in Theme Parks, as a result, several participants pointed to Mixed Reality (MR) as a better current solution. It mixes physical spaces with digital overlays with less complicated and operationally challenging technology. New attractions using VR/AR/MR technologies need to carefully consider what content they will use, mechanics of the experience and the business case to ultimately achieve overall success.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2835 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego A. Barrado-Timón ◽  
Carmen Hidalgo-Giralt

The objective of this study is to analyze the impact that augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are having on our conception, appreciation, and use of urban heritage spaces. Although most evaluations that appear in the specialized literature are clearly positive in this respect, there is a critical line of thought that considers these new technologies as connected to prior theoretical assumptions about heritage, in terms of what we value, how we value it, and for what reasons. To contrast the two perspectives, we have selected and examined scientific literature evaluating the application of AR and VR in urban heritage spaces, in order to analyze whether, in addition to positive effects, certain negatives linked to the ‘virtualization’ of space are also at work. A qualitative methodology has been developed supported by the ATLAS.ti tool (Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin, Germany), which allows definition of the different thematic lines treated in the literature as well as the connections between them. Our main conclusion is that concerns around the critical aspects are very limited, with only a few perceiving the possible dangers of trivialization of heritage, the creation of virtual tourist worlds separate from the material space of socio-economic relations, negative effects on the way in which knowledge is constructed, or the difficulties for some user groups in accessing these technologies.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 4663
Author(s):  
Janaina Cavalcanti ◽  
Victor Valls ◽  
Manuel Contero ◽  
David Fonseca

An effective warning attracts attention, elicits knowledge, and enables compliance behavior. Game mechanics, which are directly linked to human desires, stand out as training, evaluation, and improvement tools. Immersive virtual reality (VR) facilitates training without risk to participants, evaluates the impact of an incorrect action/decision, and creates a smart training environment. The present study analyzes the user experience in a gamified virtual environment of risks using the HTC Vive head-mounted display. The game was developed in the Unreal game engine and consisted of a walk-through maze composed of evident dangers and different signaling variables while user action data were recorded. To demonstrate which aspects provide better interaction, experience, perception and memory, three different warning configurations (dynamic, static and smart) and two different levels of danger (low and high) were presented. To properly assess the impact of the experience, we conducted a survey about personality and knowledge before and after using the game. We proceeded with the qualitative approach by using questions in a bipolar laddering assessment that was compared with the recorded data during the game. The findings indicate that when users are engaged in VR, they tend to test the consequences of their actions rather than maintaining safety. The results also reveal that textual signal variables are not accessed when users are faced with the stress factor of time. Progress is needed in implementing new technologies for warnings and advance notifications to improve the evaluation of human behavior in virtual environments of high-risk surroundings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
Andoni Rivera Pinto ◽  
Johan Kildal ◽  
Elena Lazkano

In the context of industrial production, a worker that wants to program a robot using the hand-guidance technique needs that the robot is available to be programmed and not in operation. This means that production with that robot is stopped during that time. A way around this constraint is to perform the same manual guidance steps on a holographic representation of the digital twin of the robot, using augmented reality technologies. However, this presents the limitation of a lack of tangibility of the visual holograms that the user tries to grab. We present an interface in which some of the tangibility is provided through ultrasound-based mid-air haptics actuation. We report a user study that evaluates the impact that the presence of such haptic feedback may have on a pick-and-place task of the wrist of a holographic robot arm which we found to be beneficial.


10.2196/11643 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. e11643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Ferreri ◽  
Alexis Bourla ◽  
Charles-Siegfried Peretti ◽  
Tomoyuki Segawa ◽  
Nemat Jaafari ◽  
...  

Background New technologies are set to profoundly change the way we understand and manage psychiatric disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Developments in imaging and biomarkers, along with medical informatics, may well allow for better assessments and interventions in the future. Recent advances in the concept of digital phenotype, which involves using computerized measurement tools to capture the characteristics of a given psychiatric disorder, is one paradigmatic example. Objective The impact of new technologies on health professionals’ practice in OCD care remains to be determined. Recent developments could disrupt not just their clinical practices, but also their beliefs, ethics, and representations, even going so far as to question their professional culture. This study aimed to conduct an extensive review of new technologies in OCD. Methods We conducted the review by looking for titles in the PubMed database up to December 2017 that contained the following terms: [Obsessive] AND [Smartphone] OR [phone] OR [Internet] OR [Device] OR [Wearable] OR [Mobile] OR [Machine learning] OR [Artificial] OR [Biofeedback] OR [Neurofeedback] OR [Momentary] OR [Computerized] OR [Heart rate variability] OR [actigraphy] OR [actimetry] OR [digital] OR [virtual reality] OR [Tele] OR [video]. Results We analyzed 364 articles, of which 62 were included. Our review was divided into 3 parts: prediction, assessment (including diagnosis, screening, and monitoring), and intervention. Conclusions The review showed that the place of connected objects, machine learning, and remote monitoring has yet to be defined in OCD. Smartphone assessment apps and the Web Screening Questionnaire demonstrated good sensitivity and adequate specificity for detecting OCD symptoms when compared with a full-length structured clinical interview. The ecological momentary assessment procedure may also represent a worthy addition to the current suite of assessment tools. In the field of intervention, CBT supported by smartphone, internet, or computer may not be more effective than that delivered by a qualified practitioner, but it is easy to use, well accepted by patients, reproducible, and cost-effective. Finally, new technologies are enabling the development of new therapies, including biofeedback and virtual reality, which focus on the learning of coping skills. For them to be used, these tools must be properly explained and tailored to individual physician and patient profiles.


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