Comparing Virtual Reality to Conventional Simulator Visuals: Effects of Peripheral Visual Cues in Roll-Axis Tracking Tasks

AbstractEvery Virtual Reality (VR) experience has to end at some point. While there already exist concepts to design transitions for users to enter a virtual world, their return from the physical world should be considered, as well, as it is a part of the overall VR experience. We call the latter outro-transitions. In contrast to offboarding of VR experiences, that takes place after taking off VR hardware (e.g., HMDs), outro-transitions are still part of the immersive experience. Such transitions occur more frequently when VR is experienced periodically and for only short times. One example where transition techniques are necessary is in an auditorium where the audience has individual VR headsets available, for example, in a presentation using PowerPoint slides together with brief VR experiences sprinkled between the slides. The audience must put on and take off HMDs frequently every time they switch from common presentation media to VR and back. In a such a one-to-many VR scenario, it is challenging for presenters to explore the process of multiple people coming back from the virtual to the physical world at once. Direct communication may be constrained while VR users are wearing an HMD. Presenters need a tool to indicate them to stop the VR session and switch back to the slide presentation. Virtual visual cues can help presenters or other external entities (e.g., automated/scripted events) to request VR users to end a VR session. Such transitions become part of the overall experience of the audience and thus must be considered. This paper explores visual cues as outro-transitions from a virtual world back to the physical world and their utility to enable presenters to request VR users to end a VR session. We propose and investigate eight transition techniques. We focus on their usage in short consecutive VR experiences and include both established and novel techniques. The transition techniques are evaluated within a user study to draw conclusions on the effects of outro-transitions on the overall experience and presence of participants. We also take into account how long an outro-transition may take and how comfortable our participants perceived the proposed techniques. The study points out that they preferred non-interactive outro-transitions over interactive ones, except for a transition that allowed VR users to communicate with presenters. Furthermore, we explore the presenter-VR user relation within a presentation scenario that uses short VR experiences. The study indicates involving presenters that can stop a VR session was not only negligible but preferred by our participants.

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The Use of Embedded Context-Sensitive Attractors for Clinical Walking Test Guidance in Virtual Reality

Frontiers in Virtual Reality ◽

10.3389/frvir.2021.621965 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Author(s):

Charlotte Croucher ◽

Wendy Powell ◽

Matt Dicks ◽

Brett Stevens ◽

Vaughan Powell

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Visual Cues ◽

Path Following ◽

Future Research ◽

Clinical Settings ◽

Walk Test ◽

Therapeutic Goals ◽

Context Sensitive ◽

Future Research Directions ◽

Negative Impacts

Virtual reality is increasingly used in rehabilitation and can provide additional motivation when working toward therapeutic goals. However, a particular problem for patients regards their ability to plan routes in unfamiliar environments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore how visual cues, namely embedded context-sensitive attractors, can guide attention and walking direction in VR, for clinical walking interventions. This study was designed using a butterfly as the embedded context-sensitive attractor, to guide participant locomotion around the clinical figure of eight walk test, to limit the use of verbal instructions. We investigated the effect of varying the number of attractors for figure of eight path following, and whether there are any negative impacts on perceived autonomy or workload. A total of 24 participants took part in the study and completed six attractor conditions in a counterbalanced order. They also experienced a control VE (no attractors) at the beginning and end of the protocol. Each VE condition lasted a duration of 1 min and manipulated the number of attractors to either singular or multiple alongside, the placement of turning markers (virtual trees) used to represent the cones used in clinical settings for the figure of eight walk test. Results suggested that embedded context-sensitive attractors can be used to guide walking direction, following a figure of eight in VR without impacting perceived autonomy, and workload. However, there appears to be a saturation point, with regards to effectiveness of attractors. Too few objects in a VE may reduce feelings of intrinsic motivation, and too many objects in a VE may reduce the effectiveness of attractors for guiding individuals along a figure of eight path. We conclude by indicating future research directions, for attractors and their use as a guide for walking direction.

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Influence of virtual reality visual feedback on the illusion of movement induced by tendon vibration of wrist in healthy participants

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0242416 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (11) ◽

pp. e0242416

Author(s):

Salomé Le Franc ◽

Mathis Fleury ◽

Mélanie Cogne ◽

Simon Butet ◽

Christian Barillot ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Visual Feedback ◽

Visual Cues ◽

Static Condition ◽

Likert Scale ◽

Tendon Vibration ◽

Virtual Hand ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Illusory Movement ◽

Healthy Participants

Introduction Illusion of movement induced by tendon vibration is an effective approach for motor and sensory rehabilitation in case of neurological impairments. The aim of our study was to investigate which modality of visual feedback in Virtual Reality (VR) associated with tendon vibration of the wrist could induce the best illusion of movement. Methods We included 30 healthy participants in the experiment. Tendon vibration inducing illusion of movement (wrist extension, 100Hz) was applied on their wrist during 3 VR visual conditions (10 times each): a moving virtual hand corresponding to the movement that the participants could feel during the tendon vibration (Moving condition), a static virtual hand (Static condition), or no virtual hand at all (Hidden condition). After each trial, the participants had to quantify the intensity of the illusory movement on a Likert scale, the subjective degree of extension of their wrist and afterwards they answered a questionnaire. Results There was a significant difference between the 3 visual feedback conditions concerning the Likert scale ranking and the degree of wrist’s extension (p<0.001). The Moving condition induced a higher intensity of illusion of movement and a higher sensation of wrist’s extension than the Hidden condition (p<0.001 and p<0.001 respectively) than that of the Static condition (p<0.001 and p<0.001 respectively). The Hidden condition also induced a higher intensity of illusion of movement and a higher sensation of wrist’s extension than the Static condition (p<0.01 and p<0.01 respectively). The preferred condition to facilitate movement’s illusion was the Moving condition (63.3%). Conclusions This study demonstrated the importance of carefully selecting a visual feedback to improve the illusion of movement induced by tendon vibration, and the increase of illusion by adding VR visual cues congruent to the illusion of movement. Further work will consist in testing the same hypothesis with stroke patients.

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PICTURES OF ME: POSSIBILITIES OF SHAPING OUR BODY IMAGE THROUGH VIRTUAL REALITY / MANO PORTRETAI: KŪNO ATVAIZDŲ APIFORMINIMO GALIMYBĖS VIRTUALIOJOJE REALYBĖJE

Creativity Studies ◽

10.3846/20297475.2012.659680 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Mateusz Woźniak

Keyword(s):

Body Image ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Visual Perception ◽

Visual System ◽

Visual Cues ◽

Virtual Space ◽

Brain System ◽

Adaptive Representation ◽

Sensory Motor ◽

Human Embodiment

Brain system responsible for visual perception has been extensively studied. Visual system analyses a wide variety of stimuli in order to let us create adaptive representation of surrounding world. But among vast amounts of processed information come visual cues describing our own bodies. These cues constitute our so-called body-image. We tend to perceive it as a relatively stable structure but recent research, especially within the domain of virtual reality, introduces doubts to this assumption. New problems appear concerning perceiving others’ and our own bodies in virtual space and how does it influence our experience of ourselves and true reality. Recent studies show that how we see our avatars influence how we behave in artificial worlds. It introduces a brand new way of thinking about human embodiment. Virtual reality allows us to transcend beyond the casual visual-sensory-motor integration and create new ways to experience embodiment, temporarily replacing permanent body image with almost any imaginable digital one. Santrauka Smegenų sistema, atsakinga už vizualųjį suvokimą, yra nuodugniai ištirta. Vizualioji sistema analizuoja plačią akstinų įvairovę, padedančią mums sukurti adaptuotą supančio pasaulio reprezentaciją. Tačiau tarp didelio kiekio apdorotos informacijos kyla vizualiosios užuominos, atvaizduojančios mūsų pačių kūnus. Šios užuominos steigia vadinamąjį kūną-atvaizdą. Mes linkstame jį suvokti kaip sąlygiškai stabilią struktūrą, tačiau dabartiniai tyrimai, o ypač tie, kurie vykdomi virtualiojoje realybėje, tokia prielaida verčia suabejoti. Kyla naujų problemų, suvokiant kitų ir mūsų pačių kūnus virtualiojoje erdvėje bei kokios įtakos tai turi mūsų pačių savęs ir tikrosios realybės patyrimui. Nūdieniai tyrinėjimai atskleidžia, kad tai, kaip mes suvokiame savąjį kūniškumą, turi įtakos tam, kaip elgiamės dirbtiniuose pasauliuose. Tai steigia visiškai naują žmogiškojo kūniškumo suvokimo būdą. Virtualioji realybė leidžia mums peržengti paprastą vizualinęjutiminę-motorinę integraciją ir kurti naujus būdus patirti kūniškumą, palaipsniui pakeičiant ilgalaikį kūno atvaizdą bet kokiu įsivaizduojamu skaitmeniniu.

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Virtual Reality as a Human Factors Design Analysis Tool for Architectural Spaces - Control Rooms to Space Stations II: Subjective Measures

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193129403800420 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 38 (4) ◽

pp. 280-284 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mary Lynne Dittmar ◽

Joseph P. Hale

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Visual Cues ◽

Distance Estimation ◽

Design Tool ◽

Analysis Tool ◽

Control Room ◽

Adjective Pair ◽

Structural Differences ◽

Control Rooms ◽

Scale Format

The Architectural Space Questionnaire (ASQ) was developed and employed in order to assess subjects' impressions of four different environments (two real and two virtual rooms) at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The ASQ consists of 18 adjectivepairs, arrayed in a 7-point, Likert scale format. Subjects first participated in avariety of distance estimation tasks in the Spacelab Payload Control Room and the Simulation Control Room and in their virtual reality (VR) analogs. After their experience in each room, subjects responded to the ASQ, selecting one value on each adjective pair continuum which best described their impression of the room they were in. The results indicated that the ASQ is sensitive to structural differences between real rooms. Differences between virtual rooms were minimal., possibly due to the absence of visual cues such as lighting and texture in that environment. Implications for the use of VR as a design tool are explored.

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Gait Speed Modulations Are Proportional to Grades of Virtual Visual Slopes—A Virtual Reality Study

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.615242 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Amit Benady ◽

Sean Zadik ◽

Gabriel Zeilig ◽

Sharon Gilaie-Dotan ◽

Meir Plotnik

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Gait Speed ◽

Visual Cues ◽

Large Scale ◽

Dynamic Environment ◽

Speed Increase ◽

Actual Surface ◽

Gravitational Forces ◽

Speed Modulation ◽

Wide Range

Gait is a complex mechanism relying on integration of several sensory inputs such as vestibular, proprioceptive, and visual cues to maintain stability while walking. Often humans adapt their gait to changes in surface inclinations, and this is typically achieved by modulating walking speed according to the inclination in order to counteract the gravitational forces, either uphill (exertion effect) or downhill (braking effect). The contribution of vision to these speed modulations is not fully understood. Here we assessed gait speed effects by parametrically manipulating the discrepancy between virtual visual inclination and the actual surface inclination (aka visual incongruence). Fifteen healthy participants walked in a large-scale virtual reality (VR) system on a self-paced treadmill synchronized with projected visual scenes. During walking they were randomly exposed to varying degrees of physical-visual incongruence inclinations (e.g., treadmill leveled & visual scene uphill) in a wide range of inclinations (−15° to +15°). We observed an approximately linear relation between the relative change in gait speed and the anticipated gravitational forces associated with the virtual inclinations. Mean relative gait speed increase of ~7%, ~11%, and ~17% were measured for virtual inclinations of +5°, +10°, and +15°, respectively (anticipated decelerating forces were proportional to sin[5°], sin[10°], sin[15°]). The same pattern was seen for downhill virtual inclinations with relative gait speed modulations of ~-10%, ~-16%, and ~-24% for inclinations of −5°, −10°, and −15°, respectively (in anticipation of accelerating forces). Furthermore, we observed that the magnitude of speed modulation following virtual inclination at ±10° was associated with subjective visual verticality misperception. In conclusion, visual cues modulate gait speed when surface inclinations change proportional to the anticipated effect of the gravitational force associated the inclinations. Our results emphasize the contribution of vision to locomotion in a dynamic environment and may enhance personalized rehabilitation strategies for gait speed modulations in neurological patients with gait impairments.

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Multimedia Sensory Cue Processing in the FIVIS Simulation Environment

Multiple Sensorial Media Advances and Applications ◽

10.4018/978-1-60960-821-7.ch011 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 217-233 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Rainer Herpers ◽

David Scherfgen ◽

Michael Kutz ◽

Jens Bongartz ◽

Ulrich Hartmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Depth Perception ◽

Visual Cues ◽

Sensory Information ◽

Visual Depth ◽

Safety Education ◽

Laboratory Environment ◽

Sensory Cue ◽

Cue Processing

The FIVIS simulator system addresses the classical visual and acoustical cues as well as vestibular and further physiological cues. Sensory feedback from skin, muscles, and joints are integrated within this virtual reality visualization environment. By doing this it allows for simulating otherwise dangerous traffic situations in a controlled laboratory environment. The system has been successfully applied for road safety education applications of school children. In further research studies it is applied to perform multimedia perception experiments. It has been shown, that visual cues dominate by far the perception of visual depth in the majority of applications but the quality of depth perception might depend on the availability of other sensory information. This however, needs to be investigated in more detail in the future.

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Examining the size–weight illusion with visuo-haptic conflict in immersive virtual reality

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology ◽

10.1177/1747021819835808 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 72 (9) ◽

pp. 2168-2175 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Gavin Buckingham

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Visual Cues ◽

Immersive Virtual Reality ◽

Prior Work ◽

Sensory Inputs ◽

Weight Illusion ◽

Visual Size ◽

Haptic Cues ◽

Cue Conflict ◽

Do So

When we experience our environment, we do so by combining sensory inputs with expectations derived from our prior knowledge, which can lead to surprising perceptual effects such as small objects feeling heavier than equally weighted large objects (the size–weight illusion (SWI)). Interestingly, there is evidence that the way in which the volume of an object is experienced can affect the strength of the illusion, with a SWI induced by exclusively haptic volume cues feeling stronger than a SWI induced with only visual volume cues. Furthermore, visual cues appear to add nothing over and above haptic size cues in terms of the strength of the induced weight illusion–findings which are difficult to reconcile with work using cue-conflict paradigms where visual cues usually dominate haptic cues. Here, virtual reality was used to place these senses in conflict with one another. Participants ( N = 22) judged the heaviness of identically weighted cylinders across three conditions: (1) objects appeared different sizes but were physically the same size, (2) objects were physically different sizes but appeared to be the same size, or (3) objects which looked and felt different sizes from one another. Consistent with prior work, haptic size cues induced a larger SWI than that induced by visual size differences. In contrast to prior work, however, congruent vision and haptic size cues yielded a larger still SWI. These findings not only add to our understanding of how different modalities combine to influence our hedonic perception but also showcase how virtual reality can develop novel cue-conflict paradigms.

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Midbrain dopamine neurons provide teaching signals for goal-directed navigation

10.1101/2021.02.17.431585 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Karolina Farrell ◽

Armin Lak ◽

Aman B Saleem

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Visual Cues ◽

Task Engagement ◽

Dopamine Neurons ◽

List Type ◽

Prediction Errors ◽

Learning Stage ◽

Midbrain Dopamine ◽

Improved Performance ◽

Midbrain Dopamine Neurons

SummaryIn naturalistic environments, animals navigate in order to harvest rewards. Successful goal-directed navigation requires learning to accurately estimate location and select optimal state-dependent actions. Midbrain dopamine neurons are known to be involved in reward value learning1–13. They have also been linked to reward location learning, as they play causal roles in place preference14,15 and enhance spatial memory16–21. Dopamine neurons are therefore ideally placed to provide teaching signals for goal-directed navigation. To test this, we imaged dopamine neural activity as mice learned to navigate in a closed-loop virtual reality corridor and lick to report the reward location. Across learning, phasic dopamine responses developed to visual cues and trial outcome that resembled reward prediction errors and indicated the animal’s estimate of the reward location. We also observed the development of pre-reward ramping activity, the slope of which was modulated by both learning stage and task engagement. The slope of the dopamine ramp was correlated with the accuracy of licks in the next trial, suggesting that the ramp sculpted accurate location-specific action during navigation. Our results indicate that midbrain dopamine neurons, through both their phasic and ramping activity, provide teaching signals for improving goal-directed navigation.HighlightsWe investigated midbrain dopamine activity in mice learning a goal-directed navigation task in virtual realityPhasic dopamine signals reflected prediction errors with respect to subjective estimate of reward locationA slow ramp in dopamine activity leading up to reward location developed over learning and was enhanced with task engagementPositive ramp slopes were followed by improved performance on subsequent trials, suggesting a teaching role during goal-directed navigation

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Exploring Crossmodal Interaction of Tactile and Visual Cues on Temperature Perception in Virtual Reality: a Preliminary Study

10.5753/sensoryx.2021.15684 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Clémentine Helfenstein-Didier ◽

Amira Dhouib ◽

Florent Favre ◽

Jonathan Pascal ◽

Patrick Baert

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Visual Cues ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

Water Spray ◽

Thermal Perception ◽

Acoustic Disturbance ◽

Digital Revolution ◽

Tactile Stimuli ◽

Warm Sensation ◽

Materials Used

Thanks to the digital revolution, virtual reality (VR) has getting popularity due to its capacity to immerse users into virtual environments (VEs). VEs are typically limited to visual and auditory cues; however, recent results show that multiple sensory modalities increase the user’s immersion. In this study, an experimental protocol is proposed to recreate multiple tactile, in particular thermal, sensations in VR. The aim is twofold: (1) studying the performance of different devices for creating warm and cold sensations with regards to their efficiency and acoustic disturbance; and (2) investigating the interdependency between visual and tactile stimuli in the perception of temperature. 14 participants performed two experimental studies. Our results show no acoustic disturbance of the materials used. Spot projector is more efficient than fan heater to create a warm sensation; fan + water spray is more efficient than fan alone to create cold sensation. Moreover, no significant contribution of visual cue on the thermal perception was found except for the extremely cold simulation (snow visualization and thermal stimulation performed with fan + water spray).

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