Evaluating the Efficacy of Multi-Sensory Stimulations on Simulator Sickness and Sense of Presence during HMD-mediated VR Experience

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Grassini ◽  
Karin Laumann ◽  
Virginia de Martin Topranin ◽  
Sebastian Thorp
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Sensory Input ◽  
Mechanical Vibration ◽  
Sensory Stimulation ◽  
Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Simulator Sickness ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Seat Vibration

Virtual reality (VR) is currently being used for a wide range of applications. However, a sense of discomfort during VR experiences (commonly referred to as simulator sickness), is an obstacle for acceptance of the technology outside the niche of tech enthusiasts. Some lines of evidence have shown that sensory input, especially related to vestibular stimulation, may reduce the symptoms related to simulator sickness and increase the sense of presence. This investigation aims at understanding how mechanical vibration can be used to improve user experience in VR, reducing symptoms of simulator sickness and increasing the sense of presence. Four different groups comprising a total of 80 participants were tested under different conditions of sensory input (visual and vibratory, visual and auditory, visuo-auditory and vibratory, and visual only), during a VR roller-coaster experience. A questionnaire was used as the research instrument to evaluate both the sense of presence and the degree of simulator sickness experienced in VR. No significant differences in simulator sickness or presence were found between the groups exposed to seat vibration and/or audio. However, female participants experienced higher sense of presence when vibration was included. For participants experiencing a high degree of simulator sickness, vibration improved the experienced sense of presence, and the inclusion of vibration (but not sound) decreased the level of sickness-related disorientation. The inclusion of multi-sensory stimulation in VR revealed possibilities to improve the experience in some user categories; however, the use of vibration stimulation requires further research to be proven effective for the general public.Keywords: virtual reality, simulator sickness, presence, HMDs, vibration

scholarly journals Controlling Teleportation-Based Locomotion in Virtual Reality with Hand Gestures: A Comparative Evaluation of Two-Handed and One-Handed Techniques

Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 715
Author(s):  
Alexander Schäfer ◽  
Gerd Reis ◽  
Didier Stricker
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
User Preferences ◽  
Interaction Techniques ◽  
Hand Gestures ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Effectiveness And Efficiency ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Additional Hardware ◽  
Comprehensive Study

Virtual Reality (VR) technology offers users the possibility to immerse and freely navigate through virtual worlds. An important component for achieving a high degree of immersion in VR is locomotion. Often discussed in the literature, a natural and effective way of controlling locomotion is still a general problem which needs to be solved. Recently, VR headset manufacturers have been integrating more sensors, allowing hand or eye tracking without any additional required equipment. This enables a wide range of application scenarios with natural freehand interaction techniques where no additional hardware is required. This paper focuses on techniques to control teleportation-based locomotion with hand gestures, where users are able to move around in VR using their hands only. With the help of a comprehensive study involving 21 participants, four different techniques are evaluated. The effectiveness and efficiency as well as user preferences of the presented techniques are determined. Two two-handed and two one-handed techniques are evaluated, revealing that it is possible to move comfortable and effectively through virtual worlds with a single hand only.

scholarly journals Research on Virtual Reality Technology in Public Art Creation

2021 ◽  
Vol 275 ◽  
pp. 03067
Author(s):  
Yuan Ye ◽  
Lu Juan
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Public Art ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Sensory Stimulation ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Environment Design ◽  
Virtual Reality Technology ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Public Environment

With the continuous update and progress of computer technology, there are more and more display ways in public environment, and many high-tech ways such as virtual reality are also integrated into the display of public environment design. Its interactive, comprehensive and realistic features enhance the artistic sense of the whole design. Public art creation is a kind of diversified art design that includes different disciplines. Its main carrier is the display of environment and culture, which involves a wide range of fields and can better meet the people’s pursuit of sensory stimulation in modern society. Therefore, this paper will make an in-depth analysis of the application of virtual reality technology in public art creation, and briefly describe its design principle and its application mode, in order to provide some valuable opinions for future practice creation.

scholarly journals Association of Individual Factors with Simulator Sickness and Sense of Presence in Virtual Reality mediated by head-mounted displays (HMDs)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Grassini ◽  
Karin Laumann ◽  
Ann Kristin Luzi
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Individual Factors ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Simulator Sickness ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
Head Mounted Displays ◽  
Positive Sense

Many studies have attempted to understand which individual differences may be related to the symptoms of discomfort during the virtual experience (simulator sickness) and the generally considered positive sense of being inside the simulated scene (sense of presence). Nevertheless, due to the quick technological advancement in the field of virtual reality, most of these studies are now outdated. Advanced technology for virtual reality is commonly mediated by head-mounted displays (HMDs), which aim to increase the sense of the presence of the user, remove stimuli from the external environment, and provide high definition, photo-realistic, three-dimensional images. Our results showed that motion sickness susceptibility and simulator sickness are related and neuroticism may be associated and predict simulator sickness. Furthermore, the results showed that people who are more used to playing video-games are less susceptible to simulator sickness; female participants reported more simulator sickness compared to males (but only for nausea-related symptoms). Female participants also experienced a higher sense of presence compared to males. We suggests that published findings on simulator sickness and the sense of presence in virtual reality environments need to be replicated with the use of modern HMDs.

scholarly journals I walk, therefore I am: a multidimensional study on the influence of the locomotion method upon presence in virtual reality

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 577-590
Author(s):  
José L Soler-Domínguez ◽  
Carla de Juan ◽  
Manuel Contero ◽  
Mariano Alcañiz
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Electrodermal Activity ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Head Bobbing ◽  
Controversial Topic ◽  
Being There ◽  
First Time

Abstract A defining virtual reality (VR) metric is the sense of presence, a complex, multidimensional psychophysical construct that represents how intense is the sensation of actually being there, inside the virtual environment (VE), forgetting how technology mediates the experience. Our paper explores how locomotion influences presence, studying two different ways of artificial movement along the VE: walking-in-place (through head bobbing detection) and indirect walking (through touchpad). To evaluate that influence, a narrative-neutral maze was created, from where 41 participants (N=41) had to escape. Measuring presence is a controversial topic since there is not a single, objective measure but a wide range of metrics depending on the different theoretical basis. For this reason, we have used for the first time, representative metrics from all three traditional dimensions of presence: subjective presence (SP) (self-reported through questionnaires), behavioral presence (BP) (obtained from unconscious reactions while inside the VE), and physiological presence (PP) [usually measured using heart rate or electrodermal activity (EDA)]. SP was measured with the ITC-SOPI questionnaire, BP by collecting the participants’ reactions, and PP by using a bracelet that registered EDA. The results show two main findings: (i) There is no correlation between the different presence metrics. This opens the door to a simpler way of measuring presence in an objective, reliable way. (ii) There is no significant difference between the two locomotion techniques for any of the three metrics, which shows that the authenticity of VR does not rely on how you move within the VE.

scholarly journals Understanding How Virtual Reality Can Support Mindfulness Practice: Mixed Methods Study

10.2196/16106 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. e16106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Seabrook ◽  
Ryan Kelly ◽  
Fiona Foley ◽  
Stephen Theiler ◽  
Neil Thomas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
General Population ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Simulator Sickness ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
State Mindfulness

Background Regular mindfulness practice has been demonstrated to be beneficial for mental health, but mindfulness can be challenging to adopt, with environmental and personal distractors often cited as challenges. Virtual reality (VR) may address these challenges by providing an immersive environment for practicing mindfulness and by supporting the user to orient attention to the present moment within a tailored virtual setting. However, there is currently a limited understanding of the ways in which VR can support or hinder mindfulness practice. Such an understanding is required to design effective VR apps while ensuring that VR-supported mindfulness is acceptable to end users. Objective This study aimed to explore how VR can support mindfulness practice and to understand user experience issues that may affect the acceptability and efficacy of VR mindfulness for users in the general population. Methods A sample of 37 participants from the general population trialed a VR mindfulness app in a controlled laboratory setting. The VR app presented users with an omnidirectional video of a peaceful forest environment with a guided mindfulness voiceover that was delivered by a male narrator. Scores on the State Mindfulness Scale, Simulator Sickness Questionnaire, and single-item measures of positive and negative emotion and arousal were measured pre- and post-VR for all participants. Qualitative feedback was collected through interviews with a subset of 19 participants. The interviews sought to understand the user experience of mindfulness practice in VR. Results State mindfulness (P<.001; Cohen d=1.80) and positive affect (P=.006; r=.45) significantly increased after using the VR mindfulness app. No notable changes in negative emotion, subjective arousal, or symptoms of simulator sickness were observed across the sample. Participants described the user experience as relaxing, calming, and peaceful. Participants suggested that the use of VR helped them to focus on the present moment by using visual and auditory elements of VR as attentional anchors. The sense of presence in the virtual environment (VE) was identified by participants as being helpful to practicing mindfulness. Interruptions to presence acted as distractors. Some uncomfortable experiences were discussed, primarily in relation to video fidelity and the weight of the VR headset, although these were infrequent and minor. Conclusions This study suggests that an appropriately designed VR app can support mindfulness practice by enhancing state mindfulness and inducing positive affect. VR may help address the challenges of practicing mindfulness by creating a sense of presence in a tailored VE; by allowing users to attend to visual and auditory anchors of their choice; and by reducing the scope of the content in users’ mind-wandering. VR has the unique capability to combine guided mindfulness practice with tailored VEs that lend themselves to support individuals to focus attention on the present moment.

scholarly journals Association of Individual Factors with Simulator Sickness and Sense of Presence in Virtual Reality mediated by head-mounted displays (HMDs)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Grassini ◽  
Karin Laumann ◽  
Ann Kristin Luzi
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Individual Factors ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Simulator Sickness ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
Head Mounted Displays ◽  
Positive Sense

Many studies have attempted to understand which individual differences may be related to the symptoms of discomfort during the virtual experience (simulator sickness) and the generally considered positive sense of being inside the simulated scene (sense of presence). Nevertheless, due to the quick technological advancement in the field of virtual reality, most of these studies are now outdated. Advanced technology for virtual reality is commonly mediated by head-mounted displays (HMDs), which aim to increase the sense of the presence of the user, remove stimuli from the external environment, and provide high definition, photo-realistic, three-dimensional images. Our results showed that motion sickness susceptibility and simulator sickness are related and neuroticism may be associated and predict simulator sickness. Furthermore, the results showed that people who are more used to playing video-games are less susceptible to simulator sickness; female participants reported more simulator sickness compared to males (but only for nausea-related symptoms). Female participants also experienced a higher sense of presence compared to males. We suggests that published findings on simulator sickness and the sense of presence in virtual reality environments need to be replicated with the use of modern HMDs.

scholarly journals Association of Individual Factors with Simulator Sickness and Sense of Presence in Virtual Reality Mediated by Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs)

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Simone Grassini ◽  
Karin Laumann ◽  
Ann Kristin Luzi
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Individual Factors ◽  
Simulator Sickness ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Virtual Experience ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
Head Mounted Displays ◽  
Positive Sense

Many studies have attempted to understand which individual differences may be related to the symptoms of discomfort during the virtual experience (simulator sickness) and the generally considered positive sense of being inside the simulated scene (sense of presence). Nevertheless, a very limited number of studies have employed modern consumer-oriented head-mounted displays (HMDs). These systems aim to produce a high the sense of the presence of the user, remove stimuli from the external environment, and provide high definition, photo-realistic, three-dimensional images. Our results showed that motion sickness susceptibility and simulator sickness are related, and neuroticism may be associated and predict simulator sickness. Furthermore, the results showed that people who are more used to playing videogames are less susceptible to simulator sickness; female participants reported more simulator sickness compared to males (but only for nausea-related symptoms). Female participants also experienced a higher sense of presence compared to males. We suggest that published findings on simulator sickness and the sense of presence in virtual reality environments need to be replicated with the use of modern HMDs.

scholarly journals Education in the Digital Age: Learning Experience in Virtual and Mixed Realities

2021 ◽  
pp. 073563312098512
Author(s):  
Devon Allcoat ◽  
Tim Hatchard ◽  
Freeha Azmat ◽  
Kim Stansfield ◽  
Derrick Watson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Mixed Reality ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Traditional Learning ◽  
Simulator Sickness ◽  
Learning Condition ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
The 1960S

In recent years Virtual Reality has been revitalized, having gained and lost popularity between the 1960s and 1990s, and is now widely used for entertainment purposes. However, Virtual Reality, along with Mixed Reality and Augmented Reality, has broader application possibilities, thanks to significant advances in technology and accessibility. In the current study, we examined the effectiveness of these new technologies for use in education. We found that learning in both virtual and mixed environments resulted in similar levels of performance to traditional learning. However, participants reported higher levels of engagement in both Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality conditions compared to the traditional learning condition, and higher levels of positive emotions in the Virtual Reality condition. No simulator sickness was found from using either headset, and both headsets scored similarly for system usability and user acceptance of the technology. Virtual Reality, however, did produce a higher sense of presence than Mixed Reality. Overall, the findings suggest that some benefits can be gained from using Virtual and Mixed Realities for education.

scholarly journals Virtual Reality system for freely-moving rodents

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas A. Del Grosso ◽  
Justin J. Graboski ◽  
Weiwei Chen ◽  
Eduardo Blanco-Hernández ◽  
Anton Sirota
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Visual Feedback ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Sensory Input ◽  
Spatial Navigation ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Virtual Reality System ◽  
Sensory Inputs ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Freely Moving

ABSTRACTSpatial navigation, active sensing, and most cognitive functions rely on a tight link between motor output and sensory input. Virtual reality (VR) systems simulate the sensorimotor loop, allowing flexible manipulation of enriched sensory input. Conventional rodent VR systems provide 3D visual cues linked to restrained locomotion on a treadmill, leading to a mismatch between visual and most other sensory inputs, sensory-motor conflicts, as well as restricted naturalistic behavior. To rectify these limitations, we developed a VR system (ratCAVE) that provides realistic and low-latency visual feedback directly to head movements of completely unrestrained rodents. Immersed in this VR system, rats displayed naturalistic behavior by spontaneously interacting with and hugging virtual walls, exploring virtual objects, and avoiding virtual cliffs. We further illustrate the effect of ratCAVE-VR manipulation on hippocampal place fields. The newly-developed methodology enables a wide range of experiments involving flexible manipulation of visual feedback in freely-moving behaving animals.

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