Triggermuscle: Exploring Weight Perception for Virtual Reality Through Adaptive Trigger Resistance in a Haptic VR Controller

It is challenging to provide users with a haptic weight sensation of virtual objects in VR since current consumer VR controllers and software-based approaches such as pseudo-haptics cannot render appropriate haptic stimuli. To overcome these limitations, we developed a haptic VR controller named Triggermuscle that adjusts its trigger resistance according to the weight of a virtual object. Therefore, users need to adapt their index finger force to grab objects of different virtual weights. Dynamic and continuous adjustment is enabled by a spring mechanism inside the casing of an HTC Vive controller. In two user studies, we explored the effect on weight perception and found large differences between participants for sensing change in trigger resistance and thus for discriminating virtual weights. The variations were easily distinguished and associated with weight by some participants while others did not notice them at all. We discuss possible limitations, confounding factors, how to overcome them in future research and the pros and cons of this novel technology.

INLA GOES TO SCHOOL AUGMENTED REALITY ANALYSIS AND DESIGN

lThis study describes the INLA Goes to School Gymnastics activities which have temporarily not been running for a year due to the pandemic. Therefore, this study makes analysis and design which will later be made into applications for further research so that INLA goes to school Gymnastics activities can be carried out again during a pandemic and after a pandemic. lAugmented Reality is a technology that allows users to see a combination of real and virtual objects in a real environment and run in real time or realtime. lIn this study, the author makes a 3-dimensional animation design to make it look more attractive and increase interest in using the INLA Goes to School Augmented Reality Gymnastics application. The INLA Goes to School Gymnastics Application Based on Augmented Reality was created using the Unity application and in the animation stage using the Blender application. Keywords: analysis; Android; application; augmented reality; INLA Abstrak: 1Penelitian ini mendeskripsikan tentang kegiatan Senam INLA Goes to School yang sementara belum berjalan selama setahun dikarenakan oleh pandemi. Maka dari itu penelitian ini membuat Analisa dan desain yang nantinya akan dibuatkan aplikasi dipenelitian selanjutnya agar kegiatan Senam INLA goes to school dapat dilakukan kembali disaat pandemic dan sesudah pandemi. Augmented Reality merupakan teknologi yang memungkinkan pengguna melihat gabungan benda nyata dan maya di lingkungan yang nyata dan berjalan pada waktu yang nyata atau realtime. 1lDalam penelitian ini, dapat membuat desain animasi 3 dimensi agar tampilan lebih menarik dan menambah minat dalam penggunaan aplikasi Augmented Reality Senam INLA Goes to School. 1Aplikasi Senam INLA Goes to School Berbasis Augmented Reality ini dibuat dengan menggunakan aplikasi Unity dan dalam tahap animasi menggunakan aplikasi Blender. Kata kunci: analisis; android; aplikasi; augmented reality; INLA

A QR Code-Based Approach to Differentiating the Display of Augmented Reality Content

The augmented reality (AR) system requires markers to recognize and locate virtual objects on the screens of mobile devices. However, both markers and objects must be registered via the online platform in advance. In addition, an AR marker can only pair with a fixed set of virtual objects, limiting the flexibility and immediacy of changing and updating these data. This paper incorporates the quick response barcode (QR code) into the AR system to address these issues. We propose an algorithm with two vital goals, including (1) generating differentiated virtual objects for different target users by using only one QR code as the marker and (2) concealing different private authentication in QR modules by applying the error correction capability. We then demonstrate the proposed approach via a simulation of two practical scenarios, the electronic catalogs for business applications, and differentiated instructional materials for digital learning. This paper contributes to AR and QR code research and practices.

Online tools to easily build augmented reality models of biomolecules that run right on the web

Several groups developed in the last years augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) programs and apps to visualize 3D molecules, most rather static, limited in content, and requiring software installs, some even requiring expensive hardware. During the Covid-19 pandemic, our team launched moleculARweb (https://molecularweb.epfl.ch), a website that offers interactive content for chemistry and structural biology education through commodity web-based AR that works on consumer devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops. Among thousands of users, teachers increasingly request more biological macromolecules to be available, a demand that we cannot satisfy individually. Therefore, to allow users to build their own material, we built a web interface where any user can build any online AR experience in few steps starting from a PDB structure or from virtual objects/scenes exported from VMD. The website also returns a WebXR session for viewing and manipulating the model in high-end immersive VR headsets with web browsers, here tested on the ~400 USD Oculus Quest 2. The tool is accessible at https://molecularweb.epfl.ch/pages/pdb2ar.html.

Archetypes of Digital Twins

Currently, Digital Twins receive considerable attention from practitioners and in research. A Digital Twin describes a concept that connects physical and virtual objects through a data linkage. However, Digital Twins are highly dependent on their individual use case, which leads to a plethora of Digital Twin configurations. Based on a thorough literature analysis and two interview series with experts from various electrical and mechanical engineering companies, this paper proposes a set of archetypes of Digital Twins for individual use cases. It delimits the Digital Twins from related concepts, e.g., Digital Threads. The paper delivers profound insights into the domain of Digital Twins and, thus, helps the reader to identify the different archetypical patterns.

The concept of things in the virtual world from the theory of human rights for property

The subject of the study is an attempt to define the concept of “virtual object” in the context of the human right to property. The human right to property, formed in the 20th century, undergoes far-reaching transformations as a result of the creation of virtual reality, and with it the virtual objects. The aim of the study is to find an answer to the question of how useful the traditional concept of human right to property is in relation to the human right to virtual objects. As a research hypothesis, the author adopted the statement that the category of things defined as res incorporales is useful for examining the ownership of virtual objects. The studies use the legal-dogmatic and legal-historical methods. As a result of the research, the author concluded that the usefulness of the traditional concept of human right to property is relatively of little use in the case of human right to a virtual object.

The Impact of Dynamic Convergence on the Human Visual System in Head Mounted Displays

<p>The Accommodation-Vergence Conflict (AVC) is a phenomenon in the area of Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) and one of the key issues hindering the popularity of HMDs largely due to it causing a large number of users to suffer from simulator sickness. There have been several proposed solutions developed by previous researchers, including the introduction of 'Dynamic Convergence' (DC) which, addresses the AVC problem in terms of the vergence depth cue. DC also helps in the performance of binocular fusion when viewing at a close vergence depth. As of yet however, DC has not undergone detailed testing for a number of important cases, which limits the amount of data that has been collected on DC's interaction with the human visual system. In addition, no DC research as of yet has dealt with the effect of a change in vergence depth, and how that change in the vergence angle of the focal plane would effect a user. Thus, this thesis adds to the growing body of research and knowledge in this field by implementing DC with the addition of some transitions between a change in vergence depth. This is done within the Unity3D game engine in order to further investigate the impact of DC with regard to viewing close virtual objects on HMDs through a number of cases. The added transitions are also tested to see if they have any beneficial effects for users when the vergence angle changes. The investigation is centered around a perception based performance/appreciation-oriented visual study whereby participants were asked about their ability to perform binocular fusion on close virtual objects that were either stationary or moving and varying distances and speeds. Participants were also asked to report any symptoms of discomfort. The research has adopted a mixed methodology experimental approach by conducting user experiments and surveys, before analysing the results through both in-depth quantitative statistical analysis and a variety of qualitative statistical techniques in order to measure and investigate the scale of the problem associated with the impact of DC on the human visual system in HMDs when viewing close virtual objects. From the investigation it was confirmed that the approximate effective vergence depth range for DC was 0.3m or less, with statistical significance confirmed at the 0.15m distance. Participants reported having an easier time performing binocular fusion at these closer distances while DC was enabled. As a result of this, the majority of cases and scenarios did not report any significant negative responses in terms of discomfort symptoms. However attempts at improving DC with a transition between vergence depths were met with a mixed response from participants. While the need of a transition way be dependent on the user, there still exists some demand for one, thus it should still be available as an option.</p>

The Impact of Dynamic Convergence on the Human Visual System in Head Mounted Displays

<p>The Accommodation-Vergence Conflict (AVC) is a phenomenon in the area of Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) and one of the key issues hindering the popularity of HMDs largely due to it causing a large number of users to suffer from simulator sickness. There have been several proposed solutions developed by previous researchers, including the introduction of 'Dynamic Convergence' (DC) which, addresses the AVC problem in terms of the vergence depth cue. DC also helps in the performance of binocular fusion when viewing at a close vergence depth. As of yet however, DC has not undergone detailed testing for a number of important cases, which limits the amount of data that has been collected on DC's interaction with the human visual system. In addition, no DC research as of yet has dealt with the effect of a change in vergence depth, and how that change in the vergence angle of the focal plane would effect a user. Thus, this thesis adds to the growing body of research and knowledge in this field by implementing DC with the addition of some transitions between a change in vergence depth. This is done within the Unity3D game engine in order to further investigate the impact of DC with regard to viewing close virtual objects on HMDs through a number of cases. The added transitions are also tested to see if they have any beneficial effects for users when the vergence angle changes. The investigation is centered around a perception based performance/appreciation-oriented visual study whereby participants were asked about their ability to perform binocular fusion on close virtual objects that were either stationary or moving and varying distances and speeds. Participants were also asked to report any symptoms of discomfort. The research has adopted a mixed methodology experimental approach by conducting user experiments and surveys, before analysing the results through both in-depth quantitative statistical analysis and a variety of qualitative statistical techniques in order to measure and investigate the scale of the problem associated with the impact of DC on the human visual system in HMDs when viewing close virtual objects. From the investigation it was confirmed that the approximate effective vergence depth range for DC was 0.3m or less, with statistical significance confirmed at the 0.15m distance. Participants reported having an easier time performing binocular fusion at these closer distances while DC was enabled. As a result of this, the majority of cases and scenarios did not report any significant negative responses in terms of discomfort symptoms. However attempts at improving DC with a transition between vergence depths were met with a mixed response from participants. While the need of a transition way be dependent on the user, there still exists some demand for one, thus it should still be available as an option.</p>

The Impact of Augmented Reality Techniques on Cartographic Visualization

Augmented reality (AR) is playing an increasingly important role in a variety of everyday application scenarios. Users are not completely disconnected from the current sensory influences of reality. They are merely confronted with additional virtual objects that are projected into reality. This allows users to obtain additional spatial information, which makes this technology interesting for cartographic applications (e.g. navigation). The dynamic positioning of the superimposed image in the scene being viewed is crucial for the generation of AR elements displayed correctly in terms of perspective. Understanding these technical basics is an important prerequisite for the cartographic use of augmented reality. The different techniques influence the visualization and the perception of AR elements in 3D space. This article highlights important visualization properties of current augmented reality techniques.