Three views of virtual reality: nonimmersive virtual reality

Nonimmersive virtual reality (VR), which places the user in a 3D environment that can be directly manipulated with a conventional graphics workstation using a monitor, a keyboard; and a mouse, is discussed. The scene is displayed with the same 3D depth cues used in immersive VR: perspective view, hidden-surface elimination, color, texture, lighting, shading and shadows. As in immersive VR, animation and simulation are interactively controlled in response to the user's direct manipulation. Much of the technology used to support immersive and nonimmersive VR is the same. They use the same 3D modeling and rendering and many of the same interaction techniques. The advantages and applications of nonimmersive VR systems are discussed. Immersive and nonimmersive VR systems are compared and hybrid possibilities are reviewed     

Designing in virtual reality: a comparison of problem-solving styles between desktop and VR environments

With recent breakthroughs in VR devices, new potential of CAD as a design tool is anticipated. Based on the influence of design tools in ideation, we compared the problem-solving styles of WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointer) and VRE (Virtual Reality Environment) for an apartment flat design task. Function-Behaviour-Structure ontology analysis revealed that WIMP was problem-driven with clear divisions between problem analysis and solution building, while VRE was predominantly solution-driven with frequent modifications of solutions. Such procedural characteristics led to uneven outcomes wherein spatial efficiency was better in WIMP while arrangement was more diversified in VRE. When the key factor was high manipulability of user interface in VRE, the result suggests that higher usability does not always produce desired outcomes. Time for problem analysis and a match between the tool and given problem must be taken into account.     

Signage visibility analysis and optimization system using BIM-enabled virtual reality (VR) environments

The proper placement of signage greatly influences pathfinding and information provision in public spaces. Clear visibility, easy comprehension, and efficient placement are all important for successful signage. We propose a signage visibility analysis and optimization system, utilizing an updated Building Information Model (BIM) and a game engine software application to simulate the movement of pedestrians. BIM can provide an up-to-date digital representation of a building and its assets, while computer simulation environments have the potential to simulate the movement of pedestrians. Combining these two technologies provides an opportunity to create a tool that analyzes the efficiency of installed signage and visualizes them in VR environments. The proposed tool contains algorithms, functions and predefined scenarios to calculate the coverage and the visibility of a building’s signage system. This system assists building managers to analyze (visually or by using statistics) the visibility of signboards, to assess their proper placement, and to optimize their placement. The applicability of the method has been validated in case studies performed in subway stations in Japan.     

A voyage into virtual reality. Networking our VR lab to Iowa middleschools and high schools

The Iowa Communications Network (ICN) is a statewide, state administered, fiber optics network. Iowa State University (ISU) is one of the fiber optics endpoints and one of the main entities using the ICN to reach the Iowa community. As part of the ICN outreach activities at ISU, we are investigating how the ICN can be integrated with our research projects in virtual reality (VR). We're particularly interested in how the ICN can enable remote collaborations in immersive virtual environments with sites that don't have any or have limited local resources for VR. We present our first project with the ICN to bring our VR lab to remote middle schools and high schools in Iowa. This project was done in collaboration with Iowa Public Television (IPTV), another ICN endpoint. We connected to 86 schools simultaneously and reached about 2000 students. Ten sites were in interactive two-way video and audio mode. The rest were in viewing-only video and audio mode. We discuss the motivation, technical details, results, and future directions     

Automating virtual reality

The author discusses some applications of virtual reality and the limitations of interactivity. He considers how automatic simulated behavior minus the application judgment of direct human participation is already evolving in computer animation. In traditional animation, the animator explicitly controls every action of the characters, provides every cause, and determines every effect. While we think of virtual reality as the ultimate interactive technology, it is likely that only new tasks will be purely interactive. As applications are better understood, the ratio of interactive to automated processing will go down. We can expect anthropomorphic simulated humans to work on simulated projects in not necessarily visible virtual worlds     

A fuzzy MCDM approach to support customer-centric innovation in virtual reality (VR) metaverse headset design

Nowadays, customer-centric innovation is important in affective design, leading to the design and development of a product that fits the needs of a group of target customers for sales and marketing. Though there is much research on customer-centric innovation and affective product design, designing a novel and innovative product that appeals to customers remains difficult. This is not only due to the difficulty of knowing a customer's preference, enabling the product functionality, etc., but it is also very complex to optimize both the technical and aesthetical design factors and parameters for a group of customers. The technical design specification is one of the critical aspects in designing innovative technological products. In fact, a similar group of target customers usually has hidden preferences that provide us with clues for identifying the design of a product. To this end, we propose a sophisticated optimization technique using the Hybrid Fuzzy-based Analytical Hierarchy Process and the Integral-based Taguchi Method called the Fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach to determine the essential factors and design parameters in order to understand the preferences of customers and the technical requirements of engineers for designing the enclosure of a product. We demonstrate our methodology using the virtual reality (VR) Headset, which can be used for visualizing the metaverse in the virtual environment. The fuzzy MCDM approach suggested combines technical and aesthetical features to enhance the robustness of product design.     

Immersive interactive reality: Internet-based on-demand VR for cultural presentation

This paper presents an Internet-based virtual reality technology, called panoramic broadcasting (PanoCAST) where multiple viewers share an experience yet each having full control of what they see independent from other viewers. Our solution was developed for telepresence-based cultural presentation and entertainment services. The core architecture involves a compact spherical vision system that compresses and transmits data from multiple digital video sources to a central host computer, which in turn distributes the recorded information among multiple render- and streaming servers for personalized viewing over the Internet or mobile devices. In addition, using advanced computer vision, tracking and animation features, the PanoCAST architecture introduces the notion of Clickable Content Management (CCM), where each visual element in the image becomes a source for providing further information, educational content and cultural detail. Key contributions of our application to advance the state-of-the-art include bringing streaming panoramic video onto mobile platforms, an advanced tracking interface to turn visual elements into sources of interaction, physical simulation to combine the benefits of panoramic video with that of 3D models and animated, photo-realistic faces to help users express their emotions in shared online virtual cultural experiences as well as a feedback mechanism in such environments. Therefore, we argue that the PanoCAST system offers a low-cost and economical solution for personalized content distribution and as such it can serve as a unified basis for novel applications many of which are demonstrated in this paper.     

Applying artificial intelligence to virtual reality: Intelligent virtual environments

Research into virtual environments on the one hand and artificial intelligence and artificial life on the other has largely been carried out by two different groups of people with different preoccupation and interests, but some convergence is now apparent between the two fields. Applications in which activity independent of the user takes place- involving crowds or other agents- are beginning to be tackled, while synthetic agents, virtual humans, and computer pets are all areas in which techniques from the two fields require strong integration. The two communities have much to learn from each other if wheels are not to be reinvented on both sides. This paper reviews the issues arising from combining artificial intelligence and artificial life techniques with those of virtual environments to produce just such intelligent virtual environments. The discussion is illustrated with examples that include environments providing knowledge to direct or assist the user rather than relying entirely on the user's knowledge and skills, those in which the user is represented by a partially autonomous avatar, those containing intelligent agents separate from the user, and many others from both sides of the area.     

Investigation of spatial ability test completion times in virtual reality using a desktop display and the Gear VR

Virtual Reality - The interaction time of students who did spatial ability tests in a virtual reality environment is analyzed. The spatial ability test completion times of 240 and 61 students were...     

虚拟培训中的虚实联动技术

针对传统培训方式的不足,提出了虚实联动的培训方式.通过构建虚拟设备,硬件可编程逻辑控制器(PLC)、PC、虚拟设备三者之间的通信,实现虚拟设备和实体设备之间的联系,并且通过现场控制系统采集实体设备运行数据,将实体设备运行和故障等信息在虚拟设备中实时表现出来,拓展了虚拟培训的新思路.以喷印机虚拟联动系统为例论述了虚拟联动技术的必要性和可行性.     

Intelligent virtual environments for virtual reality art

The development of virtual reality (VR) art installations is faced with considerable difficulties, especially when one wishes to explore complex notions related to user interaction. We describe the development of a VR platform, which supports the development of such installations, from an art+science perspective. The system is based on a CAVE™-like immersive display using a game engine to support visualisation and interaction, which has been adapted for stereoscopic visualisation and real-time tracking. In addition, some architectural elements of game engines, such as their reliance on event-based systems have been used to support the principled definition of alternative laws of Physics. We illustrate this research through the development of a fully implemented artistic brief that explores the notion of causality in a virtual environment. After describing the hardware architecture supporting immersive visualisation we show how causality can be redefined using artificial intelligence technologies inspired from action representation in planning and how this symbolic definition of behaviour can support new forms of user experience in VR.     

Alice: rapid prototyping for virtual reality

Virtual reality has sparked many people's imaginations, but writing VR programs remains difficult. Besides the obvious problems of managing arcane I/O devices (trackers, gloves, and so on), the programs must allow the participant to operate effectively in the immersive environment. Virtual environments present a new medium for both the participant and the programmer/author. In the University of Virginia's User Interface Group, we believe the best way to accelerate development in a new medium such as VR is to provide tools that allow people without highly technical backgrounds to create programs for it. These novice authors must be able to quickly try different nuances of an idea. They must be able to easily ask “what if” questions. To support this goal, we are developing Alice, a rapid prototyping environment that can generate VR environments. The name “Alice” honors Lewis Carroll's heroine, who explored a rapidly changing, dynamic environment     

Three views of virtual reality: virtual environments in the USmilitary

A virtual environment is a generic, relatively low-cost real-time interactive simulation. It is shown that the US military has been a primary supporter of real-time simulation for more than 60 years, ever since the development of the Link Flight Instrument Trainer in the late 1930s. The development of flight simulation systems and head-mounted displays are reviewed. The use of virtual environments for team training, battlefield review and tactics development is discussed. Several research projects involving virtual environments and military applications are described     

Virtual reality (VR) and psychotherapy: opportunities and challenges

Virtual reality technology is now being used to provide exposure and desensitization for a number of phobic conditions. In this paper, we first review these current applications and discuss the work needed to refine and expand these applications to phobias. We then comment briefly on some preliminary applications of VR technology to mental-health problems outside the domain of phobias. Finally, we consider ways in which VR might be used to further enhance psychotherapy and assist in the treatment of a wide variety of disorders. Various possible interventions are discussed, along with the technological developments needed to make them possible.     

Application of virtual reality (VR) technology for medical practitioners in type and screen (T&S) training

Nowadays, patients' safety is the top priority for medical services around the world. However, it is believed that many of the adverse events in hospitals are preventable. Type and screen (T&S) procedures require intense practical training by each medical practitioner in each hospital. This study applied an interactive Virtual Reality (VR) technology to supplement the traditional approach to facilitate procedural training. The VR system made use of the Unity3D for application development. To investigate the reliability and validity of the conceptual medical training model, a survey was conducted to measure the content, motivation and enhanced readiness of practitioners. The partial least squares (PLS) modelling was carried out to investigate the correlation between each pair of measured variables. The study results indicated that the learning model has good reliability for each measurement factor and validates the survey study. The PLS modelling also indicated a significant correlation between each pair of measured variables. The project developed a VR training program for training in T&S procedures. The study provides important implications on the development of a practical VR training program for medical practitioners, as well as valuable insights for the development of similar VR training programs in the future.     

Japanese activities in virtual reality

Most virtual reality hardware in Japan has been imported from the US, and the large-scale applications have focused on games, where Sega Enterprises and Nintendo remain the market leaders. In addition to its successful home video and arcade machines businesses, Sega is moving aggressively into the amusement-park ride market. Outside these markets, Matsushita plans to release three commercial products in spring 1994. One is an immersive system for product showrooms to help Japanese home owners visualize new kitchens before ordering them. Another is a massage chair that uses VR images and sound to help relax users. The third is an exercise bicycle that lets the user cycle through a 3D virtual world while exercising. Many Japanese companies are interested in VR technology as a problem-solving tool. They are making progress in its use in equipment operation. They also realize that the ability to operate devices intuitively by ordinary gesture-like motions can be exploited in many practical fields. This ability could make human-machine interfaces easier, even if these interfaces fall short of outright VR. This article reviews a few recent industry and academic research projects. The current worldwide recession has flattened the overall rate of growth in Japanese research and development spending. Nevertheless, Japan reportedly has approximately 20 major VR research projects, mostly emphasizing communication. Japanese emphases on long-term planning and on targeting development toward specific products are their strengths in this emerging technology     

European activities in virtual reality

We survey European activities in virtual reality, with an emphasis on selected efforts in architecture and sound, telepresence, scientific visualization, simulation, software design, and entertainment. This article surveys European activities and funding for VR with two caveats: First, nearly a year separates writing and publication. For most scientific fields, this publication delay for survey material would be minimal: for virtual reality, significant changes might have since occurred in some programs. We took advantage of the revision period to upgrade our information and the references as much as possible. Second, some long standing, significant European efforts go unmentioned as outside the scope of our short survey or as duplicates of others included. Despite the limitations, this sampling of Europe's leading efforts collectively gives an accurate snapshot of current European activity     

The virtual reality demonstration centre

This paper describes the first European Demonstration Centre for Virtual Reality, which has been installed at four institutes for applied research in Germany. The aims of this setting and its infrastructure are presented. The various applications and industrial branches addressed by this centre are shown. Additionally, the situation of Virtual Reality is briefly explained and a taxonomy for computer graphics, including Virtual Reality is given.     

Making virtual reality more accessible

VR systems use software and hardware to create and manage a virtual, interactive 3D environment that includes visual and sometimes audio and tactile elements. They generally include various types of display, sensor, and user-tracking and -navigation technologies. The systems can either simulate a real environment, such as a building, or create an imaginary one. Newer VR systems are less expensive and complex than their predecessors and thus are accessible by more people for simpler projects.     

MDE-VR:面向虚拟现实的多显示环境

针对目前虚拟现实领域缺乏可用的中间框架对底层MDE和高层的本地协同工作模式进行支持这一问题,设计并实现了一个多显示环境下基于虚拟现实的系统框架MDE-VR;基于该框架提出了一种多显示环境下的本地协同工作机制,组合了空间无缝交互技术和空间内聚交互技术两种不同的交互技术,方便用户操纵公共显示屏幕;最后开发了一个系统原型能够有效支持面向虚拟现实的同一地点的多人协同工作。实验结果表明了提出的MDE-VR框架和交互技术的可用性。