Present it like it is here: Creating local presence to improve online product experiences

Advanced online product presentation technologies such as virtual mirrors enable consumers to experience products like they are actually present with them in the real world. This study is one of the first to address the mechanism underlying this phenomenon. Inspired by literature on media technology the concept of local presence is put forward and applied to the online consumer behavior domain. A key objective of this paper is to examine whether local presence adds to our understanding of how emerging product presentation formats influence online product experiences. To this end, a laboratory experiment (N = 366) was conducted with product presentation format as a three level (pictures, 360-spin rotation, and virtual mirror) independent variable, allowing for a comparison of the effectiveness of different presentation formats in creating perceptions of local presence. As a second objective, the influence of local presence on perceptions of product tangibility and product likability, two key facets of the online product experience, were assessed. The results, obtained with the use of analysis of variance and partial least squares modeling, show the superiority of the virtual mirror in creating local presence, and demonstrate that local presence is highly predictive of product tangibility and product likability. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

The psychological functions of avatars and alt(s): A qualitative study

Prior research has shown that approximately 50% of active participants in the 3D virtual world of Second Life have one or more secondary avatars or “alts” in addition to their primary avatar. Thus, these individuals are operating a “multiple or poly-identity system” composed of a physical self, a primary avatar, and one or more alts. However, little is known about the functions these virtual identities serve for the virtual-world user. The current study involved qualitative analysis of semistructured interviews with Second Life participants (N = 24) who had a primary avatar and at least one alt. Interviews were coded to examine the functions that primary avatars and alts served. Eight functions—seven suggested by previous research on virtual world identity and one that emerged from analyses—were reflected in a large majority of the transcribed interviews and are described in the article. The current findings add to our understanding of how multifaceted identity systems operate, as more individuals augment their physical self with a set of virtual identities.     

Evaluation of a haptics-based virtual reality temporal bone simulator for anatomy and surgery training

Introduction

Virtual reality simulation training may improve knowledge of anatomy and surgical skills. We evaluated a 3-dimensional, haptic, virtual reality temporal bone simulator for dissection training.

Methods

The subjects were 7 otolaryngology residents (3 training sessions each) and 7 medical students (1 training session each). The virtual reality temporal bone simulation station included a computer with software that was linked to a force-feedback hand stylus, and the system recorded performance and collisions with vital anatomic structures. Subjects performed virtual reality dissections and completed questionnaires after the training sessions.

Results

Residents and students had favorable responses to most questions of the technology acceptance model (TAM) questionnaire. The average TAM scores were above neutral for residents and medical students in all domains, and the average TAM score for residents was significantly higher for the usefulness domain and lower for the playful domain than students. The average satisfaction questionnaire for residents showed that residents had greater overall satisfaction with cadaver temporal bone dissection training than training with the virtual reality simulator or plastic temporal bone. For medical students, the average comprehension score was significantly increased from before to after training for all anatomic structures. Medical students had significantly more collisions with the dura than residents. The residents had similar mean performance scores after the first and third training sessions for all dissection procedures.

Discussion

The virtual reality temporal bone simulator provided satisfactory training for otolaryngology residents and medical students.     

A low-cost real time virtual system for postural stability assessment at home

Background and objective

The degeneration of the balance control system in the elderly and in many pathologies requires measuring the equilibrium conditions very often. In clinical practice, equilibrium control is commonly evaluated by using a force platform (stabilometric platform) in a clinical environment.In this paper, we demonstrate how a simple movement analysis system, based on a 3D video camera and a 3D real time model reconstruction of the human body, can be used to collect information usually recorded by a physical stabilometric platform.

Methods

The algorithm used to reconstruct the human body model as a set of spheres is described and discussed. Moreover, experimental measurements and comparisons with data collected by a physical stabilometric platform are also reported. The measurements were collected on a set of 6 healthy subjects to whom a change in equilibrium condition was stimulated by performing an equilibrium task.

Results

The experimental results showed that more than 95% of data collected by the proposed method were not significantly different from those collected by the classic platform, thus confirming the usefulness of the proposed system.

Conclusions

The proposed virtual balance assessment system can be implemented at low cost (about 500$) and, for this reason, can be considered a home use medical device. On the contrary, astabilometric platform has a cost of about 10,000$ and requires periodical calibration. The proposed system does not require periodical calibration, as is necessary for stabilometric force platforms, and it is easy to use. In future, the proposed system with little integration can be used, besides being an emulator of a stabilometric platform, also to recognize and track, in real time, head, legs, arms and trunk, that is to collect information actually obtained by sophisticated optoelectronic systems.     

A virtual actuator and sensor approach for fault tolerant control of LPV systems

In this paper, a fault tolerant control (FTC) strategy using virtual actuators and sensors for linear parameter varying (LPV) systems is proposed. The main idea of this FTC method, initially developed for LTI systems, is to reconfigure the control loop such that the nominal controller could still be used without need of retuning it. The plant with the faulty actuator/sensor is modified adding the virtual actuator/sensor block that masks the actuator/sensor fault. The suggested technique is an active FTC strategy that reconfigures the virtual actuator/sensor on-line taking into account faults and operating point changes. The stability of the reconfigured control loop is guaranteed if the faulty plant is stabilizable/detectable. The LPV virtual actuator/sensor is designed using polytopic LPV techniques and linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). A two-tank system simulator is used to assess the performance of the proposed method. In particular, it is shown that the application of the proposed technique results in an improvement, in terms of performance, with respect to the LTI counterpart.     

Optimisation of partner selection and collaborative transportation scheduling in Virtual Enterprises using GA

Partner selection and transportation scheduling are critical to the success of a Virtual Enterprise. Collaborative transportation is a promising strategy that can help many enterprises survive and thrive in today’s highly competitive market. To help decision makers establish and operate Virtual Enterprises more effectively, an innovative decision support system is proposed in this paper. First, new model for integration of partner selection and collaborative transportation scheduling in Virtual Enterprises is developed. This integrated optimisation problem is very dynamic in nature and it is required to optimise a number of interlinked sub-problems at the same time. Then, a novel Genetic Algorithm with a unique dynamic chromosome representation and genetic operations is developed to find an optimal solution to the integrated problem. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated in a representative case study.     

Robust Treatment of Degenerate Elements in Interactive Corotational FEM Simulations

We address the problem of robust and efficient treatment of element collapse and inversion in corotational FEM simulations of deformable objects in two and three dimensions, and show that existing degeneration treatment methods have previously unreported flaws that seriously threaten robustness and physical plausibility in interactive applications. We propose a new method that avoids such flaws, yields faster and smoother degeneration recovery and extends the range of well‐behaved degenerate configurations without adding significant complexity or computational cost to standard explicit and quasi‐implicit solvers.     

Study on interaction-induced symptoms with respect to virtual grasping and manipulation

Owing to the popularity of various hand tracking interfaces, there have been numerous applications developed to provide intuitive hand interaction with the virtual world. As users start with great anticipation, they end up with dissatisfaction due to difficulties of manipulation or physical tiredness coming very short. Although the task itself is rather trivial in a real life situation, it requires much effort in the virtual environment. We address this awkwardness as ‘VR interaction-induced fatigue symptom’ and hypothesize its causes based on our observations. We argue that the source of the fatigue comes from the restricted sensory information of the VR interfaces, and that users try to accommodate the missing sensory feedback by excessive motion leading to wrong posture or bad timing. We demonstrate our hypothesis by conducting experiments of two types of virtual interaction scenarios: object transport and 3D selection. Furthermore, by analyzing the behaviors of users' action collected from our experiment, we derive essential factors to be considered in designing VR applications, and propose a conceptual interaction model for orchestrating virtual grasping.     

Affective computing vs. affective placebo: Study of a biofeedback-controlled game for relaxation training

Relaxation training is an application of affective computing with important implications for health and wellness. After detecting user׳s affective state through physiological sensors, a relaxation training application can provide the user with explicit feedback about his/her detected affective state. This process (biofeedback) can enable an individual to learn over time how to change his/her physiological activity for the purposes of improving health and performance. In this paper, we provide three contributions to the field of affective computing for health and wellness. First, we propose a novel application for relaxation training that combines ideas from affective computing and games. The game detects user׳s level of stress and uses it to influence the affective state and the behavior of a 3D virtual character as a form of embodied feedback. Second, we compare two algorithms for stress detection which follow two different approaches in the affective computing literature: a more practical and less costly approach that uses a single physiological sensor (skin conductance), and a potentially more accurate approach that uses four sensors (skin conductance, heart rate, muscle activity of corrugator supercilii and zygomaticus major). Third, as the central motivation of our research, we aim to improve the traditional methodology employed for comparisons in affective computing studies. To do so, we add to the study a placebo condition in which user׳s stress level, unbeknown to him/her, is determined pseudo-randomly instead of taking into account his/her physiological sensor readings. The obtained results show that only the feedback presented by the single-sensor algorithm was perceived as significantly more accurate than the placebo. If the placebo condition was not included in the study, the effectiveness of the two algorithms would have instead appeared similar. This outcome highlights the importance of using more thorough methodologies in future affective computing studies.     

Public Displays of Play: Studying Online Games in Physical Settings

As research on virtual worlds gains increasing attention in educational, commercial, and military domains, a consideration of how player populations are ‘reassembled’ through social scientific data is a timely matter for communication scholars. This paper describes a large‐scale study of virtual worlds in which participants were recruited at public gaming events, as opposed to through online means, and explores the dynamic relationships between players and contexts of play that this approach makes visible. Challenging conventional approaches to quantitatively driven virtual worlds research, which categorizes players based on their involvement in an online game at a particular point in time, this account demonstrates how players' networked gaming activities are contingent on who they are playing with, where, and when.