Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Jollygesture: Exploring Dual-Purpose Gestures In Vr Presentations, Gun Woo Warren Park, Anthony Tang, Fanny Chevalier

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Virtual reality (VR) offers new opportunities for presenters to use expressive body language to engage their audience. Yet, most VR presentation systems have adopted control mechanisms that mimic those found in face-to-face presentation systems. We explore the use of gestures that have dual-purpose: first, for the audience, a communicative purpose; second, for the presenter, a control purpose to alter content in slides. To support presenters, we provide guidance on what gestures are available and their effects. We realize our design approach in JollyGesture, a VR technology probe that recognizes dual-purpose gestures in a presentation scenario. We evaluate our approach through …

Towards A Pleasurable Food Experience: Influencing People's Liking, Taste Perceptions, And Mediated Emotions Using Augmented Flavor Experiences, Meetha Nesam James Ravindran Santhakumar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The multisensory nature of food and beverage flavors plays an integral role in our everyday lives. While eating is primarily for survival, individuals seek pleasure in their eating experiences through diverse means. Prior research has acknowledged that the experience of flavor is inherently multisensory, engaging the five basic senses (taste, smell, sight, touch, and hearing) and integrating additional sensory inputs(temperature, humidity, spatial smell, lighting, and even the visual and tactile characteristics of cutlery). To enhance the pleasure of consuming food and beverages, individuals consider various perceptual and cognitive factors, including the pleasure derived from taste sensations, overall hedonic liking of …

Visual And Spatial Audio Mismatching In Virtual Environments, Zachary Lawrence Garris

Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores how vision affects spatial audio perception in virtual reality. We created four virtual environments with different reverb and room sizes, and recorded binaural clicks in each one. We conducted two experiments: one where participants judged the audio-visual match, and another where they pointed to the click direction. We found that vision influences spatial audio perception and that congruent audio-visual cues improve accuracy. We suggest some implications for virtual reality design and evaluation.

All Hands On Deck: Choosing Virtual End Effector Representations To Improve Near Field Object Manipulation Interactions In Extended Reality, Roshan Venkatakrishnan

All Dissertations

Extended reality, or "XR", is the adopted umbrella term that is heavily gaining traction to collectively describe Virtual reality (VR), Augmented reality (AR), and Mixed reality (MR) technologies. Together, these technologies extend the reality that we experience either by creating a fully immersive experience like in VR or by blending in the virtual and "real" worlds like in AR and MR.

The sustained success of XR in the workplace largely hinges on its ability to facilitate efficient user interactions. Similar to interacting with objects in the real world, users in XR typically interact with virtual integrants like objects, menus, windows, …

Investigating Noticeable Hand Redirection In Virtual Reality Using Physiological And Interaction Data, Martin Feick, Kora Regitz, Anthony Tang, Jungbluth

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Hand redirection is effective so long as the introduced offsets are not noticeably disruptive to users. In this work we investigate the use of physiological and interaction data to detect movement discrepancies between a user's real and virtual hand, pushing towards a novel approach to identify discrepancies which are too large and therefore can be noticed. We ran a study with 22 participants, collecting EEG, ECG, EDA, RSP, and interaction data. Our results suggest that EEG and interaction data can be reliably used to detect visuo-motor discrepancies, whereas ECG and RSP seem to suffer from inconsistencies. Our findings also show …

A Roller Coaster For The Mind: Virtual Reality Sickness Modes, Metrics, And Mitigation, Dalton C. Sparks

The Cardinal Edge

Understanding and preventing virtual reality sickness(VRS), or cybersickness, is vital in removing barriers for the technology's adoption. Thus, this article aims to synthesize a variety of academic sources to demonstrate the modes by which VRS occurs, the metrics by which it is judged, and the methods to mitigate it. The predominant theories on the biological origins of VRS are discussed, as well as the individual factors which increase the likelihood of a user developing VRS. Moreover, subjective and physiological measurements of VRS are discussed in addition to the development of a predictive model and conceptual framework. Finally, several methodologies of …

Increasing Perceived Realism Of Objects In A Mixed Reality Environment Using 'Diminished Virtual Reality', Logan Scott Parker

Honors Theses

With the recent explosion of popularity of virtual and mixed reality, an important question has arisen: “Is there a way to create a better blend of real and virtual worlds in a mixed reality experience?” This research attempts to determine whether a visual filter can be created and applied to virtual objects to better convince the brain into interpreting a composite of virtual and real views as one seamless view. The method devised in this thesis is being called 'Diminished Virtual Reality'. The results found in this study show that when presented with a scene composed of a combination of …

Stumbling Into Virtual Worlds. How Resolution Affects Users’ Immersion In Virtual Reality And Implications For Virtual Reality In Therapeutic Applications, Brianna Martinson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Studies of how users experience Virtual Reality (VR) have thus far failed to address the extent to which rendering resolution and rendering frame rate affect users’ sense of immersion in VR, including applications of VR involving simulators, treatments for psychological and mental disorders, explorations of new and nonexistent structures, and ways to better understand the human body in medical applications.

This study investigated if rendering resolution affected users’ sense of immersion in VR. This was conducted by comparing the responses of two groups, relative to two measures of participant immersion: (a) participant’s sense of presence and (b) participant’s sense of …

Creating A Virtual Reality Experience In Service To A Non-Profit Agency, Frank Deese, Susan Lakin, Isabelle Anderson

Frameless

In the summer of 2018, RIT Professors Susan Lakin and Frank Deese discussed with the principal officers of the Society for the Protection and Care of Children (SPCC) in Rochester how the new technology of Virtual Reality might be used to not only impart information to viewers, but generate empathy for those receiving services from the organization as well as those performing those services. Their ultimate goal was to create an experience that could be viewed with VR headsets at fundraising events and on a website using low-cost Google Cardboard.

A New Way To Make Music: Processing Digital Audio In Virtual Reality, Gavin E. Payne

Senior Projects Spring 2022

The work of this project attempts to provide new methods of creating music with technology. The product, Fields, is a functional piece of virtual reality software, providing users an immersive and interactive set of tools used to build and design instruments in a modular manner. Each virtual tool is analogous to musical hardware such as guitar pedals, synthesizers, or samplers, and can be thought of as an effect or instrument on its own. Specific configurations of these virtual audio effects can then be played to produce music, and then even saved by the user to load up and play with …

Visuo-Haptic Illusions For Linear Translation And Stretching Using Physical Proxies In Virtual Reality, Martin Feick, Niko Kleer, André Zenner, Anthony Tang, Antonio Kruger

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Providing haptic feedback when manipulating virtual objects is an essential part of immersive virtual reality experiences; however, it is challenging to replicate all of an object’s properties and characteristics. We propose the use of visuo-haptic illusions alongside physical proxies to enhance the scope of proxy-based interactions with virtual objects. In this work, we focus on two manipulation techniques, linear translation and stretching across different distances, and investigate how much discrepancy between the physical proxy and the virtual object may be introduced without participants noticing. In a study with 24 participants, we found that manipulation technique and travel distance significantly affect …

Interactive Virtual Reality Reading Experience, Nathaniel Shetler

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The project is an interactive virtual reality reading experience. The user is able to read a book or story in VR. When certain achievements are reached, such as finishing a chapter, the user is given the opportunity to transport to the environment that they are reading about. This gives the user a great opportunity to interact and learn hands-on with the material they are reading about. For example, if the user is reading about World War I, they will be given the opportunity to transport to the battlefields/trenches in Europe.

Envrment: Investigating Experience In A Virtual User-Composed Environment, Matthew Key

Master's Theses

Virtual Reality is a technology that has long held society's interest, but has only recently began to reach a critical mass of everyday consumers. The idea of modern VR can be traced back decades, but because of the limitations of the technology (both hardware and software), we are only now exploring its potential. At present, VR can be used for tele-surgery, PTSD therapy, social training, professional meetings, conferences, and much more. It is no longer just an expensive gimmick to go on a momentary field trip; it is a tool, and as with the automobile, personal computer, and smartphone, it …

Tangi: Tangible Proxies For Embodied Object Exploration And Manipulation In Virtual Reality, Martin Feick, Scott Bateman, Anthony Tang, Anthony Tang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Exploring and manipulating complex virtual objects is challenging due to limitations of conventional controllers and free-hand interaction techniques. We present the TanGi toolkit which enables novices to rapidly build physical proxy objects using Composable Shape Primitives. TanGi also provides Manipulators allowing users to build objects including movable parts, making them suitable for rich object exploration and manipulation in VR. With a set of different use cases and applications we show the capabilities of the TanGi toolkit and evaluate its use. In a study with 16 participants, we demonstrate that novices can quickly build physical proxy objects using the Composable Shape …

Virtual Reality Environment Recreation, Ryan Douglas

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project will consist of a virtual reality based program that is capable of showing the user both the modern day state of a site of historic or archaeological significance, along with a recreation of what said site or area may have looked like in the past, primarily during the time that gave the site its historical significance. The virtual reality program itself is to be run on modern day Windows hardware and used with the VIVE virtual reality head-mounted display and controllers. Alongside the completed program, the creation of the environments themselves will be documented, resulting in an organized …

Virtual Reality And Older Hands: Dexterity And Accessibility In Hand-Held Vr Control, David M. Cook, Derani N. Dissanayake, Kulwinder Kaur

Dr. David M Cook

Reconciling The Dissonance Between Historic Preservation And Virtual Reality Through A Place-Based Virtual Heritage System., Danny J. Bonenberger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This study explores a problematic disconnect associated with virtual heritage and the immersive 3D computer modeling of cultural heritage. The products of virtual heritage often fail to adhere to long-standing principles and recent international conventions associated with historic preservation, heritage recording, designation, and interpretation. By drawing upon the geographic concepts of space, landscape, and place, along with advances in Geographic Information Systems, first-person serious games, and head-mounted Virtual Reality platforms this study envisions, designs, implements, and evaluates a virtual heritage system that seeks to reconcile the dissonance between Virtual Reality and historic preservation. Finally, the dissertation examines the contributions and …

The Efficacy Of Using Virtual Reality For Job Interviews And Its Effects On Mitigating Discrimination, David M. Cook, Rico Beti, Faris Al-Khatib

Dr. David M Cook

An Investigation Of Scenic Visualization Using Virtual Reality During Rehearsal, Cyrus Jian Bonyadi

Computer Science

In this paper, we discuss the use of virtual reality as a tool for actors during the rehearsal process and assess methods to implement and continue this research in future works. During the rehearsal process, the scenic design is normally introduced to actors close to the end of rehearsals. In introducing a virtual reality environment to train actors, we hoped to help them develop a better understanding of the design at an earlier point in the process. Our investigative pilot study involves two productions in a university theatre, where we render the scenic design of the production for which our …

Streaming Vr For Immersion: Quality Aspects Of Compressed Spatial Audio, Miroslaw Narbutt, Sean O’Leary, Andrew Allen, Jan Skoglund, Andrew Hines

Conference papers

Delivering a 360-degree soundscape that matches full sphere visuals is an essential aspect of immersive VR. Ambisonics is a full sphere surround sound technique that takes into account the azimuth and elevation of sound sources, portraying source location above and below as well as around the horizontal plane of the listener. In contrast to channel-based methods, ambisonics representation offers the advantage of being independent of a specific loudspeaker set-up. Streaming ambisonics over networks requires efficient encoding techniques that compress the raw audio content without compromising quality of experience (QoE). This work investigates the effect of audio channel compression via the …

Using Intel Realsense Depth Data For Hand Tracking In Unreal Engine 4, Granger Lang

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

This project describes how to build a hand tracking method for VR/AR using the raw data from a depth sensing camera.

Big Data Visualization Platform For Mixed Reality, Aliakbar Panahi

Theses and Dissertations

The visualization of data helps to provide faster and deeper insight into the data. In this work, a system for visualizing and analyzing big data in an interactive mixed reality environment is proposed. Such a system can be used for representing different types of data such as temporal, geospatial, network graph, and high dimensional. Also, an implementation of this system for four different data types are created. The data types include network data, volumetric data, high dimensional, and spectral data for different mixed reality devices such as Microsoft HoloLens, Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, and Android ARCore were created. It …

A Modular Approach To The Development Of Interactive Augmented Reality Applications., Nelson J. Andre

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Augmented reality (AR) technologies are becoming increasingly popular as a result of the increase in the power of mobile computing devices. Emerging AR applications have the potential to have an enormous impact on industries such as education, healthcare, research, training and entertainment. There are currently a number of augmented reality toolkits and libraries available for the development of these applications; however, there is currently no standard tool for development. In this thesis we propose a modular approach to the organization and development of AR systems in order to enable the creation novel AR experiences. We also investigate the incorporation of …

Applicability Of Web 2.0: Training For Tactical Military Applications, Maurice Dawson

Maurice Dawson

This paper is a report on the findings of a study conducted on a doctoral level virtual course utilizing Second Life for usability and interaction. The project from this course allowed for further exploration of training servicemen from other nations in decision making techniques to include a level of familiarization with various technologies. As Second Life is a low cost tool this could prove invaluable to offset training costs to involve getting servicemen to understand technologies through simulation. Currently the available tools are costly and as government looks for ways to save costs Second Life can prove to be a …

Wii-Mote Head Tracking: A Three Dimensional Virtual Reality Display, David Fairman

Computer Engineering

The goal of this project is to create a customizable three dimensional virtual reality display on a system available to any non-technical user. This System will use the infrared camera component of a standard Nintendo Wii-mote to track a user's head motions in all six major directions. The virtual reality will be a customizable image projected onto a screen or simply shown on a computer or TV monitor. In order to appear 3-dimensional, the image will continually change according to the position of the user's head. As the user moves their head to the left and right, portions of the …

Vrware Beware: Vr At Siggraph, P.D. Quick

SWITCH

The article uses the author’s experiences from the event of Siggraph ‘95 to comment on upcoming products using virtual or augmented reality. The article includes further discussion on the products’ effects on the psychology and physiology of consumers. Some examples include the “i-Glasses” from Virtual I/O, the “Smart Model” from Multigen, as well as the nanomanipulator created by University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Department of Computer Science, and the Phobia Project developed by the Georgia Tech Graphics Visualization and Usability Center. The article also covers not only the products of this event, but also the courses, panels, papers, and …