The use of virtual-reality technology in the areas of rehabilitation and therapy continues to grow, with encouraging results being reported for applications that address human physical, cognitive, and psychological functioning. This article presents a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis for the field of VR rehabilitation and therapy. The SWOT analysis is a commonly employed framework in the business world for analyzing the factors that influence a company's competitive position in the marketplace with an eye to the future. However, the SWOT framework can also be usefully applied outside of the pure business domain. A quick check on the Internet will turn up SWOT analyses for urban-renewal projects, career planning, website design, youth sports programs, and evaluation of academic research centers, and it becomes obvious that it can be usefully applied to assess and guide any organized human endeavor designed to accomplish a mission. It is hoped that this structured examination of the factors relevant to the current and future status of VR rehabilitation will provide a good overview of the key issues and concerns that are relevant for understanding and advancing this vital application area.

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A SWOT analysis of the field of virtual reality rehabilitation and therapy

Immersive virtual environment (IVE) technology has great promise as a tool for basic experimental research in psychology. IVE technology gives participants the experience of being surrounded by the computer-synthesized environment. We begin with a discussion of the various devices needed to implement immersive virtual environments, including object manipulation and social interaction. We review the benefits and drawbacks associated with virtual environment technology, in comparison with more conventional ways of doing basic experimental research. We then consider a variety of examples of research using IVE technology in the areas of perception, spatial cognition, and social interaction.

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Immersive virtual environment technology as a basic research tool in psychology.

The concept of presence, i.e. the sensation of 'being there' in a mediated environment, has received substantial attention from the virtual reality community, and is becoming increasingly relevant both to broadcasters and display developers. Although research into presence is still at an early stage of development, there is a consensus that presence has multiple determinants. To identify and test which parameters affect presence, a reliable, robust and valid means of measuring presence is required. In this paper, we describe the categories of factors thought to have an impact on presence. Furthermore, we present an overview of various approaches taken to measuring presence, which can be divided into two general categories: subjective measures and objective corroborative measures. Since presence is a subjective experience, the most direct way of assessment is through users' subjective report. This approach has serious limitations however, and should be used judiciously. Objective measures, such as postural, physiological or social responses to media, can be used to corroborate subjective measures, thereby overcoming some of their limitations. At present, the most promising direction for presence measurement is to develop and use an aggregate measure of presence that is comprised of both subjective and objective components, tailored to the specific medium under study.

Presence: concept, determinants, and measurement

Cybersickness is an affliction common to users of virtual environments. Similar in symptoms to motion sickness, cybersickness can result in nausea, headaches, and dizziness. With these systems becoming readily available to the general public, reports of cybersickness have increased and there is a growing concern about the safety of these systems. This review presents the current state of research methods, theories, and known aspects associated with cybersickness. Current measurements of incidence of cybersickness are questionnaires, postural sway, and physiological state. Varying effects due to display and rendering modes, such as visual display type and stereoscopic or monoscopic rendering, are compared. The known and suspected application aspects that induce cybersickness are discussed. There are numerous potential contributing application design aspects, many of which have had limited study, but field of view and navigation are strongly correlated with cybersickness. The effect of visual displays is not well understood, and application design may be of greater importance.

Review on cybersickness in applications and visual displays

Presence , the sense of being there in a mediated environment, has been applied to describe the user experience when interacting with advanced media interfaces such as virtual environments. Why examine the concept of presence? There are compelling practical and theoretical reasons. The definition of the construct of presence is of particular interest today because it has the potential relevance for the design and evaluation of a broad range of interactive and non-interactive media and applications in several areas such as medicine, entertainment, education and training. An enhanced sense of presence plays an important role in technologies such as the video telephone, high definition television (HDTV), 3G portable phones, home and arcade video games, the World Wide Web, and more. The book examines the different facets of the concept of presence. It begins by noting practical and theoretical reasons for studying this concept. Different theories of presence are identified and a detailed description of the concepts included in these conceptualizations is presented. Then, existing research about the factors that encourage or discourage a sense of presence in media users as well as the physiological and psychological effects of presence are outlined. Finally, suggestions concerning possible evolutions of this concept allowed by the diffusion of ambient intelligence and 3G portable communication are presented.

Being There: Concepts, Effects and Measurements of User Presence in Synthetic Environments

This report represents a committee summary of the current state of knowledge regarding aftereffects and sense of presence in virtual environments (VEs). The work presented in this article, and the proposed research agenda, are the result of a special session that was set up in the framework of the Seventh International Conference on Human Computer Interaction Recommendations were made by the committee regarding research needs in after effects and sense of presence, and, where possible, priorities were suggested. The research needs were structured in terms of the short medium, and long term and, if followed, should lead toward the effective use of VE technology. The 2 most critical research issues identified were (a) standardization and use of measurement approaches for aftereffects and (b) identification and prioritization of sensorimotor discordances that drive after effects. Identification of aftereffects countermeasures (i.e., techniques to assist users in readily transitioning between the real and vir...

J. Maida

Papers

Aftereffects and sense of presence in virtual environments: formulation of a research and development agenda.