Showing papers in "Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments in 2022"

Food Evaluation in Augmented Reality Environments: Can AR Affect Behavioral and Psychophysiological Responses?

Abstract: Abstract The present study investigates the role of virtual contextual information, including affective information, in gustatory perception of crisps (fried potato chips). In a first preliminary experiment, we evaluated the association among three augmented reality (AR) animations (a pear-like character jumping a rope, a black-and-white cartoon character, a Venus flytrap carnivorous plant) and a different series of feelings and emotional states (i.e., cheerfulness, sadness, anger, aggressiveness, fear, anxiety, disgust, surprise, shame, tiredness, boredom). In a second experiment, the participants evaluated the gustatory perception of three different kinds of chips on several dimensions (e.g., pleasantness, crispiness, healthiness, purchase intention) by using visual analog scales. The chips were presented within an AR environment where the animations evaluated in Experiment 1 were placed close to the serving plate. The results of our study demonstrated that the chips tasted with the pear-like character animation (categorized as cheerful in Experiment 1) were judged as healthier than those tasted with black-and-white (i.e., sad) and Venus flytrap character animations, (i.e., aggressive). Moreover, people's purchase intentions were higher with the pear-like character animation, as compared to the black-and-white character animation. These results showed that the context created by AR can affect participants’ food perception across several dimensions.

An Evaluation Study of 2D and 3D Teleconferencing for Remote Physical Therapy

Abstract: The present research investigates the effectiveness of using a telepresence system compared to a video conferencing system and the effectiveness of using two cameras compared to one camera for remote physical therapy. We used Telegie as our telepresence system, which allowed users to see an environment captured with RGBD cameras in 3D through a VR headset. Since both telepresence and the inclusion of a second camera provide users with additional spatial information, we examined this affordance within the relevant context of remote physical therapy. Our dyadic study across different time zones paired 11 physical therapists with 76 participants who took on the role of patients for a remote session. Our quantitative questionnaire data and qualitative interviews with therapists revealed several important findings. First, after controlling for individual differences between participants, using two cameras had a marginally significant positive effect on physical therapy assessment scores from therapists. Second, the spatial ability of patients was a strong predictor of therapist assessment. And third, the video clarity of remote communication systems mattered. Based on our findings, we offer several suggestions and insights towards the future use of telepresence systems for remote communication.

Stereoscopic Views Improve Spatial Presence but not Spatial Learning in VR Games

Abstract: Abstract A key affordance of virtual reality is the capability of immersive VR to prompt spatial presence resulting from the stereoscopic lenses in the head mounted display (HMD). We investigated the effect of a stereoscopic view of a game, Cellverse, on users' perceived spatial presence, knowledge of cells, and learning in three levels of spatial knowledge: route, landmark, and survey knowledge. Fifty-one participants played the game using the same game controllers but with different views; 28 had a stereoscopic view (HMD), and 23 had a non-stereoscopic view (computer monitor). Participants explored a diseased cell for clues to diagnose the disease type and recommend a therapy. We gathered surveys, drawings, and spatial tasks conducted in the game environment to gauge learning. Participants' spatial knowledge of the cell environment and knowledge of cell concepts improved after gameplay in both conditions. Spatial presence scores in the stereoscopic condition were higher than the non-stereoscopic condition with a large effect size, however there was no significant difference in levels of spatial knowledge between the two groups. Most all drawings showed a change in cell knowledge, yet some participants only changed in spatial knowledge of the cell, and some changed in both cell knowledge and spatial knowledge. Evidence suggests that a stereoscopic view has a significant effect on users' experience of spatial presence, but that increased presence does not directly translate into spatial learning.

What Do We Mean When We Say “Presence”?

Abstract: Abstract Characterizations of presence are many and various. The first part of this article applies philosophical and psychological lenses to three common descriptions: Presence as (or as following from) “the suspension of disbelief,” presence as the “illusion of nonmediation,” and presence as “(the feeling of) being there.” These construals of presence—the assumptions and commitments they make—are compared with one another, their plausibility and utility appraised. The second, shorter part of the article is not so much interested in definitions as distinctions that may help us ask better questions moving forward. We briefly consider the role of attention in presence, whether, when, or how presence is “binary,” and whether it is helpful to speak of presence in unmediated physical reality. A recurring theme throughout the article is whether a given understanding of presence (mis)construes the mind as monolithic: That is, as uniformly rational and consciously accessible. In closing, we suggest that researchers specify precisely what type of presence they're referring to whenever the concept is evoked; and that states such as involvement, absorption, and engagement be kept conceptually separate from presence, since they speak to “higher” cognitive functioning than simply feeling self-located in virtual environments, and indeed need not presuppose placeness or spatiality at all.

A Quantifiable Framework for Describing Immersion

Abstract: Abstract Current definitions of immersion describe its relationship to presence and allow for relative comparisons between the immersive qualities of Virtual Reality (VR) systems, but lack the ability to describe the immersion supported by a system as an absolute quantity. In this article, we present an abstract model of perception, defining sensory units as the smallest biological registers of sensation within the body. Two metrics of immersion are introduced: the immersed sensory range, and the immersed sensory field, which can be defined for both individual sensory units and entire sensory categories. We define an isolated sensory unit as one that is shielded from non-VR stimuli, and derive the terms isolated field and isolated range from this definition. These metrics are further described as ratios, resulting in a set of theoretical and practical attributes which can be used to quantify the immersive potential of a VR experience.