Background: The resurgence of VR in recent years has been exciting for health educators and researchers, yet little is known about VR's effectiveness. This systematic literature review aims to provide an overview of the prevalence of VR in alcohol studies and assess its effectiveness. Methods: Peer reviewed articles were systematically searched from online databases including PubMed, ProQuest, Web of Science, Science Direct, Emerald, OVID, Taylor & Francis, and EBSCO. Grey literature and conference papers were excluded. Studies that passed the inclusion criteria were qualitatively assessed. Findings: Of the 1739 studies retrieved, eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Three main applications of VR were found; 1) Cue-exposure therapy, 2) Driving simulators for examining relationships between alcohol and neurological activity, and 3) Training of healthcare professionals. Only one study focused on adolescents, and only one study reported longitudinal outcomes. Conclusion: VR remains underutilised in alcohol studies. VR was indicated positive results across the three contexts, however longitudinal evidence remains limited and therefore restricts the generalisability of findings. More long-term empirical research is warranted.
This paper presents an early exploration of the suitability of the Leap Motion controller for Australian Sign Language (Auslan) recognition. Testing showed that the controller is able to provide accurate tracking of hands and fingers, and to track movement. This detection loses accuracy when the hand moves into a position that obstructs the controller's ability to view, such as when the hand rotates and is perpendicular to the controller. The detection also fails when individual elements of the hands are brought together, such as finger to finger. In both of these circumstances, the controller is unable to read or track the hand. There is potential for the use of this technology for recognising Auslan, however further development of the Leap Motion API is required.
With the advent of commercially available virtual reality (VR) hardware, immersive experiences can be created to simulate competitive performance environments. Simulators can provide novel ways for fans to engage with otherwise unattainable performance situations. Furthermore, simulators can also have clear advantages for elite athletic training by controlling the perceptual inputs, measuring the kinematic based outputs, measuring how the athlete is interacting with the created environment, and providing concurrent audio-visual-haptic feedback. When engineering a virtual simulation system, fundamental design considerations include; hardware selection, software design, user safety, and the provision of performance factors. This paper provides a case study into the design considerations of engineering a track cycling simulator for the 2018 Commonwealth Games Velodrome. The experience utilises a stationary exercise bike (Wattbike, 2016 Pro) transmitting performance data wirelessly, via the ANT+ protocol, to a PC connected to an Oculus Rift VR projecting the audio-visual simulated environment. The simulator has been tested on a large reference group to evidence the design decisions. The design processes have been generalized to create an operational framework to aid the creation of future VR sports simulators.
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