Abstract:This paper presents a novel virtual reality navigation (VRN) input device, called the VRNChair, offering an intuitive and natural way to interact with virtual reality (VR) environments. Traditionally, VR navigation tests are performed using stationary input devices such as keyboards or joysticks. However, in case of immersive VR environment experiments, such as our recent VRN assessment, the user may feel kinetosis (motion sickness) as a result of the disagreement between vestibular response and the optical fl… Show more
“…Comparable features from the real-world environment (red cube, blue cylinder, yellow cone and green sphere) were computer-rendered and located at each corner. The game engine tracked and recorded the position and orientation of the VRNChair 17 as it moved through the VR environment. Figure 1 A comparison of the virtual room (left) and the real-world room (right).…”
Adult participants learned to reorient to a specific corner inside either a real or virtual rectangular room containing a distinct featural object in each corner. Participants in the virtual-reality (VR) condition experienced an immersive virtual version of the physical room using a head-mounted display (HMD) and customized manual wheelchair to provide self-movement. Following a disorientation procedure, people could reorient by using either the geometry of the room and/or the distinct features in the corners. Test trials in which the different spatial cues were manipulated revealed participants encoded features and geometry in both the real and VR rooms. However, participants in the VR room showed less facility with using geometry. Our results suggest caution must be taken when interpreting the nuances of spatial cue use in virtual environments. Reduced reliability of geometric cues in VR environments may result in greater reliance on feature cues than would normally be expected under similar real-world conditions.
“…Comparable features from the real-world environment (red cube, blue cylinder, yellow cone and green sphere) were computer-rendered and located at each corner. The game engine tracked and recorded the position and orientation of the VRNChair 17 as it moved through the VR environment. Figure 1 A comparison of the virtual room (left) and the real-world room (right).…”
Adult participants learned to reorient to a specific corner inside either a real or virtual rectangular room containing a distinct featural object in each corner. Participants in the virtual-reality (VR) condition experienced an immersive virtual version of the physical room using a head-mounted display (HMD) and customized manual wheelchair to provide self-movement. Following a disorientation procedure, people could reorient by using either the geometry of the room and/or the distinct features in the corners. Test trials in which the different spatial cues were manipulated revealed participants encoded features and geometry in both the real and VR rooms. However, participants in the VR room showed less facility with using geometry. Our results suggest caution must be taken when interpreting the nuances of spatial cue use in virtual environments. Reduced reliability of geometric cues in VR environments may result in greater reliance on feature cues than would normally be expected under similar real-world conditions.
“…The participant interacted with the VRN environment by using our custom wheelchair. 18 The treatment protocol consisted of 45-minute training sessions, three times per week for 7 consecutive weeks. We evaluated the participant's performance by means of the MoCA and by studying the trajectories we recorded while he navigated in the VRN environment.…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Nearly all VR systems in the literature use standard interaction devices such as a joystick (or keyboard input) and desktop display, 3,7,8,[14][15][16][17] but this interaction paradigm has been shown to baffle elderly people, since they are generally inexperienced with using such devices. 18 To avoid biasing the results of VRN training (ie, assuming a person has navigation difficulties when they merely were confused by the input device), we designed a custom input system based on a wheelchair. 18 Our custom wheelchair captures a user's motion in the real world and translates it to the VRN environment.…”
In this case study, a man at the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was enrolled in a cognitive treatment program based upon spatial navigation in a virtual reality (VR) environment. We trained him to navigate to targets in a symmetric, landmark-less virtual building. Our research goals were to determine whether an individual with AD could learn to navigate in a simple VR navigation (VRN) environment and whether that training could also bring real-life cognitive benefits. The results show that our participant learned to perfectly navigate to desired targets in the VRN environment over the course of the training program. Furthermore, subjective feedback from his primary caregiver (his wife) indicated that his skill at navigating while driving improved noticeably and that he enjoyed cognitive improvement in his daily life at home. These results suggest that VRN treatments might benefit other people with AD.
“…We developed a custom game engine on Unity 4.6 to allow a person to move throughout the VE. The engine read values from two devices: The VRNChair [18] and an orientation sensor (BNO055). The VRNChair measured the physical motions of forward and backward, whereas the orientation sensor measured the rotation of the VRNChair using an inertial measurement unit mode; those measurements were translated into the virtual domain.…”
Section: Experiments Setupmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…For validation, we employed a knowledge transfer paradigm between an RE and the corresponding VE created using RTAB-Map in conjunction with Hector SLAM. To provide an interactive and an immersive VE environment, we employed a Head Mounted Display (HMD) in conjunction with a specialized wheel-chair (VRNChair) [18]. The HMD, with a head tracking system, provided a wide field of view and allowed for head rotation, while the VRNChair provided body translation and rotation to allow the participants to actively move within the environment.…”
Background: In this paper, we describe the design of a virtual environment (VE) using Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) to scan and replicate a real environment (RE) in a virtual domain. Compared to using a CAD software, SLAM allows for the replication of an RE quite easily and quickly. Methods: To test the user's performance in a SLAM-based VE, we developed an immersive virtual reality setup using a specialized wheelchair (VRNChair) and a head mounted display (Oculus Rift DK2), and employed a knowledge transfer paradigm to investigate navigational performance differences in an RE and its replica in a VE. Our hypothesis was knowledge
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