Impact of Avatar Representation in a Virtual Reality-Based Multi-user Tunnel Fire Simulator for Training Purposes

Comparing technologies for conveying emotions through realistic avatars in virtual reality‐based metaverse experiences

“…The VR kit selected for the experiment was an HTC Vive Pro Eye. The basis for both the considered representations was a realistic‐looking, full‐body avatar implementation developed in a previous work 8 . In particular, the VRIK module of FinalIK was used to obtain a plausible full‐body motion starting from the position and orientation of the HMD and the hand controllers.…”

“…The authors found that the realistic, whole‐body avatar was perceived as being the best setup for remote collaboration. Similarly, Calandra et al 8 studied two techniques for avatar representation in multi‐user VR scenarios, that is, a head & hands configuration consisting in displaying the 3D models of the VR equipment (HMD and controllers) worn by the user, and a full‐body reconstruction obtained by blending Inverse Kinematics (IK) and animations. Voice communication was guaranteed by means of a VOIP channel, although none of the two techniques provided facial animations.…”

“…They can be realistic, 4 or cartoon‐looking 5 . They can also differ in terms of complexity, 6 ranging from ergonomic and minimalist visualizations 7 in which only the user's head and hands are shown, up to configurations much closer to reality, with complete figures from head to toes 8 . The latter may be also provided with facial expressions 2 .…”

“…In particular, there are only a few studies aimed at measuring the impact of the representation of an avatar from a psycho‐sociological and perceptual point of view, especially in XR applications 9 . Indeed, some studies showed that users prefer avatars populating VEs to be realistic, full‐body, and endowed with facial expression 2,8,10 . Capturing facial expressions, however, is still challenging when using, for example, a Head‐Mounted Display (HMD) for VR, although devices supporting this functionality are appearing on the market given the importance of these social cues for emotions conveyance 11 .…”

“…9 Indeed, some studies showed that users prefer avatars populating VEs to be realistic, full-body, and endowed with facial expression. 2,8,10 Capturing facial expressions, however, is still challenging when using, for example, a Head-Mounted Display (HMD) for VR, although devices supporting this functionality are appearing on the market given the importance of these social cues for emotions conveyance. 11 An alternative way to reproduce facial expressions in these situations is to use lip synchronization (lip sync), that is, synchronized animations on a speaking avatar.…”