OpenVirtualObjects: An Open Set of Standardized and Validated 3D Household Objects for Virtual Reality-Based Research, Assessment, and Therapy

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) technology provides clinicians, therapists, and researchers with new opportunities to observe, assess, and train behavior in realistic yet well-controlled environments. However, VR also comes with a number of challenges. For example, compared to more abstract experiments and tests on 2D computer screens, VR-based tasks are more complex to create, which can make it more expensive and time-consuming. One way to overcome these challenges is to create, standardize, and validate VR content and to make it openly available for researchers and clinicians. Here we introduce the OpenVirtualObjects (OVO), a set of 124 realistic 3D household objects that people encounter and use in their everyday lives. The objects were rated by 34 younger and 25 older adults for recognizability, familiarity, details (i.e., visual complexity), contact, and usage (i.e., frequency of usage in daily life). All participants also named and categorized the objects. We provide the data and the experiment- and analysis code online. With OVO, we hope to facilitate VR-based research and clinical applications. Easy and free availability of standardized and validated 3D objects can support systematic VR-based studies and the development of VR-based diagnostics and therapeutic tools.

Inter- and Transcultural Learning in Social Virtual Reality: A Proposal for an Inter- and Transcultural Virtual Object Database to be Used in the Implementation, Reflection, and Evaluation of Virtual Encounters

“…Hence, some papers offer databases with pictures and 2D normative data for different purposes. However, there are just a few comparable databases of normative data for the use of 3D models as visual stimuli via immersive applications [26][27][28]. Tromp et al [26] identified three, including their own, databases of three-dimensional virtual objects (see Table 1).…”

“…However, there are just a few comparable databases of normative data for the use of 3D models as visual stimuli via immersive applications [26][27][28]. Tromp et al [26] identified three, including their own, databases of three-dimensional virtual objects (see Table 1). The collections contain 121 to 147 objects related to everyday life.…”

“…They focused on objects from everyday use [28]. Tromp et al [26] extended the collection of Peeter's [27]. The Peeters et al database [27] includes 147 color 3D objects standardized for name agreement, image agreement, familiarity, visual complexity, and corresponding lexical features of modal object names.…”

“…The existing object databases show little information on cultural-related associations. Mostly, a linguistically and culturally homogeneous sample analyzes a set of objects for variables such as recognition, familiarity, daily use, or arousal [26,28,29]. The different linguistic and cultural contexts are rarely investigated [40].…”

“…More variables could be asked without requiring too much cognitive effort from the participants by reducing the number of stimuli. To obtain comprehensive data for each stimulus in our database, familiarity and perceived level of detail were added to the variables in reference to Tromp et al [26]. The following table shows the operationalization of the variables.…”