Dr. Gerd Bruder – Publications
NOTICE: This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author’s copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.
2020 |
|
 | Austin Erickson; Kangsoo Kim; Gerd Bruder; Greg Welch Effects of Dark Mode Graphics on Visual Acuity and Fatigue with Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays Inproceedings In: Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (IEEE VR), pp. 434-442, Atlanta, Georgia, 2020. @inproceedings{Erickson2020, title = {Effects of Dark Mode Graphics on Visual Acuity and Fatigue with Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays}, author = {Austin Erickson and Kangsoo Kim and Gerd Bruder and Greg Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/VR2020_DarkMode2_0.pdf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wePUk0xTLA0&t=5s, YouTube Presentation}, doi = {10.1109/VR46266.2020.00-40}, year = {2020}, date = {2020-03-23}, booktitle = {Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (IEEE VR)}, pages = {434-442}, address = {Atlanta, Georgia}, abstract = {Current virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) are characterized by a low angular resolution that makes it difficult to make out details, leading to reduced legibility of text and increased visual fatigue. Light-on-dark graphics modes, so-called ``dark mode'' graphics, are becoming more and more popular over a wide range of display technologies, and have been correlated with increased visual comfort and acuity, specifically when working in low-light environments, which suggests that they might provide significant advantages for VR HMDs. In this paper, we present a human-subject study investigating the correlations between the color mode and the ambient lighting with respect to visual acuity and fatigue on VR HMDs. We compare two color schemes, characterized by light letters on a dark background (dark mode), or dark letters on a light background (light mode), and show that the dark background in dark mode provides a significant advantage in terms of reduced visual fatigue and increased visual acuity in dim virtual environments on current HMDs. Based on our results, we discuss guidelines for user interfaces and applications.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Current virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) are characterized by a low angular resolution that makes it difficult to make out details, leading to reduced legibility of text and increased visual fatigue. Light-on-dark graphics modes, so-called ``dark mode'' graphics, are becoming more and more popular over a wide range of display technologies, and have been correlated with increased visual comfort and acuity, specifically when working in low-light environments, which suggests that they might provide significant advantages for VR HMDs. In this paper, we present a human-subject study investigating the correlations between the color mode and the ambient lighting with respect to visual acuity and fatigue on VR HMDs. We compare two color schemes, characterized by light letters on a dark background (dark mode), or dark letters on a light background (light mode), and show that the dark background in dark mode provides a significant advantage in terms of reduced visual fatigue and increased visual acuity in dim virtual environments on current HMDs. Based on our results, we discuss guidelines for user interfaces and applications. |
 | Austin Erickson; Gerd Bruder; Pamela J. Wisniewski; Greg Welch Examining Whether Secondary Effects of Temperature-Associated Virtual Stimuli Influence Subjective Perception of Duration Inproceedings In: Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (IEEE VR), pp. 493-499, Atlanta, Georgia, 2020. @inproceedings{Erickson2020b, title = {Examining Whether Secondary Effects of Temperature-Associated Virtual Stimuli Influence Subjective Perception of Duration}, author = {Austin Erickson and Gerd Bruder and Pamela J. Wisniewski and Greg Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/TimePerception_VR2020.pdf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG2M-cbjS3s&t=1s, YouTube Presentation}, doi = {10.1109/VR46266.2020.00-34}, year = {2020}, date = {2020-03-23}, booktitle = {Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (IEEE VR)}, pages = {493-499}, address = {Atlanta, Georgia}, abstract = {Past work in augmented reality has shown that temperature-associated AR stimuli can induce warming and cooling sensations in the user, and prior work in psychology suggests that a person's body temperature can influence that person's sense of subjective perception of duration. In this paper, we present a user study to evaluate the relationship between temperature-associated virtual stimuli presented on an AR-HMD and the user's sense of subjective perception of duration and temperature. In particular, we investigate two independent variables: the apparent temperature of the virtual stimuli presented to the participant, which could be hot or cold, and the location of the stimuli, which could be in direct contact with the user, in indirect contact with the user, or both in direct and indirect contact simultaneously. We investigate how these variables affect the users' perception of duration and perception of body and environment temperature by having participants make prospective time estimations while observing the virtual stimulus and answering subjective questions regarding their body and environment temperatures. Our work confirms that temperature-associated virtual stimuli are capable of having significant effects on the users' perception of temperature, and highlights a possible limitation in the current augmented reality technology in that no secondary effects on the users' perception of duration were observed.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Past work in augmented reality has shown that temperature-associated AR stimuli can induce warming and cooling sensations in the user, and prior work in psychology suggests that a person's body temperature can influence that person's sense of subjective perception of duration. In this paper, we present a user study to evaluate the relationship between temperature-associated virtual stimuli presented on an AR-HMD and the user's sense of subjective perception of duration and temperature. In particular, we investigate two independent variables: the apparent temperature of the virtual stimuli presented to the participant, which could be hot or cold, and the location of the stimuli, which could be in direct contact with the user, in indirect contact with the user, or both in direct and indirect contact simultaneously. We investigate how these variables affect the users' perception of duration and perception of body and environment temperature by having participants make prospective time estimations while observing the virtual stimulus and answering subjective questions regarding their body and environment temperatures. Our work confirms that temperature-associated virtual stimuli are capable of having significant effects on the users' perception of temperature, and highlights a possible limitation in the current augmented reality technology in that no secondary effects on the users' perception of duration were observed. |
 | Kangsoo Kim; Celso M. de Melo; Nahal Norouzi; Gerd Bruder; Gregory F. Welch Reducing Task Load with an Embodied Intelligent Virtual Assistant for Improved Performance in Collaborative Decision Making Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (IEEE VR), pp. 529-538, Atlanta, Georgia, 2020. BibTeX | Links: @inproceedings{Kim2020rtl, title = {Reducing Task Load with an Embodied Intelligent Virtual Assistant for Improved Performance in Collaborative Decision Making}, author = {Kangsoo Kim and Celso M. de Melo and Nahal Norouzi and Gerd Bruder and Gregory F. Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IEEEVR2020_ARDesertSurvival.pdf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_iZ_asjp3I&t=6s, YouTube Presentation}, doi = {10.1109/VR46266.2020.00-30}, year = {2020}, date = {2020-03-23}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (IEEE VR)}, pages = {529-538}, address = {Atlanta, Georgia}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } |
 | Zubin Choudhary; Kangsoo Kim; Ryan Schubert; Gerd Bruder; Gregory F. Welch Virtual Big Heads: Analysis of Human Perception and Comfort of Head Scales in Social Virtual Reality Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (IEEE VR), pp. 425-433, Atlanta, Georgia, 2020. BibTeX | Links: @inproceedings{Choudhary2020vbh, title = {Virtual Big Heads: Analysis of Human Perception and Comfort of Head Scales in Social Virtual Reality}, author = {Zubin Choudhary and Kangsoo Kim and Ryan Schubert and Gerd Bruder and Gregory F. Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IEEEVR2020_BigHead.pdf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14289nufYf0, YouTube Presentation}, doi = {10.1109/VR46266.2020.00-41}, year = {2020}, date = {2020-03-23}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (IEEE VR)}, pages = {425-433}, address = {Atlanta, Georgia}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } |
 | Austin Erickson; Nahal Norouzi; Kangsoo Kim; Joseph J. LaViola Jr.; Gerd Bruder; Gregory F. Welch Effects of Depth Information on Visual Target Identification Task Performance in Shared Gaze Environments Journal Article In: IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 26 (5), pp. 1934-1944, 2020, ISSN: 1077-2626, (Presented at IEEE VR 2020). @article{Erickson2020c, title = {Effects of Depth Information on Visual Target Identification Task Performance in Shared Gaze Environments}, author = {Austin Erickson and Nahal Norouzi and Kangsoo Kim and Joseph J. LaViola Jr. and Gerd Bruder and Gregory F. Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/shared_gaze_2_FINAL.pdf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQO_iosY62Y&t=6s, YouTube Presentation}, doi = {10.1109/TVCG.2020.2973054}, issn = {1077-2626}, year = {2020}, date = {2020-02-13}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics}, volume = {26}, number = {5}, pages = {1934-1944}, abstract = {Human gaze awareness is important for social and collaborative interactions. Recent technological advances in augmented reality (AR) displays and sensors provide us with the means to extend collaborative spaces with real-time dynamic AR indicators of one's gaze, for example via three-dimensional cursors or rays emanating from a partner's head. However, such gaze cues are only as useful as the quality of the underlying gaze estimation and the accuracy of the display mechanism. Depending on the type of the visualization, and the characteristics of the errors, AR gaze cues could either enhance or interfere with collaborations. In this paper, we present two human-subject studies in which we investigate the influence of angular and depth errors, target distance, and the type of gaze visualization on participants' performance and subjective evaluation during a collaborative task with a virtual human partner, where participants identified targets within a dynamically walking crowd. First, our results show that there is a significant difference in performance for the two gaze visualizations ray and cursor in conditions with simulated angular and depth errors: the ray visualization provided significantly faster response times and fewer errors compared to the cursor visualization. Second, our results show that under optimal conditions, among four different gaze visualization methods, a ray without depth information provides the worst performance and is rated lowest, while a combination of a ray and cursor with depth information is rated highest. We discuss the subjective and objective performance thresholds and provide guidelines for practitioners in this field.}, note = {Presented at IEEE VR 2020}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Human gaze awareness is important for social and collaborative interactions. Recent technological advances in augmented reality (AR) displays and sensors provide us with the means to extend collaborative spaces with real-time dynamic AR indicators of one's gaze, for example via three-dimensional cursors or rays emanating from a partner's head. However, such gaze cues are only as useful as the quality of the underlying gaze estimation and the accuracy of the display mechanism. Depending on the type of the visualization, and the characteristics of the errors, AR gaze cues could either enhance or interfere with collaborations. In this paper, we present two human-subject studies in which we investigate the influence of angular and depth errors, target distance, and the type of gaze visualization on participants' performance and subjective evaluation during a collaborative task with a virtual human partner, where participants identified targets within a dynamically walking crowd. First, our results show that there is a significant difference in performance for the two gaze visualizations ray and cursor in conditions with simulated angular and depth errors: the ray visualization provided significantly faster response times and fewer errors compared to the cursor visualization. Second, our results show that under optimal conditions, among four different gaze visualization methods, a ray without depth information provides the worst performance and is rated lowest, while a combination of a ray and cursor with depth information is rated highest. We discuss the subjective and objective performance thresholds and provide guidelines for practitioners in this field. |
2019 |
|
 | Myungho Lee; Nahal Norouzi; Gerd Bruder; Pamela J. Wisniewski; Gregory F. Welch Mixed Reality Tabletop Gameplay: Social Interaction with a Virtual Human Capable of Physical Influence Journal Article In: IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 24 (8), pp. 1-12, 2019, ISSN: 1077-2626. @article{Lee2020, title = {Mixed Reality Tabletop Gameplay: Social Interaction with a Virtual Human Capable of Physical Influence}, author = {Myungho Lee and Nahal Norouzi and Gerd Bruder and Pamela J. Wisniewski and Gregory F. Welch }, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/TVCG_Physical_Virtual_Table_2019.pdf}, doi = {10.1109/TVCG.2019.2959575}, issn = {1077-2626}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-12-18}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics}, volume = {24}, number = {8}, pages = {1-12}, abstract = {In this paper, we investigate the effects of the physical influence of a virtual human (VH) in the context of face-to-face interaction in a mixed reality environment. In Experiment 1, participants played a tabletop game with a VH, in which each player takes a turn and moves their own token along the designated spots on the shared table. We compared two conditions as follows: the VH in the virtual condition moves a virtual token that can only be seen through augmented reality (AR) glasses, while the VH in the physical condition moves a physical token as the participants do; therefore the VH’s token can be seen even in the periphery of the AR glasses. For the physical condition, we designed an actuator system underneath the table. The actuator moves a magnet under the table which then moves the VH’s physical token over the surface of the table. Our results indicate that participants felt higher co-presence with the VH in the physical condition, and participants assessed the VH as a more physical entity compared to the VH in the virtual condition. We further observed transference effects when participants attributed the VH’s ability to move physical objects to other elements in the real world. Also, the VH’s physical influence improved participants’ overall experience with the VH. In Experiment 2, we further looked into the question how the physical-virtual latency in movements affected the perceived plausibility of the VH’s interaction with the real world. Our results indicate that a slight temporal difference between the physical token reacting to the virtual hand’s movement increased the perceived realism and causality of the mixed reality interaction. We discuss potential explanations for the findings and implications for future shared mixed reality tabletop setups. }, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } In this paper, we investigate the effects of the physical influence of a virtual human (VH) in the context of face-to-face interaction in a mixed reality environment. In Experiment 1, participants played a tabletop game with a VH, in which each player takes a turn and moves their own token along the designated spots on the shared table. We compared two conditions as follows: the VH in the virtual condition moves a virtual token that can only be seen through augmented reality (AR) glasses, while the VH in the physical condition moves a physical token as the participants do; therefore the VH’s token can be seen even in the periphery of the AR glasses. For the physical condition, we designed an actuator system underneath the table. The actuator moves a magnet under the table which then moves the VH’s physical token over the surface of the table. Our results indicate that participants felt higher co-presence with the VH in the physical condition, and participants assessed the VH as a more physical entity compared to the VH in the virtual condition. We further observed transference effects when participants attributed the VH’s ability to move physical objects to other elements in the real world. Also, the VH’s physical influence improved participants’ overall experience with the VH. In Experiment 2, we further looked into the question how the physical-virtual latency in movements affected the perceived plausibility of the VH’s interaction with the real world. Our results indicate that a slight temporal difference between the physical token reacting to the virtual hand’s movement increased the perceived realism and causality of the mixed reality interaction. We discuss potential explanations for the findings and implications for future shared mixed reality tabletop setups. |
 | Kangsoo Kim; Nahal Norouzi; Tiffany Losekamp; Gerd Bruder; Mindi Anderson; Gregory Welch Effects of Patient Care Assistant Embodiment and Computer Mediation on User Experience Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Artificial Intelligence & Virtual Reality (AIVR), pp. 17-24, IEEE, 2019. @inproceedings{Kim2019epc, title = {Effects of Patient Care Assistant Embodiment and Computer Mediation on User Experience}, author = {Kangsoo Kim and Nahal Norouzi and Tiffany Losekamp and Gerd Bruder and Mindi Anderson and Gregory Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/AIVR2019_Caregiver.pdf}, doi = {10.1109/AIVR46125.2019.00013}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-12-09}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Artificial Intelligence & Virtual Reality (AIVR)}, pages = {17-24}, publisher = {IEEE}, abstract = {Providers of patient care environments are facing an increasing demand for technological solutions that can facilitate increased patient satisfaction while being cost effective and practically feasible. Recent developments with respect to smart hospital room setups and smart home care environments have an immense potential to leverage advances in technologies such as Intelligent Virtual Agents, Internet of Things devices, and Augmented Reality to enable novel forms of patient interaction with caregivers and their environment. In this paper, we present a human-subjects study in which we compared four types of simulated patient care environments for a range of typical tasks. In particular, we tested two forms of caregiver mediation with a real person or a virtual agent, and we compared two forms of caregiver embodiment with disembodied verbal or embodied interaction. Our results show that, as expected, a real caregiver provides the optimal user experience but an embodied virtual assistant is also a viable option for patient care environments, providing significantly higher social presence and engagement than voice-only interaction. We discuss the implications in the field of patient care and digital assistant.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Providers of patient care environments are facing an increasing demand for technological solutions that can facilitate increased patient satisfaction while being cost effective and practically feasible. Recent developments with respect to smart hospital room setups and smart home care environments have an immense potential to leverage advances in technologies such as Intelligent Virtual Agents, Internet of Things devices, and Augmented Reality to enable novel forms of patient interaction with caregivers and their environment. In this paper, we present a human-subjects study in which we compared four types of simulated patient care environments for a range of typical tasks. In particular, we tested two forms of caregiver mediation with a real person or a virtual agent, and we compared two forms of caregiver embodiment with disembodied verbal or embodied interaction. Our results show that, as expected, a real caregiver provides the optimal user experience but an embodied virtual assistant is also a viable option for patient care environments, providing significantly higher social presence and engagement than voice-only interaction. We discuss the implications in the field of patient care and digital assistant. |
 | Kangsoo Kim; Austin Erickson; Alexis Lambert; Gerd Bruder; Gregory F. Welch Effects of Dark Mode on Visual Fatigue and Acuity in Optical See-Through Head-Mounted Displays Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interaction (SUI), pp. 9:1-9:9, ACM, 2019, ISBN: 978-1-4503-6975-6/19/10. @inproceedings{Kim2019edm, title = {Effects of Dark Mode on Visual Fatigue and Acuity in Optical See-Through Head-Mounted Displays}, author = {Kangsoo Kim and Austin Erickson and Alexis Lambert and Gerd Bruder and Gregory F. Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Kim2019edm.pdf}, doi = {10.1145/3357251.3357584}, isbn = {978-1-4503-6975-6/19/10}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-10-19}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interaction (SUI)}, pages = {9:1-9:9}, publisher = {ACM}, abstract = {Light-on-dark color schemes, so-called "Dark Mode," are becoming more and more popular over a wide range of display technologies and application fields. Many people who have to look at computer screens for hours at a time, such as computer programmers and computer graphics artists, indicate a preference for switching colors on a computer screen from dark text on a light background to light text on a dark background due to perceived advantages related to visual comfort and acuity, specifically when working in low-light environments. In this paper, we investigate the effects of dark mode color schemes in the field of optical see-through head-mounted displays (OST-HMDs), where the characteristic "additive" light model implies that bright graphics are visible but dark graphics are transparent. We describe a human-subject study in which we evaluated a normal and inverted color mode in front of different physical backgrounds and among different lighting conditions. Our results show that dark mode graphics on OST-HMDs have significant benefits for visual acuity, fatigue, and usability, while user preferences depend largely on the lighting in the physical environment. We discuss the implications of these effects on user interfaces and applications.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Light-on-dark color schemes, so-called "Dark Mode," are becoming more and more popular over a wide range of display technologies and application fields. Many people who have to look at computer screens for hours at a time, such as computer programmers and computer graphics artists, indicate a preference for switching colors on a computer screen from dark text on a light background to light text on a dark background due to perceived advantages related to visual comfort and acuity, specifically when working in low-light environments. In this paper, we investigate the effects of dark mode color schemes in the field of optical see-through head-mounted displays (OST-HMDs), where the characteristic "additive" light model implies that bright graphics are visible but dark graphics are transparent. We describe a human-subject study in which we evaluated a normal and inverted color mode in front of different physical backgrounds and among different lighting conditions. Our results show that dark mode graphics on OST-HMDs have significant benefits for visual acuity, fatigue, and usability, while user preferences depend largely on the lighting in the physical environment. We discuss the implications of these effects on user interfaces and applications. |
 | Nahal Norouzi; Austin Erickson; Kangsoo Kim; Ryan Schubert; Joseph J. LaViola Jr.; Gerd Bruder; Gregory F. Welch Effects of Shared Gaze Parameters on Visual Target Identification Task Performance in Augmented Reality Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interaction (SUI), pp. 12:1-12:11, ACM, 2019, ISBN: 978-1-4503-6975-6/19/10, (Best Paper Award). @inproceedings{Norouzi2019esg, title = {Effects of Shared Gaze Parameters on Visual Target Identification Task Performance in Augmented Reality}, author = {Nahal Norouzi and Austin Erickson and Kangsoo Kim and Ryan Schubert and Joseph J. LaViola Jr. and Gerd Bruder and Gregory F. Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/a12-norouzi.pdf}, doi = {10.1145/3357251.3357587}, isbn = {978-1-4503-6975-6/19/10}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-10-19}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interaction (SUI)}, pages = {12:1-12:11}, publisher = {ACM}, abstract = {Augmented reality (AR) technologies provide a shared platform for users to collaborate in a physical context involving both real and virtual content. To enhance the quality of interaction between AR users, researchers have proposed augmenting users' interpersonal space with embodied cues such as their gaze direction. While beneficial in achieving improved interpersonal spatial communication, such shared gaze environments suffer from multiple types of errors related to eye tracking and networking, that can reduce objective performance and subjective experience. In this paper, we conducted a human-subject study to understand the impact of accuracy, precision, latency, and dropout based errors on users' performance when using shared gaze cues to identify a target among a crowd of people. We simulated varying amounts of errors and the target distances and measured participants' objective performance through their response time and error rate, and their subjective experience and cognitive load through questionnaires. We found some significant differences suggesting that the simulated error levels had stronger effects on participants' performance than target distance with accuracy and latency having a high impact on participants' error rate. We also observed that participants assessed their own performance as lower than it objectively was, and we discuss implications for practical shared gaze applications.}, note = {Best Paper Award}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Augmented reality (AR) technologies provide a shared platform for users to collaborate in a physical context involving both real and virtual content. To enhance the quality of interaction between AR users, researchers have proposed augmenting users' interpersonal space with embodied cues such as their gaze direction. While beneficial in achieving improved interpersonal spatial communication, such shared gaze environments suffer from multiple types of errors related to eye tracking and networking, that can reduce objective performance and subjective experience. In this paper, we conducted a human-subject study to understand the impact of accuracy, precision, latency, and dropout based errors on users' performance when using shared gaze cues to identify a target among a crowd of people. We simulated varying amounts of errors and the target distances and measured participants' objective performance through their response time and error rate, and their subjective experience and cognitive load through questionnaires. We found some significant differences suggesting that the simulated error levels had stronger effects on participants' performance than target distance with accuracy and latency having a high impact on participants' error rate. We also observed that participants assessed their own performance as lower than it objectively was, and we discuss implications for practical shared gaze applications. |
 | Kendra Richards; Nikhil Mahalanobis; Kangsoo Kim; Ryan Schubert; Myungho Lee; Salam Daher; Nahal Norouzi; Jason Hochreiter; Gerd Bruder; Gregory F. Welch Analysis of Peripheral Vision and Vibrotactile Feedback During Proximal Search Tasks with Dynamic Virtual Entities in Augmented Reality Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interaction (SUI), pp. 3:1-3:9, ACM, 2019, ISBN: 978-1-4503-6975-6/19/10. @inproceedings{Richards2019b, title = {Analysis of Peripheral Vision and Vibrotactile Feedback During Proximal Search Tasks with Dynamic Virtual Entities in Augmented Reality}, author = {Kendra Richards and Nikhil Mahalanobis and Kangsoo Kim and Ryan Schubert and Myungho Lee and Salam Daher and Nahal Norouzi and Jason Hochreiter and Gerd Bruder and Gregory F. Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Richards2019b.pdf}, doi = {10.1145/3357251.3357585}, isbn = {978-1-4503-6975-6/19/10}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-10-19}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interaction (SUI)}, pages = {3:1-3:9}, publisher = {ACM}, abstract = {A primary goal of augmented reality (AR) is to seamlessly embed virtual content into a real environment. There are many factors that can affect the perceived physicality and co-presence of virtual entities, including the hardware capabilities, the fidelity of the virtual behaviors, and sensory feedback associated with the interactions. In this paper, we present a study investigating participants' perceptions and behaviors during a time-limited search task in close proximity with virtual entities in AR. In particular, we analyze the effects of (i) visual conflicts in the periphery of an optical see-through head-mounted display, a Microsoft HoloLens, (ii) overall lighting in the physical environment, and (iii) multimodal feedback based on vibrotactile transducers mounted on a physical platform. Our results show significant benefits of vibrotactile feedback and reduced peripheral lighting for spatial and social presence, and engagement. We discuss implications of these effects for AR applications.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } A primary goal of augmented reality (AR) is to seamlessly embed virtual content into a real environment. There are many factors that can affect the perceived physicality and co-presence of virtual entities, including the hardware capabilities, the fidelity of the virtual behaviors, and sensory feedback associated with the interactions. In this paper, we present a study investigating participants' perceptions and behaviors during a time-limited search task in close proximity with virtual entities in AR. In particular, we analyze the effects of (i) visual conflicts in the periphery of an optical see-through head-mounted display, a Microsoft HoloLens, (ii) overall lighting in the physical environment, and (iii) multimodal feedback based on vibrotactile transducers mounted on a physical platform. Our results show significant benefits of vibrotactile feedback and reduced peripheral lighting for spatial and social presence, and engagement. We discuss implications of these effects for AR applications. |
 | Austin Erickson; Ryan Schubert; Kangsoo Kim; Gerd Bruder; Greg Welch Is It Cold in Here or Is It Just Me? Analysis of Augmented Reality Temperature Visualization for Computer-Mediated Thermoception Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR), pp. 319-327, IEEE, 2019, ISBN: 978-1-7281-4765-9. @inproceedings{Erickson2019iic, title = {Is It Cold in Here or Is It Just Me? Analysis of Augmented Reality Temperature Visualization for Computer-Mediated Thermoception}, author = {Austin Erickson and Ryan Schubert and Kangsoo Kim and Gerd Bruder and Greg Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Erickson2019IIC.pdf}, doi = {10.1109/ISMAR.2019.00046}, isbn = {978-1-7281-4765-9}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-10-19}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR)}, pages = {319-327}, publisher = {IEEE}, abstract = {Modern augmented reality (AR) head-mounted displays comprise a multitude of sensors that allow them to sense the environment around them. We have extended these capabilities by mounting two heat-wavelength infrared cameras to a Microsoft HoloLens, facilitating the acquisition of thermal data and enabling stereoscopic thermal overlays in the user’s augmented view. The ability to visualize live thermal information opens several avenues of investigation on how that thermal awareness may affect a user’s thermoception. We present a human-subject study, in which we simulated different temperature shifts using either heat vision overlays or 3D AR virtual effects associated with thermal cause-effect relationships (e.g., flames burn and ice cools). We further investigated differences in estimated temperatures when the stimuli were applied to either the user’s body or their environment. Our analysis showed significant effects and first trends for the AR virtual effects and heat vision, respectively, on participants’ temperature estimates for their body and the environment though with different strengths and characteristics, which we discuss in this paper. }, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Modern augmented reality (AR) head-mounted displays comprise a multitude of sensors that allow them to sense the environment around them. We have extended these capabilities by mounting two heat-wavelength infrared cameras to a Microsoft HoloLens, facilitating the acquisition of thermal data and enabling stereoscopic thermal overlays in the user’s augmented view. The ability to visualize live thermal information opens several avenues of investigation on how that thermal awareness may affect a user’s thermoception. We present a human-subject study, in which we simulated different temperature shifts using either heat vision overlays or 3D AR virtual effects associated with thermal cause-effect relationships (e.g., flames burn and ice cools). We further investigated differences in estimated temperatures when the stimuli were applied to either the user’s body or their environment. Our analysis showed significant effects and first trends for the AR virtual effects and heat vision, respectively, on participants’ temperature estimates for their body and the environment though with different strengths and characteristics, which we discuss in this paper. |
 | Nahal Norouzi; Gerd Bruder; Jeremy Bailenson; Greg Welch Investigating Augmented Reality Animals as Companions Workshop Adjunct proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR) Mixed/Augmented Reality and Mental Health Workshop, 2019, IEEE, 2019, ISBN: 978-1-7281-4765-9. @workshop{Norouzi2019f, title = {Investigating Augmented Reality Animals as Companions}, author = {Nahal Norouzi and Gerd Bruder and Jeremy Bailenson and Greg Welch }, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ISMAR_Workshop_Paper__NN.pdf}, doi = {10.1109/ISMAR-Adjunct.2019.00104}, isbn = {978-1-7281-4765-9}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-10-18}, booktitle = {Adjunct proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR) Mixed/Augmented Reality and Mental Health Workshop, 2019}, pages = {371-374}, publisher = {IEEE}, abstract = {Human-animal interaction has been studied in a variety of settings and for a range of populations, with some findings pointing towards its benefits for physical, mental and social human health. Technological advances opened up new opportunities for researchers to replicate human-animal interactions with robotic and graphical animals, and to investigate human-animal relationships for different applications such as mental health and education. Although graphical animals have been studied in the past in the physical health and education domains, most of the time, their realizations were bound to computer screens, limiting their full potential, especially in terms of companionship and the provision of support. In this work, we describe past research efforts investigating influences of human-animal interaction on mental health and different realization of such animals. We discuss the idea that augmented reality could offer potential for human-animal interaction in terms of mental and social health, and propose several aspects of augmented reality animals that warrant further research for such interactions.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {workshop} } Human-animal interaction has been studied in a variety of settings and for a range of populations, with some findings pointing towards its benefits for physical, mental and social human health. Technological advances opened up new opportunities for researchers to replicate human-animal interactions with robotic and graphical animals, and to investigate human-animal relationships for different applications such as mental health and education. Although graphical animals have been studied in the past in the physical health and education domains, most of the time, their realizations were bound to computer screens, limiting their full potential, especially in terms of companionship and the provision of support. In this work, we describe past research efforts investigating influences of human-animal interaction on mental health and different realization of such animals. We discuss the idea that augmented reality could offer potential for human-animal interaction in terms of mental and social health, and propose several aspects of augmented reality animals that warrant further research for such interactions. |
 | Nahal Norouzi; Kangsoo Kim; Myungho Lee; Ryan Schubert; Austin Erickson; Jeremy Bailenson; Gerd Bruder; Greg Welch Walking Your Virtual Dog: Analysis of Awareness and Proxemics with Simulated Support Animals in Augmented Reality Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR), 2019, pp. 253-264, IEEE, 2019, ISBN: 978-1-7281-4765-9. @inproceedings{Norouzi2019cb, title = {Walking Your Virtual Dog: Analysis of Awareness and Proxemics with Simulated Support Animals in Augmented Reality }, author = {Nahal Norouzi and Kangsoo Kim and Myungho Lee and Ryan Schubert and Austin Erickson and Jeremy Bailenson and Gerd Bruder and Greg Welch }, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Final__AR_Animal_ISMAR.pdf}, doi = {10.1109/ISMAR.2019.00040}, isbn = {978-1-7281-4765-9}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-10-16}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR), 2019}, pages = {253-264}, publisher = {IEEE}, abstract = {Domestic animals have a long history of enriching human lives physically and mentally by filling a variety of different roles, such as service animals, emotional support animals, companions, and pets. Despite this, technological realizations of such animals in augmented reality (AR) are largely underexplored in terms of their behavior and interactions as well as effects they might have on human users' perception or behavior. In this paper, we describe a simulated virtual companion animal, in the form of a dog, in a shared AR space. We investigated its effects on participants' perception and behavior, including locomotion related to proxemics, with respect to their AR dog and other real people in the environment. We conducted a 2 by 2 mixed factorial human-subject study, in which we varied (i) the AR dog's awareness and behavior with respect to other people in the physical environment and (ii) the awareness and behavior of those people with respect to the AR dog. Our results show that having an AR companion dog changes participants' locomotion behavior, proxemics, and social interaction with other people who can or can not see the AR dog. We also show that the AR dog's simulated awareness and behaviors have an impact on participants' perception, including co-presence, animalism, perceived physicality, and dog's perceived awareness of the participant and environment. We discuss our findings and present insights and implications for the realization of effective AR animal companions.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Domestic animals have a long history of enriching human lives physically and mentally by filling a variety of different roles, such as service animals, emotional support animals, companions, and pets. Despite this, technological realizations of such animals in augmented reality (AR) are largely underexplored in terms of their behavior and interactions as well as effects they might have on human users' perception or behavior. In this paper, we describe a simulated virtual companion animal, in the form of a dog, in a shared AR space. We investigated its effects on participants' perception and behavior, including locomotion related to proxemics, with respect to their AR dog and other real people in the environment. We conducted a 2 by 2 mixed factorial human-subject study, in which we varied (i) the AR dog's awareness and behavior with respect to other people in the physical environment and (ii) the awareness and behavior of those people with respect to the AR dog. Our results show that having an AR companion dog changes participants' locomotion behavior, proxemics, and social interaction with other people who can or can not see the AR dog. We also show that the AR dog's simulated awareness and behaviors have an impact on participants' perception, including co-presence, animalism, perceived physicality, and dog's perceived awareness of the participant and environment. We discuss our findings and present insights and implications for the realization of effective AR animal companions. |
 | Susanne Schmidt; Gerd Bruder; Frank Steinicke Effects of Virtual Agent and Object Representation on Experiencing Exhibited Artifacts Journal Article In: Elsevier Computers and Graphics, 83 , pp. 1-10, 2019. @article{Schmidt2019, title = {Effects of Virtual Agent and Object Representation on Experiencing Exhibited Artifacts }, author = {Susanne Schmidt and Gerd Bruder and Frank Steinicke}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Schmidt2019.pdf}, doi = {10.1016/j.cag.2019.06.002}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-10-01}, journal = {Elsevier Computers and Graphics}, volume = {83}, pages = {1-10}, abstract = {With the emergence of speech-controlled virtual agents (VAs) in consumer devices such as Amazon’s Echo or Apple’s HomePod, we have seen a large public interest in related technologies. While most of the current interactive conversational VAs appear in the form of voice-only assistants, other representations showing, for example, a contextually related or generic humanoid body are possible. In our previous work, we analyzed the effectiveness of different forms of VAs in the context of a virtual reality (VR) exhibition space. We found positive evidence that agent embodiment induces a higher sense of spatial and social presence. The results also suggest that both embodied and thematically related audio-visual representations of VAs positively affect the overall user experience. We extend this work by further analyzing the effects of the physicality of the agent’s environment (i.e., virtual vs. real). The results of the follow-up study indicate some benefits of virtual environments, e.g., regarding user engagement and learning of visual facts. We also evaluate some interaction effects between the representations of the virtual agent and its surrounding and discuss implications on the design of exhibition spaces.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } With the emergence of speech-controlled virtual agents (VAs) in consumer devices such as Amazon’s Echo or Apple’s HomePod, we have seen a large public interest in related technologies. While most of the current interactive conversational VAs appear in the form of voice-only assistants, other representations showing, for example, a contextually related or generic humanoid body are possible. In our previous work, we analyzed the effectiveness of different forms of VAs in the context of a virtual reality (VR) exhibition space. We found positive evidence that agent embodiment induces a higher sense of spatial and social presence. The results also suggest that both embodied and thematically related audio-visual representations of VAs positively affect the overall user experience. We extend this work by further analyzing the effects of the physicality of the agent’s environment (i.e., virtual vs. real). The results of the follow-up study indicate some benefits of virtual environments, e.g., regarding user engagement and learning of visual facts. We also evaluate some interaction effects between the representations of the virtual agent and its surrounding and discuss implications on the design of exhibition spaces. |
 | Gregory F. Welch; Gerd Bruder; Peter Squire; Ryan Schubert Anticipating Widespread Augmented Reality: Insights from the 2018 AR Visioning Workshop Technical Report University of Central Florida and Office of Naval Research (786), 2019. @techreport{Welch2019b, title = {Anticipating Widespread Augmented Reality: Insights from the 2018 AR Visioning Workshop}, author = {Gregory F. Welch and Gerd Bruder and Peter Squire and Ryan Schubert}, url = {https://stars.library.ucf.edu/ucfscholar/786/ https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Welch2019b-1.pdf}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-08-06}, issuetitle = {Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works}, number = {786}, institution = {University of Central Florida and Office of Naval Research}, abstract = {In August of 2018 a group of academic, government, and industry experts in the field of Augmented Reality gathered for four days to consider potential technological and societal issues and opportunities that could accompany a future where AR is pervasive in location and duration of use. This report is intended to summarize some of the most novel and potentially impactful insights and opportunities identified by the group. Our target audience includes AR researchers, government leaders, and thought leaders in general. It is our intent to share some compelling technological and societal questions that we believe are unique to AR, and to engender new thinking about the potentially impactful synergies associated with the convergence of AR and some other conventionally distinct areas of research.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {techreport} } In August of 2018 a group of academic, government, and industry experts in the field of Augmented Reality gathered for four days to consider potential technological and societal issues and opportunities that could accompany a future where AR is pervasive in location and duration of use. This report is intended to summarize some of the most novel and potentially impactful insights and opportunities identified by the group. Our target audience includes AR researchers, government leaders, and thought leaders in general. It is our intent to share some compelling technological and societal questions that we believe are unique to AR, and to engender new thinking about the potentially impactful synergies associated with the convergence of AR and some other conventionally distinct areas of research. |
 | Kangsoo Kim; Ryan Schubert; Jason Hochreiter; Gerd Bruder; Gregory Welch Blowing in the Wind: Increasing Social Presence with a Virtual Human via Environmental Airflow Interaction in Mixed Reality Journal Article In: Elsevier Computers and Graphics, 83 (October 2019), pp. 23-32, 2019. @article{Kim2019blow, title = {Blowing in the Wind: Increasing Social Presence with a Virtual Human via Environmental Airflow Interaction in Mixed Reality}, author = {Kangsoo Kim and Ryan Schubert and Jason Hochreiter and Gerd Bruder and Gregory Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ELSEVIER_C_G2019_Special_BlowWindinMR_ICAT_EGVE2018_20190606_reduced.pdf}, doi = {10.1016/j.cag.2019.06.006}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-07-05}, journal = {Elsevier Computers and Graphics}, volume = {83}, number = {October 2019}, pages = {23-32}, abstract = {In this paper, we describe two human-subject studies in which we explored and investigated the effects of subtle multimodal interaction on social presence with a virtual human (VH) in mixed reality (MR). In the studies, participants interacted with a VH, which was co-located with them across a table, with two different platforms: a projection based MR environment and an optical see-through head-mounted display (OST-HMD) based MR environment. While the two studies were not intended to be directly comparable, the second study with an OST-HMD was carefully designed based on the insights and lessons learned from the first projection-based study. For both studies, we compared two levels of gradually increased multimodal interaction: (i) virtual objects being affected by real airflow (e.g., as commonly experienced with fans during warm weather), and (ii) a VH showing awareness of this airflow. We hypothesized that our two levels of treatment would increase the sense of being together with the VH gradually, i.e., participants would report higher social presence with airflow influence than without it, and the social presence would be even higher when the VH showed awareness of the airflow. We observed an increased social presence in the second study when both physical–virtual interaction via airflow and VH awareness behaviors were present, but we observed no clear difference in participant-reported social presence with the VH in the first study. As the considered environmental factors are incidental to the direct interaction with the real human, i.e., they are not significant or necessary for the interaction task, they can provide a reasonably generalizable approach to increase social presence in HMD-based MR environments beyond the specific scenario and environment described here.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } In this paper, we describe two human-subject studies in which we explored and investigated the effects of subtle multimodal interaction on social presence with a virtual human (VH) in mixed reality (MR). In the studies, participants interacted with a VH, which was co-located with them across a table, with two different platforms: a projection based MR environment and an optical see-through head-mounted display (OST-HMD) based MR environment. While the two studies were not intended to be directly comparable, the second study with an OST-HMD was carefully designed based on the insights and lessons learned from the first projection-based study. For both studies, we compared two levels of gradually increased multimodal interaction: (i) virtual objects being affected by real airflow (e.g., as commonly experienced with fans during warm weather), and (ii) a VH showing awareness of this airflow. We hypothesized that our two levels of treatment would increase the sense of being together with the VH gradually, i.e., participants would report higher social presence with airflow influence than without it, and the social presence would be even higher when the VH showed awareness of the airflow. We observed an increased social presence in the second study when both physical–virtual interaction via airflow and VH awareness behaviors were present, but we observed no clear difference in participant-reported social presence with the VH in the first study. As the considered environmental factors are incidental to the direct interaction with the real human, i.e., they are not significant or necessary for the interaction task, they can provide a reasonably generalizable approach to increase social presence in HMD-based MR environments beyond the specific scenario and environment described here. |
 | Nahal Norouzi; Luke Bölling; Gerd Bruder; Gregory F. Welch Augmented Rotations in Virtual Reality for Users with a Reduced Range of Head Movement Journal Article In: Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering, 6 , pp. 1-9, 2019. @article{Norouzi2019c, title = {Augmented Rotations in Virtual Reality for Users with a Reduced Range of Head Movement}, author = {Nahal Norouzi and Luke Bölling and Gerd Bruder and Gregory F. Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/RATE2019_AugmentedRotations.pdf}, doi = {10.1177/2055668319841309}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-05-21}, journal = {Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering}, volume = {6}, pages = {1-9}, abstract = {Introduction: A large body of research in the field of virtual reality (VR) is focused on making user interfaces more natural and intuitive by leveraging natural body movements to explore a virtual environment. For example, head-tracked user interfaces allow users to naturally look around a virtual space by moving their head. However, such approaches may not be appropriate for users with temporary or permanent limitations of their head movement. Methods: In this paper, we present techniques that allow these users to get virtual benefits from a reduced range of physical movements. Specifically, we describe two techniques that augment virtual rotations relative to physical movement thresholds. Results: We describe how each of the two techniques can be implemented with either a head tracker or an eye tracker,e.g., in cases when no physical head rotations are possible. Conclusions: We discuss their differences and limitations and we provide guidelines for the practical use of such augmented user interfaces.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Introduction: A large body of research in the field of virtual reality (VR) is focused on making user interfaces more natural and intuitive by leveraging natural body movements to explore a virtual environment. For example, head-tracked user interfaces allow users to naturally look around a virtual space by moving their head. However, such approaches may not be appropriate for users with temporary or permanent limitations of their head movement. Methods: In this paper, we present techniques that allow these users to get virtual benefits from a reduced range of physical movements. Specifically, we describe two techniques that augment virtual rotations relative to physical movement thresholds. Results: We describe how each of the two techniques can be implemented with either a head tracker or an eye tracker,e.g., in cases when no physical head rotations are possible. Conclusions: We discuss their differences and limitations and we provide guidelines for the practical use of such augmented user interfaces. |
![[POSTER] Matching vs. Non-Matching Visuals and Shape for Embodied Virtual Healthcare Agents](https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ieeevr_poster_thumbnail-1.png) | Salam Daher; Jason Hochreiter; Nahal Norouzi; Ryan Schubert; Gerd Bruder; Laura Gonzalez; Mindi Anderson; Desiree Diaz; Juan Cendan; Greg Welch [POSTER] Matching vs. Non-Matching Visuals and Shape for Embodied Virtual Healthcare Agents Inproceedings In: Proceedings of IEEE Virtual Reality (VR), 2019, 2019. @inproceedings{daher2019matching, title = {[POSTER] Matching vs. Non-Matching Visuals and Shape for Embodied Virtual Healthcare Agents}, author = {Salam Daher and Jason Hochreiter and Nahal Norouzi and Ryan Schubert and Gerd Bruder and Laura Gonzalez and Mindi Anderson and Desiree Diaz and Juan Cendan and Greg Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/IEEEVR2019_Poster_PVChildStudy.pdf}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-03-27}, publisher = {Proceedings of IEEE Virtual Reality (VR), 2019}, abstract = {Embodied virtual agents serving as patient simulators are widely used in medical training scenarios, ranging from physical patients to virtual patients presented via virtual and augmented reality technologies. Physical-virtual patients are a hybrid solution that combines the benefits of dynamic visuals integrated into a human-shaped physical form that can also present other cues, such as pulse, breathing sounds, and temperature. Sometimes in simulation the visuals and shape do not match. We carried out a human-participant study employing graduate nursing students in pediatric patient simulations comprising conditions associated with matching/non-matching of the visuals and shape.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Embodied virtual agents serving as patient simulators are widely used in medical training scenarios, ranging from physical patients to virtual patients presented via virtual and augmented reality technologies. Physical-virtual patients are a hybrid solution that combines the benefits of dynamic visuals integrated into a human-shaped physical form that can also present other cues, such as pulse, breathing sounds, and temperature. Sometimes in simulation the visuals and shape do not match. We carried out a human-participant study employing graduate nursing students in pediatric patient simulations comprising conditions associated with matching/non-matching of the visuals and shape. |
 | Myungho Lee; Gerd Bruder; Greg Welch The Virtual Pole: Exploring Human Responses to Fear of Heights in Immersive Virtual Environments Journal Article In: Journal of Virtual Reality and Broadcasting, 14(2017) (6), 2019, ISSN: 1860-2037. @article{Lee2018b, title = {The Virtual Pole: Exploring Human Responses to Fear of Heights in Immersive Virtual Environments}, author = {Myungho Lee and Gerd Bruder and Greg Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Lee2019b.pdf}, doi = {10.20385/1860-2037/14.2017.6}, issn = {1860-2037}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-02-04}, journal = {Journal of Virtual Reality and Broadcasting}, volume = {14(2017)}, number = {6}, abstract = {Measuring how effective immersive virtual environments (IVEs) are in reproducing sensations as in similar situations in the real world is an important task for many application fields. In this paper, we present an experimental setup which we call the virtual pole, where we evaluated human responses to fear of heights. We conducted experiments where we analyzed correlations between subjective and physiological anxiety measures and the participant’s view direction. Our results show that the view direction plays an important role in subjective and physiological anxiety in an IVE due to the limited field of view, and that the subjective and physiological anxiety measures monotonically increase with the increasing height. In addition, we also found that participants recollected the virtual content they saw at the top more accurately compared to that at the medium height. We discuss the results and provide guidelines for simulations aimed at evoking fear of heights responses in IVEs.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Measuring how effective immersive virtual environments (IVEs) are in reproducing sensations as in similar situations in the real world is an important task for many application fields. In this paper, we present an experimental setup which we call the virtual pole, where we evaluated human responses to fear of heights. We conducted experiments where we analyzed correlations between subjective and physiological anxiety measures and the participant’s view direction. Our results show that the view direction plays an important role in subjective and physiological anxiety in an IVE due to the limited field of view, and that the subjective and physiological anxiety measures monotonically increase with the increasing height. In addition, we also found that participants recollected the virtual content they saw at the top more accurately compared to that at the medium height. We discuss the results and provide guidelines for simulations aimed at evoking fear of heights responses in IVEs. |
 | Nahal Norouzi; Gerd Bruder; Brandon Belna; Stefanie Mutter; Damla Turgut; Greg Welch A Systematic Review of the Convergence of Augmented Reality, Intelligent Virtual Agents, and the Internet of Things Book Chapter In: Artificial Intelligence in IoT, pp. 37, Springer, 2019, ISBN: 978-3-030-04109-0. @inbook{Norouzi2019, title = {A Systematic Review of the Convergence of Augmented Reality, Intelligent Virtual Agents, and the Internet of Things}, author = {Nahal Norouzi and Gerd Bruder and Brandon Belna and Stefanie Mutter and Damla Turgut and Greg Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Norouzi-2019-IoT-AR-Final.pdf}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-030-04110-6_1}, isbn = {978-3-030-04109-0}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-01-10}, booktitle = {Artificial Intelligence in IoT}, pages = {37}, publisher = {Springer}, abstract = {In recent years we are beginning to see the convergence of three distinct research fields: Augmented Reality (AR), Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs), and the Internet of Things (IoT). Each of these has been classified as a disruptive technology for our society. Since their inception, the advancement of knowledge and development of technologies and systems in these fields was traditionally performed with limited input from each other. However, over the last years, we have seen research prototypes and commercial products being developed that cross the boundaries between these distinct fields to leverage their collective strengths. In this review paper, we resume the body of literature published at the intersections between each two of these fields, and we discuss a vision for the nexus of all three technologies.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inbook} } In recent years we are beginning to see the convergence of three distinct research fields: Augmented Reality (AR), Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs), and the Internet of Things (IoT). Each of these has been classified as a disruptive technology for our society. Since their inception, the advancement of knowledge and development of technologies and systems in these fields was traditionally performed with limited input from each other. However, over the last years, we have seen research prototypes and commercial products being developed that cross the boundaries between these distinct fields to leverage their collective strengths. In this review paper, we resume the body of literature published at the intersections between each two of these fields, and we discuss a vision for the nexus of all three technologies. |
2018 |
|
 | Niels Christian Nilsson; Tabitha Peck; Gerd Bruder; Eric Hodgson; Stefania Serafin; Mary Whitton; Frank Steinicke; Evan Suma Rosenberg 15 Years of Research on Redirected Walking in Immersive Virtual Environments Journal Article In: IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, 38 (2), pp. 44-56, 2018. @article{Nilsson2018a, title = {15 Years of Research on Redirected Walking in Immersive Virtual Environments}, author = {Niels Christian Nilsson and Tabitha Peck and Gerd Bruder and Eric Hodgson and Stefania Serafin and Mary Whitton and Frank Steinicke and Evan Suma Rosenberg}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-12-01}, journal = {IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications}, volume = {38}, number = {2}, pages = {44-56}, abstract = {Virtual reality users wearing head-mounted displays can experience the illusion of walking in any direction for infinite distance while, in reality, they are walking a curvilinear path in physical space. This is accomplished by introducing unnoticeable rotations to the virtual environment-a technique called redirected walking. This paper gives an overview of the research that has been performed since redirected walking was first practically demonstrated 15 years ago.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Virtual reality users wearing head-mounted displays can experience the illusion of walking in any direction for infinite distance while, in reality, they are walking a curvilinear path in physical space. This is accomplished by introducing unnoticeable rotations to the virtual environment-a technique called redirected walking. This paper gives an overview of the research that has been performed since redirected walking was first practically demonstrated 15 years ago. |
 | Omar Janeh; Gerd Bruder; Frank Steinicke; Alessandro Gulberti; Monika Poetter-Nerger Analyses of Gait Parameters of Younger and Older Adults during (Non-)Isometric Virtual Walking Journal Article In: IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG), 24 (10), pp. 2663-2674, 2018. @article{Janeh2018a, title = {Analyses of Gait Parameters of Younger and Older Adults during (Non-)Isometric Virtual Walking}, author = {Omar Janeh and Gerd Bruder and Frank Steinicke and Alessandro Gulberti and Monika Poetter-Nerger}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Janeh2018a.pdf}, doi = {10.1109/TVCG.2017.2771520}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-12-01}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG)}, volume = {24}, number = {10}, pages = {2663-2674}, abstract = {Understanding real walking in virtual environments (VEs) is important for immersive experiences, allowing users to move through VEs in the most natural way. Previous studies have shown that basic implementations of real walking in virtual spaces, in which head-tracked movements are mapped isometrically to a VE, are not estimated as entirely natural. Instead, users estimate a virtual walking velocity as more natural when it is slightly increased compared to the user's physical locomotion. However, these findings have been reported in most cases only for young persons, e.g., students, whereas older adults are clearly underrepresented in such studies. Recently, virtual reality (VR) has received significant public and media attention. Therefore, it appears reasonable to assume that people at different ages will have access to VR, and might use this technology more and more in application scenarios such as rehabilitation or training. To better understand how people at different ages walk and perceive locomotion in VR, we have performed a study to investigate the effects of (non-)isometric mappings between physical movements and virtual motions in the VE on the walking biomechanics across generations, i.e., younger and older adults. Three primary domains (pace, base of support and phase) of spatio-temporal parameters were identified to evaluate gait performance. The results show that the older adults walked very similar in the real and VE in the pace and phasic domains, which differs from results found in younger adults. In contrast, the results indicate differences in terms of base of support domain parameters for both groups while walking within a VE and the real world. For non-isometric mappings, we found in both younger and older adults an increased divergence of gait parameters in all domains correlating with the up- or down-scaled velocity of visual self-motion feedback. The results provide important insights into the design of future VR applications for older adults in domains ranging from medicine and psychology to rehabilitation.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Understanding real walking in virtual environments (VEs) is important for immersive experiences, allowing users to move through VEs in the most natural way. Previous studies have shown that basic implementations of real walking in virtual spaces, in which head-tracked movements are mapped isometrically to a VE, are not estimated as entirely natural. Instead, users estimate a virtual walking velocity as more natural when it is slightly increased compared to the user's physical locomotion. However, these findings have been reported in most cases only for young persons, e.g., students, whereas older adults are clearly underrepresented in such studies. Recently, virtual reality (VR) has received significant public and media attention. Therefore, it appears reasonable to assume that people at different ages will have access to VR, and might use this technology more and more in application scenarios such as rehabilitation or training. To better understand how people at different ages walk and perceive locomotion in VR, we have performed a study to investigate the effects of (non-)isometric mappings between physical movements and virtual motions in the VE on the walking biomechanics across generations, i.e., younger and older adults. Three primary domains (pace, base of support and phase) of spatio-temporal parameters were identified to evaluate gait performance. The results show that the older adults walked very similar in the real and VE in the pace and phasic domains, which differs from results found in younger adults. In contrast, the results indicate differences in terms of base of support domain parameters for both groups while walking within a VE and the real world. For non-isometric mappings, we found in both younger and older adults an increased divergence of gait parameters in all domains correlating with the up- or down-scaled velocity of visual self-motion feedback. The results provide important insights into the design of future VR applications for older adults in domains ranging from medicine and psychology to rehabilitation. |
 | Myungho Lee; Nahal Norouzi; Gerd Bruder; Pamela J. Wisniewski; Gregory F. Welch The Physical-virtual Table: Exploring the Effects of a Virtual Human's Physical Influence on Social Interaction Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the 24th ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology, pp. 25:1–25:11, ACM, New York, NY, USA, 2018, ISBN: 978-1-4503-6086-9, (Best Paper Award). @inproceedings{Lee2018ac, title = {The Physical-virtual Table: Exploring the Effects of a Virtual Human's Physical Influence on Social Interaction}, author = {Myungho Lee and Nahal Norouzi and Gerd Bruder and Pamela J. Wisniewski and Gregory F. Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Lee2018ab.pdf}, doi = {10.1145/3281505.3281533}, isbn = {978-1-4503-6086-9}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-11-28}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 24th ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology}, journal = {Proceedings of the 24th ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology}, pages = {25:1--25:11}, publisher = {ACM}, address = {New York, NY, USA}, series = {VRST '18}, abstract = {In this paper, we investigate the effects of the physical influence of a virtual human (VH) in the context of face-to-face interaction in augmented reality (AR). In our study, participants played a tabletop game with a VH, in which each player takes a turn and moves their own token along the designated spots on the shared table. We com- pared two conditions as follows: the VH in the virtual condition moves a virtual token that can only be seen through AR glasses, while the VH in the physical condition moves a physical token as the participants do; therefore the VH’s token can be seen even in the periphery of the AR glasses. For the physical condition, we designed an actuator system underneath the table. The actuator moves a magnet under the table which then moves the VH’s phys- ical token over the surface of the table. Our results indicate that participants felt higher co-presence with the VH in the physical condition, and participants assessed the VH as a more physical entity compared to the VH in the virtual condition. We further ob- served transference effects when participants attributed the VH’s ability to move physical objects to other elements in the real world. Also, the VH’s physical influence improved participants’ overall experience with the VH. We discuss potential explanations for the findings and implications for future shared AR tabletop setups.}, note = {Best Paper Award}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } In this paper, we investigate the effects of the physical influence of a virtual human (VH) in the context of face-to-face interaction in augmented reality (AR). In our study, participants played a tabletop game with a VH, in which each player takes a turn and moves their own token along the designated spots on the shared table. We com- pared two conditions as follows: the VH in the virtual condition moves a virtual token that can only be seen through AR glasses, while the VH in the physical condition moves a physical token as the participants do; therefore the VH’s token can be seen even in the periphery of the AR glasses. For the physical condition, we designed an actuator system underneath the table. The actuator moves a magnet under the table which then moves the VH’s phys- ical token over the surface of the table. Our results indicate that participants felt higher co-presence with the VH in the physical condition, and participants assessed the VH as a more physical entity compared to the VH in the virtual condition. We further ob- served transference effects when participants attributed the VH’s ability to move physical objects to other elements in the real world. Also, the VH’s physical influence improved participants’ overall experience with the VH. We discuss potential explanations for the findings and implications for future shared AR tabletop setups. |
 | Ryan Schubert; Gerd Bruder; Greg Welch Adaptive filtering of physical-virtual artifacts for synthetic animatronics Inproceedings In: Bruder, G; Cobb, S; Yoshimoto, S (Ed.): ICAT-EGVE 2018 - International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments, Limassol, Cyprus, November 7-9 2018, 2018. BibTeX | Links: @inproceedings{Schubert2018, title = {Adaptive filtering of physical-virtual artifacts for synthetic animatronics}, author = {Ryan Schubert and Gerd Bruder and Greg Welch}, editor = {G. Bruder and S. Cobb and S. Yoshimoto}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Schubert2018.pdf}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-11-07}, booktitle = {ICAT-EGVE 2018 - International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments, Limassol, Cyprus, November 7-9 2018}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } |
 | Kangsoo Kim; Gerd Bruder; Gregory F. Welch Blowing in the Wind: Increasing Copresence with a Virtual Human via Airflow Influence in Augmented Reality Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments (ICAT-EGVE 2018), Limassol, Cyprus, November 7–9, 2018, pp. 183-190, 2018, (Honorable Mention Award). @inproceedings{Kim2018c, title = {Blowing in the Wind: Increasing Copresence with a Virtual Human via Airflow Influence in Augmented Reality}, author = {Kangsoo Kim and Gerd Bruder and Gregory F. Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Kim_Airflow_ICAT_EGVE2018.pdf}, doi = {10.2312/egve.20181332}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-11-07}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments (ICAT-EGVE 2018), Limassol, Cyprus, November 7–9, 2018}, pages = {183-190}, abstract = {In a social context where two or more interlocutors interact with each other in the same space, one's sense of copresence with the others is an important factor for the quality of communication and engagement in the interaction. Although augmented reality (AR) technology enables the superposition of virtual humans (VHs) as interlocutors in the real world, the resulting sense of copresence is usually far lower than with a real human interlocutor. In this paper, we describe a human-subject study in which we explored and investigated the effects that subtle multi-modal interaction between the virtual environment and the real world, where a VH and human participants were co-located, can have on copresence. We compared two levels of gradually increased multi-modal interaction: (i) virtual objects being affected by real airflow as commonly experienced with fans in summer, and (ii) a VH showing awareness of this airflow. We chose airflow as one example of an environmental factor that can noticeably affect both the real and virtual worlds, and also cause subtle responses in interlocutors. We hypothesized that our two levels of treatment would increase the sense of being together with the VH gradually, i.e., participants would report higher copresence with airflow influence than without it, and the copresence would be even higher when the VH shows awareness of the airflow. The statistical analysis with the participant-reported copresence scores showed that there was an improvement of the perceived copresence with the VH when both the physical–virtual interactivity via airflow and the VH's awareness behaviors were present together. As the considered environmental factors are directed at the VH, i.e., they are not part of the direct interaction with the real human, they can provide a reasonably generalizable approach to support copresence in AR beyond the particular use case in the present experiment.}, note = {Honorable Mention Award}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } In a social context where two or more interlocutors interact with each other in the same space, one's sense of copresence with the others is an important factor for the quality of communication and engagement in the interaction. Although augmented reality (AR) technology enables the superposition of virtual humans (VHs) as interlocutors in the real world, the resulting sense of copresence is usually far lower than with a real human interlocutor. In this paper, we describe a human-subject study in which we explored and investigated the effects that subtle multi-modal interaction between the virtual environment and the real world, where a VH and human participants were co-located, can have on copresence. We compared two levels of gradually increased multi-modal interaction: (i) virtual objects being affected by real airflow as commonly experienced with fans in summer, and (ii) a VH showing awareness of this airflow. We chose airflow as one example of an environmental factor that can noticeably affect both the real and virtual worlds, and also cause subtle responses in interlocutors. We hypothesized that our two levels of treatment would increase the sense of being together with the VH gradually, i.e., participants would report higher copresence with airflow influence than without it, and the copresence would be even higher when the VH shows awareness of the airflow. The statistical analysis with the participant-reported copresence scores showed that there was an improvement of the perceived copresence with the VH when both the physical–virtual interactivity via airflow and the VH's awareness behaviors were present together. As the considered environmental factors are directed at the VH, i.e., they are not part of the direct interaction with the real human, they can provide a reasonably generalizable approach to support copresence in AR beyond the particular use case in the present experiment. |
| Susanne Schmidt; Gerd Bruder; Frank Steinicke Effects of Embodiment on Generic and Content-Specific Intelligent Virtual Agents as Exhibition Guides Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments (ICAT-EGVE 2018), Limassol, Cyprus, November 7–9, 2018, pp. 13-20, 2018, (Best Paper Award). @inproceedings{Schmidt2018a, title = {Effects of Embodiment on Generic and Content-Specific Intelligent Virtual Agents as Exhibition Guides}, author = {Susanne Schmidt and Gerd Bruder and Frank Steinicke}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Schmidt2018a.pdf}, doi = {10.2312/egve.20181309}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-11-07}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments (ICAT-EGVE 2018), Limassol, Cyprus, November 7–9, 2018}, pages = {13-20}, abstract = {Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs) received enormous attention in recent years due to significant improvements in voice communication technologies and the convergence of different research fields such as Machine Learning, Internet of Things, and Virtual Reality (VR). Interactive conversational IVAs can appear in different forms such as voice-only or with embodied audio-visual representations showing, for example, human-like contextually related or generic three-dimensional bodies. In this paper, we analyzed the benefits of different forms of virtual agents in the context of a VR exhibition space. Our results suggest positive evidence showing large benefits of both embodied and thematically related audio-visual representations of IVAs. We discuss implications and suggestions for content developers to design believable virtual agents in the context of such installations.}, note = {Best Paper Award}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs) received enormous attention in recent years due to significant improvements in voice communication technologies and the convergence of different research fields such as Machine Learning, Internet of Things, and Virtual Reality (VR). Interactive conversational IVAs can appear in different forms such as voice-only or with embodied audio-visual representations showing, for example, human-like contextually related or generic three-dimensional bodies. In this paper, we analyzed the benefits of different forms of virtual agents in the context of a VR exhibition space. Our results suggest positive evidence showing large benefits of both embodied and thematically related audio-visual representations of IVAs. We discuss implications and suggestions for content developers to design believable virtual agents in the context of such installations. |
 | Greg Welch; Tianren Wang; Gary Bishop; Gerd Bruder A Novel Approach for Cooperative Motion Capture (COMOCAP) Inproceedings In: Bruder, G; Cobb, S; Yoshimoto, S (Ed.): ICAT-EGVE 2018 - International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments, The Eurographics Association, Limassol, Cyprus, 2018. @inproceedings{Welch2018ab, title = {A Novel Approach for Cooperative Motion Capture (COMOCAP)}, author = {Greg Welch and Tianren Wang and Gary Bishop and Gerd Bruder}, editor = {G. Bruder and S. Cobb and S. Yoshimoto}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Welch2018ab.pdf}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-11-07}, booktitle = {ICAT-EGVE 2018 - International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments}, publisher = {The Eurographics Association}, address = {Limassol, Cyprus}, abstract = {Conventional motion capture (MOCAP) systems, e.g., optical systems, typically perform well for one person, but less so for multiple people in close proximity. Measurement quality can decline with distance, and even drop out as source/sensor components are occluded by nearby people. Furthermore, conventional optical MOCAP systems estimate body posture using a global estimation approach employing cameras that are fixed in the environment, typically at a distance such that one person or object can easily occlude another, and the relative error between tracked objects in the scene can increase as they move farther from the cameras and/or closer to each other. Body-relative tracking approaches use body-worn sensors and/or sources to track limbs with respect to the head or torso, for example, taking advantage of the proximity of limbs to the body. We present a novel approach to MOCAP that combines and extends conventional global and body- relative approaches by distributing both sensing and active signaling over each person’s body to facilitate body-relative (intra-user) MOCAP for one person and body-body (inter-user) MOCAP for multiple people, in an approach we call cooperative motion capture (COMOCAP). We support the validity of the approach with simulation results from a system comprised of acoustic transceivers (receiver-transmitter units) that provide inter-transceiver range measurements. Optical, magnetic, and other types of transceivers could also be used. Our simulations demonstrate the advantages of this approach to effectively improve accuracy and robustness to occlusions in situations of close proximity between multiple persons.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Conventional motion capture (MOCAP) systems, e.g., optical systems, typically perform well for one person, but less so for multiple people in close proximity. Measurement quality can decline with distance, and even drop out as source/sensor components are occluded by nearby people. Furthermore, conventional optical MOCAP systems estimate body posture using a global estimation approach employing cameras that are fixed in the environment, typically at a distance such that one person or object can easily occlude another, and the relative error between tracked objects in the scene can increase as they move farther from the cameras and/or closer to each other. Body-relative tracking approaches use body-worn sensors and/or sources to track limbs with respect to the head or torso, for example, taking advantage of the proximity of limbs to the body. We present a novel approach to MOCAP that combines and extends conventional global and body- relative approaches by distributing both sensing and active signaling over each person’s body to facilitate body-relative (intra-user) MOCAP for one person and body-body (inter-user) MOCAP for multiple people, in an approach we call cooperative motion capture (COMOCAP). We support the validity of the approach with simulation results from a system comprised of acoustic transceivers (receiver-transmitter units) that provide inter-transceiver range measurements. Optical, magnetic, and other types of transceivers could also be used. Our simulations demonstrate the advantages of this approach to effectively improve accuracy and robustness to occlusions in situations of close proximity between multiple persons. |
 | Nahal Norouzi; Kangsoo Kim; Jason Hochreiter; Myungho Lee; Salam Daher; Gerd Bruder; Gregory Welch A Systematic Survey of 15 Years of User Studies Published in the Intelligent Virtual Agents Conference Inproceedings In: IVA '18 Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents, pp. 17-22, ACM ACM, 2018, ISBN: 978-1-4503-6013-5/18/11. @inproceedings{Norouzi2018c, title = {A Systematic Survey of 15 Years of User Studies Published in the Intelligent Virtual Agents Conference}, author = {Nahal Norouzi and Kangsoo Kim and Jason Hochreiter and Myungho Lee and Salam Daher and Gerd Bruder and Gregory Welch }, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/p17-norouzi-2.pdf}, doi = {10.1145/3267851.3267901}, isbn = {978-1-4503-6013-5/18/11}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-11-05}, booktitle = {IVA '18 Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents}, pages = {17-22}, publisher = {ACM}, organization = {ACM}, abstract = {The field of intelligent virtual agents (IVAs) has evolved immensely over the past 15 years, introducing new application opportunities in areas such as training, health care, and virtual assistants. In this survey paper, we provide a systematic review of the most influential user studies published in the IVA conference from 2001 to 2015 focusing on IVA development, human perception, and interactions. A total of 247 papers with 276 user studies have been classified and reviewed based on their contributions and impact. We identify the different areas of research and provide a summary of the papers with the highest impact. With the trends of past user studies and the current state of technology, we provide insights into future trends and research challenges.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } The field of intelligent virtual agents (IVAs) has evolved immensely over the past 15 years, introducing new application opportunities in areas such as training, health care, and virtual assistants. In this survey paper, we provide a systematic review of the most influential user studies published in the IVA conference from 2001 to 2015 focusing on IVA development, human perception, and interactions. A total of 247 papers with 276 user studies have been classified and reviewed based on their contributions and impact. We identify the different areas of research and provide a summary of the papers with the highest impact. With the trends of past user studies and the current state of technology, we provide insights into future trends and research challenges. |
 | Salam Daher; Jason Hochreiter; Nahal Norouzi; Laura Gonzalez; Gerd Bruder; Greg Welch Physical-Virtual Agents for Healthcare Simulation Inproceedings In: Proceedings of IVA 2018, November 5-8, 2018, Sydney, NSW, Australia, ACM, 2018. @inproceedings{daher2018physical, title = {Physical-Virtual Agents for Healthcare Simulation}, author = {Salam Daher and Jason Hochreiter and Nahal Norouzi and Laura Gonzalez and Gerd Bruder and Greg Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/IVA2018_StrokeStudy_CameraReady_Editor_20180911_1608.pdf}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-11-04}, booktitle = {Proceedings of IVA 2018, November 5-8, 2018, Sydney, NSW, Australia}, publisher = {ACM}, abstract = {Conventional Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs) focus primarily on the visual and auditory channels for both the agent and the interacting human: the agent displays a visual appearance and speech as output, while processing the human’s verbal and non-verbal behavior as input. However, some interactions, particularly those between a patient and healthcare provider, inherently include tactile components.We introduce an Intelligent Physical-Virtual Agent (IPVA) head that occupies an appropriate physical volume; can be touched; and via human-in-the-loop control can change appearance, listen, speak, and react physiologically in response to human behavior. Compared to a traditional IVA, it provides a physical affordance, allowing for more realistic and compelling human-agent interactions. In a user study focusing on neurological assessment of a simulated patient showing stroke symptoms, we compared the IPVA head with a high-fidelity touch-aware mannequin that has a static appearance. Various measures of the human subjects indicated greater attention, affinity for, and presence with the IPVA patient, all factors that can improve healthcare training.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Conventional Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs) focus primarily on the visual and auditory channels for both the agent and the interacting human: the agent displays a visual appearance and speech as output, while processing the human’s verbal and non-verbal behavior as input. However, some interactions, particularly those between a patient and healthcare provider, inherently include tactile components.We introduce an Intelligent Physical-Virtual Agent (IPVA) head that occupies an appropriate physical volume; can be touched; and via human-in-the-loop control can change appearance, listen, speak, and react physiologically in response to human behavior. Compared to a traditional IVA, it provides a physical affordance, allowing for more realistic and compelling human-agent interactions. In a user study focusing on neurological assessment of a simulated patient showing stroke symptoms, we compared the IPVA head with a high-fidelity touch-aware mannequin that has a static appearance. Various measures of the human subjects indicated greater attention, affinity for, and presence with the IPVA patient, all factors that can improve healthcare training. |
 | Kangsoo Kim; Luke Boelling; Steffen Haesler; Jeremy N. Bailenson; Gerd Bruder; Gregory F. Welch Does a Digital Assistant Need a Body? The Influence of Visual Embodiment and Social Behavior on the Perception of Intelligent Virtual Agents in AR Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the 17th IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2018), Munich, Germany, October 16–20, 2018, 2018. @inproceedings{Kim2018a, title = {Does a Digital Assistant Need a Body? The Influence of Visual Embodiment and Social Behavior on the Perception of Intelligent Virtual Agents in AR}, author = {Kangsoo Kim and Luke Boelling and Steffen Haesler and Jeremy N. Bailenson and Gerd Bruder and Gregory F. Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Kim2018a.pdf}, doi = {10.1109/ISMAR.2018.00039}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-10-16}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 17th IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2018), Munich, Germany, October 16–20, 2018}, abstract = {Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs) are becoming part of our everyday life, thanks to artificial intelligence technology and Internet of Things devices. For example, users can control their connected home appliances through natural voice commands to the IVA. However, most current-state commercial IVAs, such as Amazon Alexa, mainly focus on voice commands and voice feedback, and lack the ability to provide non-verbal cues which are an important part of social interaction. Augmented Reality (AR) has the potential to overcome this challenge by providing a visual embodiment of the IVA. In this paper we investigate how visual embodiment and social behaviors influence the perception of the IVA. We hypothesize that a user's confidence in an IVA's ability to perform tasks is improved when imbuing the agent with a human body and social behaviors compared to the agent solely depending on voice feedback. In other words, an agent's embodied gesture and locomotion behavior exhibiting awareness of the surrounding real world or exerting influence over the environment can improve the perceived social presence with and confidence in the agent. We present a human-subject study, in which we evaluated the hypothesis and compared different forms of IVAs with speech, gesturing, and locomotion behaviors in an interactive AR scenario. The results show support for the hypothesis with measures of confidence, trust, and social presence. We discuss implications for future developments in the field of IVAs.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs) are becoming part of our everyday life, thanks to artificial intelligence technology and Internet of Things devices. For example, users can control their connected home appliances through natural voice commands to the IVA. However, most current-state commercial IVAs, such as Amazon Alexa, mainly focus on voice commands and voice feedback, and lack the ability to provide non-verbal cues which are an important part of social interaction. Augmented Reality (AR) has the potential to overcome this challenge by providing a visual embodiment of the IVA. In this paper we investigate how visual embodiment and social behaviors influence the perception of the IVA. We hypothesize that a user's confidence in an IVA's ability to perform tasks is improved when imbuing the agent with a human body and social behaviors compared to the agent solely depending on voice feedback. In other words, an agent's embodied gesture and locomotion behavior exhibiting awareness of the surrounding real world or exerting influence over the environment can improve the perceived social presence with and confidence in the agent. We present a human-subject study, in which we evaluated the hypothesis and compared different forms of IVAs with speech, gesturing, and locomotion behaviors in an interactive AR scenario. The results show support for the hypothesis with measures of confidence, trust, and social presence. We discuss implications for future developments in the field of IVAs. |
![[POSTER] Seeing is Believing: Improving the Perceived Trust in Visually Embodied Alexa in Augmented Reality](https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Haesler2018Thumb-300x189.png) | Steffen Haesler; Kangsoo Kim; Gerd Bruder; Gregory F. Welch [POSTER] Seeing is Believing: Improving the Perceived Trust in Visually Embodied Alexa in Augmented Reality Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the 17th IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2018), Munich, Germany, October 16–20, 2018, 2018. @inproceedings{Haesler2018, title = {[POSTER] Seeing is Believing: Improving the Perceived Trust in Visually Embodied Alexa in Augmented Reality}, author = {Steffen Haesler and Kangsoo Kim and Gerd Bruder and Gregory F. Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Haesler2018.pdf}, doi = {10.1109/ISMAR-Adjunct.2018.00067}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-10-16}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 17th IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2018), Munich, Germany, October 16–20, 2018}, abstract = {Voice-activated Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVAs) such as Amazon Alexa offer a natural and realistic form of interaction that pursues the level of social interaction among real humans. The user experience with such technologies depends to a large degree on the perceived trust in and reliability of the IVA. In this poster, we explore the effects of a three-dimensional embodied representation of Amazon Alexa in Augmented Reality (AR) on the user’s perceived trust in her being able to control Internet of Things (IoT) devices in a smart home environment. We present a preliminary study and discuss the potential of positive effects in perceived trust due to the embodied representation compared to a voice-only condition.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Voice-activated Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVAs) such as Amazon Alexa offer a natural and realistic form of interaction that pursues the level of social interaction among real humans. The user experience with such technologies depends to a large degree on the perceived trust in and reliability of the IVA. In this poster, we explore the effects of a three-dimensional embodied representation of Amazon Alexa in Augmented Reality (AR) on the user’s perceived trust in her being able to control Internet of Things (IoT) devices in a smart home environment. We present a preliminary study and discuss the potential of positive effects in perceived trust due to the embodied representation compared to a voice-only condition. |
 | Sungchul Jung; Gerd Bruder; Pamela Wisniewski; Chistian Sandor; Charles E. Hughes Over My Hand: Using a Personalized Hand in VR to Improve Object Size Estimation, Body Ownership, and Presence Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the 6th ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interaction (SUI 2018), Berlin, Germany, October 13-14, 2018, 2018, (Best Paper Award). @inproceedings{Jung2018b, title = {Over My Hand: Using a Personalized Hand in VR to Improve Object Size Estimation, Body Ownership, and Presence}, author = {Sungchul Jung and Gerd Bruder and Pamela Wisniewski and Chistian Sandor and Charles E. Hughes}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-10-13}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 6th ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interaction (SUI 2018), Berlin, Germany, October 13-14, 2018}, note = {Best Paper Award}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } |
 | Kangsoo Kim; Mark Billinghurst; Gerd Bruder; Henry Been-Lirn Duh; Gregory F. Welch Revisiting Trends in Augmented Reality Research: A Review of the 2nd Decade of ISMAR (2008–2017) Journal Article In: IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 24 (11), pp. 2947-2962, 2018, ISSN: 1077-2626. @article{Kim2018b, title = {Revisiting Trends in Augmented Reality Research: A Review of the 2nd Decade of ISMAR (2008–2017)}, author = {Kangsoo Kim and Mark Billinghurst and Gerd Bruder and Henry Been-Lirn Duh and Gregory F. Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Kim2018b.pdf}, doi = {10.1109/TVCG.2018.2868591}, issn = {1077-2626}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-09-06}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics}, volume = {24}, number = {11}, pages = {2947-2962}, abstract = {In 2008, Zhou et al. presented a survey paper summarizing the previous ten years of ISMAR publications, which provided invaluable insights into the research challenges and trends associated with that time period. Ten years later, we review the research that has been presented at ISMAR conferences since the survey of Zhou et al., at a time when both academia and the AR industry are enjoying dramatic technological changes. Here we consider the research results and trends of the last decade of ISMAR by carefully reviewing the ISMAR publications from the period of 2008–2017, in the context of the first ten years. The numbers of papers for different research topics and their impacts by citations were analyzed while reviewing them—which reveals that there is a sharp increase in AR evaluation and rendering research. Based on this review we offer some observations related to potential future research areas or trends, which could be helpful to AR researchers and industry members looking ahead.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } In 2008, Zhou et al. presented a survey paper summarizing the previous ten years of ISMAR publications, which provided invaluable insights into the research challenges and trends associated with that time period. Ten years later, we review the research that has been presented at ISMAR conferences since the survey of Zhou et al., at a time when both academia and the AR industry are enjoying dramatic technological changes. Here we consider the research results and trends of the last decade of ISMAR by carefully reviewing the ISMAR publications from the period of 2008–2017, in the context of the first ten years. The numbers of papers for different research topics and their impacts by citations were analyzed while reviewing them—which reveals that there is a sharp increase in AR evaluation and rendering research. Based on this review we offer some observations related to potential future research areas or trends, which could be helpful to AR researchers and industry members looking ahead. |
| Nahal Norouzi; Luke Bölling; Gerd Bruder; Greg Welch Augmented Rotations in Virtual Reality for Users with a Reduced Range of Head Movement Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the 12th international conference on disability, virtual reality and associated technologies (ICDVRAT 2018), pp. 8, 2018, ISBN: 978-0-7049-1548-0. @inproceedings{Norouzi2018b, title = {Augmented Rotations in Virtual Reality for Users with a Reduced Range of Head Movement}, author = {Nahal Norouzi and Luke Bölling and Gerd Bruder and Greg Welch }, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ICDVRAT-ITAG-2018-Conference-Proceedings-122-129.pdf}, isbn = {978-0-7049-1548-0}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-09-04}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 12th international conference on disability, virtual reality and associated technologies (ICDVRAT 2018)}, pages = {8}, abstract = {A large body of research in the field of virtual reality (VR) is focused on making user interfaces more natural and intuitive by leveraging natural body movements to explore a virtual environment. For example, head-tracked user interfaces allow users to naturally look around a virtual space by moving their head. However, such approaches may not be appropriate for users with temporary or permanent limitations of their head movement. In this paper, we present techniques that allow these users to get full-movement benefits from a reduced range of physical movements. Specifically, we describe two techniques that augment virtual rotations relative to physical movement thresholds. We describe how each of the two techniques can be implemented with either a head tracker or an eye tracker, e.g., in cases when no physical head rotations are possible. We discuss their differences and limitations and we provide guidelines for the practical use of such augmented user interfaces.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } A large body of research in the field of virtual reality (VR) is focused on making user interfaces more natural and intuitive by leveraging natural body movements to explore a virtual environment. For example, head-tracked user interfaces allow users to naturally look around a virtual space by moving their head. However, such approaches may not be appropriate for users with temporary or permanent limitations of their head movement. In this paper, we present techniques that allow these users to get full-movement benefits from a reduced range of physical movements. Specifically, we describe two techniques that augment virtual rotations relative to physical movement thresholds. We describe how each of the two techniques can be implemented with either a head tracker or an eye tracker, e.g., in cases when no physical head rotations are possible. We discuss their differences and limitations and we provide guidelines for the practical use of such augmented user interfaces. |
 | Nahal Norouzi; Gerd Bruder; Greg Welch Assessing Vignetting as a Means to Reduce VR Sickness During Amplified Head Rotations Inproceedings In: ACM Symposium on Applied Perception 2018, pp. 8, ACM 2018, ISBN: 978-1-4503-5894-1/18/08. @inproceedings{Norouzi2018, title = {Assessing Vignetting as a Means to Reduce VR Sickness During Amplified Head Rotations}, author = {Nahal Norouzi and Gerd Bruder and Greg Welch }, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/19-32-norouzi-1.pdf}, doi = {10.1145/3225153.3225162}, isbn = {978-1-4503-5894-1/18/08}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-08-10}, booktitle = {ACM Symposium on Applied Perception 2018}, pages = {8}, organization = {ACM}, abstract = {Redirected and amplified head movements have the potential to provide more natural interaction with virtual environments (VEs) than using controller-based input, which causes large discrepancies between visual and vestibular self-motion cues and leads to increased VR sickness. However, such amplified head movements may also exacerbate VR sickness symptoms over no amplification. Several general methods have been introduced to reduce VR sickness for controller-based input inside a VE, including a popular vignetting method that gradually reduces the field of view. In this paper, we investigate the use of vignetting to reduce VR sickness when using amplified head rotations instead of controller-based input. We also investigate whether the induced VR sickness is a result of the user's head acceleration or velocity by introducing two different modes of vignetting, one triggered by acceleration and the other by velocity. Our dependent measures were pre and post VR sickness questionnaires as well as estimated discomfort levels that were assessed each minute of the experiment. Our results show interesting effects between a baseline condition without vignetting, as well as the two vignetting methods, generally indicating that the vignetting methods did not succeed in reducing VR sickness for most of the participants and, instead, lead to a significant increase. We discuss the results and potential explanations of our findings.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Redirected and amplified head movements have the potential to provide more natural interaction with virtual environments (VEs) than using controller-based input, which causes large discrepancies between visual and vestibular self-motion cues and leads to increased VR sickness. However, such amplified head movements may also exacerbate VR sickness symptoms over no amplification. Several general methods have been introduced to reduce VR sickness for controller-based input inside a VE, including a popular vignetting method that gradually reduces the field of view. In this paper, we investigate the use of vignetting to reduce VR sickness when using amplified head rotations instead of controller-based input. We also investigate whether the induced VR sickness is a result of the user's head acceleration or velocity by introducing two different modes of vignetting, one triggered by acceleration and the other by velocity. Our dependent measures were pre and post VR sickness questionnaires as well as estimated discomfort levels that were assessed each minute of the experiment. Our results show interesting effects between a baseline condition without vignetting, as well as the two vignetting methods, generally indicating that the vignetting methods did not succeed in reducing VR sickness for most of the participants and, instead, lead to a significant increase. We discuss the results and potential explanations of our findings. |
 | Eike Langbehn; Frank Steinicke; Markus Lappe; Gregory F. Welch; Gerd Bruder In the Blink of an Eye – Leveraging Blink-Induced Suppression for Imperceptible Position andOrientation Redirection in Virtual Reality Journal Article In: ACM Transactions of Graphics (TOG), Special Issue on ACM SIGGRAPH 2018, 37 (4), pp. 1-11, 2018. BibTeX | Links: @article{Langbehn2018, title = {In the Blink of an Eye – Leveraging Blink-Induced Suppression for Imperceptible Position andOrientation Redirection in Virtual Reality}, author = {Eike Langbehn and Frank Steinicke and Markus Lappe and Gregory F. Welch and Gerd Bruder}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Langbehn2018.pdf}, doi = {10.1145/3197517.3201335}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-08-01}, journal = {ACM Transactions of Graphics (TOG), Special Issue on ACM SIGGRAPH 2018}, volume = {37}, number = {4}, pages = {1-11}, chapter = {66}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } |
 | Glenn Taylor; Anthony Deschamps; Alyssa Tanaka; Denise Nicholson; Gerd Bruder; Gregory Welch; Francisco Guido-Sanz Augmented Reality for Tactical Combat Casualty Care Training Inproceedings In: Augmented Cognition: Users and Contexts, pp. 227–239, Springer International Publishing, 2018, ISBN: 978-3-319-91467-1. BibTeX | Links: @inproceedings{Taylor2018aa, title = {Augmented Reality for Tactical Combat Casualty Care Training}, author = {Glenn Taylor and Anthony Deschamps and Alyssa Tanaka and Denise Nicholson and Gerd Bruder and Gregory Welch and Francisco Guido-Sanz}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Taylor2018aa.pdf}, isbn = {978-3-319-91467-1}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-05-03}, booktitle = {Augmented Cognition: Users and Contexts}, pages = {227--239}, publisher = {Springer International Publishing}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } |
 | Jason Hochreiter; Salam Daher; Gerd Bruder; Greg Welch Cognitive and touch performance effects of mismatched 3D physical and visual perceptions Inproceedings In: IEEE Virtual Reality 2018 (VR 2018), 2018. @inproceedings{Hochreiter2018, title = {Cognitive and touch performance effects of mismatched 3D physical and visual perceptions}, author = {Jason Hochreiter and Salam Daher and Gerd Bruder and Greg Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/hochreiter2018.pdf}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-03-22}, booktitle = {IEEE Virtual Reality 2018 (VR 2018)}, abstract = {In a controlled human-subject study we investigated the effects of mismatched physical and visual perception on cognitive load and performance in an Augmented Reality (AR) touching task by varying the physical fidelity (matching vs. non-matching physical shape) and visual mechanism (projector-based vs. HMD-based AR) of the representation. Participants touched visual targets on four corresponding physical-visual representations of a human head. We evaluated their performance in terms of touch accuracy, response time, and a cognitive load task requiring target size estimations during a concurrent (secondary) counting task. Results indicated higher performance, lower cognitive load, and increased usability when participants touched a matching physical head-shaped surface and with visuals provided by a projector from underneath.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } In a controlled human-subject study we investigated the effects of mismatched physical and visual perception on cognitive load and performance in an Augmented Reality (AR) touching task by varying the physical fidelity (matching vs. non-matching physical shape) and visual mechanism (projector-based vs. HMD-based AR) of the representation. Participants touched visual targets on four corresponding physical-visual representations of a human head. We evaluated their performance in terms of touch accuracy, response time, and a cognitive load task requiring target size estimations during a concurrent (secondary) counting task. Results indicated higher performance, lower cognitive load, and increased usability when participants touched a matching physical head-shaped surface and with visuals provided by a projector from underneath. |
 | Oscar Ariza; Gerd Bruder; Nicholas Katzakis; Frank Steinicke Analysis of Proximity-Based Multimodal Feedback for 3D Selection in Immersive Virtual Environments Inproceedings In: Proceedings of IEEE Virtual Reality (VR), pp. 327-334, 2018. @inproceedings{Ariza2018a, title = {Analysis of Proximity-Based Multimodal Feedback for 3D Selection in Immersive Virtual Environments}, author = {Oscar Ariza and Gerd Bruder and Nicholas Katzakis and Frank Steinicke}, doi = {10.1109/VR.2018.8446317}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-03-01}, booktitle = {Proceedings of IEEE Virtual Reality (VR)}, pages = {327-334}, abstract = {Interaction tasks in virtual reality (VR) such as three-dimensional (3D) selection or manipulation of objects often suffer from reduced performance due to missing or different feedback provided by VR systems than during corresponding real-world interactions. Vibrotactile and auditory feedback have been suggested as additional perceptual cues complementing the visual channel to improve interaction in VR. However, it has rarely been shown that multimodal feedback improves performance or reduces errors during 3D object selection. Only little research has been conducted in the area of proximity-based multimodal feedback, in which stimulus intensities depend on spatiotemporal relations between input device and the virtual target object. In this paper, we analyzed the effects of unimodal and bimodal feedback provided through the visual, auditory and tactile modalities, while users perform 3D object selections in VEs, by comparing both binary and continuous proximity-based feedback. We conducted a Fitts' Law experiment and evaluated the different feedback approaches. The results show that the feedback types affect ballistic and correction phases of the selection movement, and significantly influence the user performance.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Interaction tasks in virtual reality (VR) such as three-dimensional (3D) selection or manipulation of objects often suffer from reduced performance due to missing or different feedback provided by VR systems than during corresponding real-world interactions. Vibrotactile and auditory feedback have been suggested as additional perceptual cues complementing the visual channel to improve interaction in VR. However, it has rarely been shown that multimodal feedback improves performance or reduces errors during 3D object selection. Only little research has been conducted in the area of proximity-based multimodal feedback, in which stimulus intensities depend on spatiotemporal relations between input device and the virtual target object. In this paper, we analyzed the effects of unimodal and bimodal feedback provided through the visual, auditory and tactile modalities, while users perform 3D object selections in VEs, by comparing both binary and continuous proximity-based feedback. We conducted a Fitts' Law experiment and evaluated the different feedback approaches. The results show that the feedback types affect ballistic and correction phases of the selection movement, and significantly influence the user performance. |
 | Myungho Lee; Gerd Bruder; Tobias Hollerer; Greg Welch Effects of Unaugmented Periphery and Vibrotactile Feedback on Proxemics with Virtual Humans in AR Journal Article In: IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 24 (4), pp. 1525-1534, 2018. @article{Lee2018, title = {Effects of Unaugmented Periphery and Vibrotactile Feedback on Proxemics with Virtual Humans in AR}, author = {Myungho Lee and Gerd Bruder and Tobias Hollerer and Greg Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Lee2018.pdf}, doi = {10.1109/TVCG.2018.2794074 }, year = {2018}, date = {2018-02-23}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics}, volume = {24}, number = {4}, pages = {1525-1534}, abstract = {In this paper, we investigate factors and issues related to human locomotion behavior and proxemics in the presence of a real or virtual human in augmented reality (AR). First, we discuss a unique issue with current-state optical see-through head-mounted displays. Second, we discuss the limited multimodal feedback provided by virtual humans in AR, present a potential improvement based on vibrotactile feedback induced via the floor to compensate for the limited augmented visual field, and report results showing that benefits of such vibrations are less visible in objective locomotion behavior than in subjective estimates of co-presence. Third, we investigate and document significant differences in the effects that real and virtual humans have on locomotion behavior in AR. We discuss potential explanations for these effects and analyze effects of different types of behaviors that such real or virtual humans may exhibit in the presence of an observer.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } In this paper, we investigate factors and issues related to human locomotion behavior and proxemics in the presence of a real or virtual human in augmented reality (AR). First, we discuss a unique issue with current-state optical see-through head-mounted displays. Second, we discuss the limited multimodal feedback provided by virtual humans in AR, present a potential improvement based on vibrotactile feedback induced via the floor to compensate for the limited augmented visual field, and report results showing that benefits of such vibrations are less visible in objective locomotion behavior than in subjective estimates of co-presence. Third, we investigate and document significant differences in the effects that real and virtual humans have on locomotion behavior in AR. We discuss potential explanations for these effects and analyze effects of different types of behaviors that such real or virtual humans may exhibit in the presence of an observer. |
2017 |
|
 | Susanne Schmidt; Gerd Bruder; Frank Steinicke Moving Towards Consistent Depth Perception in Stereoscopic Projection-based Augmented Reality Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments (ICAT-EGVE), pp. 161-168, 2017. BibTeX | Links: @inproceedings{Schmidt2017b, title = {Moving Towards Consistent Depth Perception in Stereoscopic Projection-based Augmented Reality}, author = {Susanne Schmidt and Gerd Bruder and Frank Steinicke}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Schmidt2017b.pdf}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-11-01}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments (ICAT-EGVE)}, pages = {161-168}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } |
![[POSTER] A Pilot Study of Altering Depth Perception with Projection-Based Illusions](https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Schmidt2017a-295x300.png) | Susanne Schmidt; Gerd Bruder; Frank Steinicke [POSTER] A Pilot Study of Altering Depth Perception with Projection-Based Illusions Inproceedings In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments (ICAT-EGVE), pp. 33-34, 2017. BibTeX | Links: @inproceedings{Schmidt2017a, title = {[POSTER] A Pilot Study of Altering Depth Perception with Projection-Based Illusions}, author = {Susanne Schmidt and Gerd Bruder and Frank Steinicke}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Schmidt2017a.pdf}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-11-01}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments (ICAT-EGVE)}, pages = {33-34}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } |
 | Salam Daher; Kangsoo Kim; Myungho Lee; Ryan Schubert; Gerd Bruder; Jeremy Bailenson; Greg Welch Effects of Social Priming on Social Presence with Intelligent Virtual Agents Book Chapter In: Beskow, Jonas; Peters, Christopher; Castellano, Ginevra; O'Sullivan, Carol; Leite, Iolanda; Kopp, Stefan (Ed.): Intelligent Virtual Agents: 17th International Conference, IVA 2017, Stockholm, Sweden, August 27-30, 2017, Proceedings, 10498 , pp. 87-100, Springer International Publishing, 2017. BibTeX | Links: @inbook{Daher2017ab, title = {Effects of Social Priming on Social Presence with Intelligent Virtual Agents}, author = {Salam Daher and Kangsoo Kim and Myungho Lee and Ryan Schubert and Gerd Bruder and Jeremy Bailenson and Greg Welch}, editor = {Jonas Beskow and Christopher Peters and Ginevra Castellano and Carol O'Sullivan and Iolanda Leite and Stefan Kopp}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Daher2017ab.pdf}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-67401-8_10}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-08-26}, booktitle = {Intelligent Virtual Agents: 17th International Conference, IVA 2017, Stockholm, Sweden, August 27-30, 2017, Proceedings}, volume = {10498}, pages = {87-100}, publisher = {Springer International Publishing}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inbook} } |
 | Kangsoo Kim; Divine Maloney; Gerd Bruder; Jeremy Bailenson; Greg Welch The effects of virtual human's spatial and behavioral coherence with physical objects on social presence in AR Journal Article In: Computer Animation and Virtual Worlds, 28 (3-4), pp. e1771-n/a, 2017. BibTeX | Links: @article{Kim2017b, title = {The effects of virtual human's spatial and behavioral coherence with physical objects on social presence in AR}, author = {Kangsoo Kim and Divine Maloney and Gerd Bruder and Jeremy Bailenson and Greg Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Kim2017b.pdf}, doi = {10.1002/cav.1771}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-05-21}, journal = {Computer Animation and Virtual Worlds}, volume = {28}, number = {3-4}, pages = {e1771-n/a}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } |
 | Myungho Lee; Gerd Bruder; Greg Welch Effect of Vibrotactile Feedback through the Floor on Social Presence in an Immersive Virtual Environment Journal Article In: Journal of Vision: Abstract Issue 2017, 17 (10), pp. 357, 2017. BibTeX | Links: @article{Lee2017, title = {Effect of Vibrotactile Feedback through the Floor on Social Presence in an Immersive Virtual Environment}, author = {Myungho Lee and Gerd Bruder and Greg Welch}, doi = {10.1167/17.10.357}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-05-01}, journal = {Journal of Vision: Abstract Issue 2017}, volume = {17}, number = {10}, pages = {357}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } |
Ryan Schubert; Gerd Bruder; Greg Welch Mitigating Perceptual Error in Synthetic Animatronics using Visual Feature Flow Journal Article In: Journal of Vision: Abstract Issue 2017, 17 (10), pp. 331, 2017. BibTeX | Links: @article{Schubert2017, title = {Mitigating Perceptual Error in Synthetic Animatronics using Visual Feature Flow}, author = {Ryan Schubert and Gerd Bruder and Greg Welch}, doi = {10.1167/17.10.331}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-05-01}, journal = {Journal of Vision: Abstract Issue 2017}, volume = {17}, number = {10}, pages = {331}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } | |
 | Myungho Lee; Gerd Bruder; Greg Welch Exploring the Effect of Vibrotactile Feedback through the Floor on Social Presence in an Immersive Virtual Environment Inproceedings In: Proceedings of IEEE Virtual Reality 2017, 2017. BibTeX | Links: @inproceedings{Lee2017aa, title = {Exploring the Effect of Vibrotactile Feedback through the Floor on Social Presence in an Immersive Virtual Environment}, author = {Myungho Lee and Gerd Bruder and Greg Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Lee2017aa.pdf}, doi = {10.1109/VR.2017.7892237 }, year = {2017}, date = {2017-03-19}, booktitle = {Proceedings of IEEE Virtual Reality 2017}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } |
![[POSTER] Can Social Presence be Contagious? Effects of Social Presence Priming on Interaction with Virtual Humans](https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Daher2017aa.png) | Salam Daher; Kangsoo Kim; Myungho Lee; Gerd Bruder; Ryan Schubert; Jeremy Bailenson; Greg Welch [POSTER] Can Social Presence be Contagious? Effects of Social Presence Priming on Interaction with Virtual Humans Inproceedings In: 3D User Interfaces (3DUI), 2017 IEEE Symposium on , 2017. BibTeX | Links: @inproceedings{Daher2017aa, title = {[POSTER] Can Social Presence be Contagious? Effects of Social Presence Priming on Interaction with Virtual Humans}, author = {Salam Daher and Kangsoo Kim and Myungho Lee and Gerd Bruder and Ryan Schubert and Jeremy Bailenson and Greg Welch}, url = {https://sreal.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Daher2017aa_red.pdf}, doi = {10.1109/3DUI.2017.7893341 }, year = {2017}, date = {2017-03-18}, booktitle = {3D User Interfaces (3DUI), 2017 IEEE Symposium on }, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } |
 | Eike Langbehn; Paul Lubos; Gerd Bruder; Frank Steinicke Bending the Curve: Sensitivity to Bending of Curved Paths and Application in Room-Scale VR Journal Article In: IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG), Special Issue on IEEE Virtual Reality (VR), 23 (4), pp. 1389-1398, 2017. @article{Langbehn2017b, title = {Bending the Curve: Sensitivity to Bending of Curved Paths and Application in Room-Scale VR}, author = {Eike Langbehn and Paul Lubos and Gerd Bruder and Frank Steinicke}, doi = {10.1109/TVCG.2017.2657220}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-03-01}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG), Special Issue on IEEE Virtual Reality (VR)}, volume = {23}, number = {4}, pages = {1389-1398}, abstract = {Redirected walking (RDW) promises to allow near-natural walking in an infinitely large virtual environment (VE) by subtle manipulations of the virtual camera. Previous experiments analyzed the human sensitivity to RDW manipulations by focusing on the worst-case scenario, in which users walk perfectly straight ahead in the VE, whereas they are redirected on a circular path in the real world. The results showed that a physical radius of at least 22 meters is required for undetectable RDW. However, users do not always walk exactly straight in a VE. So far, it has not been investigated how much a physical path can be bent in situations in which users walk a virtual curved path instead of a straight one. Such curved walking paths can be often observed, for example, when users walk on virtual trails, through bent corridors, or when circling around obstacles. In such situations the question is not, whether or not the physical path can be bent, but how much the bending of the physical path may vary from the bending of the virtual path. In this article, we analyze this question and present redirection by means of bending gains that describe the discrepancy between the bending of curved paths in the real and virtual environment. Furthermore, we report the psychophysical experiments in which we analyzed the human sensitivity to these gains. The results reveal encouragingly wider detection thresholds than for straightforward walking. Based on our findings, we discuss the potential of curved walking and present a first approach to leverage bent paths in a way that can provide undetectable RDW manipulations even in room-scale VR.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Redirected walking (RDW) promises to allow near-natural walking in an infinitely large virtual environment (VE) by subtle manipulations of the virtual camera. Previous experiments analyzed the human sensitivity to RDW manipulations by focusing on the worst-case scenario, in which users walk perfectly straight ahead in the VE, whereas they are redirected on a circular path in the real world. The results showed that a physical radius of at least 22 meters is required for undetectable RDW. However, users do not always walk exactly straight in a VE. So far, it has not been investigated how much a physical path can be bent in situations in which users walk a virtual curved path instead of a straight one. Such curved walking paths can be often observed, for example, when users walk on virtual trails, through bent corridors, or when circling around obstacles. In such situations the question is not, whether or not the physical path can be bent, but how much the bending of the physical path may vary from the bending of the virtual path. In this article, we analyze this question and present redirection by means of bending gains that describe the discrepancy between the bending of curved paths in the real and virtual environment. Furthermore, we report the psychophysical experiments in which we analyzed the human sensitivity to these gains. The results reveal encouragingly wider detection thresholds than for straightforward walking. Based on our findings, we discuss the potential of curved walking and present a first approach to leverage bent paths in a way that can provide undetectable RDW manipulations even in room-scale VR. |
 | Oscar Ariza; Markus Lange; Frank Steinicke; Gerd Bruder Vibrotactile Assistance for User Guidance Towards Selection Targets in VR and the Cognitive Resources Involved Inproceedings In: Proceedings of IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces (3DUI), pp. 95-98, 2017. @inproceedings{Ariza2017a, title = {Vibrotactile Assistance for User Guidance Towards Selection Targets in VR and the Cognitive Resources Involved}, author = {Oscar Ariza and Markus Lange and Frank Steinicke and Gerd Bruder}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-03-01}, booktitle = {Proceedings of IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces (3DUI)}, pages = {95-98}, abstract = {Current head-mounted displays (HMDs) provide a large binocular field of view (FOV) for natural interaction in virtual environments (VEs). However, the selection of objects located in the periphery and outside the FOV requires visual search by head rotations, which can reduce the performance of interaction in virtual reality (VR). This technote explores the use of a pair of self-made wireless and wearable devices, which once attached to both hemispheres of the user's head provide assistive vibrotactile cues for guidance in order to reduce the time used to turn and locate a target object. We present an experiment based on a dual-tasking method to analyze cognitive demands and performance metrics during a set of selection tasks followed by a working memory task.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inproceedings} } Current head-mounted displays (HMDs) provide a large binocular field of view (FOV) for natural interaction in virtual environments (VEs). However, the selection of objects located in the periphery and outside the FOV requires visual search by head rotations, which can reduce the performance of interaction in virtual reality (VR). This technote explores the use of a pair of self-made wireless and wearable devices, which once attached to both hemispheres of the user's head provide assistive vibrotactile cues for guidance in order to reduce the time used to turn and locate a target object. We present an experiment based on a dual-tasking method to analyze cognitive demands and performance metrics during a set of selection tasks followed by a working memory task. |
