AGE DIFFERENCES IN A VIRTUAL REALITY ENTERTAINMENT ENVIRONMENT: A FIELD STUDY
Robert C. Allen, Michael J. Singer, Daniel P. McDonald, James E. Cotton
University of Central Florida/Virtual Environment Research Group
Orlando, FloridaThe data presented below was collected at a Virhw.1 Reality (VR) amusement center in Orlando, FL. This study is exploratory, i.e., an initial attempt to try and uncover factor(s) that may interact with age when determining user enjoyment of a VR ride. In addition, we measured each participant's state of well being to see how the VR rides in the center impacted our participants. 28 people participated in the study. Three age groups, Young, Middle, and Old, were established from our sample (mean age= 11, 28, and:50, respectively). Significant correlation's between age and several survey questions were found. Although one person dropped out there were no significant differences in sickness scores, either between age groups or collapsed across groups.
COLLABORATIVE WORK USING GIVE AND TAKE PASSING PROTOCOLS
AH. Mason & C.L. MacKenzie
Simon Fraser University, Bumaby, British Columbia, CANADATo effectively design computer simulations of shared environments, an understanding is needed of the basic informational requirements and underlying movement patterns generated by two people collaborating in these environments. Results from this study indicate that when passing objects in a natural environment, the fundamental movement patterns seen during simple grasping tasks are altered to accommodate the collaborative nature and social constraints of the task. When giving objects, although subjects reach farther they reach more quickly than when the objects are taken. This result may indicate a social consideration taken by the passer to move quickly and efficiently over a long distance to transfer the object to the receiver. Thus, the receiver does not have to travel as far or as fast to receive the given object. However, when objects are taken, passers move more slowly and lift the objects higher. This result may indicate that the passer times their movement so that they are not waiting at the end of their movement for the receiver to reach the target. Thus, although the result of the task is the same (the receiver obtains the object), the underlying movement patterns differ with the goal and social constraints of the movement. These results may be used to develop predictive algorithms when designing virtual and augmented environments. Future experiments will concentrate on the nature of visual and haptic information required for both the passer and receiver to effectively perform a passing task in an augmented environment.
A COMPARISON OF BIOMECHANICAL EVALUATIONS WITHIN
TWO HUMAN SIMULATION MODELSAllison Stephens MSc, CPE, CSP, Helen R. Kilduff MSc
Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MichiganThe use of simulation in the manufacturing environment is becoming more prevalent with the cost
saving being realized in the elimination of costly prototype equipment and products. An additional
benefit of manufacturing simulation is the ease of applying human simulation to the environment.
If the expectation is only to see the human model interact with manufacturing equipment and
facilities, then the decision of what human model is needed is not that difficult. Correct
Anthropometry would be the main criteria. The potential to utilize human simulation to predict
risk of injury is very possible if a true representation of the biomechanical human is simulated, thus making the selection of human model very critical. The human model must be truly modeled after the joints, bones and angles found in humans, not a robot modified to look like a human.
This paper till discuss an evaluation process of two human simulation models currently available
on the market.
COMPARISON OF SPACE PERCEPTION BETWEEN A REAL
ENVIRONMENT AND A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT
Jungsun Yoon', Eunhee Byun", Nyang S. Chung"'
'Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Taejon, Korea
"Korean Research Institute of Private School Education, Seoul, Korea
"'Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Kyonggi, KoreaVirtual reality technologies are being applied to diverse industrial fields. However, the degree to which a virtual environment is faithful to a real one has not been assessed rigorously. This paper assessed the fidelity of a virtual environment to a real environment. More specifically, it examined 3 major issues: (1) Are a real room and an equivalently modeled virtual room perceived same? (2) How accurate are the estimated sizes and ratios'? (3) Does presentation order affect subjects' estimation? We employed a real room and an equivalently modeled virtual room in the experiment. The sizes of the room elements are as follows: width 25Xcm depth 380cm, and height 245 cm. Seven females and five males ranging in age from 20 to 42 years saved as subjects. All subjects experienced the real mom and the virtual room, and the presentation order of the rooms was counterbalanced. Subjects experienced the virtual mom wearing the HMD. After subjects observed each room, they were asked to answer a questionnaire. The questionnaire included items on the perception of the physical and psychological properties of the room. The space perceptions in both rooms were not significantly different. When the estimated sizes in both conditions were compared with the actual sizes, the estimations related to height in both conditions were different from the actual ones. This pattern of results suggests that virtual environments instead of the real ones could be used for design and architecture with the adjusted height. Further studies on human space perception using better navigation methods ax needed.
DESIGNING VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS
TO ENHANCE HUMAN PERFORMANCEKay M. Stanney, Ph.D. and Susan Lanham
University of Central Florida
Industrial Engineering & Management Systems Deparhnent
Orlando, FL
Robert S. Kennedy, Ph.D. Robert Breaux
RSK Assessments, Inc. Naval Aii Warfare Center Training Systems
Orlando, FL Division, Orlando, FLThe current study focuses on design factors that can be manipulated to enhance human
performance in virtual environment training systems (VETS). While there is currently an
effort to understand for which tasks enhanced human performance can be achieved
through VE training, there is limited understanding of how the VETS itself can be
designed to enhance human performance in virtual environments. This study aims to
establish a set of guiding design principles that enable intuitive and efficient interaction
such that human performance in VETS is enhanced. This was accomplished by relating
exposure duration, scene parameters, and amount of motion to human performance. A
3x2 between subjects experimental design was used, with 20 participants per treatment
condition. The independent variables included exposure duration (15, 30, 45 minutes)
and scene content (complex versus simple). The dependent variables included task
performance, the amount of rotational roll, pitch and yaw, the amount of translational
motion, as well as subjective reports of cybersickness taken immediately after VE
exposure. The results were analyzed using non-parametric tests and correlational
analyses. The results indicated that performance increased with amount of rotational
motion (roll, pitch, and yaw) but was unrelated to the amount of translational motion.
Scene content did not have a significant effect on performance nor sickness, In addition,
sickness was not correlated with performance, nor, surprisingly, with amount of
rotational or translational motion. Sickness did increase as exposure duration increased.
The implication is that to maximize human performance, allow for sufficient roll, pitch,
and yaw movement to accomplish task objectives, while ensuring the duration of
exposure is less than 30 minutes.
DISCRIMINABILITY OF PREDICTION ARTIFACTS IN A
TIME-DELAYED VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTJae Y. Jung, Bernard D. Adelstein, and Stephen R. Ellis'
'NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field CA
University of California, Berkeley CAOverall latency remains an impediment t" perceived image stability and consequently Lo human performance in virtual environment (VE) systems. Predictive compensators have been proposed as a means t" mitigate these shortcomings, but they introduce rendering errors because of induced motion overshoot and heightened noise. Discriminability of these compensator artifacts was investigated by a protocol in which head tracked image stability for 35 ms baseline VE system latency was compared against artificially added (16.7 to 100 ms) latency compensated by a previously studied Kalman Filter (KF) predictor. A control study in which uncompensated 16.7
to 100 ms latencies were compared against the baseline was also performed. Results from 10 subjects in the main study and 8 in the control group indicate that predictive compensation artifacts are less discernible than the disruptions of uncompensated time delay for the shorter but not the longer added latencies. We propose that noise magnification and overshoot are contributory cues to the presence of predictive compensation.
EFFECTS OF CUE RELIABILITY, REALISM, AND INTERACTIVITY ON
BIASES OF ATTENTION AND TRUST IN AUGMENTED REALITYMichelle Yeh and Christopher D. Wickens
University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignThis experiment seeks to examine the relationship between three advanced technology features
(presentation of target cueing - and the reliability of that data, image reality, and interactivity) and the attention and trust provided to that information. Sixteen military personnel were asked to detect targets camouflaged in terrain, presented at two levels of scene detail, while performing a terrain association task. Half the subjects actively navigated through the terrain; the other half passively viewed the control path of an active navigator. Cueing was presented for some of the targets, and the reliability of this information was manipulated at two levels (100% and 75%). The results revealed that the presence of cueing aided the target detection task for expected targets but drew attention away from the presence of unexpected targets in the environment. This attentional tunneling was mediated by cue reliability; unexpected targets, presented in conjunction with a cued object, were detected more often when cueing was only partially
reliable. Neither image reality nor interactivity directly influenced trust in the display.
EFFECTS OF VISUAL INTERFACE DESIGN, AND CONTROL MODE AND LATENCY
ON PERFORMANCE, TELEPRESENCE AND WORKLOAD IN A TELEOPERATION TASKDavid B. Kaber, Jennifer M. Riley, and Rang Zhou John Draper
Mississippi State University Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Mississippi State, MS Oak Ridge, TNHuman-machine interfaces that facilitate telepresence are speculated to improve performance with teleoperators. Unfortunately, there is little experimental evidence to substantiate a direct link between the two. Further, there are limited data available on technological and psychological factors that affect telepresence. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the influence of interface design configuration, and control mode and latency on teleoperation performance, telepresence, and workload in a pick-and-place task. It was conducted to enhance understanding of the concept of telepresence and promote future development of telepresence-based guidelines for teleoperator systems. An experiment was conducted in which subjects were required to control a telerobot in a simple pick-and-place task through a virtual reality (VR) interface with or without live-video feedback on the motion of the robot. Rotational or translational motion control of the robot was studied under four control latencies ranging from 0 to 4 seconds. Results demonstrated significant benefits of using VR in conjunction with video feedback to control the telerobot. Rotational control appeared to better meet user expectations of robot motion control than modes involving translations of joint positions. Performance with the VR interface without live video feedback appeared to be sensitive to control latency. Correlation analysis provided further evidence of a positive Iii between telepresence and performance.
GENERATION OF VIRTUAL MAN MODELS REPRESENTATIVE OF
DIFFERENT BODY PROPORTIONS AND APPLICATION TO
ERGONOMIC DESIGN OF VEHICLESEnrico Eynard , Enrica Fubiii , Melchiorre Masali
Universit& degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italia
Maurizio Cerrone, Antonio Tarzia
Fiat Auto S.p.A., Torino, ItaliaTo get early and reliable evaluations of preliminary 3D design on workplaces and vehicles it is
essential to utilise manikins corresponding as much as possible to actual persons.
This paper describes a methodology to generate body typologies from anthropometric data of Italian population, identifying realistic combinations of anthropometric measurements actually found among real subjects. We applied these results to Jack, a software with an interactive virtual human model able to be manipulated by adjusting individual joints to simulate realistic postures. We then made a postural comfort comparative test, using the new manikins and standard Human Scale manikins obtaining quite different results: in particular, with the former manikins we found lower comfort indexes because they show a higher global variability, important to consider when designing systems fitting the characteristics of a large part of the population.
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS AND EXPERIENCES OF VIRTUAL REALITY
INDUCED SYMPTOMS AND EFFECTS (VRISE)Sarah Nichols
Vial Reality Applications Research Team (VIRART)
Institute for Occupational Ergonomics
University ofNottingham, UK.Virtual Reality Induced Symptoms and Effects @'RISE) include both "positive" effects,
such as the feeling of presence in a Virtual Environment (VE) or enjoyment of the use of
Vi-1 Reality (VR), and "negative" effects, such as postural instability or sickness
symptoms. The severity and nature of these effects can be influenced by VR system design,
VE design, circumstances of use and individual participant characteristics. This paper
presents an experiment that examines the effects experienced by 78 participants at& 8 30
minute period of VR use. The influence of a number of participant characteristics was
assessed, and gender, motion sickness history, VR attitudes and immersive tendencies were
found to have some influence on the experience of VRISE. Appropriate methods of
minimising the level of negative effects experienced are discussed.
LEARNING AND TRAINING SIMULATOR VIRTUAL REALITY DEVELOPMENT
FOR PARACHUTE DESCENTRuisseau, J.Y. Todeschini, L. Gorzerino P.
DGA/DCE/Division Facteurs Humains - BP 36
F-49460 Montrenil Juigne -FranceNowadays, in some critical domains like military operations, operator's
performance is directly and strongly linked to the situational awareness and
the control of the situation this operator may have, and thus, the learning and
training of the techniques to be performed. New means of technique may be
necessary to improve capacities of operators immersed in new situations.
This paper describes such an approach, based on virtual reality techniques,
for individual training and, in the future, for group training.
METHODOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES USING A COMPUTER MANIKIN IN
TWO CASE STUDIES: BUS AND SPACE MODULE DESIGNAnders Sundin',', Marita Christmansson ', Roland 8rtengren'
'National Institute for Working Life,
'Department of Human Factors Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology,
Gateborg, SwedenThe computer manikin sofware JackTM was used in two different case studies analyzing ergonomics. A comparison was made on how Jack was used in the two case studies. In the first, Jack was used in the design phase of a new Volvo bus model. A group was formed to work with a special part of the bus chassis design, namely cables and tubes. The group aimed to create an ergonomically correct and efficient assembly production. The group consisted of designers, production engineers and researchers. Jack was used late in this process for analysis of assembly work situations resulting from the design. In the second case study, an analysis was carried out in the preliminary design phase of the Cupola, a European Space
Agency (ESA) module for manned space flights for the International Space Station (ISS). In this study, Jack was used early in the design process before any flight hardware production. When comparing the two studies, differences were found regarding the approach of the mimics of zero-gravity activities relative shop floor assembly work, and also of the modeling of Jack body postures. Animations were found more useful in the zero-gravity environment. Beside the treatment of co-ordinate systems, the process of file transfer was almost identical. In both case studies benefits of the use of Jack analysis, and resulting design impact according to this, seem to be equal despite when the analysis were carried out in the design process.
SIMULATOR SICKNESS IN A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS
DRIVING SIMULATORRonald R. Mourant and Thara R. Thattacheny
Virtual Environments Laboratory
334 Snell Engineering Center
Northeastern University
Boston, MA 02115Some users of virtual environments experience adverse effects known as simulator
sickness. Common symptoms are generally grouped into nausea, oculomotor discomfort,
and disorientation. This research examined whether the severity and type of simulator
sickness differs due to the type of driving environment or the gender of the driver. Three
environments with variations in driver workload were developed: Highway, Rural, and
City. Tests were conducted using Northeastern University's Virtual Driving Simulator.
The Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) and postural stability tests, were used to
gather data before and after participants drove the virtual environments based driving
simulator. In comparison with past research, a different SSQ profile was found in that
most of the symptoms reported were in the oculomotor discomfort category. This
included eye strain, headaches, difficulty focusing, and blurred vision. Subjects who
drove the Highway or Rural Road environments had more symptoms than those who
drove the City environment. This indicates that vehicle velocity may be a factor in
driving simulator sickness since subjects drove 60 mph in the Highway and Rural Road
environments, but only 25 mph in the City environment. In both the before and after
tests, females had less postural stability than males. Females also had a greater increase
in oculomotor discomfort symptoms than males. Additional research is needed to
determine why females experience more simulator sickness than males.
SIMULATOR SICKNESS SYMPTOMS DURING TRAM TRAINING
IN IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTSDonald Ralph Lampton
U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI)
Simulator Systems Research Unit (SSRU)
Orlando, FL.
Mar Esther Rodriguez and James Eastham Cotton
Human Factors Psychology Program, University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL.Fifty-five women and 38 men recruited from local colleges practiced building-search missions in
Virtual Environments using the Fully Immersive Team Training research system. The Simulator
Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) was administered before the first immersion, and after each of up to 5 immersions of approximately 8 minutes duration. Mean SSQ total severity scores and participant comments indicated that symptoms abated after the first immersion, then for some participants symptoms increased with subsequent immersions. For each of the 5 immersions eye strain was the most frequently reported symptom. 9% of the participants, all women, dropped out because of reported simulator sickness.
A TAXONOMY OF TECHNOLOGY: DEFINING AUGMENTED REALITY
Prof. R.S. Kalawsky', A. W. Stedmonm', K. Hill*, &CA. Cook*
*Advanced VR Research Centre, Loughborough University, UK
Came for Human Sciences, Deface Evaluation and Research Agency, UK
'Author for correspondence: astedmon@mail.dera.gov.ukThis paper outlines a functional decomposition of Augmented Reality (AR), from both a
technological and human factors perspective, with a view to providing a coherent and
structured framework for its development and evaluation in the future. Without a formal
framework to underpin the description and development of AR technology, confusion may
arise in comparing systems and applications. The proposed framework allows for the user's
capabilities to be described in all their sensory detail, which, in turn, furnishes the taxonomy
with a power to account for these in the development of advanced technologies. This top-
level analysis can then be decomposed into discrete elements representing the enabling
technologies that make up a given AR domain. This provides a much richer descriptive
power within the framework and consistent criteria for comparing systems, applications and
indeed conventional human-computer interfaces with AR. Furthermore, as it is a 'user-
centred approach, the framework does not assume that visual augmentation is the only
means of providing an AR facility. Implicit in the framework is the notion that AR can be
delivered through other sensory augmentation, even if the technical means is not available at
the moment. In this way, the taxonomy offers a concise and precise means of categorising
the technology, understanding the application, and, ultimately, supporting the user of an AR
system.
TEAM COMMUNICATIONS IN A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT
James E. Cotton
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FloridaDonald R. Lampton
U.S. Army Research Institute
Orlando, FloridaA networked simulation environment, known as the Fully Immersive Team Training (FITT) system, was employed to study team interactions in a visual environment. The investigation was designed to evaluate the influence of various instructional strategies (demonstration, coaching, or replay) on team performance. Performance was evaluated on a variety of dimensions, with an emphasis on team communications. Results of the experiment indicated that teams receiving instruction in the form of an expert demonstration performed communications-related tasks in closer conformance with protocols than a control group receiving only an instruction manual. This may suggest that expert demonstrations are an effective strategy for training teams in communications tasks in virtual environments. The limitations of current communications-analysis strategies, and suggestions for their improvement, are discussed.