Introduction to Virtual and Augmented Reality
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are steadily becoming integral parts of our day by day lives. These technologies are being incorporated into various facets of our day by day routines, including public transit, offices, training sessions, and academic institutions. Although the knowledge gained from a long time of research in these fields is applicable to their use in on a regular basis life, recent contexts, questions, and challenges have emerged. This article presents a group of research papers that provide solutions and answers to the challenges posed by VR and AR technologies.
Places of Daily Life
The use of VR and AR in day by day life is a rapidly growing field. Two studies on this collection give attention to the appliance of those technologies in team meetings and museums. In one study, Bonfert et al. conducted a field study to check the effectiveness of off-the-shelf VR social platforms and videoconferencing for virtual team meetings. The study, which lasted for 4 months, assessed key measures equivalent to social interaction, productivity, and individual experiences. The results showed that VR solutions could be effective, especially in socializing during meetings, but still face several challenges, including the dearth of facial expressions and gestures, and technical difficulties.
Another study by Rau et al. developed reusable constructing blocks, generally known as AR nuggets, which could be utilized by non-developers to create non-linear, location-based content. These constructing blocks are designed to abstract common patterns present in AR applications for museums, equivalent to superimposition, object transparency, and exploded views. The study demonstrated the applicability of those AR nuggets in a history exhibition on the Senckenberg Museum in Germany.
Accessibility
Despite the potential of VR and AR to create inclusive environments, the technologies themselves usually are not yet accessible to everyone. One of the main barriers to the widespread adoption of VR technology is cybersickness. A study by Brown et al. investigated using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) to measure cybersickness symptoms. The study found that the idea that healthy participants enter an experiment with minimal or no symptoms is wrong, and that the SSQ will not be an efficient tool for measuring cybersickness.
Another study by Heilemann et al. conducted an off-the-cuff literature search on guidelines for accessibility and inclusion in VR gaming and applications. The study found that none of the prevailing standards and guidelines are complete, and formed an uncommented union of all rules, which might function a place to begin for a more comprehensive set of guidelines.
Author Contributions
The authors of this text, DZ, CB, SJ, and AD, collaborated on the drafting and approval of the editorial.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted within the absence of any industrial or financial relationships that could possibly be construed as a possible conflict of interest.
Publisher’s Note
All claims expressed in this text are solely those of the authors and don’t necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors, and the reviewers.
References
Borst, C. W., Lipari, N. G., and Woodworth, J. W. (2018). “Teacher-guided educational VR: Assessment of live and prerecorded teachers guiding virtual field trips,” in Proc. of IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces, 467–474. doi:10.1109/VR.2018.8448286
Borst, C. W., Weyers, B., Simeone, A. L., Dey, A., and Zielasko, D. (2021). Editorial: Everyday virtual and augmented reality: Methods and applications. Front. Virtual Real. 2. doi:10.3389/frvir.2021.760883
Clifford, R. M., Jung, S., Hoermann, S., Billinghurst, M., and Lindeman, R. W. (2019). “Creating a stressful decision making environment for aerial firefighter training in virtual reality,” in Proc. of IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces, 181–189. doi:10.1109/VR.2019.8797889
Kennedy, R. S., Lane, N. E., Berbaum, K. S., and Lilienthal, M. G. (1993). Simulator sickness Questionnaire: An enhanced method for quantifying simulator sickness. Int. J. Aviat. Psychol. 3, 203–220. doi:10.1207/s15327108ijap0303_3
Schmelter, T., and Hildebrand, K. (2020). “Analysis of interaction spaces for VR in public transport systems,” in Proc. of IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops, 279–280. doi:10.1109/VRW50115.2020.00058
Zielasko, D. (2020). DeskVR: Seamless integration of virtual reality into desk-based data evaluation workflows. Ph.D. thesis. Aachen, Germany: RWTH Aachen University. doi:10.18154/RWTH-2020-02929
Zielasko, D. (2021). “Subject 001 – an in depth self-report of virtual reality induced sickness,” in Proc. of IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops, 165–168. doi:10.1109/VRW52623.2021.00038
Conclusion
In conclusion, the appliance of VR and AR technologies in on a regular basis life is a rapidly growing field, with potential applications in team meetings, museums, and other areas. However, there are still several challenges that must be addressed, including accessibility and cybersickness. The studies presented in this text provide insights into using VR and AR in day by day life and highlight the necessity for further research into the challenges and opportunities posed by these technologies. As VR and AR proceed to evolve, it is important to make sure that these technologies are accessible and usable for everybody, and that they’re designed to satisfy the needs of diverse users. By addressing these challenges and opportunities, we are able to unlock the complete potential of VR and AR to create inclusive and immersive environments that enhance our day by day lives.
