1,721,000 research outputs found
Augmented reality and serious games for learning: exploring potentialities, assessing effectiveness, and investigating user experience
Full text linkL'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen
Towards CARLA VR: testing Head-up Displays in CARLA driving simulator
No full textHead-up displays (HUDs) have attracted significant interest in the automotive industry due to their potential to improve driving safety and communication with the vehicle. Testing HUDs is a critical but difficult task, as a balance must be struck between the realism of the test environment and safety requirements. While an optimal test scenario would be a real-world environment with pedestrians and other vehicles, such conditions pose a significant safety threat. Therefore, immersive simulations based on Virtual Reality (VR) are often used to reduce these risks while creating a realistic test scenario. However, despite extensive research in HUD technology, there is a notable lack of standardized methodologies and tools for systematically evaluating drivers’ experience and interactions with HUDs. To address this limitation we propose to add such features to the CARLA driving simulator. This widely used simulator stands out for its open-source nature and collaborative platform that has attracted experts from different areas of automotive disciplines. The use of CARLA for testing HUDs in an immersive VR environment is still limited. This study aims to address this gap by presenting a proof-of-concept implementation within CARLA that emulates the HUD features documented in the existing literature and integrates them into an immersive VR experience. Preliminary experimental with vehicles of different Automation Levels (ALs) results confirm this approach’s feasibility and show CARLA’s effectiveness as a tool for testing in-vehicle HUDs and evaluating the overall quality of the simulator environment
A Survey of Memory Models for Virtual Agents and Humans: From Psychological Foundations to Computational Architectures
No full textVirtual Humans are an advanced class of Virtual Agents characterized by human-like embodiment and cognitive capabilities. Central to their adaptivity is the integration of computational cognitive architectures, in which memory models play a key role in learning, continuity, and contextual reasoning. This review bridges psychological theories of memory and their computational implementations by comparing symbolic and connectionist approaches and exploring new paradigms such as Memory-Augmented Neural Networks and Large Language Models. We propose a unified framework for analyzing the components of artificial memory - Working, Semantic, Episodic, Procedural, Spatial, and Autobiographical Memory - and review their applications in domains such as education, games, and social simulation. Finally, we discuss open challenges and future works
Toward Believable Emotions: Evaluating FACS Coding for Virtual Human Expressions
Full text linkIn interactive computer graphics, the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) is widely used to enhance the emotional expressiveness of Virtual Humans (VHs). By linking specific Action Units (AUs) with facial blendshapes, animators can theoretically reproduce a wide range of human emotions. However, achieving realistic and believable emotional expressions remains challenging, as the same AU intensities do not work equally well across all VHs. This paper explores whether optimal sets of AU intensities can be defined for specific subgroups of VHs, such as those differentiated by gender and visual fidelity, rather than pursuing a one-size-fits-all approach. Through a focused analysis of happiness, sadness, and disgust, we demonstrate that visual fidelity plays a critical role in emotional clarity, while certain emotions require gender-specific adjustments. The findings emphasize the limitations of uniformly maximizing AU intensities across all VHs and offer practical insights for animators, providing a nuanced framework for creating believable emotional expressions in various types of VHs and enhancing realism in interactive applications
ToMMI. A Software Library for Multiplatform Tangible Mobile Interaction
No full textTangible interaction. Capacitive displays. Passive tokens. Multiplatform mobile computin
Assessing Visual Cues for Improving Awareness in Collaborative Augmented Reality
No full textAugmented Reality (AR) is an emerging technology that offers new and compelling design opportunities for Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). To foster collaboration and communication in AR-based CSCW, users should be able to understand how others interact with the shared environment. One of the most effective ways to support this awareness is to link user interactions to visual cues (VCs) that provide immediate cognitive feedback about the actions of other users (e.g., pointing, annotating, or manipulating objects). However, AR-based CSCW is in many ways still in its infancy in terms of visual language, and further research is needed, especially to evaluate the effectiveness of different VCs in improving user awareness in collaborative, co-located AR scenarios. To this end, this paper presents an evaluation of different VCs based on previous literature.
Experiments were conducted with different scenarios covering the main purposes for which VCs are used and in which users had to perform tasks with increasing complexity. Results show that volunteers positively evaluated the VCs offered, as they effectively supported user awareness and provided contextual and spatial information to all participants
GAINE - A Portable Framework for the Development of Edutainment Applications Based on Multitouch and Tangible Interaction
Full text linkIn the last few years, Multitouch and Tangible User Interfaces have emerged as a powerful tool to integrate interactive surfaces and responsive spaces that embody digital information. Besides providing a natural interaction with digital contents, they allow the interaction of multiple users at the same time, thus promoting collaborative activities and information sharing. In particular, these characteristics have opened new exploration possibilities in the edutainment context, as witnessed by the many applications successfully developed in different areas, from children’s collaborative learning to interactive storytelling, cultural heritage and medical therapy support. However, due to the availability of different multitouch and tangible interaction technologies and of different target computing platforms, the development and deployment of such applications can be challenging. To this end, in this paper we present GAINE (tanGible Augmented INteraction for Edutainment), a software framework that enables rapid prototyping and development of tangible augmented applications for edutainment purposes. GAINE has two main features. First, it offers developers high-level context specific constructs that significantly reduces the implementation burden. Second, the framework is portable on different operating systems and offers independence from the underlying hardware and tracking technology. In this paper, we also discuss several case studies to show the effectiveness of GAINE in simplifying the development of entertainment and edutainment applications based on multitouch and tangible interaction
Investigating the design and evaluation of educational games under the perspective of player experience
No full textVirtual Reality for Cultural Heritage: Emotional Involvement and Design for All
Full text linkVirtual Reality (VR) is emerging as a powerful tool in the cultural heritage sector, offering unprecedented opportunities for integration and accessibility. Applying the principles of "design for all" in VR is crucial for improving accessibility and inclusion of different user groups, including people with disabilities. VR technology offers the opportunity to overcome physical, economic and geographic barriers, democratizing cultural experiences and promoting their understanding and appreciation. However, the digital divide and the specific needs of different user groups, including older people and people with disabilities, present significant issues. Thus, there is a need to design VR experiences that address different sensory modalities and user needs, with a focus on customizable interfaces and adaptive features. Furthermore, immersive cultural experiences in VR have the potential to evoke emotional and cultural engagement that mirrors the impact of visiting real cultural sites. Ongoing research into measuring the users' emotional responses in VR cultural environments is a cornerstone of this work. This research explores these aspects contributing to the development of VR applications that are not only technologically innovative but also emotionally engaging and accessible, thus strengthening the role of VR in education and cultural exchange
MetaRehab: Enhancing Parkinson's Disease Rehabilitation through Gamified Virtual Reality, a Usability Study
Full text linkMotor impairment and cognitive decline are the most relevant symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurodegenerative syndrome that is usually treated with pharmacological and rehabilitation therapy. However, traditional physical and cognitive rehabilitation approaches require frequent visits to specialized centers and often lack engagement, leading to demotivation and non-compliance. The increasing prevalence of neurodegenerative syndromes highlights the need for innovative, more sustainable and entertaining rehabilitation strategies.
This study explores the potential of immersive Virtual Reality (VR) in physical and cognitive at-home rehabilitation. By incorporating gamification elements, our approach aims to increase patient motivation and engagement, which are crucial for successful rehabilitation outcomes. The use of Natural User Interfaces in the application increases user engagement and the user experience by enabling intuitive interactions and thus promoting a sense of agency. In addition, the VR environment utilizes different communication channels to deliver instructions and feedback on activities, ensuring that the system is accessible to individuals with different needs and preferences. In this paper, we describe the experimental evaluation of the usability and perceived effort of MetaRehab, the proposed VR-based rehabilitation process, prior to its application in a therapeutic context. These preliminary results provide a solid foundation for future enhancements aimed at adding new features and further increasing system inclusivity and engagement
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