Wearable computing systems have been researched and developed for several decades. With the advent of the head-mounted display, augmented and mediated reality systems became an important example of wearable computing. However, due to certain factors such as computational constraints, cost, obtrusiveness, practicality, and social acceptance, mediated reality systems have been leveraged in only very specific application domains and have yet to see mainstream adoption. This dissertation describes the research and development of a real-time mediated reality platform developed for modern mobile devices to provide a more reasonable transition in overcoming the mainstream adoption barrier of mediated reality systems. In particular, an outdoor navigational application that provides contextually-relevant information about a user’s surroundings is developed using the platform as a proof-of-concept for evaluation. In addition, the server infrastructure required to support the application is discussed, as well as the evaluation of a hybrid orientation tracking approach using sensors and computer vision.

Wearable computing systems have been researched and developed for several decades. With the advent of the head-mounted display, augmented and mediated reality systems became an important example of wearable computing. However, due to certain factors such as computational constraints, cost, obtrusiveness, practicality, and social acceptance, mediated reality systems have been leveraged in only very specific application domains and have yet to see mainstream adoption. This dissertation describes the research and development of a real-time mediated reality platform developed for modern mobile devices to provide a more reasonable transition in overcoming the mainstream adoption barrier of mediated reality systems. In particular, an outdoor navigational application that provides contextually-relevant information about a user’s surroundings is developed using the platform as a proof-of-concept for evaluation. In addition, the server infrastructure required to support the application is discussed, as well as the evaluation of a hybrid orientation tracking approach using sensors and computer vision.

[pt] Realidade Virtual é uma tecnologia capaz de alterar a percepção do usuário e o transportar para um ambiente mediado por tecnologia, criado pelo designer daquela experiência. Esta dissertação analisa o design de experiências imersivas de Realidade Virtual que tem como objetivo informar ou educar participantes sobre informações complexas. Para tal, fez-se uso de taxonomias de UX e educacionais como base de categorização das experiências. A seleção de trabalhos para análise foi feita a partir de uma base massiva de trabalhos publicados sobre realidade virtual. Utilizou-se uma metodologia original, criada para a presente pesquisa e detalhada ao longo da mesma, baseada em técnicas computacionais de ciência de dados para classificação dos resultados, facilitando a seleção e minimizando vieses de escolha. Ao fim desse processo iterativo, os trabalhos escolhidos foram analisados em termos de aprendizado, engajamento e suas características específicas de UX e educacionais. Tal análise da amostragem de trabalhos selecionada indica que o potencial educacional de Realidade Virtual é significativo e aplicável em diversas áreas, e que é possível estimular o engajamento dos participantes com relativa facilidade. Entretanto, a efetividade educacional da experiência é mais complexa de se alcançar. Sugere-se algumas maneiras com potencial de ajudar a alcançar esse resultado, como: maior foco no design instrucional; maior colaboratividade; mais participação de instrutores; mais interações que permitam atividades criativas, bem como modos mais criativos de apresentação das informações. Essas sugestões e recomendações podem ajudar os designers de experiências em Realidade Virtual (ou de outros tipos de realidades mediadas por tecnologia) a proporcionarem ou explorarem o potencial de experiências que podem se mostrar mais efetivas em alcançar os objetivos de educar ou informar sobre temas complexos. / [en] Virtual Reality is a technology that can alter a user s perception and transport them into a technology-mediated environment created by the designer of that virtual experience. This research examines the design of immersive Virtual Reality experiences that aim to inform or educate participants about complex topics. To do so, we use UX and educational taxonomies as a basis for categorizing the experiences. The selection of publications for analysis was made from a massive base of published works on virtual reality. An original methodology was used, created for this research and detailed throughout, based on computational data science techniques to classify the results, facilitating the selection and minimizing biases. At the end of this iterative process, the chosen works were analyzed in terms of learning, engagement, and their specific UX and educational characteristics. Such analysis indicates that the educational potential of Virtual Reality is significant and applicable in a variety of areas, and that it is possible to create engaging experiences with relative ease. However, the educational effectiveness of the experience is more complex to achieve. We explore suggestions that may have the potential to achieve this outcome, such as: more focus on instructional design; more collaboration; more instructor participation; more interactions that allow for creative activities, as well as more creative ways of presenting information. These suggestions and recommendations can help designers of Virtual Reality experiences (or other types of technology-mediated realities) to provide or explore the potential for experiences that may prove more effective in achieving the goals of educating or informing about complex topics.