A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Johannesburg, May 2017. / Virtual Reality (VR) is widely used in training simulators of dangerous or expensive vehicles such as aircraft or heavy mining machinery. The vehicles often have very complicated controls that users need to master before attempting to operate a real world version of the machine. VR allows users to safely train in a simulated environment without the risk of injury or damaging expensive equipment in the field. VR however visually cuts off the user from the real environment,whichmayobtainobstructions. Usersareunabletosafelymoveorgesturewhilewearing aVRheadset. Additionallyusersareunabletousestandardinputdevicessuchasmiceandkeyboards. Bymixinginaliveviewofthetherealworld,theusercanstillseeandinteractwiththe physical environment. The contribution of this research is presenting ways of using Mixed RealitytoenhancetheuserexperienceoftraditionalVRbasedsimulators. MixedRealityimproves on traditional VR simulators by allowing the user the safety and freedom of not being cut off from the real world, allowing interaction and the tactile feedback of interacting with complex physical controls, while still allowing simultaneous use of virtual controls and by adding a real world reference point to aid in diminishing simulator sickness caused by visual motion / A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science / GR2018

This study sought to explore the effects of virtual reality (VR) as a technology that can potentially improve guided meditation practices; VR guided meditation sessions and audio guided meditation sessions were compared. Specifically, this study investigated VR’s impact on an individual’s self-perception of psychological factors that reflect mood or emotion; it also examined VR’s impact on an individual’s self-perception of presence and relaxation. After examination, VR guided meditation had no significant impact on an individual’s self-perception of mood and emotion or self-reported feelings of relaxation. However, guided VR meditation had a significant impact on an individual’s self-reported perception of presence; participants who meditated with VR felt “as if they were at the beach.” Although this study demonstrated that a fairly inexpensive VR system can enhance feelings of presence, that sense of presence did not enhance feelings of well-being and relaxation; this could be attributed to the novelty effect. / 2020-09-06

As one of the main topics in Virtual Reality (VR), travel interfaces have been studied by many researchers in the past decades. However, it is still a challenging topic today. One of the design problems is the tradeoff between speed and precision. Some tasks (e.g., driving) require a user to travel long distances with less concern about precise movement, while other tasks (e.g., walking) require users to approach nearby objects in a more precise way, and to care less about the speed. Between these two extremes there are scenarios when both speed and precision become equally important. In the real world, we often seamlessly balance these requirements. However, most VR systems only support a single travel mode, which may be good for one range of travel, but not others. We propose and evaluate a new VR travel framework which supports three separate multi-touch travel techniques for different distance ranges, that all use the same input device with a unifying metaphor of the user’s fingers becoming their legs. We investigate the usability and user acceptance for the fingers-as-legs metaphor, as well as the efficiency, naturalness, and impact on spatial awareness such an interface has.

Enter The Palace of the Monarch to experience Chinese horror and mystery in a fully realized virtual reality game. Follow a trail of cryptic letters and portraits, solving many unique puzzles in ever more extraordinary places—this is a mysterious journey where knowledge meets myth. This fully immersive game asks the player, in the role of the first son of House of Lin, to return to an ancient palace to fulfill solve a mystery. This game is unique to Western markets, bringing Chinese culture, history, writing, and horror sensibility and coupling this with a carefully designed and paced mystery that is told through discoveries in the game world. Ultimately, players will unveil the hidden secrets of the palace. Through research on environmental storytelling, human computer interaction, and game puzzle design, we want to provide the game with fascinating and immersive VR experience.

Enter The Palace of the Monarch to experience Chinese horror and mystery in a fully realized virtual reality game. Follow a trail of cryptic letters and portraits, solving many unique puzzles in ever more extraordinary places€”this is a mysterious journey where knowledge meets myth. This fully immersive game asks the player, in the role of the first son of House of Lin, to return to an ancient palace to fulfill solve a mystery. This game is unique to Western markets, bringing Chinese culture, history, writing, and horror sensibility and coupling this with a carefully designed and paced mystery that is told through discoveries in the game world. Ultimately, players will unveil the hidden secrets of the palace. Through research on environmental storytelling, human computer interaction, and game puzzle design, we want to provide the game with fascinating and immersive VR experience.

Thesis (M.S.V.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: leaves 144-146. / When the Universe first exploded it also imploded simultaneously. In that eternal instance the values of mass and energy were set in some perpetual equilibrium, determining the symmetries of nature. In effect, all that exploded was physical (p), comprising the particle-wavelike nature of matter. In fact, all that imploded was nonphysical (np), making up the virtual particle-wavelike nature of non-matter. Billions of years later, the substance of nonmatter corresponds to the structures and forces of the human mind. In this stage of our mental evolution, it seems apparent the uniqueness of th is np-reality may only be sensed and grasped or known through intuition as interpreted by the arts of the unconscious mind; while the p-reality may only be seen and understood through reason as illustrated or explained by the sciences of the conscious mind. Both forms of consciousness are reflections of the brain functions which appear to be influenced by the one-to-one correspondence of matter and nonmatter. The thought processes and behavior of the human organism, as an extension or a continuum of this correspondence, have evolved with the Universe since its original explosion-implosion event. My intentions are to investigate the p and np realities of the brain and mind, suggesting how certain symmetries such as mirror reflection affect the nature of thought. / by Todd Lael Siler. / M.S.V.S.

This dissertation examines early adopters of mass-marketed Virtual Reality (VR), as well as other immersive technologies, and the playful processes by which they incorporate the devices into their lives within New York City. Starting in 2016, relatively inexpensive head-mounted displays (HMDs) began to be manufactured and distributed by leaders in the game and information technology industries. However, even before these releases, developers and content creators were testing the devices through “development kits.” These de facto early adopters, who are distinctly commercially-oriented, acted as a launching point for the dissertation to scrutinize how, why and in what ways digital technologies spread to the wider public. Taking a multimethod approach that combines semi-structured interviews, two years of participant observation, media discourse analysis and autoethnography, the dissertation details a moment in the diffusion of an innovation and how publicity, social forces and industry influence adoption. This includes studying the media ecosystem which promotes and sustains VR, the role of New York City in framing opportunities and barriers for new users, and a description of meetups as important communities where devotees congregate. With Game Studies as a backdrop for analysis, the dissertation posits that the blurry relationship between labor and play held by most enthusiasts sustains the process of VR adoption. Their “playbor” colors not only the rhetoric and the focus of meetups, but also the activities, designs, and, most importantly, the financial and personal expenditures they put forth. Ultimately, play shapes the system of production by which adopters of commercial VR are introduced to the technology and, eventually, weave it into their lives. Situating play at the center of this system highlights that the assimilation of digital media is in part an embodied and irrational experience. It also suggests new models by which future innovations will spread to the public.

No description available.

abstract: This study was undertaken to ascertain to what degree, if any, virtual reality training was superior to monitor based training. By analyzing the results in a 2x3 ANOVA it was found that little difference in training resulted from using virtual reality or monitor interaction to facilitate training. The data did suggest that training involving rich textured environments might be more beneficial under virtual reality conditions, however nothing significant was found in the analysis. It might be possible that significance could be obtained by comparing a virtual reality set-up with higher fidelity to a monitor trial. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Engineering 2019

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2006. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 244-252).