Technological development has made it possible to perform virtual work, and the use of virtual work increased in a stunning pace as the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.   We have conducted a single-case study with an inductive design where eight managers in a distribution center delivered valuable insights and their perceptions of the sudden transition to a virtual work environment.   Our findings discovered a change in work relations between leaders and followers, and further discovered a set of new challenges that managers have had to face after this sudden transition to virtual leadership.

This thesis explores the use of heart rate as a biofeedback game mechanic control in combination with physical movement in a Virtual reality (VR) environment using either teleportation, or a VR treadmill. A literature review, surveys, expert interviews, semi-structured interviews and a VR prototype were created. The prototype was iterated three times, and tested using the A-B method with 57 participants. The Polar H10 was used for the heart rate monitoring of the participants. The readings of the heart rate values were received via a script in Python in order to extract raw heart rate data from the participant in real time and sent to the prototype in Unity. It includes different interaction functionalities, a teleportation system, and a grabbing system from the SteamVR asset pack, a walk function using the Omnideck from Omnifinity, and includes assets from Unity for the graphics and sound. From the results and analysis of the data from the prototype, it can be interpreted that using some sort of movement in VR enhances the participants engagement and immersiveness in the environment. While heart rate biofeedback control enhances the VR experience, adding physical walking using treadmills improves it even more.

In this dissertation, I explore an unintended downside of Virtual Reality (VR) in marketing practice. I find that despite firms’ intention to use VR as a gateway experience to future consumption in reality, the same experience delivered in VR (vs. non-VR) mode lowers consumers’ subsequent desire for similar kinds of experiences because people satisfy their needs in VR that they otherwise would in reality. This effect is consistently observed among consumers with a strong (vs. weak) need to engage with the VR experiences, namely (1) high sensation seekers engaging with stimulating VR content and (2) highly mindful individuals engaging with calm and contemplative VR content. To document the underlying mechanism, I measure users’ physiological reactivity (i.e., Skin Conductance Response) to stimulating VR and find that high sensation seekers engage with stimulating VR content more intensely than low sensation seekers. As a result, high sensation seekers readily satisfy their need for sensation in stimulating VR, reducing their subsequent desire for stimulating consumption in reality. The negative effect is also observed among consumers with high dispositional mindfulness using calm museum VR. I further find evidence for consumers’ need satisfaction in VR by showing that the negative effect diminishes when the real-world consumption experience is dissimilar (vs. similar) to the previous VR experience. Two field studies in a South Korean VR “theme park” and the National Museum of Korea, and three controlled lab experiments consistently reveal VR’s negative effects on consumers’ cognitive, behavioral, and physiological responses. I highlight implications of using VR as a substitute for reality and demonstrate how VR experiences can dissuade, rather than induce, corresponding consumption in reality among target consumers.

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) instructors at the secondary level as they adapted to teaching in a virtual environment during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Although the literature indicated that the delivery method for the content and curriculum aligned to Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps was best suited for face-to-face instruction, no evidence existed to indicate cadet overall success based on the implementation by virtual delivery, using one or multiple online platforms. The objective of each JROTC Program is to ensure that cadets successfully complete the program with advanced skill sets in leadership. Leadership skills are most often taught in a traditional environment wherein instructors and cadets learn in real-world and face-to-face environments. This study was a phenomenological qualitative study selected to examine the experiences of JROTC instructors who taught portions of their curriculum utilizing a virtual platform during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Data collection strategies included semi-structured, one-on-one interviews conducted via a virtual platform with JROTC instructors who taught the JROTC curriculum utilizing a virtual delivery instruction model. The results revealed that JROTC instructors perceived that virtual instruction of their curriculum did not produce an impact on leadership development of cadets as it would have had cadets been instructed in a face-to-face environment. The results reveal how cadets missed out on the development of valuable leadership skills by participating in virtual instruction and instructors perceived themselves to be less effective to ineffective as virtual instructors of their curriculum. The results yielded five themes: (a) virtual delivery model of instruction does not permit instructors to teach certain concepts of the JROTC curriculum adequately; (b) the importance of a face-to-face delivery model of instruction connects to the growth of a JROTC cadet in leadership development; (c) an overall lack of instructor preparation for using virtual instruction, but military training prepared them to be adaptive; (d) instructor perception of being ineffective in delivering instruction in a virtual environment; and (e) a new-found comfort in delivering overall instruction in both a virtual and face-to-face environment.

Realizado el 11 de abril de 2022. Lima, Perú. / Charla realizada a los docentes de la faculta de comunicaciones donde se mostró cómo crear una actividad de Turnitin en el Aula Virtual.

In dieser Abschlussarbeit geht es um die Untersuchung von etablierten Bewegungs- und Hilfsmethoden zur Flugsteuerung in der virtuellen Realität. Hierbei wird zum einen untersucht, welche Methoden als intuitiv wahrgenommen werden und zum anderen, welche Auswirkungen die Methode auf die Entwicklung von Cybersickness während der VR-Erfahrung hat. Zusätzlich wird untersucht, wie sich eine Veränderung in der Landschaft auf den Orientierungssinn auswirkt. Dafür werden eine veränderbare procedurale virtuelle Landschaft als Versuchsumgebung und die zu untersuchenden Bewegungsmethoden implementiert. Es folgt eine Studie, in der die Probanden die verschiedenen Bewegungsmethoden testen und in einem Fragebogen ihre Erfahrungen beschreiben. Abschließend werden die Testergebnisse der Probanden evaluiert und bewertet.:Kurzfassung Abkürzungsverzeichnis 1 Einleitung 1.1 Motivation 1.2 Ziel und Methodik der Arbeit 1.3 Aufbau der Arbeit 2 Virtual Reality 2.1 Theoretische Grundlagen 2.1.1 Die virtuelle Realität 2.1.2 Immersion bzw. Wahrnehmung 2.1.3 Geschichte der VR-Brille 2.1.4 Aktueller Technikstand 2.1.4.1 Trackingverfahren 2.1.5 Anwendungsgebiete 2.1.6 Herausforderungen/Probleme 2.2 Motion Sickness 2.2.1 Theorien zu Motion Sickness außerhalb von VR-Anwendungen 2.2.1.1 Die Vergiftungs-Erkennungs Theorie 2.2.1.2 Die Gleichgewichts-Herzkreislauf-Effekt Theorie 2.2.2 Theorien zu Motion Sickness in VR-Anwendungen 2.2.2.1 Die Sensor-Konflikt Theorie 2.2.2.2 Die Theorie der Lageinstabilität 2.2.3 Aspekte und Ausschlaggebende Faktoren für Motion Sickness in VRAnwendungen 2.2.4 Maßnahmen gegen Motion Sickness 2.2.4.1 Technische Mittel 2.2.4.2 Pharmazeutische Mittel 2.2.4.3 Individuelle Maßnahmen 2.3 Navigation in Virtuellen Welten 2.3.1 Point & Teleport 2.3.2 Reoriented World 2.3.3 Artificial Locomotion 2.3.4 Surrogate Vehicle 2.3.5 Motion Triggered 2.3.6 Redirected Walking 3 Fliegen in Computerspielen 4 Design und Implementierung 4.1 Grundstruktur 4.2 Implementierung der Bewegung und Hilfsmethoden 4.2.1 Artificial Locomotion (Künstliche Fortbewegung) + Surrogate Vehicle 4.2.2 Motion Triggered (Superman flying) 4.2.3 Point & Teleport 4.3 Proceduale Welt 4.3.1 Höhenkarte 4.3.2 Shader 4.4 Geometrische Strukturen 4.5 Pfad-Generierung 4.6 Start-Szene 4.7 Menü Interface 5 Studie 5.1 Fragestellung 5.2 Methodik 5.3 Beschreibung des Experiments 5.4 Ergebnisse 5.5 Diskussion und Auswertung 6 Fazit 7 Ausblick Abbildungsverzeichnis Tabellenverzeichnis Quelltextverzeichnis Literaturverzeichnis Anhang A.1 Tabellen A.2 Quelltexte A.3 Fragebogen

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MSc (Computer Science))--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Computer Science / unrestricted

The focus of this research was to examine how effectively augmented reality (AR) displays, generated with a wearable computer, could be used for aiding an operator performing a manufacturing assembly task. The research concentrated on comparing two technologies for generating augmented reality displays (opaque vs. see-through), with two current types of assembly instructions (a traditional assembly instruction manual vs. computer aided instruction). The study was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the wearable based augmented reality compared to traditional instruction methods, and was also used to compare two types of AR displays in the context of an assembly task. For the experiment, 15 subjects were asked to assemble a computer motherboard using the four types of instruction: paper manual, computer aided, an opaque AR display, and a see-through AR display. The study was run as a within subjects design, where subjects were randomly assigned the order of instruction media. For the AR conditions, the augmented environments were generated with a wearable computer, and viewed through two types of monocular, head-mounted displays (HMD). The first type of HMD was a monocular opaque HMD, and the second was a monocular see-though HMD. Prior to the experiment, all subjects performed a brief training session teaching them how to insert the various components of the motherboard in their respective slots. The time of assembly and assembly errors were measured for each type of media, and a questionnaire was administered to each subject at the end of each condition, and at the end of the experiment to determine the usability of the four instructional media. The results of the experiment indicated that both augmented reality conditions were more effective instructional aids for the assembly task than either the paper instruction manual or the computer aided instruction. The see-through HMD resulted in the fastest assembly times followed by the opaque HMD, the computer aided instruction, and the paper instructions respectively. In addition, subjects made fewer errors using the AR conditions compared to the other two types of instructional media. However, while the two AR conditions were a more effective instructional media when time was the response measure, there were still some important usability issues associated with the AR technology that were not present in the non-AR conditions. Many of the subjects indicated that both types of HMDs were uncomfortable, and over half expressed concerns about poor image contrast with the see-through HMDs. Finally, this thesis discusses the results of this study as well as implications for the design and use of AR and wearable computers for manufacturing assembly tasks. / Master of Science

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The ability of virtual reality (VR) active games to elicit moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) has yet to be fully understood. Also, whether VR combined with physical activity could have a greater pain reducing effect compared to non-active VR distraction remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of commercial VR active games on physical activity intensity levels, enjoyment, and pain sensitivity in young health adults. Thirty-six (18 males, 18 females) participants completed four study sessions, with each devoted to playing one VR game for fifteen minutes. The games included Beat Saber, Holopoint, Hot Squat, and Relax Walk VR. Levels of physical activity reached during VR gameplay were measured with percentage of heart rate reserve (%HRR), ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), and accelerometry. Enjoyment was measured with a visual analog scale and the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale following each gaming session. Pressure pain thresholds (PPT’s) of the dominant forearm and ipsilateral thigh were conducted before and after VR gameplay. The primary outcome measures were analyzed with mixed model ANOVAs. The %HRR and RPE results showed that only Hot Squat consistently elicited moderate intensity activity. Accelerometry data showed that Hot Squat and Holopoint elicited higher whole body and lower body intensity levels than Beat Saber and Relax Walk VR. For enjoyment, Beat Saber and Holopoint were rated higher than Hot Squat and Relax Walk VR. Results for pressure pain thresholds (PPT’s) showed 1) an overall acute hypoalgesic effect on the forearm and thigh following all VR games, and 2) an enhanced hypoalgesic effect (combining MVPA and VR distraction) on the thigh following Hot Squat. Overall, results from this study suggest that active VR games can elicit varying degrees of physical activity intensity levels in young healthy adults, with Hot Squat eliciting moderate intensity activity. Thus, active VR games could be an alternative and enjoyable mode of obtaining physical activity. This study also showed that active VR games can elicit an acute hypoalgesic effect, with the effect potentially exacerbated with greater movement during gameplay.

𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔: Aaron Urdanigue y Daniel Olivera. Profesores UPC. / Evento que permitirá recorrer de forma virtual los principales museos y lugares de la ciudad de Trujillo en la región Libertad.