The field of virtual reality (VR) is getting increasing attention from the scientific community and it is being portrayed by advertisements as the user interface (UI) of the future. This is a fair statement since the prior uses of VR that used to exist only in fiction movies and books are now widely available in many forms and settings to the public. One of the most interesting outcomes from this technological evolution is that now VR can be experienced through the use of a mobile phone and the addition of some inexpensive means typically in a form of a headset. The combination of the phone’s screen as attached to the headset creates a form of Head Mounted Display (HMD) which can be utilized in order for the user to be immersed within a virtual environment (VE). The argument here is that even if the means to get access to VR are cheap, this should not be the case with the experience as well. On the contrary, the low entry requirements in combination with a high quality experience are the basis for the medium's success and further adoption by the users. More specifically, the capability of utilizing a three dimensional space (3D) should not limit the medium’s use on just that but instead, this space should be used in order to offer immersive environments which make the user feel as if he is there.    There are many factors that contribute to that result and significant progress has been made to some such as the quality of screen or other hardware parts that allow the user get immersed into the virtual scenery, however, little progress has been made towards the conceptual means that allow the user of better experiencing this VE. Most of the VR applications so far are specifically designed for a single user session. This creates an isolation of the user from any other type of communities which further increases the stigma of VR being a solitary experience. Another issue is the interaction method that is available to users in order to interact with the VE. The use of buttons in most of the available headsets is a counter intuitive method for a person to interact with an environment that wants to be called real. The technological advancements in the field of image processing have resulted in many new methods of interaction and multimodal manipulation within VE and it would be worthy of exploring their effects on the user experience (UX) when used as an interaction method.    For these reasons, this thesis used the case of VR games as a setting to study how UX can be enhanced from its current state by introducing a bare hand gesture interaction method and expanding the VR setting in order to host two users in shared VE. Two individual studies were conducted where user feedback was collected in order to describe the effects of this approach in both a qualitative and quantitative manner. As results indicate, by utilizing gesture analysis on a headset equipped with a smartphone, it is possible to offer a natural and engaging solution for VR interaction capable of rich UXs while maintaining a low entry level for the end users. Finally, the addition of another player significantly affected the experience by influencing the emotional state of the participants in the game and further enforcing their feeling of presence within the VE.

Recent years have seen a significant growth in what designers and players call asymmetric virtual reality (AVR) games. This dissertation creates a framework that defines the relevant characteristics of AVR as a genre and describes five common genres of AVR games, including David(s) and Goliath, Hide and Seek, Perspective Puzzle, Order Simulation, and Lifeline. The core features of each subgenre are expounded. These subgenres are then evaluated using design workshops to observe novice game designs use these subgenres in their game design process. An analysis of the workshops found that the AVR subgenre framework may benefit novice game designers in finding inspiration from patterns in existing AVR games, planning asymmetric mechanics in AVR games between VR and non-VR players, and concepting new and unexplored ideas within the AVR genre. Finally, the discussion section outlines similarities and differences in the subgenres, limitations in this research, and provides guidance for future directions for this research.

VR står för Virtual Reality och används idag ofta för utbildning, både inom skola och yrkesgrupper då det har uppvisat goda resultat och är relativt billigt att utföra jämfört med att träna till exempel personal inom brandkår, sjukhus och polis. Finns det en applikation där flera användare inklusive en instruktör kan samverka oberoende plats och plattform blir det bättre ur både logistiskt och ekonomiskt perspektiv. Det finns idag ingen standardiserad modell för notifikationer inom VR och därför finns det en mängd olika modeller för att fånga användarens uppmärksamhet. Det här arbetet handlar om att undersöka webbläsaren som verktyg för en Virtual Reality- applikation där flera användare samtidigt kan använda applikationen oberoende av vilken plattform som används. Anledningen till att det skall fungera för flera användare samtidigt är för att applikationen är till för träning inför akuta situationer och då skall både instruktör och användare kunna vara i applikationen samtidigt.  Arbetet handlar också om att ta reda på vilken av de två notifikationsmodeller som i det här arbetet testas är det mest tidseffektiva vid träning av brandkår med hjälp av VR-teknik. Resultatet har framkommit genom utförda användartester genomförda med hjälp av en prototyp som har utvecklats; samt intervjuer av de testpersoner som har deltagit i användartester. Testpersonerna delades upp i två lika stora grupper på 10 st i varje grupp för att testa två olika notifikationsmodeller. De testade notifikationsmodeller är en statisk nödutgångsskylt och en visuell vägvisare i form av en pil i golvet som rör sig i för scenariots uppgift rätt riktning. Uppgiften som testpersonerna fick var att ta sig från en punkt till en annan i en rökfylld lokal på så snabb tid som möjligt, med hjälp av den notifikation som tilldelades. Testpersonerna rangordnades efter att samtliga test var genomförda. Den som klarat sig bäst i den ena gruppen jämfördes med den som klarat sig bäst i den andra gruppen och så vidare. Resultatet visar tendenser åt att den visuella vägvisaren var den mest effektiva av de två notifikationsmodeller som testades. Deltagarna i gruppen som använde den visuella sökvägen presterade något bättre, vilket indikerar en trend mot preferenser för den notifikations modellen framför den statiska nödutgångsskylten.

Although virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMD) have been in use since the mid-1960s, the surge in public awareness and access to VR had spurred an increased interest in all industries to investigate the potential of VR as an interaction modality associated with high subjective presence. Many challenges need to be addressed through the disciplined application of research methods, especially combating VR sickness, if this potential is to be realised. This Engineering Doctorate thesis reports a series of investigations within the context of real-world development with a partner company (BMT Defence Service, a naval engineering consultant). The primary interest of the thesis is in the potential of VR for developing cases and uses for this technology in training. The target modality of training was a portable set-up, i.e. sitting down with a laptop, HMD and a game controller. This set up would prove beneficial for providing axillary training to personnel who are not always able to receive regular on-board training. It would also prepare people for situations which are difficult to simulate in real-world conditions. Example cases included familiarisation, line of sight tests, hazard recognition and evacuation procedures. An initial study of VR HMD experience in training scenario highlighted VR sickness as a key limiting factor for usability thus focusing the research on identifying and reducing the factors which induce VR sickness. Prior research suggest that static field of view restrictions could help but only at the cost of loss of presence. There were no reported studies of the effects of restricting the field of view dynamically thus this thesis presents two investigations of dynamic Field of View (FOV) constriction triggered by movement in a virtual space. It was hypothesised that a reduction in FOV reduced the induction of VR sickness. The problem with doing so however was that it may negatively influence presence as the change in FOV could distract the user. This thesis reports the development of a method for adjusting FOV to reduce simulator VR without loss of presence. Two dynamic FOV constriction studies are reported. The first failed to demonstrate a clear effect but subjective user reports suggested methodological and experiential issues in its design. Meanwhile, research into a similar method was published at the 3DUI Symposium at IEEE VR 2016. Fernandes \& Feiner (2016) \cite{DynamicFOV_Feiner16}, who demonstrated that dynamic FOV constriction can reduce VR sickness without compromising presence. However, their work used interaction scenarios with normal walking in an unchallenging virtual environment. Users were not subject to the types of motion which literature suggests are most likely to induce sickness. Consequently, the second DFOV constriction study tested VR sickness reduction in more discomforting situations via involuntary movements and animations on the virtual character and camera. Many of these animations and movements are typical in first-person applications and yet are absent from VR applications. These include for example head-bobbing, falling animations, stumbling, and forward rolls. The aim was to test whether DFOV constriction could allow VR developers to include such facets in future development. It showed that extreme movements still generate VR sickness, despite the use of DFOV constriction, but subjective reports suggest some users appear to benefit. Further research is recommended on introducing user control to the extent of DFOV manipulation. The thesis concludes with an evaluation of the state-of-the-art in DFOV constriction as a general approach to immersive VR interactions, including how the human vestibular system may limit DFOV effectiveness as a means of controlling VR sickness.

<p>Det primära målet med examensarbetet var att utforma ett koncept på hur man kan göra flygtrafiken säkrare både på marken och i luften. Konceptet fick namnet ATSVIS, vilket står Airport Traffic Surveillance and Visual Information System. ATSVIS är tänkt att ge anvisningar om vad nya idéer och ny teknologi kan tillföra piloten och trafikledningen. ATSVIS avser även att automatisera och förenkla flygtrafiken, vilket skall leda till säkrare flygtrafik både i luften och på marken. Konceptet ATSVIS kommer att utformas efter egna idéer och från intervjuer med branschfolk. Huvudarbetet av examensarbetet kommer att vara att ta fram en simulator där man kan visa och pröva hur ATSVIS fungerar.</p> / <p>The primary objective with the thesis is to formulate a concept on how to do the air traffic safer, both on the land and in the air. The concept got the name ATSVIS, which stands for Airport Traffic Surveillance and Visual Information System. ATSVIS is intended to give instructions what new ideas and new technology can do, to allocate the pilot and the traffic management. ATSVIS also intend to automate and to simplify the air traffic. The concept is formulated after own ideas and from interviews with people in the flight industry. The central work of the thesis is a simulator in which one can show and to examine how ATSVIS functions work.</p>

Det primära målet med examensarbetet var att utforma ett koncept på hur man kan göra flygtrafiken säkrare både på marken och i luften. Konceptet fick namnet ATSVIS, vilket står Airport Traffic Surveillance and Visual Information System. ATSVIS är tänkt att ge anvisningar om vad nya idéer och ny teknologi kan tillföra piloten och trafikledningen. ATSVIS avser även att automatisera och förenkla flygtrafiken, vilket skall leda till säkrare flygtrafik både i luften och på marken. Konceptet ATSVIS kommer att utformas efter egna idéer och från intervjuer med branschfolk. Huvudarbetet av examensarbetet kommer att vara att ta fram en simulator där man kan visa och pröva hur ATSVIS fungerar. / The primary objective with the thesis is to formulate a concept on how to do the air traffic safer, both on the land and in the air. The concept got the name ATSVIS, which stands for Airport Traffic Surveillance and Visual Information System. ATSVIS is intended to give instructions what new ideas and new technology can do, to allocate the pilot and the traffic management. ATSVIS also intend to automate and to simplify the air traffic. The concept is formulated after own ideas and from interviews with people in the flight industry. The central work of the thesis is a simulator in which one can show and to examine how ATSVIS functions work.

Artistic painting involves mastery of haptic interaction with tools. Each tool brings unique physical affordances which determines an aesthetic expression of the finished work. For instance, a pen offers an ability to make a precise stroke in a realism painting, whereas a thick brush or a sponge works perfectly with dynamic arm movement in the abstract art such as action painting. Yet the selection of a tool is just a beginning. It requires repetitive training to understand the full capability of the tool affordance and to master the painting of preferred aesthetic strokes. Such physical act of an artistic expression cannot be captured by the computational tools today. Due to the increasing market adoption of augmented reality and virtual reality, and the decades of studies in haptics, we see an opportunity for advancing 3D painting experiences in non-conventional approach. In this research, we focus on force haptic interaction for 3D painting art in a room-scale virtual reality. We explore virtual tangibility and tool affordance of its own medium. In addition to investigating the fidelity of a physical interactivity, we seek ways to extend the painting capabilities by computationally customized force feedback and metaphor design. This system consists of a wearable force feedback device that sits on user’s hand, a software for motor control and real-time 3D stroke generation, and their integration to VR platform. We work closely with an artist to refine the 3D painting application and to evaluate the system’s usability.

No description available.

Under coronapandemin blev det nästan omöjligt att resa, vilket ledde till att fler människor försökte hitta andra sätt att fly vardagen och upptäcka världen på. En teknik som kom i fokus då var Virtual Reality (VR) som skapade möjligheten att resa virtuellt. Det här är en deskriptiv studie som syftar till att ge en djup förståelse för hur en resa i VR upplevs av sina användare. I studien genomfördes ett experiment där fem personer testade VR-mjukvaran National Geographic Explore och genomförde en virtuell resa till Antarktis. Hårdvaran som användes i studien var Oculus Quest (gen1). Deltagarna intervjuades om sina upplevelser av resan och den data som insamlades från intervjuerna analyserades baserat på Giorgis 5 analyssteg. Slutsatser som studien kommit fram till är att tekniken fortfarande behöver finjusteras då den inte lever upp till de förväntningar som användarna har gällande bild, grafik eller kontroller. Resultatet pekar dock på att mediet skapar en känsla av verklighet som användaren ibland inte kan skilja från verkligheten. De tekniker som framför allt skapar den känslan är enligt respondenterna 360 graders filmteknik med 6 degrees of freedom, förstapersonsperspektivet samt interaktionen. En slutsats som dragits är att ju fler sinnen som tekniken lyckas aktivera desto verkligare känns upplevelsen. Experimentdeltagarna kändes sig som mest integrerade i tekniken under de tillfällen i VR-resan som de använde hela kroppen. Resultatet från den här studien pekar på att en anledning till att människan reser, både i VR och fysiskt, är för att fly vardagen, en typ av eskapism. / During the Corona pandemic it became almost impossible to travel. This led to a search for alternative ways of escaping the everyday life and to explore the world. In the light of this the technology Virtual Reality (VR) came into focus. This is a descriptive study who aims to give a deep understanding of how travelling in virtual reality are experienced by its users. In the study an experiment was made where 5 persons tried out the VR-app National Geographic Explore where they took a virtual trip to Antarctica. The hardware that was used in the study was Oculus Quest (gen1). The participants were interviewed about their experiences of the trip. The data that was collected from the interviews was analyzed based on the 5 steps method of Giorgi. Conclusions that where made is that the technology still need adjustments because it does not live up to the user’s expectations about the graphics, the photo, or the controllers. The result, however, indicates that the medium creates a sense of reality, a sense which the users sometimes can’t distinguish from the physical reality. The technologies that the users found most important to create the feeling of immersion and sense of reality was the 360 degrees filming with 6 degrees of freedom, the first-person perspective, and the interaction. A conclusion that’s been made is that the more senses the technology can activate the more integrated and closer to reality does the users feel. The situation when the users felt most integrated in the medium was during the activities when the participants used their bodies and not only their eyes. The result of this study indicates that one reason why people travel, both in VR and physical, is to escape everyday life, a type of escapism.

No description available.