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Specifik fobi är en vanlig psykiatrisk åkomma som kan leda till stora individuella begränsningar. Symtomen kan framgångsrikt behandlas med kognitiv beteendeterapi där 85–90 % blir kliniskt signifikant förbättrade. Forskning påvisar lovande behandlingsutfall för virtuell exponeringsbehandling (VRET) mot spindelfobi. Tekniken är intressant då den kringgår de problem med anskaffning och förvaring av fobiska stimuli som sedvanlig behandling medför och dessutom kan innebära ökad tillgänglighet och flexibilitet vid behandling. Syftet med föreliggande studie är att jämföra behandlingseffekten av ensessionsbehandling (OST) med en nyutvecklad spelifierad virtuell exponeringsbehandling (VIMSE), som sker under en fristående behandlingssession. Totalt randomiserades 73 deltagare mellan de två behandlingsmetoderna. Båda behandlingarna medförde statistiskt signifikanta förbättringar med stora effektstorlekar för såväl det beteendetest (BAT), som utgjorde det primära utfallsmåttet (OST d = 1,94; VIMSE d = 1,41), som för de sekundära utfallsmåtten Spider Phobia Questionnaire och Fear of Spiders Questionnaire. OST resulterade i signifikant fler kliniskt signifikant förbättrade än VIMSE. / VIMSE (VIrtual reality Method for Spider phobia Exposure therapy)

When talking about how to present information in virtual reality, the possibilities are countless, but there are also many problems surrounding the spatial location of the information. This study aims to examine where and how the instructions in a vehicle training simulator should be presented in a future implementation of the interface in virtual reality. To find this out, a gameplay was created in which four different placements of the instructions were made. Three options were based on earlier studies made by Smith (2015) and Jose (2016) and the fourth was based on the existing information in the vehicle training simulator. These gameplays were presented as a movie to a number of interviewees and followed up by questions after each movie. The interviewees were asked to give the movies three ratings from 1-5, valuing how they perceived the presentation of the instructions. To get further opinions, comments was collected from the interviewees throughout each session. In this two ways, we got answers to which of the four options the interviewees thought was best. The study showed that there were two options that stood out among the others and both were based on the concept of a head-up display, also known as a HUD. One was represented in the bottom of the windshield and the other one in the top. The result of which one of them who were perceived as best is too close to say, although the study is considered to have reached its goal, which was to help the developers on their way to a decision that will eventually be implemented.

The purpose of the study was to investigate Virtual Reality as a visualization tool for communicating light and lighting design in projects. In the study, we sought to answer whether there are differences in light and spatial experience between a VR model and a physical environment. The VR model was created on the basis of visual evaluations of a physical environment and was therefore not based on light technical parameters (illuminance, luminance etc.). The data was collected by conducting an experiment where 35 subjects were put in two groups, an experiment group (n=30) and a control group (n=5). The subjects gave numerical input through a leader-led questionnaire about their experience of light and spatial dimensions in the VR model and the physical environment. The results showed that there was no significant statistical difference between how the experiment group experienced the light in the VR model compared to the physical environment. The experiment group also considered that the spatial dimensions in the two environments were equal except for a minor deviation concerning how high/low they experienced the room. In the results, a difference can be seen in how test subject with and without knowledge of light evaluated the environments which suggests that there may be a deficiency in how design is communicated between people with knowledge of light and people without knowledge of light. Following these findings, the presenting method of visualizing light in VR seems very promising and should be seen as a basis for further practical use of the tool.

In this thesis we explore the concepts and components which can be used as individual building blocks for producing immersive virtual reality (VR) content from a single RGB-D sensor. We identify the properties of immersive VR videos and propose a system composed of a foreground/background separator, a dynamic scene re-constructor and a shape completer. We initially explore the foreground/background separator component in the context of video summarization. More specifically, we examined how to extract trajectories of moving objects from video sequences captured with a static camera. We then present a new approach for video summarization via minimization of the spatial-temporal projections of the extracted object trajectories. New evaluation criterion are also presented for video summarization. These concepts of foreground/background separation can then be applied towards VR scene creation by extracting relative objects of interest. We present an approach for the dynamic scene re-constructor component using a single moving RGB-D sensor. By tracking the foreground objects and removing them from the input RGB-D frames we can feed the background only data into existing RGB-D SLAM systems. The result is a static 3D background model where the foreground frames are then super-imposed to produce a coherent scene with dynamic moving foreground objects. We also present a specific method for extracting moving foreground objects from a moving RGB-D camera along with an evaluation dataset with benchmarks. Lastly, the shape completer component takes in a single view depth map of an object as input and "fills in" the occluded portions to produce a complete 3D shape. We present an approach that utilizes a new data minimal representation, the additive depth map, which allows traditional 2D convolutional neural networks to accomplish the task. The additive depth map represents the amount of depth required to transform the input into the "back depth map" which would exist if there was a sensor exactly opposite of the input. We train and benchmark our approach using existing synthetic datasets and also show that it can perform shape completion on real world data without fine-tuning. Our experiments show that our data minimal representation can achieve comparable results to existing state-of-the-art 3D networks while also being able to produce higher resolution outputs.

Virtual reality (VR) är ett begrepp som blivit allt mer välkänt de senaste åren. VR kan beskrivas som en datorgenererad virtuell omvärld som användaren omsluts av. VR-miljön upplevs genom människans sinnen såsom syn, hörsel och känsel.Syftet med examensarbetet är att undersöka hur realistisk en kommersiellt tillgänglig VR-flygsimulator upplevs av piloter och undersöka om VR-teknik kan vara ett användbart läroverktyg för t.ex. flygskolor. VR-tekniken har under de senaste åren utvecklats väldigt mycket vilket gjort att många av de implementations svårigheter som VR-tekniken inneburit till stor del lösts. Nya helintegrerade head mounted displays (HMD) med inbyggd kompatibilitet gör att integreringsproblemen nästan helt försvunnit. Eftersom VR-tekniken nu är mer tillgänglig och lätthanterlig ligger det helt rätt i tiden att undersöka hur VR-teknik kan användas inom flygbranschen.Metoden för examensarbetet inleddes med informationsinsamling om VR-teknik och traditionella flygsimulatorer. Utifrån denna information skapades sedan en undersökning som bestod av två delar. Den första delen var ett experiment med en VR-flygsimulator och den andra delen var en intervju som utfördes direkt efter experimentet. Sju stridspiloter deltog i undersökningen.Resultaten av undersökningen visar att VR-flygsimulatorer upplevs som mer realistiska jämfört med traditionella flygsimulatorer. Undersökningen tyder också på att VR-teknik kan vara ett bra läroverktyg om de problem som identifierats lösts på ett tillfredsställande sätt. / Virtual reality (VR) is a rising phenomenon that has skyrocket in popularity the past year. VR is often referred to as a computer generated virtual environment the user gets immersed in. The VR environment is experienced through different types of sensory stimuli.The purpose of this thesis is to examine how realistic a commercially available VR flight simulator is being perceived by real pilots as well as examine if VR technology could be a viable educational tool for flight schools. The motivations of this thesis are the facts that the VR-technology has advanced in a quick phase. Many of the past difficulties with implementing VR technology have been addressed with new fully integrated head mounted displays therefor capability issues are no longer a big problem. Because of the simplicity of new VR-systems it’s a good time to investigate VR uses and how it compares to traditional flight simulator techniques.The method used for the thesis started with collecting information about VR technology and traditional flight simulators. With that information a survey consisting of two parts was created. The first part was an experiment with a VR flight simulator, and the second part was an interview conducted directly after the experiment. Seven jet fighter pilots participated in the survey.Our results show that a VR flight simulator is perceived as more realistic compared to a traditional flight simulator. It is also shown that VR technology could be a good educational tool if some of the issues that were found are resolved or improved upon.

In the light of youth unemployment and increased transnational mobility practice oriented vocational education and training get more and more importance in the international cooperation in education. There is a broad consensus among educational experts, that one of the possible measures to reduce youth unemployment in the world is to provide youth skills and competences, which are needed on the labour market. The school based vocational education needs to be updated with practical skills. The fundament of each practice oriented vocational education and training system (VET) lays in the cooperation between the main actors: the enterprises and vocational schools. Dual systems in countries as Germany, Switzerland and Austria offer many good practice examples on the benefits of the engagements of both actors in the vocational education and training system but nevertheless these examples cannot be taken as “one model fits all” which can be implemented in each country. Therefore each country interested in the redesign of their own vocational education and training system needs to identify possible benefits of and challenges in their system, to be able to specify the opportunities and threat for future development. It cannot be presumed that enterprises can be forced to take apprentices and train them in their facilities. It has to be evident for every educational actor willing to cooperate with enterprises, that enterprises first strive for growth in profits upon others to be able to secure their existence and secondly they may support additional, non-economic activities; for example the vocational education and training of future employee. Although to ensuring the quality of future employees may partly be seen as their social responsibility this fact will still depend on their economic situation and their need for skilled labour. However, making profit does not collide with the idea of the engagement of enterprises in the vocational education and training. It only needs an in depth-analysis of potentials and needs of enterprises and vocational schools and an adequate planning as well as development of the educational programs and activities. The following example on the PR China delivers many interesting basic approaches on how cooperation between enterprises and vocational schools can be built up, managed and preserved. Thanks to the over thirty years of multilateral cooperation between der PR China and other European and Asian countries, the PR China already knows what is needed to modernize the vocational education and training system. Further education of teachers, redevelopment of curriculums and the redesign of the infrastructure of the vocational schools are those activities, which enriched the Chinese vocational education and training system in the last thirty years. There is still backwardness in the economically weak part of the country but within the “go-west-strategy” of the government innovative measures are offered for enterprises to foster the development of the western region; for example cut red tape or tax and duty exemptions. In the course of the bureaucracy development of the east-southeast part of the country and through the increased perception of the country in the international business the quality of labour become more relevant also for the PR China. Products with low-value-added and unskilled labour were not sufficient anymore for the competitiveness of the country in the international environment. More and more enterprises realised the shortage of qualified labour because of the rise of progressing technology and of the availability of qualified labour. The commitment to quality in the vocational education and training laid on the market orientation and therefore on the establishment of cooperation between enterprises and vocational schools. The PR China can consequently show good practice examples from cooperation in the vocational education after more than thirty years of learning from other countries. The constructive element of these cooperation was identified by the actors as the consensus about the mutual benefit of cooperative activities. Although there are many good practices in the cooperation, nevertheless, more persuasiveness is still needed for continuous fostering of quality in the vocational education and training. The cooperation is not only influenced by the interest, need and the level of cooperation between enterprises and vocational schools, but the nature of the directives of the government are crucial for the cooperation too. For example, the decentralized implementation of the directives of the government may endanger the uneven development and quality assurance in vocational training. The transfer of responsibility of the state in the hands of the provinces ensures on the one side more freedom for provinces, for instance, it allows them to adapt the vocational education and training to their specific needs and to implement it to local circumstances. This means, to offer labour market oriented vocational education and training. On the other side it needs in the context of quality assurance to archive the knowledge gained through the fragmented implementation. This implies, that already developed teaching and learning materials should not get lost but it should be used as synergies and transfer these to other provinces, schools or enterprises. One of the exemplary efforts made by good situated “model vocational schools” is their willingness to overtake a sponsorship for other less developed vocational schools that are located mostly in the western region. Previously mentioned schools support the improvement of the teaching quality of latter mentioned schools and help them especially in the initial phase of the redevelopment of their teaching and training system. More concrete, “school sponsorships” allow to share knowledge, experience or to share technical equipment. The further education of teachers, the establishment of training facilities, the adaptation of curriculum to the labour market needs leave space for the consideration of local needs on the one side, and the dynamics of market development on the other side. It is only possible to take over responsibility for less developed schools, if there is financial support through the government too. School sponsorship is mostly subject to model schools therefore there is a significant need for recognition and promotion of education activities of these model schools. The high dynamic of the labour market in developing regions may cause challenges in the cooperation between vocational schools and enterprises, especially in the time of recession. If the cooperation with a vocational school gives rise to concern because of the limited time, personal availability or financial support in the enterprises, than the support of enterprises may decrease. Therefore the model schools strive to mobilise all actors, ask for financial and material benefits during the time of economic growth to be able to implement those benefits targeted and lay a solid fundament for the performance of less developed schools. This fundament may consist of well-educated vocational teachers, well-equipped training facilities as well as practice oriented curricula. A solid basis allows vocational schools in a economically weak period to use previous investments and benefits. Additional created supplementary services, as further educational offers for enterprise employees, well-educated vocational teachers as consulters by building up of new production lines or by doing research on the effectiveness of human resources, are examples for reserves to bear itself. The redefinition of the role of vocational schools as “service providers” in a wide sense, allows setting quality standards in relation with the pedagogical requirements and economical needs in the vocational education and training. The school administration and teachers need to be equipped with additional management skills in addition to their educational and professional skills to be able to initiate, build and maintain cooperation systematically and analytically. Enterprises need to be aware of taking responsibility for future skilled labour while cooperating with vocational schools. The openness of enterprises for cooperation allows determining one's potential within vocational education and training and look for benefits for both actors. It is necessary for a successful cooperation to be a "win-win" situation, so the motivation for all parties should be maintained. Finally each cooperation needs competent teachers, well equipped training facilities also strategic planning (AIOC-strategy) in sense of analysis of initial situation and the possibilities for the implementation of practical vocational education and training, optimisation of available capacities and resources, the interdependence of responsibilities and competences of both actors, and the consolidation of pedagogical quality criteria under economic premises. The PR China has tried in the past thirty years to modernize its vocational education and training system; this happened mostly in the technical occupations. The challenge for the future will be to do the same effort for the service occupations. The reform and open-door policy of the Chinese government since the 1970s brings many opportunities not only for the economy, but also for the society. The rapid development in the technically based fields brought the anticipated economic upswing and leads the PR China from a development country to the second biggest economy in the world. Now, the current government aims more to increase the life standard of the Chinese and strengthen the domestic consumption than to focus on industry production. Through the emerging middle class the quality and necessity of services gain higher importance in the society and it is seen as an integral part of increasing their quality of life. Chinas new generation remained from the destructive revolutions of the 1960s and 1970s, which have slowed down the development in the country. It has now in hand to bring together identity of the country with its traditions and modernity not only outwardly in the perception of the world, but to strengthen it also in the Chinese society.

Utveckling inom digitala- och sociala medier håller på att omdefiniera hur åskådarskap kommer se ut i framtiden. I kombination med en pandemi och en global klimatkris ställer det nya krav på hur sportarenor kan generera besökare till sina evenemang. Studiens syfte var därför att skapa förståelse för vilka förväntningar besökaren har på en virtuell arena samt skapa förståelse för vilka faktorer som är avgörande för användarens avsikt att besöka en virtuell arena. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och empiri har samlats in genom tre strukturerade fokusgrupper. Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT 2) användes som baslinje i studien och har utifrån analys och diskussion av studiens empiri utökats med fler element för att vara applicerbar i den befintliga fallet. Resultatet visade att en virtuell arena bör bidra med ett mervärde jämfört med en fysisk arena. Detta genom tillgång till exklusivt material och exklusiva områden. Vidare drogs slutsatserna att förväntad möjlighet till social interaktion, förväntad förbättrad informations- och upplevelsekonsumtion och förväntad möjlighet till personaliserad upplevelse har indirekt inverkan på användarens avsikt att använda den virtuella arenan genom hedonisk motivation och prestationsförväntan. Förväntad ansträngning visade sig vara en avgörande faktor som i sin tur påverkas av tillgänglighet, användarvänlighet och teknisk prestanda. Prisvärde visade sig vara en starkt avgörande faktor. Slutligen konstaterades intresse för sporten vara en ny modererande faktor med direkt inverkan på användarens avsikt att besöka den virtuella arenan. / Development within digital and social media is redefining how spectators will experience sport in the future. In combination with a pandemic and a global climate crisis, it creates new demands on how sports arenas can generate visitors to their events. The aim of this study was therefore to gain an understanding of the visitor’s expectations on a virtual arena as well as to identify key factors that affect the consumer’s intention to visit a virtual arena. The study has a qualitative approach and empirical data has been collected through three structured focus groups. Unified Theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT 2) was used as a theoretical foundation and was extended with more elements through analysis and discussion, to better suit the current situation. The results of the study indicated that a virtual arena should contribute added value compared to a physical arena, through access to exclusive material and exclusive areas. Furthermore, it was concluded that expected opportunity for social interaction, expected improved information- and experience consumption and expected opportunity for personalized experience have an indirect impact on the visitor’s intention to use the virtual arena through hedonic motivation and performance expectancy. Effort expectancy proved to be a crucial factor which in turn is affected by accessibility, ease of use, and technical performance. Price value is shown to be a strong decisive factor. Finally, it is stated that interest in the sport is a new moderating factor with a direct impact on the user’s intention to visit the virtual arena.

(in English) This diploma thesis is examining the ways of using immersive virtual reality with senior citizens aged 65 plus with health problems. Those chosen individuals who live in a retirement home were examined and questioned after trying out a virtual reality headset with a specific travel experience using the Google Earth VR app. The main focus was to study their emotional state and its shifts. The author used a combination of quantitative and qualitative research to finalise the analysis. The theoretical part offers an insight on the use of immersive virtual reality in the lives of senior citizens such as how they spend free time in the Retirement homes. The analytical part of this dissertation shows a summary of existing studies and commercial projects using virtual reality with the aim to facilitate seniors. The qualitative research has helped to a better understanding of the Czech market. It also helped executing a scientific investigation centred on a particular group of seniors. Data was gathered via half structured interviews, observation and standardised questionnaires PANAS and Flow Short Scale.

In the light of youth unemployment and increased transnational mobility practice oriented vocational education and training get more and more importance in the international cooperation in education. There is a broad consensus among educational experts, that one of the possible measures to reduce youth unemployment in the world is to provide youth skills and competences, which are needed on the labour market. The school based vocational education needs to be updated with practical skills. The fundament of each practice oriented vocational education and training system (VET) lays in the cooperation between the main actors: the enterprises and vocational schools. Dual systems in countries as Germany, Switzerland and Austria offer many good practice examples on the benefits of the engagements of both actors in the vocational education and training system but nevertheless these examples cannot be taken as “one model fits all” which can be implemented in each country. Therefore each country interested in the redesign of their own vocational education and training system needs to identify possible benefits of and challenges in their system, to be able to specify the opportunities and threat for future development. It cannot be presumed that enterprises can be forced to take apprentices and train them in their facilities. It has to be evident for every educational actor willing to cooperate with enterprises, that enterprises first strive for growth in profits upon others to be able to secure their existence and secondly they may support additional, non-economic activities; for example the vocational education and training of future employee. Although to ensuring the quality of future employees may partly be seen as their social responsibility this fact will still depend on their economic situation and their need for skilled labour. However, making profit does not collide with the idea of the engagement of enterprises in the vocational education and training. It only needs an in depth-analysis of potentials and needs of enterprises and vocational schools and an adequate planning as well as development of the educational programs and activities. The following example on the PR China delivers many interesting basic approaches on how cooperation between enterprises and vocational schools can be built up, managed and preserved. Thanks to the over thirty years of multilateral cooperation between der PR China and other European and Asian countries, the PR China already knows what is needed to modernize the vocational education and training system. Further education of teachers, redevelopment of curriculums and the redesign of the infrastructure of the vocational schools are those activities, which enriched the Chinese vocational education and training system in the last thirty years. There is still backwardness in the economically weak part of the country but within the “go-west-strategy” of the government innovative measures are offered for enterprises to foster the development of the western region; for example cut red tape or tax and duty exemptions. In the course of the bureaucracy development of the east-southeast part of the country and through the increased perception of the country in the international business the quality of labour become more relevant also for the PR China. Products with low-value-added and unskilled labour were not sufficient anymore for the competitiveness of the country in the international environment. More and more enterprises realised the shortage of qualified labour because of the rise of progressing technology and of the availability of qualified labour. The commitment to quality in the vocational education and training laid on the market orientation and therefore on the establishment of cooperation between enterprises and vocational schools. The PR China can consequently show good practice examples from cooperation in the vocational education after more than thirty years of learning from other countries. The constructive element of these cooperation was identified by the actors as the consensus about the mutual benefit of cooperative activities. Although there are many good practices in the cooperation, nevertheless, more persuasiveness is still needed for continuous fostering of quality in the vocational education and training. The cooperation is not only influenced by the interest, need and the level of cooperation between enterprises and vocational schools, but the nature of the directives of the government are crucial for the cooperation too. For example, the decentralized implementation of the directives of the government may endanger the uneven development and quality assurance in vocational training. The transfer of responsibility of the state in the hands of the provinces ensures on the one side more freedom for provinces, for instance, it allows them to adapt the vocational education and training to their specific needs and to implement it to local circumstances. This means, to offer labour market oriented vocational education and training. On the other side it needs in the context of quality assurance to archive the knowledge gained through the fragmented implementation. This implies, that already developed teaching and learning materials should not get lost but it should be used as synergies and transfer these to other provinces, schools or enterprises. One of the exemplary efforts made by good situated “model vocational schools” is their willingness to overtake a sponsorship for other less developed vocational schools that are located mostly in the western region. Previously mentioned schools support the improvement of the teaching quality of latter mentioned schools and help them especially in the initial phase of the redevelopment of their teaching and training system. More concrete, “school sponsorships” allow to share knowledge, experience or to share technical equipment. The further education of teachers, the establishment of training facilities, the adaptation of curriculum to the labour market needs leave space for the consideration of local needs on the one side, and the dynamics of market development on the other side. It is only possible to take over responsibility for less developed schools, if there is financial support through the government too. School sponsorship is mostly subject to model schools therefore there is a significant need for recognition and promotion of education activities of these model schools. The high dynamic of the labour market in developing regions may cause challenges in the cooperation between vocational schools and enterprises, especially in the time of recession. If the cooperation with a vocational school gives rise to concern because of the limited time, personal availability or financial support in the enterprises, than the support of enterprises may decrease. Therefore the model schools strive to mobilise all actors, ask for financial and material benefits during the time of economic growth to be able to implement those benefits targeted and lay a solid fundament for the performance of less developed schools. This fundament may consist of well-educated vocational teachers, well-equipped training facilities as well as practice oriented curricula. A solid basis allows vocational schools in a economically weak period to use previous investments and benefits. Additional created supplementary services, as further educational offers for enterprise employees, well-educated vocational teachers as consulters by building up of new production lines or by doing research on the effectiveness of human resources, are examples for reserves to bear itself. The redefinition of the role of vocational schools as “service providers” in a wide sense, allows setting quality standards in relation with the pedagogical requirements and economical needs in the vocational education and training. The school administration and teachers need to be equipped with additional management skills in addition to their educational and professional skills to be able to initiate, build and maintain cooperation systematically and analytically. Enterprises need to be aware of taking responsibility for future skilled labour while cooperating with vocational schools. The openness of enterprises for cooperation allows determining one's potential within vocational education and training and look for benefits for both actors. It is necessary for a successful cooperation to be a "win-win" situation, so the motivation for all parties should be maintained. Finally each cooperation needs competent teachers, well equipped training facilities also strategic planning (AIOC-strategy) in sense of analysis of initial situation and the possibilities for the implementation of practical vocational education and training, optimisation of available capacities and resources, the interdependence of responsibilities and competences of both actors, and the consolidation of pedagogical quality criteria under economic premises. The PR China has tried in the past thirty years to modernize its vocational education and training system; this happened mostly in the technical occupations. The challenge for the future will be to do the same effort for the service occupations. The reform and open-door policy of the Chinese government since the 1970s brings many opportunities not only for the economy, but also for the society. The rapid development in the technically based fields brought the anticipated economic upswing and leads the PR China from a development country to the second biggest economy in the world. Now, the current government aims more to increase the life standard of the Chinese and strengthen the domestic consumption than to focus on industry production. Through the emerging middle class the quality and necessity of services gain higher importance in the society and it is seen as an integral part of increasing their quality of life. Chinas new generation remained from the destructive revolutions of the 1960s and 1970s, which have slowed down the development in the country. It has now in hand to bring together identity of the country with its traditions and modernity not only outwardly in the perception of the world, but to strengthen it also in the Chinese society.