2023-12-14, Travaglini, Alessio, Brand, Esther, Meier, Pascal, Christ, Oliver

Not only since COVID-19, the topic of decentralized working and learning methods is becoming increasingly important for various reasons. New virtual reality technologies enable learning in immersive scenarios, which is good when learning from home is advised. However, not all immersive Virtual Reality (iVR) training incorporates learning systems that support complex, realistic, practical tasks that lead to a product or enable acquiring knowledge and life-enhancing skills like project-based learning. Although there are many iVR applications available that support project management, the specific features of these applications that lead to the intention to use (and therefore life-enhancing skills) have yet to be discovered. In this exploratory mixed-method study, we investigated the question of the importance of perceived usefulness (PU) and job relevance (JR) as predictors of intention to use (ItU) in a selection of immersive iVR application features. We started with market research and aggregated 88 software features in 13 categories of 34 professional iVR applications. After an expert selection and ranking procedure, a survey was developed. After deriving from the TAM 2 model and with a sample n = 103, we computed the relationship of JR, PU, and ItU. Although high values were generally observed, we found that the importance of PU is higher than JR when it comes to ItU. Limitations of the study are discussed, and suggestions for further research are given.

2020-05, Christ, Oliver, Beckerle, Philipp, Abbink, David A., Nostadt, Nicolas

Subjective experience of human control over remote, artificial, or virtual limbs has traditionally been investigated from two separate angles: presence research originates from teleoperation, aiming to capture to what extent the user feels like actually being in the remote or virtual environment. Embodiment captures to what extent a virtual or artificial limb is perceived as one’s own limb. Unfortunately, the two research fields have not interacted much. This survey intends to provide a coherent overview of the literature at the intersection of these two fields to further that interaction. Two rounds of systematic research in topic-related databases resulted in 414 related articles, 14 of which satisfy the deliberately strict inclusion criteria: 2 theoretical frameworks that highlighted intersections and 12 experimental studies that evaluated subjective measures for both concepts. Considering the surrounding literature as well, theoretical and experimental potential of embodiment and presence are discussed and suggestions to apply them in teleoperation research are derived.While increased publication activity is observed between 2016 and 2018, potentially caused by affordable virtual reality technologies, various open questions remain. To tackle them, human-in-the-loop experiments and three guiding principles for teleoperation system design (mechanical fidelity, spatial bodily awareness,and self-identification) are suggested

2020-04-03, Christ, Oliver, Kaufmann, Kaspar, Wehrli, Simon, Mistretta, Emanuel, Arisona, Stefan, Wyssenbach, Thomas, Schubiger, Simon, Tareq, Ahram, Taiar, Redha, Gremeaux-Bader, Vincent, Aminian, Kamiar

Rapid progress in virtual reality technology empowers immersive and naturalistic driving simulations also for low budget. The technology enables researcher with the means to test different variables in road traffic riskless and reproducible. In real traffic scenarios, differences in driving behavior and safety related-perception can be observed. The object of our study was to develop a low-budget driving simulation environment and to enable a riskless testing of future traffic scenarios.

2023, Christ, Oliver, Deuber, Michelle, Gächter, Anina, Guedel, Jordin, Papageorgiou, Andreas, Ahram, Tareq, Taiar, Redha

The combination of immersive virtual reality and sport has garnered significant attention in the academic world and the industry domains. There is a decent amount of literature that shows positive effects but also critical voices when it comes to learning and wellbeing in a virtual world during work out. In our study we postulate the hypothesis that subjects with a higher degree of predisposition in simulation sickness will show higher values in all three subscales of the simulation sickness questionnaire (SSQ) while doing exercise with sports gear with moveable parts in a fully immersive VR application than subjects with lower degrees of predisposition in motion sickness. However, our data did not support the hypothesis. Surprisingly, we even found a disproportionate significant improvement in the oculomotor subscale of the SSQ. These results are being discussed and further studies are being suggested.

2020-04-03, Christ, Oliver, Ziegler, Cyrill, Hirschi, Andreas, Genovese, Rosina, Papageorgiou, Andreas, Ahram, Tareq, Taiar, Redha, Gremeaux-Bader, Vincent, Aminian, Kamiar

The increase of shipped consumer immersive virtual reality (IVR) up to 6 million units in 2019 shows the increasing popularity of this medium. Invests of 8 billion dollars are anticipated in the next five years for the training sector. With the development the question arise, what effects and advantages can be expected using IVR in human training? This paper reviews three important areas, when it comes to the design of immersive virtual reality trainings: 1. cognitive load, 2. spatial imagination and the contextual interference effect.

2021-01, Christ, Oliver, Hirschi, Mathias, Fleischmann, Daniel

Noch werden virtuelle Simulationen in der Berufsbildung selten eingesetzt. Eine entscheidende Anforderung an das Instrument bildet neben dem didaktischen Mehrwert gegenüber konventionellen Lernformen auch die Frage, welche Auswirkungen die Übertragung bestimmter Lernparadigmen in den virtuellen Raum auf die Einstellung, Motivation und die Leistung von Auszubildenden hat. Diese Frage untersuchte login Berufsbildung AG zusammen mit der Hochschule für Angewandte Psychologie der FHNW. Die Studie kommt zum Schluss, dass beim Erlernen eines Arbeitsprozesses eine feste Anzahl von Wiederholungen einer Teilaufgabe in der virtuellen Welt einen Lernvorteil bietet. Auf der anderen Seite zeigt das zufällige Wiederholen von unterschiedlichen Teilaufgaben weniger Lernerfolg im Erwerb von Prozesswissen. Während die Auszubildenden Virtual Reality als «virtuellen Blick» in ihre berufliche Zukunft als zusätzlichen Mehrwert erleben, wirkt sich die Art der Gestaltung des VR-Trainings massgeblich auf die Motivation aus.

2020-04-03, Christ, Oliver, Papageorgiou, Andreas, Mutuura, Kamalatharsi, Ahram, Tareq, Taiar, Redha, Gremeaux-Bader, Vincent, Aminian, Kamiar

We explored the possibility of taking icons from Android Smartphones, for the use in graphical user interfaces (GUI) in bakery sheeter. This idea was generated from the fact that Android Smartphones are sold worldwide and that the icons used in the menu should have a degree of popularity that most people could deal with. With this research question in mind we created a mixed method design for the study (qualitative and quantitative data). Results show that some icons were able to represent basic navigation function in industrial machines.