Virtual Reality Musical Instruments: State of the Art, Design Principles, and Future Directions

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 22-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefania Serafin ◽  
Cumhur Erkut ◽  
Juraj Kojs ◽  
Niels C. Nilsson ◽  
Rolf Nordahl
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Musical Instruments ◽  
Visual Component ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Immersive Visualization

The rapid development and availability of low-cost technologies have created a wide interest in virtual reality. In the field of computer music, the term “virtual musical instruments” has been used for a long time to describe software simulations, extensions of existing musical instruments, and ways to control them with new interfaces for musical expression. Virtual reality musical instruments (VRMIs) that include a simulated visual component delivered via a head-mounted display or other forms of immersive visualization have not yet received much attention. In this article, we present a field overview of VRMIs from the viewpoint of the performer. We propose nine design guidelines, describe evaluation methods, analyze case studies, and consider future challenges.

Design of a Directional Olfactory Display to Study the Integration of Vision and Olfaction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Micaroni ◽  
Marina Carulli ◽  
Francesco Ferrise ◽  
Monica Bordegoni ◽  
Alberto Gallace
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Olfactory Cues ◽  
Input Device ◽  
Experimental Setup ◽  
Initial Testing ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Innovative System ◽  
The One ◽  
Olfactory Display

This research aims to design and develop an innovative system, based on an olfactory display, to be used for investigating the directionality of the sense of olfaction. In particular, the design of an experimental setup to understand and determine to what extent the sense of olfaction is directional and whether there is prevalence of the sense of vision over the one of smell when determining the direction of an odor, is described. The experimental setup is based on low cost Virtual Reality (VR) technologies. In particular, the system is based on a custom directional olfactory display, an Oculus Rift Head Mounted Display (HMD) to deliver both visual and olfactory cues and an input device to register subjects’ answers. The VR environment is developed in Unity3D. The paper describes the design of the olfactory interface as well as its integration with the overall system. Finally the results of the initial testing are reported in the paper.

scholarly journals Low-cost and home-made immersive systems

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sébastien Kuntz ◽  
Ján Cíger
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Vision System ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Immersive Virtual Reality ◽  
Simple Application ◽  
3D Vision ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Good Level ◽  
Application Sharing ◽  
Immersive Systems

A lot of professionals or hobbyists at home would like to create their own immersive virtual reality systems for cheap and taking little space. We offer two examples of such "home-made" systems using the cheapest hardware possible while maintaining a good level of immersion: the first system is based on a projector (VRKit-Wall) and cost around 1000$, while the second system is based on a head-mounted display (VRKit-HMD) and costs between 600� and 1000�. We also propose a standardization of those systems in order to enable simple application sharing. Finally, we describe a method to calibrate the stereoscopy of a NVIDIA 3D Vision system.

Development of a Low-Cost Augmented Reality Head-Mounted Display Prototype

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Thiago D'Angelo ◽  
Saul Emanuel Delabrida Silva ◽  
Ricardo A. R. Oliveira ◽  
Antonio A. F. Loureiro
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Augmented Reality ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
User Interaction ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Time Performance ◽  
Work Tasks ◽  
Head Mounted Displays

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) have been emerging in the last years. These technologies sound like the new hot topic for the next years. Head-Mounted Displays have been developed for many different purposes. Users have the opportunity to enjoy these technologies for entertainment, work tasks, and many other daily activities. Despite the recent release of many AR and VR HMDs, two major problems are hindering the AR HMDs from reaching the mainstream market: the extremely high costs and the user experience issues. In order to minimize these problems, we have developed an AR HMD prototype based on a smartphone and on other low-cost materials. The prototype is capable of running Eye Tracking algorithms, which can be used to improve user interaction and user experience. To assess our AR HMD prototype, we choose a state-of-the-art method for eye center location found in the literature and evaluate its real-time performance in different development boards.

scholarly journals Comparisons Between First Person Point-of-View 180° Video Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Display and 3D Video Computer Display in Teaching Undergraduate Neuroscience Students Stereotaxic Surgeries

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenz S. Neuwirth ◽  
Maxime Ros
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
3D Video ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Video Content ◽  
Pedagogical Approach ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Stereotaxic Surgery ◽  
Learning Content ◽  
Traditional Lectures

Introduction: Students interested in neuroscience surgical applications learn about stereotaxic surgery mostly through textbooks that introduce the concepts but lack sufficient details to provide students with applied learning skills related to biomedical research. The present study employed a novel pedagogical approach which used an immersive virtual reality (VR) alternative to teach students stereotaxic surgery procedures through the point of view (POV) of the neuroscientist conducting the research procedures.Methods: The study compared the 180° video virtual reality head-mounted display (180° video VR HMD) and the 3D video computer display groups to address the learning gaps created by textbooks that insufficiently teach stereotaxic surgery, by bringing students into the Revinax® Virtual Training Solutions educational instruction platform/technology. Following the VR experience, students were surveyed to determine their ratings of the learning content and comprehension of the material and how it compared to a traditional lecture, an online/hybrid lecture, and YouTube/other video content, as well as whether they would have interest in such a pedagogical tool.Results: The 180° video VR HMD and the 3D video computer display groups helped students attend to and learn the material equally, it improved their self-study, and they would recommend that their college/university invest in this type of pedagogy. Students reported that both interventions increased their rate of learning, their retention of the material, and its translatability. Students equally preferred both interventions over traditional lectures, online/hybrid courses, textbooks, and YouTube/other video content to learn stereotaxic surgery.Conclusion: Students preferred to learn in and achieve greater learning outcomes from both the 180° video VR HMD and the 3D video computer display over other pedagogical instructional formats and thought that it would be a more humane alternative to show how to conduct the stereotaxic surgical procedure without having to unnecessarily use/practice and/or demonstrate on an animal. Thus, this pedagogical approach facilitated their learning in a manner that was consistent with the 3-Rs in animal research and ethics. The 180° video VR HMD and the 3D video computer display can be a low-cost and effective pedagogical option for distance/remote learning content for students as we get through the COVID-19 pandemic or for future alternative online/hybrid classroom instruction to develop skills/reskill/upskill in relation to neuroscience techniques.

scholarly journals Use of Smartphone-Based Head-Mounted Display Devices to View a Three-Dimensional Dissection Model in a Virtual Reality Environment: Pilot Questionnaire Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshihito Masuoka ◽  
Hiroyuki Morikawa ◽  
Takashi Kawai ◽  
Toshio Nakagohri
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Motion Sickness ◽  
3D Model ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Visually Induced Motion Sickness ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Eye Fatigue ◽  
Induced Motion ◽  
Observation Environment

BACKGROUND Virtual reality (VR) technology has started to gain attention as a form of surgical support in medical settings. Likewise, the widespread use of smartphones has resulted in the development of various medical applications; for example, Google Cardboard, which can be used to build simple head-mounted displays (HMDs). However, because of the absence of observed and reported outcomes of the use of three-dimensional (3D) organ models in relevant environments, we have yet to determine the effects of or issues with the use of such VR technology. OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper was to study the issues that arise while observing a 3D model of an organ that is created based on an actual surgical case through the use of a smartphone-based simple HMD. Upon completion, we evaluated and gathered feedback on the performance and usability of the simple observation environment we had created. METHODS We downloaded our data to a smartphone (Galaxy S6; Samsung, Seoul, Korea) and created a simple HMD system using Google Cardboard (Google). A total of 17 medical students performed 2 experiments: an observation conducted by a single observer and another one carried out by multiple observers using a simple HMD. Afterward, they assessed the results by responding to a questionnaire survey. RESULTS We received a largely favorable response in the evaluation of the dissection model, but also a low score because of visually induced motion sickness and eye fatigue. In an introspective report on simultaneous observations made by multiple observers, positive opinions indicated clear image quality and shared understanding, but displeasure caused by visually induced motion sickness, eye fatigue, and hardware problems was also expressed. CONCLUSIONS We established a simple system that enables multiple persons to observe a 3D model. Although the observation conducted by multiple observers was successful, problems likely arose because of poor smartphone performance. Therefore, smartphone performance improvement may be a key factor in establishing a low-cost and user-friendly 3D observation environment.

scholarly journals An Immersive Virtual Reality Platform for Assessing Spatial Navigation Memory in Predementia Screening: Feasibility and Usability Study

10.2196/13887 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. e13887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiran Ijaz ◽  
Naseem Ahmadpour ◽  
Sharon L Naismith ◽  
Rafael A Calvo
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Spatial Navigation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Administrative Costs ◽  
Memory Assessment ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Usability Requirements ◽  
Screening Platform

Background Traditional methods for assessing memory are expensive and have high administrative costs. Memory assessment is important for establishing cognitive impairment in cases such as detecting dementia in older adults. Virtual reality (VR) technology can assist in establishing better quality outcome in such crucial screening by supporting the well-being of individuals and offering them an engaging, cognitively challenging task that is not stressful. However, unmet user needs can compromise the validity of the outcome. Therefore, screening technology for older adults must address their specific design and usability requirements. Objective This study aimed to design and evaluate the feasibility of an immersive VR platform to assess spatial navigation memory in older adults and establish its compatibility by comparing the outcome to a standard screening platform on a personal computer (PC). Methods VR-CogAssess is a platform integrating an Oculus Rift head-mounted display and immersive photorealistic imagery. In a pilot study with healthy older adults (N=42; mean age 73.22 years, SD 9.26), a landmark recall test was conducted, and assessment on the VR-CogAssess was compared against a standard PC (SPC) setup. Results Results showed that participants in VR were significantly more engaged (P=.003), achieved higher landmark recall scores (P=.004), made less navigational mistakes (P=.04), and reported a higher level of presence (P=.002) than those in SPC setup. In addition, participants in VR indicated no significantly higher stress than SPC setup (P=.87). Conclusions The study findings suggest immersive VR is feasible and compatible with SPC counterpart for spatial navigation memory assessment. The study provides a set of design guidelines for creating similar platforms in the future.

Development of a Low-Cost Augmented Reality Head-Mounted Display Prototype

2018 ◽  
pp. 698-719
Author(s):  
Thiago D'Angelo ◽  
Saul Emanuel Delabrida Silva ◽  
Ricardo A. R. Oliveira ◽  
Antonio A. F. Loureiro
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Augmented Reality ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
User Interaction ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Time Performance ◽  
Work Tasks ◽  
Head Mounted Displays

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) have been emerging in the last years. These technologies sound like the new hot topic for the next years. Head-Mounted Displays have been developed for many different purposes. Users have the opportunity to enjoy these technologies for entertainment, work tasks, and many other daily activities. Despite the recent release of many AR and VR HMDs, two major problems are hindering the AR HMDs from reaching the mainstream market: the extremely high costs and the user experience issues. In order to minimize these problems, we have developed an AR HMD prototype based on a smartphone and on other low-cost materials. The prototype is capable of running Eye Tracking algorithms, which can be used to improve user interaction and user experience. To assess our AR HMD prototype, we choose a state-of-the-art method for eye center location found in the literature and evaluate its real-time performance in different development boards.

scholarly journals Development of a Virtual Reality Coping Skills Game to Prevent Post-Hospitalization Smoking Relapse in Tobacco Dependent Cancer Patients

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Krebs ◽  
Jack Burkhalter ◽  
Shireen Lewis ◽  
Tinesha Hendrickson ◽  
Ophelia Chiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Treatment Effectiveness ◽  
Coping Skills ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Living Room ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
Smoking Relapse

Many smokers hospitalized for cancer-related surgery return to smoking after discharge even though continued smoking can compromise treatment effectiveness, reduce survival, increase risk of disease recurrence, and impair quality of life. After leaving the smoke-free hospital, patients encounter smoking cues at home, i.e., family members who smoke or emotional triggers such as stress that can elicit powerful urges to smoke and lead to smoking relapse. Enabling smokers to experience such urges in a controlled setting while providing the ability to practice coping skills can build quitting self-efficacy. We developed a virtual reality coping skills (VRCS) game to help hospitalized smokers practice coping strategies to manage these triggers in preparation for returning home after hospitalization. Our multidisciplinary team developed the prototype VRCS game using Second Life, a platform that allowed rapid development and functionality. The prototype uses virtual home spaces (e.g., living room, kitchen) populated with common triggers to smoke. The patient uses a “toolkit” with scripted actions that enable the avatar to test out coping strategies. Since eliciting urges to smoke is essential to the game’s efficacy, we are assessing whether the virtual smoking trigger scenarios elicit urges to smoke with 8 cancer patients with a history of smoking. We guided each patient through a VRCS scenario during which we asked the patient to evaluate urges and coping. Initial data indicate that patients report high urges to smoke (7-10 on a 10 point scale) when their patient avatar confronts virtual triggers such as drinking coffee. Patients rated virtual practice of coping strategies, such as drinking water or watching TV, as very helpful (7-10 on a 10 point scale) in reducing these urges. With further development, this VRCS game has potential to provide low-cost, effective behavioral rehearsal to prevent relapse to smoking in hospitalized cancer patients.

An Olfactory Display to Study the Integration of Vision and Olfaction in a Virtual Reality Environment

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Micaroni ◽  
Marina Carulli ◽  
Francesco Ferrise ◽  
Alberto Gallace ◽  
Monica Bordegoni
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Visual Display ◽  
Olfactory Cues ◽  
Input Device ◽  
Experimental Setup ◽  
Virtual Reality Environment ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
The One ◽  
Olfactory Display

The paper describes the design of an innovative virtual reality (VR) system, based on a combination of an olfactory display and a visual display, to be used for investigating the directionality of the sense of olfaction. In particular, the design of an experimental setup to understand and determine to what extent the sense of olfaction is directional and whether there is prevalence of the sense of vision over the one of smell when determining the direction of an odor, is described. The experimental setup is based on low-cost VR technologies. In particular, the system is based on a custom directional olfactory display (OD), a head mounted display (HMD) to deliver both visual and olfactory cues, and an input device to register subjects' answers. The paper reports the design of the olfactory interface as well as its integration with the overall system.

A Virtual Reality Environment to Visualize Three-Dimensional Patient-Specific Models by a Mobile Head-Mounted Display

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurizio Vertemati ◽  
Simone Cassin ◽  
Francesco Rizzetto ◽  
Angelo Vanzulli ◽  
Marco Elli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Preoperative Planning ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Anatomical Variations ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Patient Specific ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Head Mounted Display

Introduction. With the availability of low-cost head-mounted displays (HMDs), virtual reality environments (VREs) are increasingly being used in medicine for teaching and clinical purposes. Our aim was to develop an interactive, user-friendly VRE for tridimensional visualization of patient-specific organs, establishing a workflow to transfer 3-dimensional (3D) models from imaging datasets to our immersive VRE. Materials and Methods. This original VRE model was built using open-source software and a mobile HMD, Samsung Gear VR. For its validation, we enrolled 33 volunteers: morphologists (n = 11), trainee surgeons (n = 15), and expert surgeons (n = 7). They tried our VRE and then filled in an original 5-point Likert-type scale 6-item questionnaire, considering the following parameters: ease of use, anatomy comprehension compared with 2D radiological imaging, explanation of anatomical variations, explanation of surgical procedures, preoperative planning, and experience of gastrointestinal/neurological disorders. Results in the 3 groups were statistically compared using analysis of variance. Results. Using cross-sectional medical imaging, the developed VRE allowed to visualize a 3D patient-specific abdominal scene in 1 hour. Overall, the 6 items were evaluated positively by all groups; only anatomy comprehension was statistically significant different among the 3 groups. Conclusions. Our approach, based on open-source software and mobile hardware, proved to be a valid and well-appreciated system to visualize 3D patient-specific models, paving the way for a potential new tool for teaching and preoperative planning.

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