Distances in virtual environments (VEs) viewed on a head-mounted display (HMD) are typically underperceived relative to the intended distance. This paper presents an experiment comparing perceived ...egocentric distance in a real environment with that in a matched VE presented in the Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2. Participants made verbal judgments and blind walking judgments to an object on the ground. Both the Quest and Quest 2 produced underperception. Verbal judgments in the VE were 82% and 75% of the object distance, in contrast with real world judgments that were 94% of the object distance. Blind walking judgments were 68% and 70% of object distance in the Quest and Quest 2, respectively, compared to 88% in the real world. This project shows that significant underperception of distance persists even in modern HMDs.
Virtual reality (VR) systems are becoming increasingly attractive as joint kinematics monitoring systems during rehabilitation. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the Oculus Quest 2 in ...measuring translational and rotational displacements. As the Oculus Quest 2 was chosen for future applications in shoulder rehabilitation, the translation range (minimum: ~200 mm, maximum: ~700 mm) corresponded to the forearm length of the 5th percentile female and the upper limb length of the 95th percentile male. The controller was moved on two structures designed to allow different translational displacements and rotations in the range 0–180°, to cover the range of motion of the upper limb. The controller measures were compared with those of a Qualisys optical capture system. The results showed a mean absolute error of 13.52 ± 6.57 mm at a distance of 500 mm from the head-mounted display along the x-direction. The maximum mean absolute error for rotational displacements was found to be 1.11 ± 0.37° for a rotation of 40° around the z-axis. Oculus Quest 2 is a promising VR tool for monitoring shoulder kinematics during rehabilitation. The inside-out movement tracking makes Oculus Quest 2 a viable alternative to traditional motion analysis systems.
Objectives
Extended reality as an additional digital learning concept comprises virtual reality (VR), augmented reality, and mixed reality. In particular, VR allows an interaction in the virtual ...world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the students’ attitude toward a mobile VR application for teaching tooth morphologies.
Methods
Eighty‐two first year dental students were enrolled. After using the VR learning environment with mobile VR glasses at home for 1 week, the students were asked to fill in a questionnaire with 21 questions regarding intuitive handling, and supplemental learning information in comparison to the use of conventional textbooks. Nine questions provided predefined answer options, another nine had the form of a visual analog scale (VAS, range 0%‐highly negative to 100%‐highly positive), and three allowed free text answers. The data were checked for normal distribution (Kolmogorov‐Smirnov test) and was analyzed descriptively.
Results
Forty‐four percent of the students rated their perception of understanding of dental morphologies much better with VR than with conventional learning. The potential of the VR learning environment for further dental topics was assessed with a median VAS score of 75.8%. Its intuitive handling was evaluated with a median VAS score of 67.1%. The haptic, visual, and auditory supplemental learning information was consistently rated positively with VAS scores of 73.9%, 80.0%, and 71.6%, respectively. Overall, a majority of the students (85.5%) recommended the VR learning environment for dental morphology.
Conclusions
The VR dental learning environment allows dental students an additional learning opportunity of dental morphologies, recommended by more than 85% of students.
In this study, we introduce a plan about the application of various realities for future educational purposes. To start, we provide an overview for three types of realities Virtual Reality (VR), ...Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) and clarify their relationships to each other. Then we classify VR tools into three types and focus on the integrated stand-alone type and prepare a plan for its educational application. Finally, we discuss important factors that could contribute to the examinees’ educational outcomes in the future.
Upper-limb paresis is common after stroke. An important tool to assess motor recovery is to use marker-based motion capture systems to measure the kinematic characteristics of patients’ movements in ...ecological scenarios. These systems are, however, very expensive and not readily available for many rehabilitation units. Here, we explored whether the markerless hand motion capabilities of the cost-effective Oculus Quest head-mounted display could be used to provide clinically meaningful measures. A total of 14 stroke patients executed ecologically relevant upper-limb tasks in an immersive virtual environment. During task execution, we recorded their hand movements simultaneously by means of the Oculus Quest’s and a marker-based motion capture system. Our results showed that the markerless estimates of the hand position and peak velocity provided by the Oculus Quest were in very close agreement with those provided by a marker-based commercial system with their regression line having a slope close to 1 (maximum distance: mean slope = 0.94 ± 0.1; peak velocity: mean slope = 1.06 ± 0.12). Furthermore, the Oculus Quest had virtually the same sensitivity as that of a commercial system in distinguishing healthy from pathological kinematic measures. The Oculus Quest was as accurate as a commercial marker-based system in measuring clinically meaningful upper-limb kinematic parameters in stroke patients.
In this paper, the first virtual reality (VR) photography application that incorporates elements on panoramic images to assess short-term spatial memory is presented. It also allows the interaction ...with these elements. A study was conducted (N = 50) to compare participants' performance outcomes and subjective experience when using a VR application with and without panoramic photography. The results show that both applications are effective in assessing short-term spatial memory. The results with panoramic photography include: 1) It was effective for short-term recall since, after using the application, the participants were able to verbally recall the objects and place them without significant differences with respect to the objects correctly placed; 2) The performance outcomes were independent of age and gender; 3) The perceived level of presence was directly related to experiencing less cybersickness when using the application; 4) The level of satisfaction was directly related to perceived enjoyment, concentration, usability, competence, calmness, and expertise; 5) The more the familiarity with VR applications, the less the perceived cybersickness. Finally, the application offers two main advantages: 1) The evaluators can customize the environment by adding as many elements as desired to the panoramic photograph; 2) It could be especially suitable for groups with reduced mobility.
The application of virtual reality (VR) presents a big trend in medical education. The aim of this investigation was the presentation and assessment of a multi-user virtual prosthetic case planning ...environment using criteria such as perceived immersion, cognitive load, authenticity and students´ learning motivation during a virtual seminar.
The virtual case planning environment consisted of two different virtual environments - the entrance area and the case planning environment. Students and lecturers visited it with the used VR glasses Oculus Quest 2 (Meta Quest). All participants appeared as tooth avatars (molars) during the prosthetic case planning seminar and were able to communicate. These voluntary virtual case planning seminars took place in the clinical prosthetic courses (4th and 5th year). Students were asked to fill in the questionnaire comprising 15 questions separated into four categories, each assessed by a 11-point Likert scale: perceived presence/immersion, cognitive load, motivation and authenticity. A negative and a positive focus group were built, each consisting of three students answering three guiding questions. An exploratory data analysis was performed with the significance level set at p = .05.
A total of 64 students out of 98 participated in the virtual seminars. The results demonstrated that the students felt very comfortable in the virtual seminar environment and were able to focus well on the content, demonstrated in predominantly positive results for presence/immersion. Cognitive load and authenticity presented positive results. In particular, the motivation of the students showed a high score (median: 2.1-2.6; IQR: 3.9). The cognitive load should be reduced if necessary to increase focus. The cyber sickness is a challenge for some students as well as the technical requirements of the internet connection, which needs to be addressed. Nevertheless, virtual case planning seminars are an essential tool for motivating the new generation of students.
The results of the investigation demonstrate that the students felt very comfortable in the virtual seminar environment and were able to focus well on the content. The prosthetic case plannings were well understood and the students quickly become familiar with the environment. The cognitive load could be reduced to increase focus. In particular, the motivation of the students showed a high score. The cyber sickness is a challenge for some students as well as the technical requirements of the internet connection, which needs to be addressed.
In this study, we investigate the attitudes of students towards an immersive educational instruction method used to augment in-person biology laboratories. Specifically, we employ the Oculus Quest 2 ...in a mid-sized biology classroom setting to conduct a virtual heart dissection instructional class using Virtual Reality (VR). We engaged with 23 students from a Singaporean secondary school to gather insights into their experiences and perspectives. The focus of this study is twofold: firstly, to assess the potential of VR technology, particularly the Oculus Quest 2, as a tool for enhancing learning in biology, and secondly, to evaluate the feasibility of replacing traditional in-person laboratory settings with VR-based learning environments. By examining the students' experiences, this research sheds light on the effectiveness of VR technology in enhancing academic engagement and understanding of this specific content taught in a standardized biology syllabus. Our findings reveal that Oculus Quest 2 with VR can significantly stimulate student interest in this topic. The study provides insights into how VR as part of educational technology can transform the traditional learning experience, offering a more interactive and engaging approach to education in biology. These preliminary results have important implications for the future of educational methodologies in science and technology subjects.
Access to physical activity among youth with spina bifida (SB) is much lower than it is for children without disability. Enjoyable home-based exercise programs are greatly needed.
Our objective is to ...examine the feasibility of a virtual reality (VR) active video gaming system (ie, bundle of consumer-available equipment) to meet US physical activity guidelines in two youth with SB.
Two youth with SB-a 12-year-old female and a 13-year-old male; both full-time wheelchair users-participated in a brief, 4-week exercise program using a popular VR head-mounted display: Oculus Quest (Facebook Technologies). The system included a Polar H10 (Polar Canada) Bluetooth heart rate monitor, a no-cost mobile phone app (VR Health Exercise Tracker Virtual Reality Institute of Health and Exercise), and 13 games. The intervention protocol was conducted entirely in the homes of the participants due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The VR system was shipped to participants and they were instructed to do their best to complete 60 minutes of moderate-intensity VR exercise per day. Exercise duration, intensity, and calories expended were objectively monitored and recorded during exercise using the heart rate monitor and a mobile app. Fatigue and depression were measured via self-report questionnaires at pre- and postintervention. Participants underwent a semistructured interview with research staff at postintervention.
Across the intervention period, the total average minutes of all exercise performed each week for participants 1 and 2 were 281 (SD 93) and 262 (SD 55) minutes, respectively. The total average minutes of moderate-intensity exercise performed per week for participants 1 and 2 were 184 (SD 103) (184/281, 65.4%) and 215 (SD 90) (215/262, 82.1%) minutes, respectively. One participant had a reduction in their depression score, using the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders (Neuro-QoL) test, from baseline to postintervention, but no other changes were observed for fatigue and depression scores. Participants reported that the amount of exercise they completed was far higher than what was objectively recorded, due to usability issues with the chest-worn heart rate monitor. Participants noted that they were motivated to exercise due to the enjoyment of the games and VR headset as well as support from a caregiver.
This study demonstrated that two youth with SB who used wheelchairs could use a VR system to independently and safely achieve exercise guidelines at home. Study findings identified a promising protocol for promoting exercise in this population and this warrants further examination in future studies with larger samples.
Consumer-grade virtual reality systems have become increasingly accessible over the last years, making these great options for psychological and physiological medical use. This paper studies the ...precision of one available system, the Oculus Quest 2. We investigated studies that approached testing of these types of systems using manual systems and automated systems using robot arms and decided to use the latter method for our evaluation. A setup was created where the robotic arm would perform diverse exercises, with the Quest controller attached to it while the headset was either stationary or being worn by a participant. The results show that these systems are precise enough to measure movements that would not be noticed by therapists during traditional rehabilitation and are therefore adequate for medical use.