The urgency of environmental sustainability has catalyzed a thorough reconsideration of traditional workspaces and their environmental impact, particularly concerning carbon footprint stemming from ...business-related travel and daily commutes. In response to these concerns, the innovative notion of the “Phygital Workspace” has arisen. Moreover, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the proliferation of this technology. In a Phygital Workspace, physical and digital elements coexist and interact to enhance productivity, collaboration, and overall work experience. This integration is often facilitated using advanced digital technologies, such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), and other immersive or interactive tools. This conceptual framework sets the stage for the seamless integration of both physical and digital dimensions, empowered by the potential of Extended Reality (XR) technology. An integral part of this review involves the analysis of various workspace scenarios, and further examines the role of a Phygital Workspace plays in reducing carbon footprint within each context. The scenarios under examination include flexible workspace scenarios, field work scenarios, and hybrid work scenarios. XR technology’s contributions to reducing carbon footprint are evaluated by minimizing the need for physical travel, enabling remote collaboration, and enhancing workspace efficiency within these scenarios. Employing a systematic review methodology, this review considers the status of XR technology adoption in diverse business environments, pinpointing its strengths and limitations. The aim is to provide a solid foundation for the framework of a new typological work environment that leverages XR technology to effectively reduce the carbon footprint associated with travel. The framework comprises four key dimensions: XR Infrastructure, Collaborative Work Environment, Social Interaction Enhancement, and Environmental Impact Assessment. These dimensions collectively guide the development and implementation of sustainable Phygital Workspaces, catering to technological, social, and ecological considerations. It is an impassioned call for collaborative efforts among researchers, policymakers, and organizations to converge their expertise for a more environmentally conscious future of work.
Abstract
Collaborating in a physically remote location saves time and money. Many remote collaboration systems have been studied and commercialized. Their capabilities have been confined to virtual ...objects and information. More recent studies have focused on collaborating in a physical environment and with physical objects. However, they have limitations including shaky and unstable views (scenes), view dependence, low scalability, and poor content expression. In this paper, we propose a web-based extended reality (XR) collaboration system that alleviates the aforementioned issues and enables effective, reproducible cooperation. Our proposed system comprises three parts: interaction device webization, which expands the web browser’s device interfaces; unified XR representation, which describes content interoperable in both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR); and unified coordinate creation, which enables presenting physical objects’ pose in world coordinates. With this system, a user in VR can intuitively instruct the manipulation of a physical object by manipulating a virtual object representative of the physical object. Conversely, a user in AR can catch up with the instruction by observing the augmented virtual object on the physical object. Moreover, as the pose of the physical object at the AR user’s worksite is reflected in the virtual object, the VR user can recognize the working progress and give feedback to the AR user. To improve remote collaboration, we surveyed XR collaboration studies and proposed a new method for classifying XR collaborative applications based on the virtual–real engagement and ubiquitous computing continuum. We implemented a prototype and conducted a survey among submarine crews, most of whom were positively inclined to use our system, to convey that the system would be helpful in improving their job performance. Furthermore, we suggested possible improvements to it to enhance each participant’s understanding of the other user’s context within the XR collaboration.
OXREF: Open XR for Education Framework Abeywardena, Ishan Sudeera
International review of research in open and distance learning,
2023, Volume:
24, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Open access
Extended reality (XR), which encompasses virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), offers powerful affordances for improving teaching and learning experiences in a ...post-pandemic world. Increasingly, many governments and institutions around the world are making major investments in XR technologies to prepare education systems for the future. However, many of these investments remain isolated pilot projects which, while they attest to the potential of XR in education, are unlikely to be scaled up due to lack of sustainability and collaboration. Based on literature and empirical evidence, I have identified major barriers to the wider adoption of XR in education, including the lack of (a) open content, tools, and skills; (b) sound pedagogy and instructional design; and (c) scalability and sustainability. As a potential solution, I introduce the Open XR for Education Framework (OXREF), an empirical framework that proposes a holistic solution to XR object creation, implementation, and deployment, while covering pedagogical, technological, and policy perspectives. The contribution of the OXREF is its ability to build fit-for-purpose XR experiences in a scalable, sustainable, and collaborative manner while promoting openness, accessibility, equity, and reuse. The novelty of the proposed framework is its use of open educational resources (OER), open educational practices (OEP), as well as free and open-source software (FOSS) tools and platforms. Its cloud-based infrastructure and open licenses support viable operationalization strategies that can be implemented by educational institutions and governments.
Augmented reality (AR) integrates virtual information realistically into a user's field of view. While research and industry forecasts agree that it will take several years for AR to be developed ...into a mass market technology, companies have already started rolling it out as an enterprise tool. By providing their workers virtual work-related information into the field of view, companies expect higher levels of efficiency. While some studies have tackled the positive aspects of AR, very little is known about potential barriers to AR in manufacturing. In this article, we constitute the first attempt to close this research gap by drawing on technology resistance research, incorporating findings from pilot studies, and analyzing data received from 263 manufacturing workers. As a result, it complements the extant literature by identifying multiple barriers to AR adoption on the worker level, assessing the magnitude of these barriers across different groups of workers, and identifying their relationships with technology resistance and acceptance factors. The findings extend technology resistance research, contribute to AR user research, and provide multiple recommendations for AR managers.
Gamification uses principles extracted from games to elicit a unique game-like experience for users in various settings, including learning, healthcare, and business. The ‘gameful experience,’ ...considered by researchers to be the essence of gamification, plays a significant role in positively affecting behavior in organizations and society as a whole. While attempts have been made to conceptualize the idea of gameful experience, those attempts lack empirical insights from gamification designers. Thus, this paper aims to understand gamification from the designer's perspective. Towards this objective, interviews were conducted with experienced gamification designers from different industries and parts of the world. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Inductive reasoning resulted in eleven themes, which were mapped to four overarching theoretical categories: nudge experience, flow experience, alternate reality experience, and hedonic experience. The evidence indicates that gamification is influenced by positive psychology and the metaverse. The findings provide theoretical insights concerning the construct of gameful experience and practical inputs on the experience to target when implementing gamification.
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•Comprehending gameful experience from the gamification designer's perspective•Thematic analysis of interviews with experienced gamification designers globally•Eleven themes under four overarching categories on gameful experience•Overarching categories: Nudge, flow, alternate reality, and hedonic experience•Gamification beyond game elements: influence by positive psychology and metaverse
The purpose of this study is to characterize a full-term conjoined twins’ cadaver curated by Dr. Jacob Henle sometime between 1844 and 1852 and demonstrate digital distribution of an old and rare ...medical museum specimen using an extended reality (XR) model workflow.
The cadaver (Preparation 296) is in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Heidelberg. An XR display workflow comprises image capture, segmentation, and visualization using CT/MR scans derived from the cadaver. Online radiology presentation to medical students focuses on diagnostic characteristics of anatomical systems depicted with XR models.
Developmental defects in Preparation 296 include duplicated supradiaphragmatic structures and abnormal osteological features. Subdiaphragmatically, the gut is continuous on the right, but terminates at the distal esophagus on the left. One large liver occupies the abdomen with one spleen located on the left side. Observations suggest duplication of the primitive streak and separate notochords rostrally. Duplication occurs near the yolk sac and involves midgut formation while secondary midline fusion of the upper extremities and ribs likely results from the proximity of the embryos during development. Medical students access the model with device agnostic software during the curricular topic “Human Body Plan” that includes embryology concepts covering mechanisms of twinning.
The workflow enables ease-of-access XR visualizations of an old and rare museum specimen. This study also demonstrates digital distribution and utilization of XR models applicable to embryology education.
•An anatomy workflow enables creation of extended reality (XR) models.•Old and rare medical museum models provide a resource for XR model development.•Complex embryological spatial relationships can be visualized in XR models.•Hardware agnostic software provides ease-of-access to rare anatomical specimens.•Online collaborative presentation provides a unique educational experience in embryology.
Background and Objectives: The ever-changing and enigmatic future is taking form through a continuous wave of worldwide trends, advancements, and revolutionary ideas. Moreover, the rapid spread of ...the coronavirus and subsequent lockdown measures have accelerated the pace of technological advancements, significantly impacting multiple facets of our existence, employment, and connections. In the realm of learning, there has been an astounding and rapid transition from conventional classrooms to virtual platforms and groundbreaking advancements. Consequently, it becomes imperative for mankind to acknowledge and evaluate the profound influence of these developments, specifically within the domain of education. This innovative research project seeks to investigate the impressive capabilities of metaverse technology in addressing an unforeseen hurdle. Its main aim is to examine the deep influence of extended reality technologies on future education and assess if incorporating metaverse technology in learning will transform the higher education, generating notable progress and enhancing the quality of instruction.Materials and Methods: The study aimed to comprehensively understand the research topic and its context by gaining insight into the participants' perspectives and experiences. To achieve this, a qualitative research was used with 63 purposefully selected participants. The participants included Iranian male and female EFL university professors, EFL university students, educational technology specialists, and futurists in science and technology. Data was collected by conducting focused-group discussions and episodic narrative interviews, as well as utilizing narrative inquiry methods on the Telegram network. Data collection continued until saturation was achieved, resulting in 25 participants for interviews and 38 individuals for narrative inquiry. To analyze the data and identify recurring themes, thematic analysis was conducted, involving initial coding, focused coding, and axial coding.Findings: Findings revealed that metaverse technology plays a crucial role in the field of education and has a significant influence on higher education. Surprisingly, while analyzing the data, four main categories were identified, surpassing initial expectations. These categories include: 1) Empowering experiences: XR heightens sense of immersion, presence, and agency; 2) The immersive power of XR: Boosting enjoyment, interest, motivation, and self-efficacy; 3) Exploring boundaries of perception: XR triggers the illusion of body ownership and embodiment in virtual environments; and 4) The metamorphosis of the self: XR revolutionizes attitudes, behaviors, cognition, and physical body. Each of these categories represents the impacts of metaverse on future education. Understanding and embracing XR's impact on education is vital for educators, as harnessing the metaverse's potential benefits can greatly enhance teaching and learning experiences through more captivating and immersive environments.Conclusions: The outcomes of this research carry significant implications for policymakers, educators, managers, leaders, practitioners, and all stakeholders involved in the field of education. They provide valuable insights into global trends, emerging technologies, innovations, and developments, and how they will likely shape the future of higher education. Given the rapid advancements in technology and the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic, it is crucial to embrace these technologies and implement necessary changes in learning and teaching method to improve the quality of education. The hope is that this study will be a trusted source and offer guidance to future generations, helping them meet the evolving requirements of education.
We used high-throughput sequencing of short, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer-containing ssDNA oligos generated during repair of UV-induced damage to study that process at both mechanistic and systemic ...levels in Escherichia coli. Numerous important insights on DNA repairwere obtained, bringing clarity to the respective roles of UvrD helicase and Mfd translocase in repair of UV-induced damage. Mechanistically, experiments showed that the predominant role of UvrD in vivo is to unwind the excised 13-mer from dsDNA and that mutation of uvrD results in remarkable protection of that oligo from exonuclease activity as it remains hybridized to the dsDNA. Genome-wide analysis of the transcribed strand/nontranscribed strand (TS/NTS) repair ratio demonstrated that deletion of mfd globally shifts the distribution of TS/NTS ratios downward by a factor of about 2 on average for the most highly transcribed genes. Even for the least transcribed genes, Mfd played a role in preferential repair of the transcribed strand. On the other hand, mutation of uvrD, if anything, slightly pushed the distribution of TS/NTS ratios to higher ratios. These results indicate that Mfd is the transcription repair-coupling factor whereas UvrD plays a role in excision repair by aiding the catalytic turnover of excision repair proteins.
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