| Serious games: virtual reality's second coming? | | BIB | Full-Text | 1-2 | |
| Robert Stone | |||
| SubSafe: a games-based training system for submarine safety and spatial awareness (Part 1) | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 3-12 | |
| Robert Stone; Antoinette Caird-Daley; Kevin Bessell | |||
| Recent advances in hardware and software technologies for computer games
have proved to be more than capable of delivering quite detailed virtual
environments on PC platforms and gaming consoles for so-called "serious"
applications, at a fraction of the cost than was the case 8 years ago. SubSafe
is a recent example of what can be achieved in part-task naval training
applications using gaming technologies, exploiting freely available, freely
distributable software. SubSafe is a proof-of-concept demonstrator that
presents end users with an interactive, real-time three-dimensional model of
part of a Trafalgar Class submarine. This "Part 1" paper presents the
background to the SubSafe project and outlines the experimental design for a
pilot study being conducted between August 2008 and January 2009, in
conjunction with the Royal Navy's Submarine School in Devonport. The study is
investigating knowledge transfer from the classroom to a real submarine
environment (during week 7 of the students' "Submarine Qualification Dry"
course), together with general usability and interactivity assessments. Part 2
of the paper (to be completed in early 2009) will present the results of these
trials and consider future extensions of the research into other submarine
training domains, including periscope ranging and look-interval assessment
skills, survival systems deployment training and the planning and rehearsal of
submersible rescue operations. Keywords: Serious games; Games-based training; Submarine safety; Virtual environments;
Defence simulation | |||
| The Virtual Scylla: an exploration of "serious games", artificial life and simulation complexity | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 13-25 | |
| Robert Stone; David White; Robert Guest; Benjamin Francis | |||
| This paper addresses the integration of artificial life simulations with
interactive games-based technologies and describes how the results are being
exploited not only for scientific visualisation and education, but also for
fundamental research into simulation complexity, focusing on the behavioural
representation of species in fragile or long-vanished landscapes and
ecosystems. Earlier research is described that supported the development of a
virtual recreation of a submerged Mesolithic river valley, discovered during
petrochemical surveys of the Southern Basin of the North Sea. Using pollen
sample records and vegetation predictions from previous studies, a new alife
"engine" was developed that simulated the interaction between "artificialised"
vegetation and environmental factors, thus helping researchers to postulate
pre-glacial melting migratory and settlement patterns of ancient civilisations
from continental Europe to the British Isles. More recently, and to take
advantage of the existence of a more accessible and living ecosystem, work has
been conducted in collaboration with the UK's National Marine Aquarium, this
time focusing on the Scylla Artificial Reef -- a Royal Navy frigate scuttled
off the coast of Cornwall in South West England. The resulting "serious
games"-based test beds are now providing the foundation for scientific
investigations into how models and simulations of marine ecologies behave under
different measures of complexity. The exploitation of the artificial life and
underwater rendering efforts in others areas, including education and naval
training, are also described. Keywords: Serious games; Virtual heritage; Artificial life; Marine biology; Climate
change; Simulation complexity | |||
| Effects of perspective elevation and environmental geometry on representation of a virtual room space | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 27-35 | |
| Zhiqiang Luo; Henry Been-Lirn Duh | |||
| The present study investigated how perspective elevation and room geometry
influenced mental representation of spatial layout in virtual rooms. One
virtual rectangular and one virtual cylindrical room were constructed. Subjects
observed the spatial layout on the floor from five perspectives along the
vertical dimension of each virtual room. Then they judged the direction of
objects with respect to egocentric and canonical coordinates. The analysis of
spatial judgment indicated that judgment accuracy of vertical direction
decreased as the perspective elevated, while global situation awareness was
best maintained at the 45° elevation angle. The effect of perspective
elevation on judgment of horizontal direction was only found in the rectangular
room. Moreover, subjects judged the relative direction between objects more
quickly in the cylindrical room than in the rectangular room. Applications of
these findings to virtual environment design were discussed. Keywords: Spatial representation; Virtual environment; Perspective elevation | |||
| On money, taxes, and property in virtual reality | | BIB | Full-Text | 37-39 | |
| Woodrow Barfield | |||
| User experimentation: an evaluation of velocity control techniques in immersive virtual environments | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 41-50 | |
| Dong Hyun Jeong; Chang G. Song; Remco Chang; Larry Hodges | |||
| While many of the existing velocity control techniques are well designed,
the techniques are often application-specific, making it difficult to compare
their effectiveness. In this paper, we evaluate five known velocity control
techniques using the same experimental settings. We compare the techniques
based on the assumption that a good travel technique should be easy to learn
and easy to use, should cause the user to have few collisions with the VE,
should allow the user to complete tasks faster, and should promote better
recollection of the environment afterwards. In our experiments, we ask twenty
users to use each velocity control technique to navigate through virtual
corridors while performing information-gathering tasks. In all cases, the users
use pointing to indicate the direction of travel. We then measure the users'
ability to recollect the information they see in the VE, as well as how much
time they spend in the VE and how often they collide with the virtual walls.
After each test, we use questionnaires to evaluate the ease of learning and
ease of use of the velocity control technique, and the users' sense of presence
in the environment. Each of the travel techniques is then evaluated based on
the users' performances in the VE and the results of their questionnaires. Keywords: Virtual reality; 3D interaction; Velocity control techniques | |||
| GLSV: Graphics library stereo vision for OpenGL | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 51-57 | |
| S. Martín; J. Suárez; R. Orea; R. Rubio; R. Gallego | |||
| This work proposes the development of an auxiliary library for use with
OpenGL, to facilitate the creation of graphic applications incorporating
stereoscopic representation. This library, christened graphics library stereo
vision (GLSV), is designed to remove all calculations involving knowledge of
stereo vision theory from the task performed by the programmer without the
latter having to change the way he/she has been working with the OpenGL
library. The GLSV is distributed under the terms of the GNU Library General
Public License agreement. Keywords: Software libraries; Display algorithms; Stereoscopic; Virtual reality | |||
| Beyond the visuals: tactile augmentation and sensory enhancement in an arthroscopy simulator | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 59-68 | |
| Louise Moody; Alan Waterworth; John G. Arthur; Avril D. McCarthy | |||
| This paper considers tactile augmentation, the addition of a physical object
within a virtual environment (VE) to provide haptic feedback. The resulting
mixed reality environment is limited in terms of the ease with which changes
can be made to the haptic properties of objects within it. Therefore sensory
enhancements or illusions that make use of visual cues to alter the perceived
hardness of a physical object allowing variation in haptic properties are
considered. Experimental work demonstrates that a single physical surface can
be made to 'feel' both softer and harder than it is in reality by the
accompanying visual information presented. The strong impact visual cues have
on the overall perception of object hardness, indicates haptic accuracy may not
be essential for a realistic virtual experience. The experimental results are
related specifically to the development of a VE for surgical training; however,
the conclusions drawn are broadly applicable to the simulation of touch and the
understanding of haptic perception within VEs. Keywords: Tactile augmentation; Sensory enhancement; Sensory illusion; Surgical
simulator; Mixed reality | |||
| Haptics-based virtual reality periodontal training simulator | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 69-85 | |
| Cristian Luciano; Pat Banerjee; Thomas DeFanti | |||
| This paper focuses upon the research and development of a prototype dental
simulator for training of periodontal procedures. By the use of virtual reality
and haptics technology, the periodontal simulator allows trainees to learn
performing diagnosis and treatment of periodontal diseases by visualizing a
three-dimensional virtual human mouth and feeling real tactile sensations while
touching the surface of teeth, gingiva, and calculi with virtual dental
instruments. Since periodontics requires dentists to depend primarily on
tactile sensations to perform diagnostic and surgical procedures, the use of
haptics is unquestionably crucial for a realistic periodontal simulator. The
haptics-based virtual reality periodontal training simulator has been validated
by a experiment conducted by the College of Dentistry at University of Illinois
at Chicago (UIC) with faculty members and dental students, which demonstrates
the scientific contribution and usefulness of the simulator as a vital part of
the curriculum of the Department of Periodontics at UIC. Keywords: Virtual reality; Simulation; Training; Haptics; Dentistry; Periodontics | |||
| Using immersive game-based virtual reality to teach fire-safety skills to children | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 87-99 | |
| Shana Smith; Emily Ericson | |||
| Virtual reality (VR) has been used both to simulate situations that are too
dangerous to practice in real life and as a tool to help children learn. This
study was conducted as part of a larger more comprehensive long-term research
project which aims to combine the two techniques and demonstrate a novel
application of the result, using immersive VR to help children learn about fire
hazards and practice escape techniques. In the current study, a CAVE was used
to immerse participants in a fire scene. To improve the children's motivation
for learning over prior VR fire-safety training methods, game-like interface
interaction techniques were used and students were encouraged to explore the
virtual world. Rather than being passive viewers, as in prior related studies,
the children were given full control to navigate through the virtual
environment and to interact with virtual objects using a game pad and a 6DOF
wand. Students identified home fire hazards with a partner and then practiced
escaping from a simulated fire in the virtual environment. To test for improved
motivation, a user study was completed. Results indicate that students were
more engaged by the new game-like learning environment and that they reported
that they found the experience fun and intriguing. Their enhanced enthusiasm
for what is relatively standard fire-safety information demonstrates the
promise of using game-based virtual environments for vital but otherwise
tedious fire-safety skills training for children. Keywords: Virtual reality (VR); Immersive; CAVE; Game based; Fire safety; Children | |||
| Multiscale traveling: crossing the boundary between space and scale | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 101-115 | |
| Xiaolong (Luke) Zhang | |||
| Adding multiscale interaction capabilities to 3D virtual environments may
permit work with huge virtual worlds that might otherwise be too large to
manage. Multiscale technology has shown potential to support user interactions.
This paper reports an experimental study of two multiscale traveling
techniques. Our results show that while allowing a flexible control on travel
speed and accuracy is beneficial, directly traversing the space-scale could be
a challenge for users, probably due to difficulties in perceiving scalable
virtual space and executing scaling operations. The results suggest that more
research is needed to improve the understanding of the coupling of space and
scale in multiscale user interface and to harness the full potentials of
multiscale traveling techniques. Keywords: Navigation; Multiscale; Virtual environments | |||
| On study of design and implementation of virtual fixtures | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 117-129 | |
| Rodolfo Prada; Shahram Payandeh | |||
| Virtual fixtures (VFs) can be defined as guiding constraints designed to
enhance or assist human performance in a computer-controlled system by
providing cues of haptic or audiovisual nature. In this paper we present a new
characterization of VFs based on mechanics, and provide a set practical
guidelines for the designers of such fixtures from a software architecture
point of view. We propose an event-driven approach that facilitates the
integration of these guiding constraints in a scene graphed-based environment.
In this context some novel implementation of VFs are presented, where users may
interact with a single or an assembled set of fixtures. We present two types of
force attributes for VF and present their implications in a
trajectory-following problem. Keywords: Multimodal cues; Haptic interaction; Automatic constraints; Human-computer
interaction; Scene graph environments; User performance | |||
| Optimisation-based proximity queries and penetration depth computation | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 131-136 | |
| Charbel Fares; Yskandar Hamam | |||
| The virtual reality (VR) was found to be a perfect technique that could be
used as a training approach, since it shows many advantages despite its
weakness. In the VR some major bottlenecks arises namely the proximity queries
(PQ) and penetration depth computation. This paper shows a novel algorithm used
to solve those problems. Problems of PQ are ubiquitous within many tasks in
computer graphics, virtual environments, robotics, manufacturing, and
mechanical design. Interactions in any virtual scene usually involve contact or
close proximity between its objects. Determining which pairs of objects are in
contact or at close proximity is a complex task in most of the virtual
environments. The PQ is the shortest vector over which one object needs to be
translated in order to bring the pair in contact. Keywords: Virtual reality (VR); Proximity queries (PQ); Penetration depth (PD); Linear
programming | |||
| Mediated presence: virtual reality, mixed environments and social networks | | BIB | Full-Text | 137-139 | |
| Anna Spagnolli; Matthew Lombard; Luciano Gamberini | |||
| Afforded actions as a behavioral assessment of physical presence in virtual environments | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 141-151 | |
| Jean-Claude Lepecq; Lionel Bringoux; Jean-Marie Pergandi; Thelma Coyle | |||
| A particular affordance was used as a potential candidate for behavioral
assessment of physical presence in virtual environments. The subjects' task was
to walk through a virtual aperture of variable widths. In the case of presence,
the subjects' body orientation, while walking, was hypothesized to be adapted
to the width of the aperture and to their own shoulder width. Results show that
most subjects adapted their behavior to both their body architecture and the
virtual width constraints. These subjects exhibited a behavioral transition
from frontal walking to body rotation while walking through broad to narrow
apertures. The same behavioral transition has already been documented in real
environments (Warren and Whang in J Exp Psychol Human Percept Perform
13(3):371-383, 1987). This behavioral adjustment is thus assumed to be an
objective indication of presence. Beyond these results, the present study
suggests that every afforded action could be a potential tool for sensorimotor
assessment of physical presence. Keywords: Presence; Behavior; Affordance; Virtual reality | |||
| Social cooperation and competition in the mixed reality space eXperience Induction Machine XIM | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 153-158 | |
| Martin Inderbitzin; Sytse Wierenga; Aleksander Väljamäe | |||
| Although the architecture of mixed reality spaces is becoming increasingly
more complex, our understanding of human behavior in such spaces is still
limited. Despite the sophisticated methods deployed in ethology and behavioral
biology to track and analyze the actions and movements of animals, we rarely
find studies that focus on the understanding of human behavior using such
instruments. Here, we address this issue by analyzing social behavior and
physical actions of multiple humans who are engaging in a game. As a paradigm
of social interaction, we constructed a mixed reality football game in which
two teams of two players have to cooperate and compete in order to win. This
paradigm was deployed in the, so-called, eXperience Induction Machine (XIM), a
human accessible, fully instrumented space that supports full body interaction
in mixed reality without the need for body-mounted sensors. Our results show
that winning and losing strategies can be discerned by specific behavioral
patterns and proxemics. This demonstrates that mixed reality systems such as
XIM provide new paradigms for the investigation of human social behavior. Keywords: Human behavior; Social behavior; Cooperation; Competition; Proxemics; Mixed
reality; XIM; Game play | |||
| Is presence a technology issue? Some insights from cognitive sciences | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 159-169 | |
| Giuseppe Riva | |||
| The International Society of Presence Research, defines "presence" (a
shortened version of the term "telepresence") as a "psychological state in
which even though part or all of an individual's current experience is
generated by and/or filtered through human-made technology, part or all of the
individual's perception fails to accurately acknowledge the role of the
technology in the experience" (ISPR 2000, The concept of presence: explication
statement. http://ispr.info/ Accessed 15 Jan 2009). In this article, we will
draw on the recent outcomes of cognitive sciences to offer a broader definition
of presence, not related to technology only. Specifically, presence is
described here as a core neuropsychological phenomenon whose goal is to produce
a sense of agency and control: subjects are "present" if they are able to enact
in an external world their intentions. This framework suggests that any
environment, virtual or real, does not provide undifferentiated information,
ready-made objects equal for everyone. It offers different opportunities and
produces presence according to its ability in supporting the users and their
intentions. The possible consequences of this approach for the development of
presence-inducing virtual environments are also discussed. Keywords: Presence; Cognitive sciences; Cognition; Action; Activity; Intentions; Space | |||
| Triangulation in practice | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 171-181 | |
| Phil Turner; Susan Turner | |||
| Triangulation is the means by which an alternate perspective is used to
validate, challenge or extend existing findings. It is frequently used when the
field of study is difficult, demanding or contentious and presence research
meets all of these criteria. We distinguish between the use of hard and soft
triangulation -- the former emphasising the challenging of findings, the latter
being more confirmatory in character. Having reviewed a substantial number of
presence papers, we conclude that strong triangulation is not widely used while
soft triangulation is routinely employed. We demonstrate the usefulness of hard
triangulation by contrasting an ontological analysis of in-ness with an
empirical study of (computer) game playing. We conclude that presence research
would be well served by the wider use of hard triangulation and for the
reporting of anomalous and ill-fitting results. Keywords: Triangulation; Involvement; Heidegger; Game playing | |||
| Presence in the age of social networks: augmenting mediated environments with feedback on group activity | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 183-194 | |
| Francesco Martino; Roberto Baù; Anna Spagnolli; Luciano Gamberini | |||
| The present study aimed at increasing behavioral engagement in groups of
networked people by providing feedback on the group activity. Each participant
logged into an on-line virtual environment for four subsequent treasure-hunting
sessions along with other nine players. During the game, all players
communicated dyadically through textual chats, and searched for the treasures
in the virtual environment. In two conditions, the participants received a
visual feedback depicting the communication activity with the group based on
social network analysis indices (i.e. 'centrality' or 'reciprocity'). Feedback
was not provided in the third condition. The underlying assumption was that if
the group activity becomes more visible to the individual user through the
feedback, then the behavioral engagement with the group increases. The
resulting behavioral engagement was measured with two techniques, one based on
the amount of messages exchanged and one based on self-reported measures. The
results show that feedback improved the exchange of messages with respect to
the control condition and that this effect was only partially captured by
self-reported measures. Keywords: Social network analysis; Feedback; Social presence; Behavioral engagement;
Multiplayer game; Augmented communication | |||
| Co-presence, collaboration, and control in environmental studies | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 195-204 | |
| Songpol Attasiriluk; Arturo Nakasone; Wisut Hantanong; Rui Prada | |||
| In this paper, we describe a framework for synchronous collaborative
visualization and remote control in the agricultural domain. The framework
builds on "Second Life" (SL), a popular networked online 3D virtual world,
where users are represented as avatars (graphical self-representations).
Co-presence in SL takes the form of instant (real-time) two-way interaction
among two or more avatars. The aim of our work is to facilitate co-presence for
sharing knowledge and exchanging wisdom about environmental practices. In order
to establish a realistic simulated context for communication in SL, virtual
counterparts of real devices are created in the virtual world. Specifically, we
aim to represent field servers that sense and monitor fields such as rice
paddies and vineyards. The Twin-World Mediator (TWM) is developed in order to
replicate the behavior of real devices in virtual counterparts, and to
facilitate seamless communication between real and virtual world. The TWM is an
easy-to-use, extensible, and flexible communication framework. A small study
demonstrated how the TWM can support collaboration and experience sharing in
the agricultural domain. Keywords: Presence in shared virtual environments and online communities; Avatars;
Presence applications (communications and collaboration; teleoperation) | |||
| Attachment and sense of presence in a virtual environment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 205-217 | |
| Helene S. Wallach; Marilyn P. Safir; Idan Almog | |||
| This study is the first to investigate the connection between attachment
categories and presence in Virtual Reality (VR) environments. Participants (99)
completed an attachment questionnaire, experienced Virtual Reality Exposure
(VRE) in a virtual airplane, and completed a presence questionnaire.
Twenty-seven participants neglected to look at the virtual window, and reported
lower levels of presence. A significant negative correlation between presence
and avoidance was found. The correlation between presence and anxiety was not
significant. Ethnicity (Jewish/non-Jewish) was found to be an intervening
variable. A significant difference between levels of presence of attachment
categories was found for participants who viewed the window: those in the Safe
category reported the highest levels of presence, followed by the
Anxious-Ambivalent group, the Dismissive-Avoidant group, and finally the
Fearful-Avoidant group. Our results suggest there is a connection between one's
avoidance level and his/her attachment type and ability to experience the VRE
as real and vivid. Keywords: Presence; Attachment; Avoidance; Anxiety; Virtual reality; Culture | |||
| Guest editors' foreword to the special issue on Virtual Reality in Scientific Application | | BIB | Full-Text | 219-220 | |
| Osvaldo Gervasi; Roberto Ranon | |||
| Visual immersive haptic mathematics | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 221-234 | |
| Alexei Sourin; Lei Wei | |||
| In the modern urban society, human brain is not being sufficiently trained
to deal with problems which require 3D perception. As a result, when teaching
subjects richly infused with mathematics it is usually a challenge for the
learners to follow the instructor and visualize how mathematical concepts
reflect in 3D geometry and colors. We have proposed an approach that would
allow for defining complex geometry, visual appearance and tangible physical
properties of the virtual objects using language of mathematical functions. It
allows the learners to get immersed within the 3D scene and explore the shapes
which are being modeled visually and haptically. We illustrate this concept
using our function-based extension of X3D and VRML. Besides definition of
objects with mathematical functions straight in the scene file, standard X3D
and VRML objects can be converted to tangible ones as well as augmented with
function-defined visual appearances. Since the function-defined models are
small in size, it is possible to perform their collaborative interactive
modifications with concurrent synchronous visualization at each client computer
with any required level of detail. Keywords: Shape and surface modeling; Virtual reality; Physically based modeling;
Shape modeling; Haptic collaboration; Shared virtual spaces; Electronic
education | |||
| Tangible props for scientific visualization: concept, requirements, application | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 235-244 | |
| Krzysztof Jakub Kruszynski; Robert van Liere | |||
| In this paper, we explore the use of printed tangible props as input devices
for scientific visualization. Three-dimensional printing technology is used to
create a physical representation of data. The object is then used as a tangible
input prop, which exactly matches the data. In addition, two-handed interaction
with a stylus is performed on the prop without the use of buttons, instead
relying on the detection of contact between the stylus and the prop through
precise calibration and tracking. This allows the sense of touch to be
harnessed to create a more efficient and natural interaction method for
scientific visualizations in virtual and augmented reality. We explain the
concept of tangible props and where it can be applied. We also consider the
technical requirements of systems using such props. Finally, we present our
example application, which uses printed tangible props for interactive
measurement of marine coral data. The use of tangible props is found to improve
the usability of the application. Keywords: Tangible user interfaces; Haptics; Augmented reality; Rapid prototyping | |||
| Immersive structural biology: a new approach to hybrid modeling of macromolecular assemblies | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 245-255 | |
| Jochen Heyd; Stefan Birmanns | |||
| Advanced biophysical imaging techniques, such as cryo-electron microscopy or
tomography, enable 3D volumetric reconstructions of large macromolecular
complexes in a near-native environment. However, pure volumetric data is
insufficient for a detailed understanding of the underlying protein-protein
interactions. This obstacle can be overcome by assembling an atomic model of
the whole protein complex from known atomic structures, which are available
from either X-ray crystallography or homology modeling. Due to many factors
such as noise, conformational variability, experimental artifacts, and inexact
model structures, existing automatic docking procedures are known to report
false positives for a significant number of cases. The present paper focuses on
a new technique to combine an offline exhaustive search algorithm with
interactive visualization, collision detection, and haptic rendering. The
resulting software system is highly immersive and allows the user to
efficiently solve even difficult multi-resolution docking problems.
Stereoscopic viewing, combined with head tracking and force feedback, generates
an ideal virtual environment for true interaction with and solution of hybrid
biomolecular modeling problems. Keywords: Structural biology; Docking; Multi-resolution modeling; Electron microscopy;
Haptic rendering; Virtual reality | |||
| Multisensory VR exploration for computer fluid dynamics in the CoRSAIRe project | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 257-271 | |
| J. M. Vézien; B. Ménélas; J. Nelson; L. Picinali; P. Bourdot; M. Ammi | |||
| In the last 30 years, the evolution of digital data processing in terms of
processing power, storage capacity, and algorithmic efficiency in the
simulation of physical phenomena has allowed the emergence of the discipline
known as computational fluid dynamics or CFD. More recently, virtual reality
(VR) systems have proven an interesting alternative to conventional user
interfaces, in particular, when exploring complex and massive datasets, such as
those encountered in scientific visualization applications. Unfortunately, all
too often, VR technologies have proven unsatisfactory in providing a true added
value compared to standard interfaces, mostly because insufficient attention
was given to the activity and needs of the intended user audience. The present
work focuses on the design of a multimodal VR environment dedicated to the
analysis of non-stationary flows in CFD. Specifically, we report on the
identification of relevant strategies of CFD exploration coupled to adapted VR
data representation and interaction techniques. Three different contributions
will be highlighted. First, we show how placing the CFD expert user at the
heart of the system is accomplished through a formalized analysis of work
activity and through system evaluation. Second, auditory outputs providing
analysis of time-varying phenomena in a spatialized virtual environment are
introduced and evaluated. Finally, specific haptic feedbacks are designed and
evaluated to enhance classical visual data exploration of CFD simulations. Keywords: Virtual reality; Computer fluid dynamics; Sonification; Haptics; Multimodal
virtual environment | |||
| Multisensory VR interaction for protein-docking in the CoRSAIRe project | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 273-293 | |
| N. Férey; J. Nelson; C. Martin; L. Picinali; G. Bouyer; A. Tek | |||
| Proteins take on their function in the cell by interacting with other
proteins or biomolecular complexes. To study this process, computational
methods, collectively named protein docking, are used to predict the position
and orientation of a protein ligand when it is bound to a protein receptor or
enzyme, taking into account chemical or physical criteria. This process is
intensively studied to discover new biological functions for proteins and to
better understand how these macromolecules take on these functions at the
molecular scale. Pharmaceutical research also employs docking techniques for a
variety of purposes, most notably in the virtual screening of large databases
of available chemicals to select likely molecular candidates for drug design.
The basic hypothesis of our work is that Virtual Reality (VR) and multimodal
interaction can increase efficiency in reaching and analysing docking
solutions, in addition to fully a computational docking approach. To this end,
we conducted an ergonomic analysis of the protein-protein current docking task
as it is carried out today. Using these results, we designed an immersive and
multimodal application where VR devices, such as the three-dimensional mouse
and haptic devices, are used to interactively manipulate two proteins to
explore possible docking solutions. During this exploration, visual, audio, and
haptic feedbacks are combined to render and evaluate chemical or physical
properties of the current docking configuration. Keywords: Protein docking; User-centered design; Virtual reality; Multimodal rendering | |||