Background Stanley Milgram's 1960s experimental findings that people would administer apparently lethal electric shocks to a stranger at the behest of an authority figure remain critical for understanding obedience. Yet, due ethical controversy his experiments ignited, it is nowadays impossible carry out direct studies in this area. In study reported paper, we have used similar paradigm one by Milgram within immersive virtual environment. Our objective has not been obedience itself, but...

Under what conditions will a bystander intervene to try stop violent attack by one person on another? It is generally believed that the greater size of crowd bystanders, less chance any them intervene. A complementary model social identity critical as an explanatory variable. For example, when shares common with victim probability intervention enhanced, other things being equal. However, it not possible study such hypotheses experimentally for practical and ethical reasons. Here we show...

Consumer virtual reality systems are now becoming widely available. We report on a study presence and embodiment within that was conducted `in the wild', in data collected from devices owned by consumers uncontrolled settings, not traditional laboratory setting. Users of Samsung Gear VR Google Cardboard were invited web pages email invitation to download run an app presented scenario where participant would sit bar watching singer. Each saw one eight variations scenario: with or without...

Background Dealing with insistent patient demand for antibiotics is an all too common part of a General Practitioner's daily routine. This study explores the extent to which portable Immersive Virtual Reality technology can help us gain accurate understanding factors that influence doctor's response ethical challenge underlying such tenacious requests (given threat posed by growing anti-bacterial resistance worldwide). It also considers potential train doctors face dilemmas. Experiment...

This paper describes a method for allowing people to virtually move around CAVE™ without ever having turn face the missing back wall. We describe method, and report pilot study of 28 participants, half whom moved through virtual world using hand-held controller, other used new technique called 'Redirected Walking in Place' (RWP). The results show that current instantiation RWP does not result lower frequency looking towards However, also sense presence environment is significantly negatively...

Background Virtual reality provides a means of studying paranoid thinking in controlled laboratory conditions. However, this method has not been used with clinical group Aims To establish the feasibility and safety using virtual methodology people an at-risk mental state to investigate applicability cognitive model paranoia Method Twenty-one participants were assessed before after entering environment depicting inside underground train Results did raise levels distress at time testing or...

Individuals with vestibular dysfunction may experience visual vertigo (VV), in which symptoms are provoked or exacerbated by excessive disorientating stimuli (e.g. supermarkets). VV can significantly improve when customized rehabilitation exercises combined exposure to optokinetic stimuli. Virtual reality (VR), immerses patients realistic, visually challenging environments, has also been suggested as an adjunct VR symptoms. This pilot study compared the responses of sixteen unilateral...

While they have long been a subject of academic study, social virtual reality (SVR) systems are now attracting increasingly large audiences on current consumer systems. The design space SVR is very large, and relatively little known about how these should be constructed in order to usable efficient. In this paper we present Ubiq, toolkit that focuses facilitating the construction We argue for strategy Ubiq its scope. built Unity platform. It provides core functionality many such as...

To peripheral vision, a pair of physically different images can look the same. Such pairs are metamers relative to each other, just as physically-different spectra light perceived same color. We propose real-time method compute such ventral for foveated rendering where, in particular near-eye displays, largest part framebuffer maps periphery. This improves quality over state-of-the-art foveation methods which blur Work Vision Science has established how stimuli if their statistics similar....

Background Observing incongruent actions interferes with ongoing action execution. This ‘interference effect’ is larger for observed biological than non-biological actions. The current study used virtual reality to investigate the specificity of interference effects observation in autism spectrum conditions (ASC). Method High-functioning adults ASC and age- IQ-matched healthy controls performed horizontal sinusoidal arm movements whilst observing conducted by a agent either human or robot...

In Milgram's seminal obedience studies, participants' behaviour has traditionally been explained as a demonstration of people's tendency to enter into an 'agentic state' when in the presence authority figure: they attend only demands that and are insensitive plight their victims. There have many criticisms this view, but most rely on either indirect or anecdotal evidence. study, participants (n = 40) taken through Virtual Reality simulation Milgram paradigm. Compared control 20) who not...

Locomotion interfaces pose a large challenge for designers of immersive virtual environments. While treadmills and other actuated can be integrated with spatial displays or head-mounted displays, they are expensive constrain walking to one direction. In this technical note we demonstrate the integration passive interface CAVE <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">¿</sup> -like display. The Wizdish is new concept interfaces. Users wear...

This paper reports on a pilot study of the extent to which social anxiety can be generated within virtual environment. Ten subjects were exposed reality experience depicting London underground train and also wine bar. The first provided setting with characters (avatars) that had relatively neutral behaviors towards subject, second was more socially demanding--with required interact disinterested avatars. purpose assess whether would greater for bar than journey experience, taking into...

In order to rehearse for a play or scene from movie, it is generally required that the actors are physically present at same time in place. this paper we an example and experience of full body motion shared virtual environment (SVE) rehearsal. The system allows directors meet SVE scenes is, perform some dialogue blocking (positions, movements, displacements scene) rehearsal through interactive reality (VR) system. combines immersive VR rendering techniques as well network capabilities...

Developing mixed-reality (MR) experiments is a challenge as there wide variety of functionality to support. This exacerbated if the MR experiment multi-user or needs be run out lab. We present Ubiq-Exp - set tools that provide facilitate distributed and remote experiments. motivate our design from recent practice in field desire build are easier reproduce. Key features ability support supervised unsupervised experiments, for experimenter operation documentation experimental sessions....

Our mental representations of our body are continuously updated through multisensory bodily feedback as we move and interact with environment. Although it is often assumed that these internal models body-representation used to successfully act upon the environment, only a few studies have actually looked at how changes influence goal-directed actions, none this in relation induced by sound. The present work examines question for first time. Participants reached target object before after...

Traditional work on bystander intervention in violent emergencies has found that the larger group, less chance any individual will intervene. Here, we tested impact helping behavior of affiliation bystanders with respect to participants. We recruited 40 male supporters U.K. Arsenal football club for a two-factor between groups study 10 participants per group. Each participant spoke virtual human supporter (V), scenario displayed reality system. During this conversation, another character...

Environmental factors have been associated with psychosis but there is little qualitative research looking at how the ongoing interaction between individual and environment maintains psychotic symptoms.The current study investigates people persecutory delusions interpret events in a virtual neutral social using methodology.20 participants 20 controls entered underground train containing characters. Under these circumstances, reported similar levels of paranoia as non-clinical participants....

In the Museum of Pure Form, we explore a novel way presenting art to visitors museum, allowing them virtually touch artefacts in virtual museum. order realise this statues are first digitised with scanner so that they can be placed The museum is then displayed on 3D stereo screen. visitor uses purpose-built two-contact-point haptic device, mounted an exoskeleton, shape piece which would otherwise forbidden conventional museum.We have tested such installation CAVE-like system. results show...

Computer-Generated Holography (CGH) offers the potential for genuine, high-quality three-dimensional visuals. However, fulfilling this remains a practical challenge due to computational complexity and visual quality issues. We propose new CGH method that exploits gaze-contingency perceptual graphics accelerate development of holographic display systems. Firstly, our infers user's focal depth generates images only at their focus plane without using any moving parts. Second, displayed are...

While immersive experiences mediated through near-eye displays are still a relatively immature medium, there millions of consumer devices in use. The level awareness the forms interface and media will vary enormously across potential audience. Users might own personal or encounter systems various venues. We introduce term competence to refer general practical knowledge skills that users accumulate about how typical interfaces work—the ways which buttons used, main locomotion techniques, etc....