week6: Immersive Virtual Reality

With the emergence of immersive technologies, terms such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) have become widely recognized. Essentially, virtual reality offers a fully simulated digital environment, while augmented reality overlays virtual objects onto the real world environment. Mixed reality, on the other hand, combines virtual and real elements by overlaying virtual objects onto the real world and enabling users to interact with them. (Tokareva, 2018).

Milgram et al.’s (1994) Reality–Virtuality Continuum.

Advanced IVR involves advanced body tracking systems and controller devices that enable natural gestural interactions with virtual objects, such as the ability to pick up or throw them. This type of IVR empowers individuals to exercise a considerable degree of agency within the virtual environment, including navigation opportunities, interactions with virtual agents and other players, the manipulation and creation of virtual objects, and both free and structured play. In highly immersive virtual reality (IVR), you are not just looking at and navigating through a virtual environment, and you are a creator in and of the environment. (Southgate, 2018).

How the emerging technology foster creativity?

3D virtual learning environments (VLEs) have the potential to improve spatial knowledge, enable experiential learning that may be unfeasible or impractical in real-life settings, enhance the transfer of knowledge and skills from virtual to real-world contexts, and boost learners' motivation, engagement, and collaboration. (Southgate, 2018). Furthermore, I came to the realization that following our tutorial, students are able to collaborate with one another.

An instance of this is when students collaborate on a storytelling project using the CoSpace App. Here is my work using CoSpaces.

Original work by the author

Potential risk

Cybersickness is a significant risk emphasized in the manufacturer's guidelines, which refers to a type of motion sickness that is highly unpleasant and can cause symptoms such as nausea, disorientation, headaches, sweating, and eye strain. (Southgate, 2018). Extensive research is currently focused on comprehending cybersickness and developing environments that can mitigate its effects. Although it's challenging to anticipate whether an individual will encounter cybersickness, children between the ages of 2-12 years are most vulnerable to it, and the susceptibility gradually reduces after the age of 12.

Reference

Milgram, P., Takemura, H., Utsumi, A., & Kishino, F. (1994). Augmented reality: A class of displays on the eality–virtuality continuum. In Proceedings of Telemanipulator and Telepresence Technologies (pp. 282–292).

Southgate, E. (2018). Immersive virtual reality, children and school education: A literature review for teachers. DICE Report Series Number 6. Newcastle: DICE Research. Retrieved from http://dice.newcastle.edu.au/DRS_6_2018.pdf

Tokareva, J. (2018). The difference between virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/02/02/the-difference-between-virtual-reality-augmented-reality-and-mixed-reality/#384f8b552d07