Kyle Johnsen

The validity of a virtual human experience for interpersonal skills education

Any new tool introduced for education needs to be validated. We developed a virtual human experience called the Virtual Objective Structured Clinical Examination (VOSCE). In the VOSCE, a medical student examines a life-size virtual human who is presenting symptoms of an illness. The student is then graded on interview skills. As part of a medical school class requirement, thirty three second year medical students participated in a user study designed to determine the validity of the VOSCE for testing interview skills. In the study, participant performance in the VOSCE is compared to participant performance in the OSCE, an interview with a trained actor. There was a significant correlation (r(33)=.49, p<.005) between overall score in the VOSCE and overall score in the OSCE. This means that the interaction skills used with a virtual human translate to the interaction skills used with a real human. Comparing the experience of virtual human interaction to real human interaction is the critical validation step towards using virtual humans for interpersonal skills education.

Comparing Interpersonal Interactions with a Virtual Human to Those with a Real Human

This paper provides key insights into the construction and evaluation of interpersonal simulators¿systems that enable interpersonal interaction with virtual humans. Using an interpersonal simulator, two studies were conducted that compare interactions with a virtual human to interactions with a similar real human. The specific interpersonal scenario employed was that of a medical interview. Medical students interacted with either a virtual human simulating appendicitis or a real human pretending to have the same symptoms. In Study I (n = 24), medical students elicited the same information from the virtual and real human, indicating that the content of the virtual and real interactions were similar. However, participants appeared less engaged and insincere with the virtual human. These behavioral differences likely stemmed from the virtual humans limited expressive behavior. Study II (n = 58) explored participant behavior using new measures. Nonverbal behavior appeared to communicate lower interest and a poorer attitude toward the virtual human. Some subjective measures of participant behavior yielded contradictory results, highlighting the need for objective, physically-based measures in future studies.

Evolving an immersive medical communication skills trainer

This paper presents our experiences in evolving the Virtual Objective Structured Clinical Exam (VOSCE) system. This system allows medical students to experience the interaction between a patient and a medical doctor using natural methods of interaction with a high level of immersion. These features enable the system to provide training on medical communication skills. We discuss the experiences of a group of medical and physician assistant students that pilot tested the system. Further, we examine the impact of evolving the system based on their feedback. The VOSCE systems performance in subsequent studies has indicated that end-user feedback improvements have significantly impacted overall performance and efficacy.

Virtual multi-tools for hand and tool-based interaction with life-size virtual human agents

A common approach when simulating face-to-face interpersonal scenarios with virtual humans is to afford users only verbal interaction while providing rich verbal and non-verbal interaction from the virtual human. This is due to the difficulty in providing robust recognition of user non-verbal behavior and interpretation of these behaviors within the context of the verbal interaction between user and virtual human. To afford robust hand and tool-based non-verbal interaction with life-sized virtual humans, we propose virtual multi-tools. A single hand-held, tracked interaction device acts as a surrogate for the virtual multi-tools: the users hand, multiple tools, and other objects. By combining six degree-of-freedom, high update rate tracking with extra degrees of freedom provided by buttons and triggers, a commodity device, the Nintendo Wii Remote, provides the kinesthetic and haptic feedback necessary to provide a high-fidelity estimation of the natural, unencumbered interaction provided by ones hands and physical hand-held tools. These qualities allow virtual multi-tools to be a less error-prone interface to social and task-oriented non-verbal interaction with a life-sized virtual human. This paper discusses the implementation of virtual multi-tools for hand and tool-based interaction with life-sized virtual humans, and provides an initial evaluation of the usability of virtual multi-tools in the medical education scenario of conducting a neurological exam of a virtual human.

Interpersonal Scenarios: Virtual \approx Real?

This paper reports on a study to examine the similarities and differences in experiencing an interpersonal scenario with real and virtual humans. A system that allows medical students to interview a life-size virtual patient using natural speech and gestures was used as a platform for this comparison. Study participants interviewed either a virtual patient or a standardized patient, an actor trained to represent a medical condition. Subtle yet substantial differences were found in the participants’ rapport with the patient and the flow of the conversation. The virtual patient’s limited expressiveness was a significant source of these differences. However, overall task performance was similar, as were perceptions of the educational value of the interaction.

Immersive 3DUI on one dollar a day

A convergence between consumer electronics and virtual reality is occurring. We present an immersive head-mounted-display-based, wearable 3D user interface that is inexpensive (less than

Computation of Localized Flow for Steady and Unsteady Vector Fields and Its Applications

900 USD), robust (sourceless tracking), and portable (lightweight and untethered). While the current display has known deficiencies, the user tracking quality is within the constraints of many existing applications, while the portability and cost offers opportunities for innovative applications that are not currently feasible.

Mixed Reality Virtual Pets to Reduce Childhood Obesity

This paper provides key insights into the construction and evaluation of interpersonal simulators - systems that enable interpersonal interaction with virtual humans. Using an interpersonal simulator, two studies were conducted that compare interactions with a virtual human to interactions with a similar real human. The specific interpersonal scenario employed was that of a medical interview. Medical students interacted with either a virtual human simulating appendicitis or a real human pretending to have the same symptoms. In study I (n=24), medical students elicited the same information from the virtual and real human, indicating that the content of the virtual and real interactions were similar. However, participants appeared less engaged and insincere with the virtual human. These behavioral differences likely stemmed from the virtual humans limited expressive behavior. Study II (n=58) explored participant behavior using new measures. Nonverbal behavior appeared to communicate lower interest and a poorer attitude toward the virtual human. Some subjective measures of participant behavior yielded contradictory results, highlighting the need for objective, physically-based measures in future studiesThis paper provides key insights into the construction and evaluation of interpersonal simulators - systems that enable interpersonal interaction with virtual humans. Using an interpersonal simulator, two studies were conducted that compare interactions with a virtual human to interactions with a similar real human. The specific interpersonal scenario employed was that of a medical interview. Medical students interacted with either a virtual human simulating appendicitis or a real human pretending to have the same symptoms. In study I (n=24), medical students elicited the same information from the virtual and real human, indicating that the content of the virtual and real interactions were similar. However, participants appeared less engaged and insincere with the virtual human. These behavioral differences likely stemmed from the virtual humans limited expressive behavior. Study II (n=58) explored participant behavior using new measures. Nonverbal behavior appeared to communicate lower interest and a poorer attitude toward the virtual human. Some subjective measures of participant behavior yielded contradictory results, highlighting the need for objective, physically-based measures in future studies

A Multi-Institutional Pilot Study to Evaluate the Use of Virtual Patients to Teach Health Professions Students History-Taking and Communication Skills

Novel approaches are needed to reduce the high rates of childhood obesity in the developed world. While multifactorial in cause, a major factor is an increasingly sedentary lifestyle of children. Our research shows that a mixed reality system that is of interest to children can be a powerful motivator of healthy activity. We designed and constructed a mixed reality system that allowed children to exercise, play with, and train a virtual pet using their own physical activity as input. The health, happiness, and intelligence of each virtual pet grew as its associated child owner exercised more, reached goals, and interacted with their pet. We report results of a research study involving 61 children from a local summer camp that shows a large increase in recorded and observed activity, alongside observational evidence that the virtual pet was responsible for that change. These results, and the ease at which the system integrated into the camp environment, demonstrate the practical potential to impact the exercise behaviors of children with mixed reality.

Using Virtual Pets to Promote Physical Activity in Children: An Application of the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model

UF Medical Student MCG Medical Student Thomas Bernard BS , Amy Stevens MD 3,4 4 , Peggy Wagner PhD , Nicole Bernard BS , Lori Schumacher PhD Kyle Johnsen, Robert Dickerson, Andrew Raij, Benjamin Lok PhD 7 , Margaret Duerson PhD , Marc Cohen MD, D. Scott Lind MD Departments of Surgery, OB/GYN 3 4 5 , Family Medicine , Clinical Skills Center , School of Nursing Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA Colleges of Engineering and Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL