Simon Hoermann

Beyond the looking glass: Fooling the brain with the augmented mirror box

Video mediated and augmented reality technologies can challenge our sense of what we perceive and believe to be real. Applied appropriately, the technology presents new opportunities for understanding and treating a range of human functional impairments as well as studying the underling psychological bases of these phenomena. This paper describes our augmented mirror box (AMB) technology which builds on the potential of optical mirror boxes by adding functions that can be applied in therapeutic and scientific settings. Here we test hypotheses about limb presence and perception, belief, and pain using laboratory studies to demonstrate proof of concept. The results of these studies provide evidence that the AMB can be used to manipulate beliefs and perceptions and alter the reported experience of pain. We conclude that the system has potential for use in experimental and in clinical settings.

Manipulating the Experience of Reality for Rehabilitation Applications

Augmented reality (AR) has the potential to change the way therapy and rehabilitation is understood and administered. It can be used to manipulate the experience of reality, resulting in novel rehabilitative applications including but not limited to augmented mirror box (AMB) manipulations. We present a conceptual framework for the effective use of AR in a therapeutic context developed around the aspects of belief, interactivity, predictability, and decoupling. This framework is based on previous work in perception and emotion manipulation and is derived from and illustrated with a number of empirical studies. In particular, we describe how our augmented reflection technology (ART) system is able to manipulate the experience of reality in an effective way and how this demonstrates the potential of augmented environments to improve health and wellbeing.

Referred Sensations Elicited by Video-Mediated Mirroring of Hands

Humans readily perceive ownership of a limb even when it is artificially induced as in the case of using a mirror reflection. However, mirror reflections are very constrained perceptions which do not allow transformations and varied contexts as often occurs in real life. The extent to which perceived limb ownership occurs with video-mediated manipulations is not known, particularly given the perception would no longer be a precise copy (reflection) of a person’s own limb. The present study directly compared referred sensations of the limbs with the use of a mirror reflection to those obtained with a new video-mediated setup to assess perceived ownership. Manipulations that could not be performed with a standard mirror reflection, such as reversal of the spatial positions of the limbs, were also investigated to examine how far the perceived ownership effects could be pushed. Across a series of experiments, data on the quality, intensity and location of referred sensations were collected and analyzed together with measures of hand ownership and participants’ experience of the two setups. Results reveal that participants felt referred sensations in both the optical and the video-mediated setup, and that video-mediated manipulations of hand-position reversals produced equal to stronger effects of ownership compared with the mirror reflection. These findings open up new possibilities for scientific experimentation and therapy that are discussed in the paper.

Application of Synchronous Text-Based Dialogue Systems in Mental Health Interventions: Systematic Review

Background Synchronous written conversations (or “chats”) are becoming increasingly popular as Web-based mental health interventions. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to evaluate and summarize the quality of these interventions. Objective The aim of this study was to review the current evidence for the feasibility and effectiveness of online one-on-one mental health interventions that use text-based synchronous chat. Methods A systematic search was conducted of the databases relevant to this area of research (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online [MEDLINE], PsycINFO, Central, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, IEEE, and ACM). There were no specific selection criteria relating to the participant group. Studies were included if they reported interventions with individual text-based synchronous conversations (ie, chat or text messaging) and a psychological outcome measure. Results A total of 24 articles were included in this review. Interventions included a wide range of mental health targets (eg, anxiety, distress, depression, eating disorders, and addiction) and intervention design. Overall, compared with the waitlist (WL) condition, studies showed significant and sustained improvements in mental health outcomes following synchronous text-based intervention, and post treatment improvement equivalent but not superior to treatment as usual (TAU) (eg, face-to-face and telephone counseling). Conclusions Feasibility studies indicate substantial innovation in this area of mental health intervention with studies utilizing trained volunteers and chatbot technologies to deliver interventions. While studies of efficacy show positive post-intervention gains, further research is needed to determine whether time requirements for this mode of intervention are feasible in clinical practice.

Triggerwalking: a biomechanically-inspired locomotion user interface for efficient realistic virtual walking

Most current virtual reality (VR) applications use some form of teleportation to cover large distances, or real walking in room-scale setups for moving in virtual environments. Though real walking is the most natural for medium distances, it gets physically demanding and inefficient after prolonged use, while the sudden viewpoint changes experienced with teleportation often lead to disorientation. To close the gap between travel over long and short distances, we introduce TriggerWalking, a biomechanically-inspired locomotion user interface for efficient realistic virtual walking. The idea is to map the humans embodied ability for walking to a finger-based locomotion technique. Using the triggers of common VR controllers, the user can generate near-realistic virtual bipedal steps. We analyzed head oscillations of VR users while they walked with a head-mounted display, and used the data to simulate realistic walking motions with respect to the trigger pulls. We evaluated how the simulation of walking biomechanics affects task performance and spatial cognition. We also compared the usability of TriggerWalking with joystick, teleportation, and walking in place. The results show that users can efficiently use TriggerWalking, while still benefiting from the inherent advantages of real walking.

Patient engagement and clinical feasibility of Augmented Reflection Technology for stroke rehabilitation

Abstract This paper evaluates the patient engagement and clinical feasibility of an Augmented Reflection Technology (ART) system for use in physical rehabilitation of the upper limb following stroke. In particular, TheraMem, an extension of the ART system, was assessed on its potential to engage patients in meaningful therapeutic exercise. Six patients participated in a total of 24 sessions of upper limb training using the system. Tailored support for patients performing the exercises was provided based on the severity and level of their impairment. Various configurations of the system were evaluated and adjusted to best match the therapeutic requirements and the patient’s preferences. All patients were able to successfully participate and complete the TheraMem intervention at a high level of engagement and motivation over the course of the therapy sessions.

Computerised mirror therapy with Augmented Reflection Technology for early stroke rehabilitation: clinical feasibility and integration as an adjunct therapy

Abstract Purpose: New rehabilitation strategies for post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation employing visual stimulation show promising results, however, cost-efficient and clinically feasible ways to provide these interventions are still lacking. An integral step is to translate recent technological advances, such as in virtual and augmented reality, into therapeutic practice to improve outcomes for patients. This requires research on the adaptation of the technology for clinical use as well as on the appropriate guidelines and protocols for sustainable integration into therapeutic routines. Here, we present and evaluate a novel and affordable augmented reality system (Augmented Reflection Technology, ART) in combination with a validated mirror therapy protocol for upper limb rehabilitation after stroke. Method: We evaluated components of the therapeutic intervention, from the patients’ and the therapists’ points of view in a clinical feasibility study at a rehabilitation centre. We also assessed the integration of ART as an adjunct therapy for the clinical rehabilitation of subacute patients at two different hospitals. Results: The results showed that the combination and application of the Berlin Protocol for Mirror Therapy together with ART was feasible for clinical use. This combination was integrated into the therapeutic plan of subacute stroke patients at the two clinical locations where the second part of this research was conducted. Conclusions: Our findings pave the way for using technology to provide mirror therapy in clinical settings and show potential for the more effective use of inpatient time and enhanced recoveries for patients. Implications for Rehabilitation Computerised Mirror Therapy is feasible for clinical use Augmented Reflection Technology can be integrated as an adjunctive therapeutic intervention for subacute stroke patients in an inpatient setting Virtual Rehabilitation devices such as Augmented Reflection Technology have considerable potential to enhance stroke rehabilitation

Mild stress stimuli built into a non-immersive virtual environment can elicit actual stress responses

ABSTRACT The experience of Virtual Reality (VR) can lead to unwanted or wanted psychological stress reactions. Highly immersive VR games for instance utilise extreme, life-threatening, or dangerous situations to achieve those responses from their players. There is also sufficient evidence that in clinical settings and specific situations, such as fear of heights or post-traumatic stress, virtual stimuli can lead to perceived stress for clients. However, there is a gap in research targeting everyday, mild emotional stimuli, which are neither extreme nor specific and which are not presented in an immersive system. To what extent can common stimuli in a non-immersive virtual environment elicit actual stress reactions for its users? We developed a desktop VR system and evaluated it in a study with 54 participants. We could show that virtual stimuli in a common, domestic family environment led to a significant increase in perceived stress as measured by quantitative (self-reports) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews analysed with a General Inductive Approach (GIA)) responses. The results also showed that the introduction of virtual stimuli induced significantly higher levels of perceived workload and sense of presence and led to different physiological reactions. These findings have implications for the design and implementation of non-immersive VR systems.

[POSTER] The Social AR Continuum: Concept and User Study

In this poster, we describe The Social AR Continuum, a space that encompasses different dimensions of Augmented Reality (AR) for sharing social experiences. We explore various dimensions, discuss options for each dimension, and brainstorm possible scenarios where these options might be useful. We describe a prototype interface using the contact placement dimension, and report on feedback from potential users which supports its usefulness for visualising social contacts. Based on this concept work, we suggest user studies in the social AR space, and give insights into future directions.

Evaluating and Comparing Game-controller based Virtual Locomotion Techniques

The incremental hardware costs of virtual locomotion are minimized when the technique uses interaction capabilities available in controllers and devices that are already part of the VE system, e.g., gamepads, keyboards, and multi-function controllers. We used a different locomotion technique for each of these three devices: gamepad thumb-stick (joystick walking), a customized hybrid keyboard for gaming (speedpad walking), and an innovative technique that uses the orientation and triggers of the HTC Vive controllers (TriggerWalking). We explored the efficacy of locomotion techniques using these three devices in a hide and seek task in an indoor environment. We measured task performance, simulator sickness, system usability, perceived workload, and preference. We found that users had a strong preference for TriggerWalking, which also had the least increase in simulator sickness, the highest performance score, and highest perceived usability. However, participants using TriggerWalking also had the most object and wall-collisions. Overall we found that TriggerWalking is an effective locomotion technique and that is has significant and important benefits. Future research will explore if TriggerWalking can be used with equal benefits in other virtual-environments, on different tasks, and types of movement. CCS Concepts •Human-centered computing → Virtual reality; Usability testing; Graphics input devices;