Vaughan Powell

The Changing Face of the History of Computing: The Role of Emulation in Protecting Our Digital Heritage

It is becoming increasingly common for some source material to arrive on our desks after having been transferred to digital format, but little of the material on which we work was actually born digital. Anyone whose work is being done today is likely to leave behind very little that is not digital. Being digital changes everything. This article discusses the issues involved in the protection of digital objects.

Virtual reality for gait rehabilitation - promises, proofs and preferences

Improving walking speed and quality after illness or injury presents a number of challenges, not least of which is keeping patients engaged with therapy which they may find boring or painful. The rapidly developing area of virtual reality offers technology which can track users movements and use them to drive interactions in virtual worlds. This paper examines the potential of virtual reality to ameliorate pain and to improve rehabilitation adherence and outcomes. The role of hardware and software in mediating movement is discussed, and key elements identified which may have a significant effect on optimising VR systems for rehabilitation outcomes.

Visual properties of an object affect time to target in VR reaching tasks

Virtual Reality is being used increasingly for upper limb rehabilitation. The type of virtual objects used for reaching tasks varies widely, but there has been little work exploring the effect of different characteristics of objects on target acquisition time. This study investigates how target acquisition times vary for virtual objects with different visual cues. Results suggest that the visual properties of an object may have a notable effect on target acquisition times. Simple (low polygon) objects with richer depth cues are acquired more easily than a standard sphere.

Getting around in google cardboard – exploring navigation preferences with low-cost mobile VR

In recent years there has been a paradigm shift in the uptake and use of Virtual Reality (VR). Advances in graphics rendering, and the introduction of low-cost VR headsets has brought VR into the reach of ordinary consumers. Google Cardboard VR viewers cost just a few dollars and work with most smart phones, enabling mobile VR to truly enter the domain of the everyday. However, these headsets are currently generally used for passive entertainment or viewing 360 degree media, and are not ideally suited to active exploration of a virtual space. In this paper we present our preliminary evaluation of three approaches to travel and navigation.

Considerations for virtual environments for upper limb rehabilitation tasks

Shoulder pain and dysfunction are relatively common, but traditional treatment approaches and their efficacy are beset with problems, due in part, to the lack of adherence to therapeutic exercise programmes. The use of novel technology to support rehabilitation is increasing in popularity, with some evidence that it may be able to decrease the perception of pain, and improve movement quality, engagement and compliance with therapy. However, indiscriminate use of off-the-shelf games technology or haphazard approaches to the design of rehabilitation applications and virtual environments may not only reduce the potential benefits, but may even exacerbate the underlying problems. We consider the potential and the pitfalls associated with the use of novel technology in virtual reality rehabilitation, and suggest some strategies for reducing the risks and optimising therapeutic outcomes in virtual environments.

Inside looking out or outside looking in?: an evaluation of visualisation modalities to support the creation of a substitutional virtual environment

Current Virtual Reality systems only allow users to draw a rectangular perimeter to mark the room-scale area they intend to use. Domestic environments can include furniture and other obstacles that hinder the ease with which users can naturally walk. By leveraging the benefits of passive haptics, users can match physical objects with virtual counterparts, to create substitutional environments. In this paper we explore two visualisation modalities to aid in the creation of a coarse virtual representation of the physical environment, by marking out the volumes of space where physical obstacles are located, to support the substitution process. Our study investigates whether this process is better supported by an inside-looking-out 3D User Interface (that is, viewing the outside world while immersed in Virtual Reality) or from an outside-looking-in one (while viewing the Virtual Environment through an external device, such as a tablet). Results show that the immersive option resulted in better accuracy and was the one with the highest overall preference ratings.

Prediction of navigation by visual aesthetics when presented with binary choices

This preliminary study explored the possibility of influencing participants navigation when presented with 5 binary choices. Each participant experienced one trial of the 5 fixed ordered conditions. A think-aloud protocol and questionnaires were used to understand perception and behaviour. We conclude with suggestions of further research of understanding visual aesthetics and their influence of human movement behaviour on patients navigation

Abnormal reaching behaviour in virtual environments: preliminary observations

In this paper we present the preliminary findings of 3 patterns of abnormal movement observed with some individuals during VR reaching tasks in a shoulder rehabilitation application. These motions are consistent with models of rigid system behavior and appear similar to behaviours indicated in the VR literature. Such motion strategies may be in response to diminished visual perception cues in the VE and are typically inefficient in their recruitment and use of appropriate musculature and suggest that some individuals may require instruction or a much longer period of acclimatization to avoid potentially undermining treatment outcomes.

Therapy-led design of home-based virtual rehabilitation

Virtual Reality is emerging as a useful tool to facilitate rehabilitation, and has potential to support home-based exercise programmes to maintain progress and improve long-term outcomes. A number of commercial systems have emerged with games that promote increased physical activity. However, the current off-the-shelf games are not well suited to support therapeutic goals, but the alternative is expensive bespoke applications. In this paper we summarise the background of virtual rehabilitation and discuss the challenges in bringing it into a domestic setting. We propose a therapy-led design approach which can result in solutions which not only suit rehabilitation goals, but also can be used for more generalised game-based exercise. We illustrate the approach using a case study for shoulder therapy.