Replay! When past experiences are reassembled through virtual reality

Replay! When past experiences are reassembled through virtual reality

Prof. Eduardo Zilles Borba, Ph.D.* ([email protected])

Prof. Marcelo Knorich Zuffo, Ph.D ([email protected]) * Fellow support by CNPq-Brazil

............................................................................................................. Center of Interdisciplinary and Interactive Technologies (CITI-USP) University of Sao Paulo, Brazil (USP)

IAMCR Conference – Leicester (UK), July 27-31, 2016 (Digital Divide Working Group)

IAMCR 2016 Conference - Leicester (UK) PG. 02/22

Replay! When past experiences are reassembled through virtual reality | Zilles Borba and Zuffo (2016)

» Topics

1) Virtual Reality (VR) as a multi-sensorial Media

2) Registering and preserving memories through VR

3) Replay! Re-living experiences with VR (cases and discussion)

4) Conclusion


1) VR as a multi-sensorial Media

Nowadays much has been said about Virtual Reality (VR). (Graft, 2014)

VR is an advanced user-computer interface which allows the user to visualize, to interact and to manipulate digital contents through a virtual experience that reproduces aesthetics and activities from the physical world (or the imaginary one). (Kirner and Tori, 2004)

popularization among the general public

immersion feeling



multi-sensorial media experience

IAMCR 2016 Conference - Leicester (UK)

To create a simulation scene, more than a 3D image is necessary. So, VR makes use of electronic devices such as stereoscopic goggles, motion sensors and others technical equipment responsible for stimulating sensory experiences of the human body, specially: sight, hearing and touch. (Zilles Borba, 2014)

When our body is stimulated to believe it really inhabits other space, we have a feeling of IMMERSION. And, there are 3 categories for immersion in VR:

PG. 04/22


Realism

Involvement Interaction

Zilles Borba and Zuffo (2015)

Immersion



Realism (computer graphics)

Realism + Involvement (360º enviroment/scene)

Realism + Involvement + Interaction (Natural to the User Interactions, NUIs)



Immersive VR vs. Non-immersive VR (HMD, CAVEs, etc.) (TV, monitor screen, etc.)

Sense of presence

Virtual content/environment/scene

Media device



2) Registering and preserving memories through VR

It is already known that media have always been (and still are) responsible for registering important facts of humanity

“to freeze moments”

“extensions of mankind” photo, video, VR (?)



But, in a multi-sensory way, we can say VR

After all, VR can reproduce the sense of space, objects, activities and people relationship in a very realistic way (forms, scales, proportions, depths, colors, lights and shadows).

photo (visual) video (audiovisual)

i.e.

more than admiring a landscape,

through VR users can experience it!



CAVE HMD

HMD + NUIs



With VR, we can create simulations of spaces, scenes, moments, activities to:

• Preserve feelings (sensations)

• Reconstruct situations (geographic, architectonic or atmospheric notion of places)

• Explain emotions to other people (memories)

It might be related to ephemeral objects, people,

zones or even actions from the past/present to be

replayed by future people



» Examples:

• User could feel like what it was to be in the middle of a dense jungle during a war conflict that doesn’t exist anymore because deforestation phenomenon;

• People could participate in musical gigs of an extint band through a 360º video experience;

• A father/mother could interact with the hologram of their children to remember family and childhood memories.

» Those examples are all related to interesting topics on cyberculture: telepresence, time-travel illusion, immersion...





3) Replay! Re-living experiences with VR (cases and discussion)

» Research: the main objective of this work was to conduct an initial (but relevant) discussion about VR as a media that allows user to play past experiences in an immersive and multi-sensorial way.

» Methodology: We decided to explore two cases about past experiences reassembled using VR techniques created by our research lab (CITI-USP):

a) Archaeological Site of Itapeva (2015) b) Historial City Center of Sao Paulo (1911)



» Case 1: Archaeological Site of Itapeva (2015)

“More than create a sensation of transporting the user to the archaeological site, this work presents a great goal about how VR can be particularly used to explore ephemeral spaces and objects in a non-destructive way”, (Zilles Borba and Zuffo, 2016, p.7).

• Goal as a media:

1) To revive (or live for the first time) the feeling of exploring places with really hard access (i.e. general public). 2) To observe and to perceive details of the landscape in a digital model available anywhere and anytime (i.e. archaeologist) 3) To practice excavation or to view the digging process (i.e. students)



» Case 1: Archaeological Site of Itapeva (2015)

• Oculus Rift (HMD): this VR device allows user to visualize the space in a 360º view through the first-person perspective (the user became the avatar; symbiosis between user and avatar; the self-avatar).

• Razer Hydra (3D joystiks): provides a natural to the user interaction (NUI), so it’s possible to navigate around the archaeological space and to manipulate objects.

• Project web site: http://cavernadigital.org.br/ciberarch/index.html


http://cavernadigital.org.br/ciberarch/index.html




» Case 2: Historical City Center of Sao Paulo (1911)

“The main objective was to create a time-travel illusion that allows the user to fell the sensation of walk by a place that no longer exists”, (Zilles Borba and Zuffo, 2016, p.8).

• Goal as a media: to reproduce more than an image of the heritage urban space. It means, to reconstruct situations and explore culture, architecture or habits of the brazilian people in that period of History.



» Case 2: Historical City Center of Sao Paulo (1911)

• CAVE: a multi-user experience inside a 3D projection room

(steoscopic goggles, real scale images, etc.). Also the audio was mapped around the cubic room.

• Motion sensors: above the CAVE there were infrared trackers to identify user position and to allow her/him to navigate through the virtual environment. Also, a Wii remote allows the user to manipulate objects (bluetooth technology).





Conclusion » Self-avatar: it was concluded VR has a huge potential to create multi-sensorial experiences to explore past, present and, even, the future. It means, VR platforms will allow people to replay experiences like the´re actually a part of the enviroment

» Huge potencial as media: it was also concluded that its narratives and aesthetics gave a wide range of possibilities for the Media field (journalism, advertising, marketing and PR actions).

» Immersive feelings: VR devices are bringing a new perspective to our Media mass content consume, after all we finally are facing a multi-sensorial experience with interfaces that really create the feeling of being another or living/inhabiting virtual places.



Bibliography » Graft, M. (2014). The 5 Trends That Defined the Game Industry in 2014. [Online]. Available: <http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/232257/The_5_trends_that_defized_the_game_industry_in_2014.php> [24/jul. 2015].

» Kirner, C. and Tori, R. (2004). Introducao a Realidade Virtual, Misturada e Hiper-realidade. In: Kirner, C. and Tori, R. (Eds.). Realidade Virtual. Sao Paulo: Ed. Senac, pp.3-20.

» Kerckhove, D. (1995). The Skin of Culture: Investigating the New Electronic Reality. London: Kogan Page.

» McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. New York: McGraw-Hill.

» Zilles Borba, E. and Zuffo, M. (2015). Natural to the Human Interactions with Digital Interfaces: a new perspective to understand the virtual experiences. In: IAMCR Conference Proceedings 2015. Montreal: Universite du Quebec a Montreal, pp. 312-317.

» Zilles Borba, E. (2014). Imersao Visual e Corporal: Paradigmas da Percepcao em Simuladores. in: Soster, D. e Piccinin, F. (Orgs.). Narrativas Comunicacionais Complexificadas II – A Forma. Santa Cruz do Sul: Edunisc, pp.239-258.


thank

Prof. Eduardo Zilles Borba, Ph.D.* ([email protected]) » Twitter: @ezillesborba

Prof. Marcelo Knorich Zuffo, Ph.D ([email protected]) * Fellow supported by CNPq-Brazil

............................................................................................................. Center of Interdisciplinary and Interactive Technologies (CITI-USP) University of Sao Paulo, Brazil (USP)

you! IAMCR Conference – Leicester (UK), July 27-31, 2016 (Digital Divide Working Group)

Date post:	14-Apr-2017
Category:	Education
Upload:	eduardo-zilles-borba
View:	144 times
Download:	0 times

Replay! When past experiences are reassembled through virtual reality

Education