Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality (VR) is a type of technology used to immerse users into experiencing pres-ence in another world, where the user and can interact with a virtual environment. Two main elements are essential, to give users this kind of experience. The first one is to display three-dimensional images, where the virtual objects displayed have about the same size as a life-sized object. The user sees this from within a Head-Mounted Display (HMD). The second element is to track the user’s movement and reproduce this in the virtual world [18].

This section seeks to give a brief overview of the history of VR and discuss why VR is a hot topic at the time of this thesis. For a more technical overview of the VR devices available, read section 2.2.

(a)Stereoscope from 1897 [20] (b)The 2019 Oculus Quest Figure 2.1:VR history

History

In the 1800s, the stereoscope was invented. The person using the stereoscope looks at two photographs that are taken from slightly different angles (see Figure 2.1a). The eyes are separated in the device, making each eye look at one of the photographs. The photograph is perceived as if it was three-dimensional [19]. The discovery of how vision functions, laid the foundation of how virtual reality works today.

In 1968, the first HMD was created. The device displayed simple wireframe rooms and objects that changed perspective as the user turned his head. In many subsequent years after the first HMD was released, different companies and universities developed devices that enabled motion-tracking for head, body, and hands. In the 90s, VR was introduced in the gaming industry by SEGA and Nintendo. Due to low technical specifications that made users experience severe discomfort, and the low amount of available software, the devices were discontinued, and faced commercial failure. VR was not a mainstream topic for many years. However, research in the field kept going.

In 2012 the idea of using HMDs for immersive experiences was brought back to life. Ocu-lus Rift was presented in a Kickstarter campaign, promising developer kit HMDs with high-resolution displays and a wide field of view with low-latency head-tracking. The idea was to connect the HMD to a PC and take advantage of the high specifications to fulfill their promises. The Kickstarter campaign was fully funded within only a few hours [21]. In 2014, Facebook saw the potential of VR and purchased the Oculus VR company for US$ 2 Bn [22]. Facebook’s purchase of the company was a significant turning point for the VR industry since multiple other companies followed. Google, Samsung, HTC, and Playstation announced that they were planning to release VR technology. Two devel-opment kits were shipped to backers of the Kickstarter campaign from 2013-2014. The development kits were intended for developers to create software for the official release of the Oculus Rift. In 2016, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive were officially released to the public, primarily as gaming devices. The same year, a large number of companies started developing software for VR.

2.1 Theory What makes VR promising in 2019-2020

Since the launch of the HMDs in 2016, the media’s viewpoints on the technology went from something that could change the way we use technology forever, to be mainly a niche market for gamers [23]. The high price of the devices and requirement of having a powerful PC has made the technology less accessible for the masses, and therefore also difficult to have a mainstream breakthrough. Other reasons why VR has not had a main-stream breakthrough are due to its discomfort and usability challenges. Also, VR was possibly overshadowed by the hype of AR (Augmented Reality) games, such as ”Poke-mon Go”, which was easily accessible to anyone through the smartphone. Also, with the lack of users, it is hard for developers to release AAA titled games [24], even though this is a necessity for consumers to make the technology reach mass adoption.

Figure 2.2:Gartner Hype Cycle 2017 [1]

Despite the consumer and developer skepticism, the industry is expected to grow to US$

120.5 Bn by 2026, compared to 2018’s US$ 7.3 Bn [25]. According to Gartner Hype Cycle [1], the technology was at its best stage in 2015. Since then, VR has moved more and more against a stage of maturation until 2017, as shown in Figure 2.2. Since 2018, the technology has disappeared from the Hype Cycle. According to Gartner, this meant that the technology reached the stage of maturation, and is no longer an emerging technology [13]. This is due to the variety of sectors where VR has been applied successfully. The major VR stakeholders focus heavily on gaming, but the technology has potential in many other sectors, such as health care, automotive, construction, education, and more [12]. A large amount of research is being put into how VR technology can best be used.

Furthermore, there have been some technological advancements in the industry that makes everything more promising. HMDs started supporting tracking through embedded

cam-eras, instead of using external sensors, making set up easier. After the release of Oculus Quest (see Figure 2.1b) in 2019, a moderately priced device, with no requirement of a pow-erful computer and a cumbersome setup of cables and tracking sensors, made VR more accessible to consumers. The device also proved to give a highly immersive experience, even on weaker hardware. The device has been admired, and the media is talking about standalone as the way to go. Seeing that the device can also be used as a tethered device using Oculus Link since November 2019, it is still exciting to see if or when VR will have a mainstream breakthrough.

2.1.2 Learning

A variety of studies have been conducted, focusing on the effects of using 3D visualization and virtual environments for learning. This section focuses on the effects of using visual-izations and games for learning. Then, the section will describe the four main aspects that make VR technology a promising tool for education.

Learning Styles

Felder and Silverman conducted a study where they explored different styles of learning and teaching [26]. In their study, they classified different groups of methods that students prefer for receiving and processing information. Many engineering students have more

”visual, sensing, inductive and active ways of learning”, which makes exclusive use of the traditional teaching techniques inadequate. Their study suggests that professors should balance the styles used to teach the curriculum. Some students are more dependent than others on having graphical visualizations and more hands-on inductive ways of learning.

New learning methods may also come with the disadvantage of being perceived as time-consuming for some students, compared to the traditional methods. The most effective and useful methods can be discovered over time by attempting to find new ways and applying technology through trial-and-failure.

Educational Games

Game-based learning is a large field. Therefore, this section will focus on the core ele-ments that make games effective for learning. An effective game for learning needs to combine good game design and good pedagogy. The bookGames, learning and assess-ment defines seven core elements of a well-designed educational game [27]. These are listed in Table 2.1.

VR in Education

VR has shown positive results for learning in a variety of ways. A study from 2016 about trends of using virtual technologies in education [28] describes four main aspects that makes VR beneficial for learning:

• Being immersed in a virtual world where the user can study 3D models differently enhances their learning experience through increased motivation and engagement.

2.1 Theory

Element Description

Interactive problem-solving Players needs to be able to interact with the game by solving a series of problems throughout the game.

Specific goals/rules The player needs to follow goals and rules to un-derstand how to progress.

Adaptive challenges The game should be designed to have a balanced difficulty throughout the experience.

Control The player should feel in control of the gameplay, environment, and the learning experience.

Ongoing feedback Players needs to be given adequate feedback to measure performance and progression.

Uncertainty The player should not be able to predict what will happen at any time. With some uncertainty, the player will be kept motivated throughout the ex-perience.

Sensory stimuli The combination of graphical work, audio, and narrative needs to somewhat please the player.

Table 2.1:The seven elements of a well-designed educational game

• The students’ ability to interact with and manipulate 3D objects and get feedback improves learning.

• Technological advancements is making VR more affordable and accessible.

• The technology itself with new systems for haptics gives a new level of immersion so that the user can experience environments that would be impossible or very difficult otherwise.