Enabling Effective Human Spatial Cognition, Orientation and Behaviour in Virtual Environments

目标：研究什么构成了有效的、健壮的和直观的人类空间定向和行为。这些基础知识将被应用于设计新颖的，更有效的人机界面和交互范例，使类似的有效过程中的计算机为媒介的环境，如虚拟现实（VR），沉浸式游戏和多媒体。动机：虽然现代VR模拟可以具有令人惊叹的照片真实感，但它们通常无法提供在模拟世界中移动的逼真和令人信服的感觉，从而限制了感知的真实性，行为有效性，用户接受度和商业成功。此外，VR用户经常会迷失方向，因为支持的空间行为仍然笨拙和不自然。方法和短期/中期的可行性：我建议，调查和利用自我运动错觉（“矢量”）可能是一个精益和优雅的方式来克服这些缺点，并提供一个真正的“移动体验”在计算机为媒介的环境，从而使更多的负担得起的，但有效的模拟更广泛的观众。我的团队最近提供了第一个证据，证明这种具身的自我运动错觉确实可以促进视角转换和空间定位，从而提供与实际自我运动类似的好处，但没有必要移动用户的成本和努力。这项研究计划将证实并进一步研究自我运动错觉的功能/行为意义，用于更广泛的空间定向/认知任务，这些任务通常很难在没有实际自我运动的情况下完成。为此，我的团队将在VR中与人类参与者进行实验，以研究和优化多模态和更高层次的贡献和交互，以实现空间定向和自我运动感知/错觉，同时最大限度地减少参考系冲突。具体来说，我的学员组将：（A）研究和利用更高层次和多模式的协同效益，以加强矢量;（B）设计和评估用户驱动的运动提示界面;（C）研究矢量的功能意义，使用三个互补的实验范式;（D）设计过渡到虚拟现实;（E）开发新的实验范式;和（F）将研究结果整合到我们的理论框架中。多模态，自然主义和沉浸式VR提供了研究人类感知和行为的独特机会，实验条件明确、可控。长期目标：研究如何最好地利用自运动错觉和研究指导的界面设计和开发，以实现逼真，强大和轻松的空间认知，定位和行为在VR和其他沉浸式媒体。重要性：这项研究计划将使我们更深入地了解人类的空间认知，感知和行为，这将使我们能够设计更有效的人机界面和交互隐喻。这将为评估提供更好的试验平台，并促进和激励进一步的研究。因此，结合基础和应用研究的观点将使我们能够识别感知/动作的基本参数，并将精确定位在模拟VR时使大脑上当受骗的“盲点”。这将为众多沉浸式和远程呈现应用创建更经济高效的虚拟解决方案，例如驾驶/飞行模拟，建筑步行体验，沉浸式游戏和娱乐，太空探索，工程，紧急培训，微创手术和视频会议。

GOAL: To investigate what constitutes effective, robust, and intuitive human spatial orientation and behaviour. This fundamental knowledge will be applied to design novel, more effective human-computer interfaces and interaction paradigms that enable similarly effective processes in computer-mediated environments like virtual reality (VR), immersive gaming, and multi-media. MOTIVATION: While modern VR simulations can have stunning photorealism, they are typically unable to provide a life-like and compelling sensation of moving through the simulated world, thus limiting perceived realism, behavioural effectiveness, user acceptance, and commercial success. Moreover, VR users frequently get disoriented because the supported spatial behaviour is still clumsy and unnatural. APPROACH & SHORT/MID-TERM OBJECTIVES: I propose that investigating and exploiting self-motion illusions ("vection") might be a lean and elegant way to overcome such shortcomings and provide a truly "moving experience" in computer-mediated environments, thus enabling more affordable-yet-effective simulations for broader audiences. My team recently provided the first evidence that such embodied self-motion illusions can indeed facilitate perspective switches and spatial orientation, thus providing similar benefits as actual self-motion, but without the cost and effort involved in having to physically move the user. This research program will corroborate and further investigate the functional/behavioural significance of self-motion illusions for a wider range of spatial orientation/cognition tasks that would normally be difficult to accomplish without actual self-motion. To this end, my team will perform experiments with human participants in VR to investigate and optimize multi-modal and higher-level contributions and interactions for spatial orientation and self-motion perception/illusions, while minimizing reference frame conflicts. Specifically, my group of trainees will:(A) Research and utilize higher-level and multi-modal synergistic benefits to enhance vection; (B) Design and evaluate user-powered motion cueing interfaces;(C) Investigate the functional significance of vection using three complementary experimental paradigms;(D) Design transitions into VR;(E) Develop novel experimental paradigms; and (F) Integrate findings into our theoretical framework.Multi-modal, naturalistic and immersive VR provides the unique opportunity to study human perception and behaviour in reproducible, clearly defined and controllable experimental conditions. LONG-TERM GOALS: To investigate how we can best employ self-motion illusion and research-guided interface design and development to enable life-like, robust and effortless spatial cognition, orientation and behaviour in VR and other immersive media. SIGNIFICANCE: This research program will lead to a deeper understanding of human spatial cognition, perception and behaviour that will enable us to design more effective human-computer interfaces and interaction metaphors. These will provide improved test beds for evaluation as well as enable and inspire further research. Thus, combining fundamental and applied research perspectives will allow us to identify the essential parameters of perception/action and will pin-point the "blind spots" that enable the brain to be tricked when simulating VR. This will enable the creation of better cost-effective virtual solutions for numerous immersive and tele-presence applications such as driving/flight simulation, architecture walk-throughs, immersive gaming and recreation, space exploration, engineering, emergency training, minimally invasive surgery, and video conferencing.