II-EN: Shared Virtual Environments for Studying Social Influences on Risky Cycling and Pedestrian Behavior

该项目将创建一个模拟设施，以提高研究两个孩子或一个孩子和父母在交通拥堵的道路上步行或骑自行车时的社交互动的能力。该项目将扩展爱荷华大学的现有基础设施，以建造一个新的模拟器，与同一机构最近安装的模拟器相匹配，这将允许两个实验参与者各自居住在各自的模拟环境中。这两个模拟器将通过高速网络连接，并被编程为共享一个单一的虚拟环境，可以配置为骑自行车或步行。实验参与者将通过实际步行或骑自行车穿过这些虚拟十字路口来控制他们的运动，周围环绕着图形渲染的图像，这些图像显示了他们在环境中运动的实时第一人称视图。全身运动跟踪系统将被用来创建代表参与者运动的高保真化身，以提供与朋友或父母一起散步或骑行的真实体验。在计算方面，这项研究将通过开发在大规模环境中移动的化身中表示全身运动的方法，以及通过研究化身运动的保真度如何影响骑手和行人的互动，来推进沉浸式、交互式虚拟环境的技术。在行为方面，这项研究将通过研究孩子们在过马路这一日常但危险的活动中如何与朋友或父母互动，来推动对社会对冒险行为的影响的理解。该项目的计算和行为组件之间的相互关系将激发创造性的解决方案，以解决在创建现实化身和半自主代理时出现的计算挑战，并将使人们能够在虚拟环境中发现潜在的危险过马路行为的心理过程。广泛影响这项研究将有助于了解汽车与自行车和汽车与行人相撞的风险因素，从而帮助解决公共卫生问题。该项目将为未来的干预研究奠定基础，有助于减少此类碰撞。在模拟技术、实验方法和创建逼真化身的方法方面的进步将有助于开发用于行为研究和基于模拟的训练的虚拟环境。这项工作的成果将通过科学出版物和演示文稿以及以社区为基础的活动向公众传播，如开放参观活动和为公众举办的自行车/行人安全讲座。

This project will create a simulation facility that will advance a capability to study the social interactions of two children, or a child and parent, as the two people walk or bicycle across a traffic-filled roadway. The project will expand existing infrastructure at the University of Iowa to build a new simulator that matches a recently installed simulator at the same institution, which will permit each of two experimental participants to inhabit their own separate simulated environment. The two simulators will be connected by a high-speed network and programmed to share a single, virtual environment that can be configured for either bicycling or walking. Experimental participants will control their motion by actually walking or cycling across these virtual intersections, surrounded by graphically rendered images that show a real-time, first-person view of their motion through the environment. A full-body motion tracking system will be used to create high-fidelity avatars that represent participant motions to provide a realistic experience of walking or riding with a friend or parent.Intellectual MeritOn the computational side, this research will advance the technology for immersive, interactive virtual environments by developing methods to represent full-body movements in avatars moving through large-scale environments, and by studying how the fidelity of avatar movements influences rider and pedestrian interactions. On the behavioral side, this research will advance an understanding of social influences on risk taking by studying how children interact with friends or parents in the context of crossing roads, an everyday and yet risky activity. The reciprocal relations between the computational and behavioral components of this project will motivate creative solutions to the computational challenges that arise in creating realistic avatars and semi-autonomous agents and will enable new discoveries about the psychological processes underlying risky road-crossing behavior within the context of a virtual environment.Broader ImpactThis research will help to address public health problems by contributing to an understanding of the risk factors for car-bicycle and car-pedestrian collisions. The project will create a foundation for future intervention studies that will help to reduce such collisions. Advances in simulation technology, experimental methodology, and methods to create life-like avatars will contribute to the development of virtual environments for use in behavioral research and simulation-based training. The results of this work will be disseminated to the public through scientific publications and presentations, along with community-based activities such as open house events and bicycling/pedestrian safety lectures for the public.