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- Road crossing behaviors of pedestrians in two different virtual reality environmentsPublication . Ahmad, M. Asif; Cameirão, Mónica S.About 20% of all people killed on roads are pedestrians. Virtual Reality (VR) simulators can be used to train street crossing and improve pedestrian safety, but the use of this technology has some limitations that need to be addressed. Common issues are related to the ecological validity of the experience because of poor immersion, movement limitations, and lack of visual and audio effects. In addition, these simulators are often very expensive. To address this, we developed a pedestrian street-crossing simulation that can be delivered through two mediums, a low-cost CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) or a Head-Mounted Display (HMD). These two environments provide a high immersive experience, simple architecture, and a lower cost of deployment. Following an independent samples design, 20 participants were randomly allocated to the CAVE or HMD group and performed a street-crossing task. We measured the percentage of collisions with vehicles and presence through the Witmer and Singer Presence Questionnaire. Our results show that the percentage of collisions was significantly higher in the HMD group. Presence scores were high for both groups, but not significantly different. These results can be used to inform the design of VR simulators for safe street-crossing.
- Efficacy of augmented reality-based virtual hiking in cardiorespiratory endurance: a pilot studyPublication . Ahmad, Muhammad Asif; Sousa, Honorato; Quintal, Élvio Rúbio; Bermúdez i Badia, SergiExergames can be used to overcome a sedentary lifestyle. Virtual Reality (VR) has made exergames successful, and they can be used to increase heart rate, but some limitations are found, such as the adaptation of the heart rate in exergames to the player's fitness profile. VR technology has been used to simulate virtual cycling and walking experiences. We designed and developed an exergame' Virtual Levadas' in a cave-based VR environment to simulate the Levadas hiking tracks. They are the main attraction for tourists in Madeira Island, Portugal. This study's main objective was to assess player exertion, usability, participation, and realism of the simulation of the Levadas tracks. We performed this study with 13 participants who played Virtual Levadas for 6 minutes and found a significant increase in player's average physical activity and heart rate. Overall, our results demonstrate that Virtual Levada's exergame provides a higher exertion level, immersion, and realism of the virtual environment than the literature.