Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs) can influence users through verbal and nonverbal social cues. Focusing on dominance, we examine how verbal and nonverbal dominance cues influence users’ decision-making and perceptions of the agent in VR. We conducted a user study using a 2 (verbal: dominant vs. submissive) × 2 (nonverbal: dominant vs. submissive) full factorial design, operationalized through a route-selection task at a virtual crossroads. Results indicated that verbal dominance cues shaped participants’ dominance perception but did not influence decision-making, while nonverbal dominance cues affected route-selection behavior without altering perceived dominance. Both verbal and nonverbal cues also affected broader social evaluations of the agent (e.g., intelligence, competence, warmth, and trustworthiness), with nonverbal cues uniquely affecting likability and social presence. These findings highlight the complementary roles of verbal and nonverbal dominance cues in human–agent interaction in VR and inform the design of context-sensitive, dominance-calibrated ECAs for training, education, and decision support.

Room-scale locomotion in VR can promote physical movement to combat the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, it is useful to investigate factors which may motivate users to walk instead of teleport. In a within-subjects study with 24 participants, we investigated the effects of avatar appearance and target distance on users' locomotion behavior, when given the option to either walk or teleport. In particular, we manipulated three aspects of avatar appearance-body completeness (full-body vs upper-body only), body weight (normal vs obese), and clothing (casual vs superhero armor), and we provided three target distances (1.5 meters, 3.0 meters, and 4.5 meters). We found that avatar obesity decreased willingness to walk, but only for full-body avatars. We also found that close target distances encouraged more walking than teleporting, up to a certain threshold distance. Additionally, we found that users' perceived similarity to their avatar correlated with their willingness to walk. Our findings can be applied to motivate users to walk more in VR, such as in VR exergames.

Immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) enable people to own and interact with virtual pets, offering an alternative for those who are unable to care for real pets due to spatial, physical, or financial constraints. However, how users form social bonds and emotional connections with virtual pets remains unclear and underexplored. Most virtual pet systems rely primarily on visual and auditory cues, overlooking one critical modality for emotional bonding�touch. Touch plays a fundamental role in emotional communication and social presence, particularly in human-animal interactions. Haptic feedback can fill the role of providing touch cues for users of virtual pet systems. This paper investigates how different haptic feedback modalities can influence emotional communication between users and virtual pets. We compare active haptic feedback�more specifically vibrotactile feedback�delivered through haptic gloves that respond to user interactions with a virtual dog, and passive haptic feedback, provided through a physical plush toy dog that represents the dog's body in physical space. In a within-subjects study with 32 participants, results revealed that passive haptic feedback significantly enhanced emotional bonding, social presence, and perceptions of realism, while active vibrotactile feedback contributed meaningfully in the absence of passive cues, especially in increasing behavioral engagement. These findings offer valuable design insights for emotionally resonant virtual pet systems, suggesting that passive haptics anchor affective realism, while active vibrotactile haptics enhance interactivity and compensate for reduced physical embodiment in immersive environments.

As augmented reality (AR) technologies become more integrated into everyday tasks, the design of notification systems that minimize disruption while enhancing user awareness is increasingly important. This study investigates how crossmodal interference between notification modality (visual, audio, tactile) and primary task modality (also visual, auditory, tactile) affects user perception and performance in AR environments. Through a controlled user study ($N=36$), participants engaged in modality-specific pattern recognition tasks while responding to spatial directional notifications delivered via different sensory channels. By analyzing notification awareness time, reaction time, task accuracy, and subjective measures, such as cognitive load and user preference, the study reveals how congruency or mismatch between task and notification modalities can either facilitate or hinder attention redirection and multi-tasking efficiency. The findings contribute to the design of adaptive AR notification systems that are less intrusive and better aligned with users' perceptual and cognitive states.

As immersive virtual environments become more prevalent, avatars serve as critical social interfaces. This study explores how combinations of visual appearance, vocal characteristics, and informed identity influence users' initial impressions and partner preferences in four distinct XR scenarios: physical, intellectual, social, and romantic. A within-subject experiment with 40 participants assessed perceived warmth, competence, uncanniness, and selection preferences across diverse avatar configurations. Results indicate that vocal cues had a particularly strong impact on social perception, often shaping feelings of approachability and clarity in communication. While some cue alignments enhanced perceived social comfort and engagement, inconsistencies across gender-related cues occasionally led to increased perceptions of uncanniness, especially in emotionally sensitive contexts. These findings highlight the importance of designing avatars that thoughtfully adapt to different interaction contexts, supporting inclusive and responsive user experiences in social XR platforms.

According to Hall’s theory, the space individuals maintain between one another depends on relational closeness and situational context. Prior research suggests that interpersonal distance (IPD) varies not only between virtual and real humans, but also among virtual humans depending on their perceived agency. However, little is known about how people spatially negotiate entry into mixed groups comprising different types of agents in extended reality (XR) settings. In this study, we examine participants’ entry behavior as they join a circular F-formation composed of three distinct entities: an agent, an avatar, and a real human. Specifically, we investigate how participants position themselves relative to each entity, analyzing their preferences and behaviors in terms of IPD and entry dynamics. Our findings reveal that participants maintained the greatest IPD from the real human, followed by the avatar and the agent, suggesting nuanced social distinctions among these three entities. Furthermore, when the real human was absent, participants tended to maintain a greater distance from the avatar compared to the agent. These results offer valuable insights for the design of XR collaboration environments and for understanding social dynamics in multi-agent interactions.

As virtual reality (VR) continues to expand, particularly in social VR platforms and immersive gaming environments, understanding the factors that shape user experience is becoming increasingly important. Avatars and locomotion methods play central roles in influencing how users identify with their virtual representations and navigate virtual spaces. Despite extensive research on these elements individually, their relationship remains underexplored. In particular, little is known about how congruence between avatar appearance and locomotion method affects user perceptions. This study investigates the impact of avatar-locomotion congruence on user experience and avatar identification in VR. We conducted a within-subjects experiment with 30 participants, employing two visually distinct avatar types (human and gorilla) and two locomotion methods (human-like arm-swinging and gorilla-like arm-rolling), to assess their individual and combined effects. Our results indicate that congruence between avatar appearance and locomotion method enhances both avatar identification and user experience. These findings contribute to the understanding of the relationship between avatars and locomotion in VR, with potential applications in enhancing user experience in immersive gaming, social VR, and gamified remote physical therapy.

This paper presents a scoping review of immersive virtual nature experiences delivered via head-mounted displays (HMDs) and their role in promoting well-being, psychological restoration, cognitive performance, and nature connectedness. As access to natural environments becomes increasingly constrained by urbanization, technological lifestyles, and environmental change, immersive technologies offer a scalable and accessible alternative for engaging with nature. Guided by three core research questions, this review explores how HMD-mediated immersive technologies have been used to promote nature connectedness and well-being, what trends and outcomes have been observed across applications, and what methodological gaps or limitations exist in this growing body of work. Fifty-five peer-reviewed studies were analyzed and categorized into six key implication areas: emotional well-being, stress reduction, cognitive performance, attention recovery, restorative benefits, and nature connectedness. The review identifies immersive virtual nature as a promising application of extended reality (XR) technologies, with potential across healthcare, education, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for more consistent methodologies and long-term research.

This paper explores the impact of an augmented reality (AR) virtual dog, designed to mimic user behavior, on the exercise experience in both solo and group settings. Focusing on the virtual pet's role as a companion during physical activity, we conducted a human-subject experiment comparing three conditions: a mimicking virtual dog, a randomly behaving virtual dog, and no virtual dog. Participants exercised either solo or in groups, specifically in pairs, allowing for a detailed analysis of how the behavior and physical presence of the virtual dog influenced users' exercise experience and social connections. The findings demonstrate that the mimicking virtual dog significantly enhanced the exercise experience, especially in solo settings, by fostering a stronger sense of companionship. In group exercises, the virtual dog acted as a social facilitator, improving group cohesion and interaction. This research highlights the potential of behavior-mimicking virtual pets to enhance both individual and group exercise experiences and offers valuable insights for developing AR-based fitness applications.

Immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) allow remote users to meet and interact in a shared virtual space using embodied virtual avatars, creating a sense of co-presence. However, asynchronous communication-essential in many real-world contexts-remains underexplored in these environments. Traditional playback-based systems lack interactivity and often fail to preserve critical contextual cues necessary for effective asynchronous communication. In this paper, we introduce AVAGENTs, AI-powered virtual avatars that replicate users' verbal and nonverbal cues from recordings of past meetings. Avagents can interpret meeting context and generate appropriate responses to questions posed by asynchronous viewers. Through a user study (N = 30), we evaluated Avagents against a traditional playback method and a voice-based AI assistant across two asynchronous meeting scenarios: analytic reasoning and affective resonance. Results showed that Avagents enhance the asynchronous communication experience by increasing social presence, sense of belonging, emotional intimacy, and other user perceptions. We discuss the findings and their implications for designing effective AI-driven asynchronous communication tools in VR/AR environments.

The proliferation of personalized video content consumption, amplified by advances in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), has introduced new paradigms in media engagement.This paper presents the development and evaluation of “Watch Buddy,” an expressive virtual agent designed to enhance the video-watching experience within an AR environment. The research assesses the impact of the agent’s presence and expressiveness on user satisfaction, technology acceptance, social presence, and emotional intimacy. A comparative user study with 30 participants reveals that the expressive agent significantly improves the viewing experience, as well as the perceived social connection between users and the agent, compared with an inexpressive agent and no agents at all. This paper contributes to VR/AR and human-agent interaction by demonstrating how virtual companions can influence media consumption and foster social connections, particularly for isolated demographics like the elderly or those living alone.

Immersive and simulation technologies, such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Digital Twins (DTs), have proven effective in enhancing decision-making, streamlining operations, and improving safety through intuitive visualizations. Unsurprisingly, the oil and gas (O&G) pipeline industry is increasingly turning to these technologies to tackle complex construction and resource management challenges. This paper reviews the applications, benefits, and future trends of these technologies, focusing on integration and emerging trends in monitoring, training, maintenance, and testing. It identifies potential gaps, offers guidance for future research, and emphasizes adapting to technological evolution, providing insights to improve system reliability and sustainability in O&G pipeline operations using immersion and simulation methods.

Immersive virtual reality (VR) simulations become more and more popular for basic nursing skills training in a realistic VR environment. However, there is still a gap of research that specifically focuses on pediatric nursing interventions where nurse trainees should be able to recognize and deal with the patient parent’s emotional responses appropriately. In this paper, we propose a novel nursing intervention analysis framework that evaluates the user’s nursing performance, by analyzing not only their momentary multimodal (verbal and nonverbal) behaviors, but also accumulated intervention behaviors that capture the overall nursing context. Based on the proposed framework, we developed an immersive VR-based nursing education system with an emotionally responsive virtual parent, and designed a realistic pediatric nursing intervention scenario in collaboration with a subject-matter expert (a nursing faculty in our university). An expert-evaluation study with professional nurses was conducted to assess the potential of the developed system—in particular, the effects of the emotionally responsive virtual parent— as an effective education tool, by comparing with an emotionally static/neutral virtual parent. Several factors of learning experience, e.g., immersion, realism, learning efficacy, and usefulness, were examined through a subjective questionnaire, and the results support the effectiveness of our system in clinical practice or educational settings. We discuss the findings and implications of our research with the nurse participants’ qualitative feedback, while also addressing possible limitations and future research directions.