Perceiving objects’ and avatars’ weight in Virtual Reality (VR) is important to understand their properties and naturally interact with them. However, commercial VR controllers cannot render weight. Controllers presented by previous work are single-handed, slow, or only render a small mass. In this paper, we present PumpVR that renders weight by varying the controllers’ mass according to the properties of virtual objects or bodies. Using a bi-directional pump and solenoid valves, the system changes the controllers’ absolute weight by transferring water in or out with an average error of less than 5%. We implemented VR use cases with objects and avatars of different weights to compare the system with standard controllers. A study with 24 participants revealed significantly higher realism and enjoyment when using PumpVR to interact with virtual objects. Using the system to render body weight had significant effects on virtual embodiment, perceived exertion, and self-perceived fitness.

Previous research has shown that many factors in a virtual environment influence the way, how we perceive interaction with humanoid agents. It is still unknown if visual stereotypes also translate into human-robot interaction scenarios. To investigate this relationship, we conducted a two-part user study with 26 participants using the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) to identify different stereotypical avatars and visual features in terms of their effect on the perception of robot touch. We found that humanoid avatars which resemble the robot and are perceived as warm in the SCM are more liked and preferred than cold avatars. We also found different effects of visual appearance on touch perception. This suggests that a humanoid-stereotpyical appearance of a touch-care robot in virtual reality can change the overall perception of the interaction. We propose the use of stereotypical warm avatars as described in the SCM for humanity-based applications.

Virtual reality (VR) allows to embody avatars—the digital self-representation of the user. An avatar’s appearance can change users’ perception and behavior—a phenomenon known as the Proteus effect. Previous work found that athletic avatars can reduce heart rate and perceived exertion during physical effort. Although these findings are promising to create more effective VR exercises, they have not been replicated yet. Hence, the reliability and consistency of such effects is unknown. Therefore, we conducted a study with 32 participants to investigate physiological and perceptual effects of athletic avatars while cycling in VR following a standardized exercise protocol. We could not find effects of the avatars’ athletic appearance on heart rate, perceived exertion, and imagined velocity. Our findings indicate that athletic avatars do not necessarily affect users during physical exertion. We discuss potential factors that can cause the Proteus effect fail to occur.

Avatars are used to represent users in virtual reality (VR) and create embodied experiences. Previous work showed that avatars’ stereotypical appearance can affect users’ physical performance and perceived exertion while exercising in VR. Although sweating is a natural human response to physical effort, surprisingly little is known about the effects of sweating avatars on users. Therefore, we conducted a study with 24 participants to explore the effects of sweating avatars while cycling in VR. We found that visualizing sweat decreases the perceived exertion and increases perceived endurance. Thus, users feel less exerted while embodying sweating avatars. We conclude that sweating avatars contribute to more effective exergames and fitness applications.

The worldwide pandemic changes our ways of teaching enormously. Before the virus Sars-Cov-2 came along, the vast majority of teaching in Germany was face-to-face with on-site attendance. From one day to another, a lockdown happened globally, and the teaching method shifted to an entire online semester. We looked at two more remarkable higher education institutions: ALPHA, a top-ranked university, and BETA, a leading private university, both situated in Germany. We applied the didactic framework of Go4C [43] in the first stage of preparation. In this stage, we qualitatively coded answers to an explorative questionnaire. Caused by the method shift, we expected to recognize first insights of the learners' positive and negative effects. Surprisingly, the study found a polarization effect in learners' perceptions of the shift to online instruction. It adds four specific aspect groups to the knowledge base that illustrate this effect. Researchers can apply these findings to explore methods to confirm these explorative results and thesis and reduce the polarization effect. Teachers can react to the top aspects such as knowledge transfer to provide more adapted learning.