When humans collaborate, they form positive or negative experiences with each other. These experiences depend on various factors such as the individual's skills, abilities, and agency. In this paper, we consider human-robot collaborations and present a novel model of an autonomous robot's trust in humans based on the probability of the robot having a positive experience with the human. The model defines a dynamic trust-building process that translates into a computationallyaccessible implementation. We hypothesize predictors of a positive experience with human teammates and derive trust in individual humans. As the interactions continue, team members develop an affinity toward each other. The robot's affinity towards humans can be viewed as kinship, and we also investigate how kinship affects trust and distrust. We present an algorithm for how the robot may use kinship-mediated trust in its decision-making, and demonstrate its use in simulated missions truly requiring human-robot collaboration.

Locomotion systems that allow the user to interact with large virtual spaces require precise input, competing with the same inputs available for performing a task in the virtual world. Despite extensive research on hand tracking input modalities, there is a lack of a widely adopted mechanism that offers general-purpose, high-precision locomotion across various applications. This research aims to address this gap by proposing a design that combines teleportation with a grab-pull locomotion scheme to bridge the divide between long-distance and high-precision locomotion in both a tracked-controller and free-hand environment. The implementation details for both tracked controller and tracked hand environments are presented and evaluated through a user study. The study findings indicate that each locomotion mechanism holds value for different tasks, with grab-pull providing more benefit in scenarios where smaller, more precise positioning is required. As found in prior research, controller tracking was found to be faster than hand tracking, but all participants were able to successfully use the locomotion system with both interfaces.

Presents the preface to the 2019 Virtual Reality Conference.

We propose to demonstrate a ubiquitous immersive virtual reality system that is highly scalable and accessible to a larger audience. With the advent of handheld and wearable devices, we have seen it gain considerable popularity among the common masses. We present a practical design of such a system that offers the core affordances of immersive virtual reality in a portable and untethered configuration. In addition, we have developed an extensive immersive virtual experience that involves engaging users visually and aurally. This is an effort towards integrating VR into the space and time of user workflows.

Novel approaches are needed to reduce the high rates of childhood obesity in the developed world. While multifactorial in cause, a major factor is an increasingly sedentary lifestyle of children. Our research shows that a mixed reality system that is of interest to children can be a powerful motivator of healthy activity. We designed and constructed a mixed reality system that allowed children to exercise, play with, and train a virtual pet using their own physical activity as input. The health, happiness, and intelligence of each virtual pet grew as its associated child owner exercised more, reached goals, and interacted with their pet. We report results of a research study involving 61 children from a local summer camp that shows a large increase in recorded and observed activity, alongside observational evidence that the virtual pet was responsible for that change. These results, and the ease at which the system integrated into the camp environment, demonstrate the practical potential to impact the exercise behaviors of children with mixed reality.

We propose to demonstrate a ubiquitous immersive virtual reality system that is highly scalable and accessible to a larger audience. Latest trends in mobile communications as well as the entertainment industry seem to validate that, accessibility and scalability play an important role in democratizing technology. We present a practical design of such a system that offers the core affordances of immersive virtual reality in a portable and untethered configuration. In addition, we have developed an extensive immersive virtual experience that involves engaging users visually and aurally. This is an effort towards integrating VR into the space and time of user workflows.

We introduce a new paradigm of collaborative computing called the Ubiquitous Collaborative Activity Virtual Environment (UCAVE). UCAVEs are portable immersive virtual environments that leverage mobile communication platforms, motion trackers and displays to facilitate ad-hoc virtual collaboration. We discuss design criteria and research challenges for UCAVEs, as well as a prototype hardware configuration that enables UCAVE interactions using modern smart phones and head mounted displays.

Understanding the human-computer interface factors that influence users' behavior with virtual humans will enable more effective human-virtual human encounters. This paper presents evidence of a significant relationship between behavioral indicators of respect by users and virtual reality technology factors. Moreover, we found this evidence in an application domain where respect for others is fundamentally important, health professional education.

This paper compares a large-screen display to a non-stereo head-mounted display (HMD) for a virtual human (VH) experience. As VH experiences are increasingly being applied to training, it is important to understand the effect of immersive displays on user interaction with VHs. Results are reported from a user study (n=27) of 10 minute human-VH interactions in a VH experience which allows medical students to practice communication skills with VH patients. Results showed that student self-ratings of empathy, a critical doctor-patient communication skill, were significantly higher in the HMD; however, when compared to observations of student behavior, students using the large-screen display were able to more accurately reflect on their use of empathy. More work is necessary to understand why the HMD inhibits students' ability to self-reflect on their use of empathy.

Any new tool introduced for education needs to be validated. We developed a virtual human experience called the Virtual Objective Structured Clinical Examination (VOSCE). In the VOSCE, a medical student examines a life-size virtual human who is presenting symptoms of an illness. The student is then graded on interview skills. As part of a medical school class requirement, thirty three second year medical students participated in a user study designed to determine the validity of the VOSCE for testing interview skills. In the study, participant performance in the VOSCE is compared to participant performance in the OSCE, an interview with a trained actor. There was a significant correlation (r(33)=.49, p<.005) between overall score in the VOSCE and overall score in the OSCE. This means that the interaction skills used with a virtual human translate to the interaction skills used with a real human. Comparing the experience of virtual human interaction to real human interaction is the critical validation step towards using virtual humans for interpersonal skills education.

This paper provides key insights into the construction and evaluation of interpersonal simulators--systems that enable interpersonal interaction with virtual humans. Using an interpersonal simulator, two studies were conducted that compare interactions with a virtual human to interactions with a similar real human. The specific interpersonal scenario employed was that of a medical interview. Medical students interacted with either a virtual human simulating appendicitis or a real human pretending to have the same symptoms. In Study I (n = 24), medical students elicited the same information from the virtual and real human, indicating that the content of the virtual and real interactions were similar. However, participants appeared less engaged and insincere with the virtual human. These behavioral differences likely stemmed from the virtual human's limited expressive behavior. Study II (n = 58) explored participant behavior using new measures. Nonverbal behavior appeared to communicate lower interest and a poorer attitude toward the virtual human. Some subjective measures of participant behavior yielded contradictory results, highlighting the need for objective, physically-based measures in future studies.

This paper reports on a study to examine the similarities and differences in experiencing an interpersonal scenario with real and virtual humans. A system that allows medical students to interview a life-size virtual patient using natural speech and gestures was used as a platform for this comparison. Study participants interviewed either a virtual patient or a standardized patient, an actor trained to represent a medical condition. Subtle yet substantial differences were found in the participants’ rapport with the patient and the flow of the conversation. The virtual patient’s limited expressiveness was a significant source of these differences. However, overall task performance was similar, as were perceptions of the educational value of the interaction.

University of Florida This paper presents a system which allows medical students to experience the interaction between a patient and a medical doctor using natural methods of interaction with a high level of immersion. We also present our experiences with a pilot group of medical and physician assistant students at various levels of training. They interacted with projector-based life-sized virtual characters using gestures and speech. We believe that natural interaction and a high level of immersion facilitates the education of communication skills. We present the system details as well as the participants ’ performance and opinions. The study confirmed that the level of immersion contributed significantly to the experience, and participants reported that the system is a powerful tool for teaching and training. Applying the system to formal communication skills evaluation and further scenario development will be the focus of future research and refinement.