• PNF and Movement
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.259-266
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to compare balance ability according to the immersion level of virtual reality-based training for the balance enhancement of the elderly. Methods: This study included 48 elderly people aged 65 years and older (male 16, female 32). According to the immersion level of applied virtual reality training, 16, 17, and 15 persons were randomly assigned to full immersion, semi-immersion, and control groups. The subjects who were assigned to the full immersion group and semi-immersion group received virtual reality training for 6 weeks at 20 min at a time, 3 times per week. The control group received no intervention. Balance ability was evaluated by measuring the stability limit and the tandem walking test before and after the intervention. Results: Results showed significant differences among the three groups in the limit of stability of all directions and the tandem walking test after the intervention. The results of the limit of stability showed a significantly higher value in the full-immersion group than in the control group, and the results of the tandem walking test showed a significantly lower value in the full-immersion and semi-immersion groups than in the control group. Conclusion: The results indicate that the head-mounted display equipment for applying full-immersion virtual training is the most effective in enhancing the balance ability of the elderly.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.131-135
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• 2018

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of full immersion virtual reality (VR) on the autonomic nervous system. The study was conducted with 17 men in their 20s. The subjects were given full immersion VR content, and electrocardiogram (ECG) signals were measured for five minutes before and after the application of the full immersion VR. The autonomic nervous system was evaluated by analyzing the LF, HF, TP, and LF/HF ratio of the ECG signal. The obtained data was analyzed by conducting a paired sample t-test. After applying full immersion VR, the subjects' HF and TP decreased significantly, while their LF/HF ratio increased significantly. According to the results of this study, Full immersion VR provided stress to the autonomic nervous system, but the changes were within the normal range of healthy adults. Therefore, full immersion VR can be safely applied to healthy adults.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2000

The paper describes creation methods of background scenes to implement realistic virtual environments in the VRSS (Virtual Reality Ship Simulator). VRSS is next-generation system constructed with virtual tools in a virtual space. Thus, it could have many benefits compared to conventional ship simulators composed with heavy bridge mock-up system and wide visual presentations. In this work, we developed effective 3D object modeling techniques, and constructed virtual harbor scene by using 3D-Webmaster authoring tool. The virtual harbor was built with object-oriented 3D objects modeled to interact with user's action. With the immersion-type VR system, we created virtual harbor environments in a virtual space, and discussed on the naturalness of the scene with test results of SDMPA (Semantic Differential Method for Psychophysical Assessment) by 10 subjects. As the results of subject assessment, all of the participants could felt natural-like harbor. Therefore, we found that the proposed creation methods and procedures of background scene are enabling to fit to the full mission VRSS construction.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.1046-1055
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• 2023

We introduce a display for virtual-reality (VR) fire training. Firefighters prefer to wear and operate a real breathing apparatus while experiencing full visual immersion in a VR fire space. Thus, we used a thin head-mounted display (HMD) with a light field and folded optical system, aiming to both minimize the volume for integration in front of the face into a breathing apparatus and maintain adequate visibility, including a wide viewing angle and resolution similar to that of commercial displays. We developed the optical system testing modules and prototypes of the integrated breathing apparatus. Through iterative testing, the thickness of the output optical module in front of the eyes was reduced from 50 mm to 60 mm to less than 20 mm while maintaining a viewing angle of 103°. In addition, the resolution and image quality degradation of the light field in the display was mitigated. Hence, we obtained a display with a structure consistent with the needs of firefighters in the field. In future work, we will conduct user evaluation regarding fire scene reproducibility by combining immersive VR fire training and real firefighting equipment.

• Journal of the Korea Computer Graphics Society
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.69-77
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• 2023

This study proposes a rigid-body tracking based virtual avatar application method to increase the social presence and provide various experiences of virtual reality(VR) users in an immersive virtual environment. The proposed method estimates the motion of a virtual avatar through inverse kinematics based on real-time rigid-body tracking based on motion capture using markers. Through this, it aims to design a highly immersive virtual environment with simple object manipulation in the real world. Science experiment educational contents are produced to experiment and analyze applications related to immersive virtual environments through virtual avatars. In addition, audiovisual education, full-body tracking, and the proposed rigid-body tracking method were compared and analyzed through survey. In the proposed virtual environment, participants wore VR HMDs and conducted a survey to confirm immersion and educational effects from virtual avatars performing experimental educational actions from estimated motions. As a result, through the method of utilizing virtual avatars based on rigid-body tracking, it was possible to induce higher immersion and educational effects than traditional audiovisual education. In addition, it was confirmed that a sufficiently positive experience can be provided without much work for full-body tracking.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.131-138
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• 2018

The purpose of the study was to explore whether the Cyber Motion sickness used VR causes a change in the dynamic balance and fall. For 39 people who voluntarily participated in this study, this study measured the motion sickness questionnaires, the heart rate and stability of limit test in BioRescue. The study used Samsung Gear VR and applied the games to the To the homeland. The game proceeded 20minutes. Although the value of the stability after a VR application is slightly reduced, it did not reach statistical significance. The motion sickness questionnaires increased, and it had a statistical significant impact. Also Heart rate increased and it had a statistically significant impact. A virtual reality game affect for getting motion sickness but it did not affect the dynamic balance. So, cyber motion sickness caused by virtual reality wear does not result in decreased balance and falls.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.41
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• pp.533-552
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• 2015

The environment of images in VR-based animation is constructed to generate and promote interactivity between the images and the viewer without any physical space like a screen, or a monitor. In this process, the images and the viewer are combined as a complex through the media technology, that is, an interface. And it is far more in the case of the animation consisted of the bio-feedback interface closely connecting with the body of viewer. As a result, the viewer experiences a permeable interaction between ego and images world, namely virtual reality. That is different from the way of seeing and interpreting the images from a distance. So it needs to analyse the perception of viewer in the world of virtual images. This paper examines the complex phenomena of both the VR-based animation and the viewer mediated by the interface in light of Media Aesthetics. Media Aesthetics is effective in analysing the phenomena of VR-based animation, for it is concerned with the perception of viewer mediated by the media technology. The perception in VR-based animation is a full-body immersion, or embodied immersion, and it is different from the contemplative immersion in that it is remediated continuously by the technological apparatus. The viewer as an immersant, especially with a bio-feedback interface, can immediately touch and control the images in VR-based animation. Such an immersion, therefore, is new every single moment. And the world of VR-based animation is ultimately constructed through the viewer's full-body, or embodied immersion crossing between the virtual and the real. So the animation is not interpreted, but embodied. And the meaning of it is constructed and reconstructed by the viewer's embodied immersion as an immersant. Here, a new frame of animation more oriented to the viewer's participation as an full-body immersant can be created.

• Journal of the Korea Computer Graphics Society
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.9-15
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• 2020

Having a virtual talking face along with a virtual body increases immersion in VR applications. As virtual reality (VR) techniques develop, various applications are increasing including multi-user social networking and education applications that involve talking avatars. Due to a lack of sensory information for full face and body motion capture in consumer-grade VR, most VR applications do not show a synced talking face and body. We propose a novel method, targeted for VR applications, for talking face synced with audio with an upper-body inverse kinematics. Our system presents a mirrored avatar of a user himself in single-user applications. We implement the mirroring in a single user environment and by visualizing a synced conversational partner in multi-user environment. We found that a realistic talking face avatar is more influential than an un-synced talking avatar or an invisible avatar.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.139-145
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• 2021

Through this study, we intend to study user satisfaction in order to verify whether there is a need for full-scale research, development and commercialization of document viewers in a VR environment. VR content consists of realistic 3D graphics and 360-degree video, and provides a synesthesia experience and immersion. We developed and tested a VR document viewer prototype that can utilize this concept as a document viewing system. It can act as a viewer that provides an interactive viewing environment according to the user's body interaction and the direction of the field of view, and it can be said that the feature of VR document viewer is that it can draw the user's high level of immersion and concentration when using the viewer. The developed prototype was tested in a test group consisting of 100 VR experiences and device owners for about 1 hour and 3 days a day, and then a questionnaire survey in the form of a fixed selection question was conducted. This study is a prototype study of a document viewer suitable for a virtual reality environment, and can lead to a sense of immersion when reading a document, and suggest a new document viewer direction that is effective for visual fatigue and visual perception of the document.

• 한국HCI학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.02a
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• pp.1009-1014
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• 2009

Meta-thinking is a kind of thinking beyond certain scope or border, which sees objects as an expanded definition exceeding its essence. It can be experienced when people come into contact with new things. As for digital media, experience acquired from computer screen makes users' thinking be changed continuously and help their thinking to be expanded. Today, studies on development of digital technology regarding virtual reality (VR) and experience obtained from digital media become a topic of conversation, however, this experience depends on the sense of sight through screen. Actually, transparent experiences in digital media are not the same with those in real world, therefore, this study investigated experience expansion through interaction with real things which are much closer to daily lives than virtual experiences. It can be found in media art which induces positive participation of audiences and shows them a new meaning through delight and amusement experienced in the process of interaction. Visual expression in digital media should be more than spectacular which is only full of excessive images. In addition, interface should not be remained as an expression from technological attempts, instead, it is necessary to find humans aspiration with meta-thinking which accepts things expansively and visualize their experiences.