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---------

Co-authored-by: Imanuel Leiserowitz <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Vladkyscode <[email protected]>

content/ws23/bachelor/b6-avatavr/Features.md

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+title = "Features"
+draft = false
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+
+### The VR Testing Environment
+
+#### One goal of our project was to construct a virtual test environment where the interaction between a user and the instructor could be examined. The challenge consisted of creating such an environment while not making it distracting enough to turn the focus away from the character that has to be evaluated. For a majority of our testers this was the first time experiencing a surrounding in Virtual Reality
+
+{{<section title="Scene 1">}}
+## Introduction inside the Apartment
+In this scene the player is greeted by the instructor, and asked to point out some different uses of electric current in a regular household. 
+To learn about the transformation from electric current to heat, the player needs to interact with the toaster.
+To activate an electric magnet one needs to point out the Toy Crane, and by using the lamp, the player can light up the scene.
+Supported by some amusing voicelines the player is playfully introduced into the topic of electric energy, before being confronted with more complex topics.
+{{<image src="room1Cropped.png" alt="Room 1">}}
+{{</section>}}
+
+{{<section title="Scene 2">}}
+
+## Lesson in the Workshop
+In this workshop setting, the avatar guides the user through the differences between a basic circuit diagram, as commonly known from physics classes, and an electrician's circuit diagram. Not only do the symbols differ, but now there are also ciruits switches included in the drawings. The instructor emphasizes a fundamental rule in the electrician's craft: **always disable the circuit switches before working on the electrical components!**
+
+The instructor then challenges the user to reconstruct the circuit. Various 3D assets, including a switch, a lamp, and cables, are laid out on the table in front of the player. A template next to them allows the components to be placed and snapped into place. The power source and fuse switches are already mounted on the edge of the template, animated to signify electrical flow.
+
+Ideally, the user starts building without deactivating the fuse switches. If a component under power is touched, a loud bang surprises the player, and the environment disappears. The instructor's voice from offscreen explains that the first and most important safety rule has been overlooked.
+
+Now, the user has the opportunity to try again, earning the instructor's praise once they successfully build the circuit without causing an explosion.
+{{<image src="room2Cropped.png" alt="Room 2">}}
+
+{{</section>}}
+
+
+
+{{<section title="the study">}}
+
+## Conducting the Study Using Different Avatar Representations
+
+In order to examine if the difference in character design had an impact on the relationship with the teacher, we conducted tests on two groups of participants during the span of two days on campus. The participants filled out questionnaires to provide insights into their experience and perception.
+
+{{<image src="test1.jpg" alt="Testing Procedure">}}
+
+The study aimed to explore the impact of avatar design on the relationship between the user and the virtual instructor. Two distinct avatar representations were used, and participants were divided into two groups, each exposed to a different representation.
+
+To measure the effectiveness of the different avatars, we drew inspiration from existing research methodologies:
+
+**Telepresence, Copresence, and Social Presence:** 
+- The study drew inspiration from Kristine L. Nowak and Frank Biocca's work on the effect of agency and anthropomorphism on users' sense of telepresence, copresence, and social presence in virtual environments. [^1]
+
+**Emotion Measurement:** 
+- The Self-Assessment Manikin and the Semantic Differential, as introduced by Margaret M. Bradley and Peter J. Lang, were employed to measure the emotional responses of participants during the virtual interactions. [^2]
+
+**Impact on Learning Environment:** 
+- The study considered the impact of avatar trust on learners' perceived participation intentions in an e-learning environment, based on the research by Seong Wook Chae, Kun Chang Lee, and Young Wook Seo. [^3]
+
+The gathered data and feedback from the participants were crucial in assessing the effectiveness of different avatar representations in virtual educational settings.
+
+
+
+[^1]: Kristine L. Nowak; Frank Biocca, "The Effect of the Agency and Anthropomorphism on Users' Sense of Telepresence, Copresence, and Social Presence in Virtual Environments," Presence (Volume: 12, Issue: 5, October 2003), Published online: October 2003, [DOI: 10.1162/105474603322761289](https://doi.org/10.1162/105474603322761289)
+
+[^2]: Bradley and P. J. Lang, "Measuring Emotion: The Self-Assessment Manikin and the Semantic Differential," Published online: 16 Mar 2016, DOI: 10.1016/0005-7916(94)90063-9
+
+[^3]: Seong Wook Chae, Kun Chang Lee, & Young Wook Seo, "Exploring the Effect of Avatar Trust on Learners’ Perceived Participation Intentions in an e-Learning Environment," Published online: 16 Mar 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/10447318.2016.1150643](https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2016.1150643)
+{{</section>}}
+
+
+
+
+

content/ws23/bachelor/b6-avatavr/Tech Stack.md

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+title = "Tech Stack"
+draft = false
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+
+
+{{<section title="The Oculus Headsets">}}
+Thanks to the "Institut für Kultur und Informatik an der HTW Berlin",   which provided us with access to cutting-edge Oculus Headsets. The Quest 2 and Quest Pro, equipped with hand sensors, offered a seamless tracking experience, eliminating the need for external scanning setups. While these headsets proved to be revolutionary, navigating through app testing during the development phase presented its own set of challenges.
+
+- Oculus Quest App
+- Meta Developer Hub
+{{</section>}}
+
+
+{{<section title="Building the VR Environment">}}
+Due to the implementation of the OpenXR Library into the Game Engine Unity, we were able to develop an app that is able to be played on most of the VR Headsets available.
+This implementation is fairly new and often times riddled with failures, especially in connection with the VR Headsets.
+
+- Unity Game Engine
+- OpenXR library
+{{</section>}}
+
+{{<section title="Motion Capturing">}}
+To capture the instructors movements we recorded his speech aswell as his movements, in the Lab of the creative media team of the "Institut für Kultur und Informatik an der HTW Berlin" which draws a rigged skeleton by capturing the movements from 8 angles.
+
+- Captury (for real-time motion-capturing)
+- Blender (for cutting and cleaning the captured data)
+- Logic (Digital Audio Workstation for cleaning up audio clips)
+
+{{<image src="zippel1.jpg">}}
+{{<image src="zippel2.jpg">}}
+{{</section>}}
+
+{{<section title="Communication and Project Management">}}
+- Citavi (literature database)
+- Mattermost (project board)
+- GitLab (repository)
+- Discord (online calls)
+
+{{</section>}}
+
+
+
+
+
+
+

content/ws23/bachelor/b6-avatavr/_index.md

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+title = "AvataVR"
+project_id = "B6"
+
+# Properties for displaying the project in the project list
+card_image = "cover.jpg"
+card_description = "Exploring the Impact of Diverse NPC Representations in VR Learning Environments" 
+
+team = ["Robert Dolibog", "Vladyslav Kyselov", "Imanuel Leiserowitz", "Nathalie Claire Huppert","Karolina Serova", "Danylo Vovochok"]
+supervisor = "Martin Steinicke & Alexander Kramer"
+draft = false
++++
+{{<section title="Intro">}}
+{{<image src="cover.jpg" alt="AvataVR Logo">}}
+Rapid advancements in Virtual Reality (VR) technology have transformed what was once dismissed by many as a 'gimmick' into a rapidly evolving realm with practical applications.
+Companies like Meta and Valve now prioritize the development of VR technologies, pushing to integrate it more and more into the media landscape. 
+The Covid-19 pandemic further accelerated the shift of education into the virtual space, emphasizing the growing importance of immersive learning experiences.
+In this context, our study focuses on examining the visual impact of VR learning, specifically exploring the potential of avatars to enhance educational experiences within this evolving virtual landscape.
+{{</section>}} 
+
+
+
+
+{{<section title="Concept">}}
+The creation of the testing environment involved the construction of an immersive VR application, between 5 to 10 minutes of Playtime,
+designed to investigate the effects of different avatars on the learner. 
+In this application, an avatar introduces itself and provides a short instructional session, 
+enabling the study of various impact factors. To make this instructional session as hands-on as possible, 
+we partnered with the company se.services. The local electronics service provider, was a helpful partner in providing us with priceless expertise in the field of employee training.
+
+{{<image src="se_logo.svg" caption="se.services GmbH Logo">}}
+In collaboration with their Head Instructor Markus Zippel, who has trained countless of electricians during his career, we were able to create a scenario, deliviring a basis on which we could later evaluate the users experiences.
+{{</section>}} 
+
+
+{{<section title="Avatar Design">}}
+In our study, we aimed to examine potential variations in the player's connection to the instructor based on its visual representation. One group of participants interacted with a human-looking 3D model, while the other received instructions from a more abstract representation, a robot.
+{{</section>}} 
+{{<section title="Collaboration Framework">}}
+For this project, we implemented a variation of a collaboration framework, such as Scrum and Agile development. By conducting meetings every 3 to 4 days, we ensured that everyone was keeping up with the workflow and the status of the project.
+{{</section>}}
+
+{{<section title="Technical Implementation">}}
+To ensure that the NPCs only differ in their visual representation, we utilized identical audio speech clips and movement animations for both characters. For this purpose, we recorded a professional training supervisor in our on-campus motion capture lab. The camera-based system records the subject from eight angles and calculates a corresponding skeleton in real time. Compared to high-end systems used in professional movie productions, this setup is much easier to setup and use. However, it is also more susceptible to inaccuracies, requiring additional post-processing to clean up the recordings. The application was developed using the OpenXR Library in the Unity game engine. Thanks to the library's unified interface, it is possible to play the scene with all common VR headsets without the need for different distributions of the application. In our case, we had access to a set of modern Oculus Quest headsets, which are relatively consumer-friendly as they do not require external sensors to be set up in the room.
+{{</section>}}
+
+
+{{<section title="Scientific Foundations">}}
+The questionnaire weve put together, in order to be used during the testing process, is built upon solid scientific principles to explore the nuanced dynamics of user-avatar interactions. Rooted in established psychological theories, we focus on key elements like social presence, trust, affect, and the immersive experience.
+{{</section>}} 
+
+
+
+{{<gallery>}}
+{{<team-member image="robert.jpg" name="Robert Dolibog">}}
+{{<team-member image="vladyslav.jpg" name="Vladyslav Kyselov">}}
+{{<team-member image="imanuel.jpg" name="Imanuel Leiserowitz">}}
+{{<team-member image="nathalie.jpg" name="Nathalie Claire Huppert">}}
+{{<team-member image="karolina.jpg" name="Karolina Serova">}}
+{{<team-member image="danylo.jpg" name="Danylo Vovochok">}}
+{{</gallery>}}
+