Digital Human Modeling Technology in Virtual Reality : Studying Aspects of Users’ Experiences

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Digital Human Modeling Technology in Virtual Reality : Studying Aspects of Users’ Experiences

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Rosén, Julia / Lindblom, Jessica / Lamb, Maurice / Billing, Erik

Virtual Reality (VR) could be used to develop more representative Digital Human Modeling (DHM) simulations of work tasks for future Operators 4.0. Although VR allows users to experience the manikin as rather realistic in itself, there are still several aspects that need to be considered when shifting from tasks performed in the real world into a virtual one, adding cognitive and user experience (UX) aspects. Currently, there is limited research of UX in VR. The overall aim was to gain deeper insights into how users’ experiences can ultimately help us to improve how VR can aid in DHM. A pilot study examined how users perceived and experienced actions performed by a humanoid hand (manikin) in VR. Users’ perceived presence indicates how well they are immersed in the virtual environment, and Proactive eye gaze (PEG) was used to measure the realism of the virtual hand. The obtained findings indicate some potentially surprising outcomes and some tentative explanations for these are discussed. The lessons learned from this pilot will be used as input to a future larger study that continues to highlight how UX aspects can be useful in a DHM context.