目录
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1 ABSTRACT
Embodied virtual reality faithfully renders users’ movements
onto an avatar in a virtual 3D environment, supporting nuanced nonverbal behavior alongside verbal communication.
To investigate communication behavior within this medium,
we had 30 dyads complete two tasks using a shared visual
workspace: negotiating an apartment layout and placing model
furniture on an apartment floor plan. Dyads completed both
tasks under three different conditions: face-to-face, embodied
VR with visible full-body avatars, and no embodiment VR,
where the participants shared a virtual space, but had no visible
avatars. Both subjective measures of users’ experiences and
detailed annotations of verbal and nonverbal behavior are used
to understand how the media impact communication behavior.
Embodied VR provides a high level of social presence with
conversation patterns that are very similar to face-to-face interaction. In contrast, providing only the shared environment was
generally found to be lonely and appears to lead to degraded
communication.
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2 INTRODUCTION
This work explores how embodied virtual reality (VR) can
support communication around a spatial task. Embodied virtual reality means that a person’s movements are tracked and
then used to drive an avatar in a shared virtual world. Using a head mounted display (HMD), participants view the world
through the avatar’s eyes, and the avatar’s movements reflect
those of their own body, effectively embodying them in the
virtual world. This technology allows people to interact in a
shared, 3D environment and employ both verbal and nonverbal
communication.
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3 RELATED WORK
There are a number of
fundamental issues preventing video conferencing tools from
reaching the effectiveness of face-to-face interactions:
1. Interlocutors connected by video feeds are not co-present:
2. Most video feeds are stationary, positioned to provide closeup representations of the remote partner’s face or upper
torso.
3. Offsets between screens and cameras make it difficult or impossible to establish mutual gaze.
The Role of Shared Visual Workspaces in Collaboration Tasks
The Role of Visual Behavior in Collaboration Tasks