The 6th issue of the Fresh Perspectives series takes you on a playful but serious journey along the issues at stake when designing a mixed reality experience in the context of theatre and performance. The publication features a selection of projects describing in detail the artistic design processes, as well as the challenges and opportunities brought about by the use of mixed reality technologies.Joris Weijdom, researcher and lecturer at the Professorship, wrote the key article and curated this publication.
This qualitative research note reports two neglected themes in research on virtual reality tourism experiences, i.e. its potentially addictive nature and temporary sense of isolation. Existing work on virtual reality tourism experiences has applied existing knowledge and theories and has solely tested how VR applications can positively mediate or moderate the tourist experience. This study adopted an inductive approach, analyzing contents of reviews and blogs, and consequently uncovered a temporary sense of isolation and the addictive nature of virtual reality as hidden themes within virtual reality tourism experiences. We stress the importance of further work on addiction and a sense of isolation in terms of their nature, role, and effects
This paper shows an overview of design practices of the XR-lab at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands. Over the course of six years, interdisciplinary teams of students have delivered 55+ prototypes in virtual, augmented, and mixed reality for a variety of 40+ clients. As human-computer interaction is entering a new evolutionary phase towards human-computer integration, new opportunities in extended reality (XR) have the potential to fundamentally alter human characteristics and abilities. Therefore, this paper begins with taking a philosophical stance on ‘being human’ and the anthropological concept of ‘liminality’ in XR-experiences. A further exploration of the concept of 'emotional rehearsal spaces' uses know-how from performance art, dance, architecture, and dramaturgy. Insights from tangible practices at the XR-lab show the cultural journey in XR-collaborations. This is made visible through a quick and dirty experiment on artistic thinking, design thinking, and system thinking, which shows how interdisciplinary collaborations are able to ignite new combinations of thought in design teams and individual professionals. Finally, we show an overview of specific design methods and tools that have been explored at the XR-lab over the years.
Sinds 2020 voldoen steeds minder Nederlanders aan de beweegrichtlijnen opgesteld door de Gezondheidsraad (van den Berg & Schurink-van ’t Klooster, 2023). Hierbij komt duidelijk naar voren dat vooral jongvolwassenen minder vaak voldoen aan deze richtlijnen (Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid, 2023). Verschillende factoren liggen ten grondslag aan de reden voor vermindering in fysieke activiteit. Een van deze factoren is de toename in sedentaire schermtijd (Benzing & Schmidt, 2018). Deze toename in schermtijd is deels te verklaren door de toename van beeldschermwerk maar ook door de toename van gaming, oftewel het recreatief spelen van videogames door wereldwijd bijna 3,4 miljard mensen (Newzoo, 2023). Het is hierbij interessant om verder te onderzoeken of de motiverende kracht van videogames kan bijdragen aan het stimuleren van positief gedrag, in dit geval meer sporten en positief bewegen (Bogost, 2007). Om dit te kunnen bewerkstelligen is ‘Exergaming’ uitermate geschikt. Het is namelijk een samensmelting van ‘exercise’ en ‘gaming’. Bij deze vorm van gaming is fysieke activiteit essentieel om het spel te kunnen spelen (Gao, Jung, Pope, & Zhang, 2016). Exergaming is een opkomende trend binnen de fitness sector, onderwijs en gezondheidszorg (Benzing & Schmidt, 2018). Het wordt al breed ingezet bij bijvoorbeeld preventie van obesitas(Gao & Chen, 2014), behandeling van Parkinson (Barry, Galna, & Rochester, 2014) maar ook herstel na kanker (Benzing, et al., 2018). Denk hierbij aan populaire games in Virtual Reality. maar ook aan digitale varianten van traditionele sporten gespeeld in Augmented Reality (AR). Naast VR & AR wordt ook gebruik gemaakt van Extended reality (XR) wat een verzameling is van VR, AR & MR (Mixed Reality).Hierin worden alle zintuigen aangesproken waardoor men als het ware ondergedompeld wordt in een ervaring. Men spreekt hier vaak over immersieve technologie. Onze testcase, de Active Esports Arena van het bedrijf: PWXR, is een perfect voorbeeld van zo een ervaring.
Our world is changing rapidly as a result of societal and technological developments that create new opportunities and challenges. Extended Realities (XR) could provide solutions for the problems the world is facing. In this project we apply these novel solutions in food and hospitality. It aims to tackle fundamental questions on how to stimulate a healthy and vital society that is based on a sustainable and innovative economy. This project aims to answer the question: How can Extended Reality (XR) technologies be integrated in the design of immersive food experiences to stimulate sustainable consumption behavior? A multidisciplinary approach, that has demonstrated its strength in the creative industry, will be applied in the hospitality and food sector. The project investigates implications and design considerations for immersion through XR technology that can stimulate sustainable consumption behavior. Based on XR prototypes, physiological data will be collected using biometric measuring devices in combination with self-reports. The effect of stimuli on sustainable consumption behavior during the immersive experience will be tested to introduce XR implementations that can motivate long-term behavioral change in food consumption. The results of the project contribute towards developing innovations in the hospitality sector that can tackle global societal challenges by exploiting the impact of new technology and understanding of consumer behavior to promote a healthy lifestyle and economy. Next to academic publications and conference contributions, the project will develop a handbook for hospitality professionals. It will outline steps and design criteria for the implementation of XR technologies to create immersive experiences that can stimulate sustainable consumption behavior. The knowledge generated in the project will contribute to the development of the curriculum at the Academy for Hotel and Facility at Breda University of Applied Sciences by introducing a technology-driven experience design approach for the course Sustainable Strategic Business Design.
We live in a society that is increasingly dominated by technology-mediated interactions and consumption of experiences. It has opened pathways to innovative immersive technology concepts in the food and dining context, contributing to the development of a consumption-oriented society. This project addresses the challenge how to stimulate consumers through immersive technology designs to make conscious choices leading to more sustainable behaviors in the food and dining context. This project evolves around designing and testing Extended Reality (XR) technology-mediated immersive food experiences in the food and dining context to stimulate sustainable food consumption behavior. It includes the use of complementing measurement tools to test the effectiveness of XR designs to make better XR technology design choices that can stimulate change in consumption behavior.
