Name: evaluating flight performance and eye movement patterns using virtual reality flight simulator
Uploaded: 2023-05-19T13:50:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Evaluating Flight Performance and Eye Movement Patterns Using Virtual Reality Flight Simulator at JoVE.com

The authors are incredibly grateful to Mr. Li Yan for his help in recruiting pilot participants and acknowledge Ms. Bu Lingyun for her work on drawing pictures. The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number T2192931, 72071185), the National Brain Project (grant number&#160;STI2030-Major Projects2022ZD0208500), the National Key Laboratory Project of Human Factors Engineering (grant number SYFD062003), the National Key Laboratory Project of Human Factors Engineering (grant number 6142222210201), and year 2022 Major Projects of Military Logistic Research Grant and Key Project of Air Force Equipment Comprehensive Research&#160;(grant number KJ2022A000415).

All methods described here have been approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Tsinghua University, and informed consent was obtained from all participants. After completion, all participants were paid $12 (or a gift of equal value).
1. Participant selection
<ol>
	<li>Recruit participants according to a prior study of power analysis using G*Power software35 (see Table of Materials) to ensure the participant number meets the ...

&#65279;The current study assessed if participants with flight experience had better flight performance than those without flight experience in a VR-based flight simulator. More importantly, it evaluated whether a more optimized eye movement pattern could be found in these participants with better flight performance. The results have significant differences between participants with and without flight experience in three key flying QAR indicators: pitch angle 1 s before landing, the mean distance to the reference line, a...

The European Aviation Safety Agency (2012) categorizes flight simulators as training facilities, flight and navigation program trainers, flight training equipment, and complete flight simulators1. To date, a range of flight simulators is available for training, from low-level tabletop systems to highly complicated motion-based full flight simulators2. The traditional simulator includes a flight dynamics model, a system simulation, a hardware cockpit, an external visualization, and an optional motion simulation3.
These traditional flight simulators have some advantages as effective flight training equipment. However, their cost is high and environmentally unfriendly, as the drive of each system requires substantial electrical energy, especially a full flight simulator, which requires high temperature and high-pressure fluid or air pressure, consumes much power and generates a lot of noise4.
However, a simple desktop simulator system is flexible and low-cost, with lower immersion and fewer interactions than a full flight simulator2. Therefore, it is essential to develop new flight simulators that combine the advantages of desktop systems and full flight simulators (in other words, the flexibility of a tabletop simulation and the immersion and interaction level close to a full flight simulator).
With the development of computer technology, especially virtual reality (VR) technology, a new type of flight simulator based on emerging VR technology is becoming a reality. The VR-based flight simulator is flexible, portable, low-cost, and has fewer space requirements than conventional flight simulators5. Researchers have created flight simulators based on VR technology over the past 20 years6,7,8,9,10,11; however, these VR flight simulators are mainly for flight training, and there are few for pilot selection. Still, with cost reduction and technology enhancement, VR-based simulators are changing and becoming feasible for personal selection. Some studies have used VR-based simulators for personal selection in different domains: Schijven et al.12 selected surgical trainees using a virtual reality simulator. Huang et al.13 developed a psychology selection instrument based on virtual reality technology for air force pilot recruitment. Wojciechowski and Wojtowicz14 assessed a candidate&#39;s capabilities as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pilot based on VR technology. Given that pilot selection is critical for the aviation industry, it is pressing to develop a new VR-based flight simulator focusing on pilot selection, as large-scale pilot selection is susceptible to the cost of the simulator and demands in the portability simulator system.
Eye movements provide cues for a pilot&#39;s performance. Different studies have found that the eye-scanning mode distinguishes the performance between expert and novice pilots. By comparing the scanning pattern between experts and novices, experts&#39; efficient and structural eye movement behavior and the inadequate scanning methods of beginners could be differentiated. Several aviation studies have found that pilots&#39; eye-scanning strategy highly relates to the level of expertise15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24. According to Bellenkes et al.25, the duration of experts&#39; fixations is shorter, and the frequency of their fixations on instruments is higher than that of novices. Almost the same conclusion was drawn by Kasarskis et al.26, who discovered that expert pilots have more fixations combined with shorter durations than novices, suggested that expert pilots have a better visual mode than novices. In another study, Lorenz et al.27 found that experts spend more time looking outside the cockpit than novices. These results have great practical value in the selection of newcomers.
Flight performance assessment is another critical factor for pilot selection. However, the following problems exist in pilot flight performance evaluation: conflicting expert opinions, more selection norms, and a unified selection theory. In the driving field, Horrey et al.28 compared the absolute value of lane departure from the centerline for different experimental conditions to assess driving performance. Back to the aviation domain, the flight quick access recorder (QAR) records all sorts of pilot manipulation parameters, aircraft parameters, environments, and warning information during flight29. More specifically, as the QAR indicators, the pitch angle is the rotation angle around the left and right axes of the aircraft30, and the reference line (or the center reference line) is right in the middle of the red and green lines28; these two flight parameters are used to evaluate the flight performance of participants with or without experience in the current study. These QAR data can be used to evaluate flight performance, yet to our best knowledge, they have seldom been used for personal training and selection in scientific research31,32.
Measurements of eye movement patterns can be used to assess and predict flight performance and guide pilot training and selection. Gerathewohl33 stated that the eye is the most important sensory organ of the pilot, processing 80% of the flight information. Pilots must acquire visual information from instruments in the cockpit and integrate it into a coherent image to manage the flight22. Further, optimal scanning behavior is essential to accomplish better flight performance15. However, no affordable flight simulator currently integrates an eye tracker to facilitate quantitative studies of the relationship between eye movements and flight performance.
The current study developed a new VR flight simulator to assess if participants with flight experience had better flight performance than those without flight experience. The VR flight simulator integrates eye tracking and a flight dynamics system allowing eye-movement pattern analysis and flight performance evaluation. In particular, it is worth mentioning that the VR flight simulator uses a VR eye tracker34, not a glass-like or desktop eye tracker, to analyze the area of interest (AOI)-based eye movement without time-consuming frame counting.
Finally, the present work can lead to an omnibus measurement for pilot selection in the future, from eye scanning path to objective flying performance data. With the help of the virtual flight simulator, the cost of flight selection will be significantly reduced, and the norm of pilots can be formed based on extensive data gathering. The work fills a gap between conventional and desktop simulators for flight selection needs.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>3D engine SDK</td>
			<td>Epic Games</td>
			<td>Unreal Engine 4 
			GameAnalytics Unreal SDK</td>
			<td>This SDK is a powerful yet flexible free analytics tool designed for games.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CPU</td>
			<td>Intel</td>
			<td>IntelCore i9</td>
			<td>One of the most powerful CPU on the mainstream market.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Eye tracking SDK</td>
			<td>Tobii</td>
			<td>Tobii XR SDK</td>
			<td>This SDK provide device agnostic access to eye tracking data to allow development for headsets from many different hardware vendors and is not limited to devices using Tobii Eye Tracking hardware.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Eye tracking software</td>
			<td>Developed by the research team</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>A program that tracks the movement of a person&#39;s eyes while they are using a virtual reality HMD.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FlySimulator program</td>
			<td>Developed by the research team</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>A software that simulates flying experiences in a virtual environment, using VR HMD and hand-held controllers.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Graphics card</td>
			<td>NVIDIA</td>
			<td>GeForce RTX 3090 
			10496 NVIDIA CUDA Cores 
			1.70 GHz Boost Clock&#160;&#160; 
			24 GB Memory Size 
			GDDR6X Memory Type</td>
			<td>One of the most powerful graphics card on the mainstream market.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Operating system (OS)</td>
			<td>Microsoft</td>
			<td>Windows XP</td>
			<td>An operating system (OS) developed and exclusively distributed by Microsoft Corporation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Replica control panel</td>
			<td>THRUSTMASTER</td>
			<td>2960720 2971004 2962072 2960748 2960769</td>
			<td>U.S. Air Force A-10C attack aircraft HOTAS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Replica joystick</td>
			<td>THRUSTMASTER</td>
			<td>2960720</td>
			<td>U.S. Air Force A-10C attack aircraft HOTAS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Replica pedal</td>
			<td>THRUSTMASTER</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>TPR pendular rudder</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Replica throttle</td>
			<td>THRUSTMASTER</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>U.S. Air Force A-10C attack aircraft HOTAS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Screen connected to PC</td>
			<td>Redmi</td>
			<td>RMMNT27NF, 27-inch, 1920 X 1080 resolution ratio</td>
			<td>Screen allows the experimenter to simultaneously view what is happening in the VR HMD</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Screen recording software</td>
			<td>OBS Project</td>
			<td>OBS Studio Version 28.0</td>
			<td>A free and open source software for video recording and live streaming</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Statistical power analysis software</td>
			<td>Open-Source</td>
			<td>G*power Version 3.1.9.6</td>
			<td>A free and user-friendly tool for estimating statistical power and sample size.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Statistical software</td>
			<td>IBM</td>
			<td>SPSS Version 24.0</td>
			<td>A powerful statistical software platform</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Versatile statistics tool</td>
			<td>GraphPad Software</td>
			<td>GraphPad Prism Version 9.4.0</td>
			<td>A versatile statistics tool purpose-built for scientists-not statisticians</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>VR app store</td>
			<td>HTC Corporation</td>
			<td>VIVE Software 2.0.17.6 / 2.1.17.6</td>
			<td>An app store for virtual reality where customers can explore, create, connect, and experience the content they love and need.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>VR head-mounted display (HMD)</td>
			<td>HTC Corporation</td>
			<td>VIVE Pro Eye</td>
			<td>A VR headset with precision eye tracking</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>VR software</td>
			<td>Steam</td>
			<td>Steam VR Version 1.23</td>
			<td>A tool for experiencing VR content on the hardware</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

evaluating flight performance and eye movement patterns using virtual reality flight simulator

Efficient and economical performance evaluation of pilots has become critical to the aviation industry. With the development of virtual reality (VR) and the combination of eye-tracking technology, solutions to meet these needs are becoming a reality. Previous studies have explored VR-based flight simulators, focusing mainly on technology validation and flight training. The current study developed a new VR flight simulator to evaluate pilots' flight performance based on eye movement and flight indicators in a 3D immersive scene. During the experiment, 46 participants were recruited: 23 professional pilots and 23 college students without flight experience. The experiment results showed significant differences in flight performance between participants with and without flight experience, the former being higher than the latter. In contrast, those with flight experience showed more structured and efficient eye-movement patterns. These results of the differentiation of flight performance demonstrate the validity of the current VR flight simulator as a flight performance assessment method. The different eye-movement patterns with flight experience provide the basis for future flight selection. However, this VR-based flight simulator has shortcomings like motion feedback compared to traditional flight simulators. This flight simulator platform is highly flexible except for the apparent low cost. It can meet the diverse needs of researchers (e.g., measuring situation awareness, VR sickness, and workload by adding relevant scales).

For the current experiment, 23 experts with flight experience and 23 novices without flight experience were chosen. The participants were between 25 and 58 years of age (experts: M = 32.52 years, SD = 7.28 years; novices: M = 29.57 years, SD = 5.74 years). The gender of all participants was male. All the novices were recruited from Tsinghua University (students or faculty), and all the experts were from China Eastern Airlines.
Eye movement<b...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Evaluating Flight Performance and Eye Movement Patterns Using Virtual Reality Flight Simulator at JoVE.com

Evaluating Flight Performance and Eye Movement Patterns Using Virtual Reality Flight Simulator

A new virtual reality flight simulator was built, which enables efficient and low-cost evaluation of flight performance and eye movement patterns. It also provides a high-potential research tool for ergonomics and other research.

Efficient and economical performance evaluation of pilots has become critical to the aviation industry. With the development of virtual reality (VR) and ...

The current study developed a new VR flight simulator to evaluate pilot performers based on eye movement and flight performers indicators in a 3D immersive scenario. The flight simulator platform is highly flexible, in addition to low cost. It can meet the diverse needs of researchers.The method can also be applied to select astronauts, in addition to pilots. Begin by installing the flight simulator. Join the throttling control panel together, treating them as one unit.Connect the throttle, joystick, and pedal to the flight simulator PC module via USB. Followed by connecting the head-mounted display or HMD to the flight simulator PC module via a link box. Connect the base stations and virtual reality or VR controllers to the HMD via VR software on the PC.To set up the standing only play area for VR, ensure that the HMD is turned on and connected to the computer.Place the base station diagonally so that the HMD can always be within the base station monitoring range while keeping it fixed, to maintain a stable VR environment. Then set up a standing-only play area according to prompts provided by VR software on the computer. Connect the tuned flight control module and large screen display to the same computer as the VR HMD.Introduce the task and simulator operation to the participants by explaining the traffic pattern and map and instructing participants on how to use the VR flight simulator. Fit each participant with a VR HMD, calibrate their eye movements and adjust the device height, inter pupillary distance and gaze point. Next, open the screen recording software and launch fly simulator for flight training.Instruct participants on how to use their flight pedal, joystick, and throttle to steer as closely as possible to the reference line of flight. Once complete, reset the flight throttle, and engine switch buttons. Then stop recording.To conduct formal flight experiments, put on the VR HMD for the participants and launch OBS studio to begin recording the screen. The eye movement data of the instrument AOIs, airspeed, vertical speed, altitude, and engine speed indicators showed that the experts had a more even distribution of eye movement data around the mean value in the airspeed indicator, altitude indicator, vertical speed indicator and attitude indicator as compared to the novices. The experts flight performance data was mostly centered around the average value in terms of total flight time, mean distance from the reference line, pitch angle one second before landing, and the standard deviation of the distance from the reference line as compared to the novices.Calibrate every participants eye moments and adjust the device height, inter pupilary distance, and gaze point accordingly.

evaluating-flight-performance-eye-movement-patterns-using-virtual

Research

JoVE Journal

Behavior

Two-photon Calcium Imaging in Mice Navigating a Virtual Reality Environment

In recent years, two-photon imaging has become an invaluable tool in neuroscience, as it allows for chronic measurement of the activity of genetically identified cells during behavior1-6. Here we describe methods to perform two-photon imaging in mouse cortex while the animal navigates a virtual reality environment. We focus on the aspects of the experimental procedures that are key to imaging in a behaving animal in a brightly lit virtual environment. The key problems that arise in this experimental setup that we here address are: minimizing brain motion related artifacts, minimizing light leak from the virtual reality projection system, and minimizing laser induced tissue damage. We also provide sample software to control the virtual reality environment and to do pupil tracking. With these procedures and resources it should be possible to convert a conventional two-photon microscope for use in behaving mice.

Here we describe the experimental procedures involved in two-photon imaging of mouse cortex during behavior in a virtual reality environment.

In recent years, two-photon imaging has become an invaluable tool in neuroscience, as it allows for chronic measurement of the activity of genetically ...

Early Metamorphic Insertion Technology for Insect Flight Behavior Monitoring

Early Metamorphosis Insertion Technology (EMIT) is a novel methodology for integrating microfabricated neuromuscular recording and actuation platforms on insects during their metamorphic development. Here, the implants are fused within the structure and function of the neuromuscular system as a result of metamorphic tissue remaking. The implants emerge with the insect where the development of tissue around the electronics during pupal development results in a bioelectrically and biomechanically enhanced tissue interface. This relatively more reliable and stable interface would be beneficial for many researchers exploring the neural basis of the insect locomotion with alleviated traumatic effects caused during adult stage insertions. In this article, we implant our electrodes into the indirect flight muscles of Manduca sexta. Located in the dorsal-thorax, these main flight powering dorsoventral and dorsolongitudinal muscles actuate the wings and supply the mechanical power for up and down strokes. Relative contraction of these two muscle groups has been under investigation to explore how the yaw maneuver is neurophysiologically coordinated. To characterize the flight dynamics, insects are often tethered with wires and their flight is recorded with digital cameras. We also developed a novel way to tether Manduca sexta on a magnetically levitating frame where the insect is connected to a commercially available wireless neural amplifier. This set up can be used to limit the degree of freedom to yawing &#8220;only&#8221; while transmitting the related electromyography signals from dorsoventral and dorsolongitudinal muscle groups.

We present a novel surgical procedure to implant electrodes in Manduca sexta during its early metamorphic stages. This technique allows mechanically stable and electrically reliable coupling with the neuromuscular tissue to study flight neurophysiology dynamics. We also present a novel magnetic levitation platform for tethered studies of insect yaw.

Early Metamorphosis Insertion Technology (EMIT) is a novel methodology for integrating microfabricated neuromuscular recording and actuation platforms on ...

Development of a Virtual Reality Assessment of Everyday Living Skills

Cognitive impairments affect the majority of patients with schizophrenia and these impairments predict poor long term psychosocial outcomes.&#160; Treatment studies aimed at cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia not only require demonstration of improvements on cognitive tests, but also evidence that any cognitive changes lead to clinically meaningful improvements.&#160; Measures of &#8220;functional capacity&#8221; index the extent to which individuals have the potential to perform skills required for real world functioning. &#160;Current data do not support the recommendation of any single instrument for measurement of functional capacity.&#160; The Virtual Reality Functional Capacity Assessment Tool (VRFCAT) is a novel, interactive gaming based measure of functional capacity that uses a realistic simulated environment to recreate routine activities of daily living. Studies are currently underway to evaluate and establish the VRFCAT&#8217;s sensitivity, reliability, validity, and practicality.&#160;This new measure of functional capacity is practical, relevant, easy to use, and has several features that improve validity and sensitivity of measurement of function in clinical trials of patients with CNS disorders.

A challenge for proving treatment efficacy for cognitive impairments in schizophrenia is finding the optimizing measurement of skills related to everyday functioning.&#160; The Virtual Reality Functional Capacity Assessment Tool (VRFCAT) is an interactive gaming based computerized measure aimed at skills associated with everyday functioning, including baseline impairments and treatment related changes.

Cognitive impairments affect the majority of patients with schizophrenia and these impairments predict poor long term psychosocial outcomes.&#160; ...

Multifunctional Setup for Studying Human Motor Control Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Electromyography, Motion Capture, and Virtual Reality

The study of neuromuscular control of movement in humans is accomplished with numerous technologies. Non-invasive methods for investigating neuromuscular function include transcranial magnetic stimulation, electromyography, and three-dimensional motion capture. The advent of readily available and cost-effective virtual reality solutions has expanded the capabilities of researchers in recreating &#8220;real-world&#8221; environments and movements in a laboratory setting. Naturalistic movement analysis will not only garner a greater understanding of motor control in healthy individuals, but also permit the design of experiments and rehabilitation strategies that target specific motor impairments (e.g. stroke). The combined use of these tools will lead to increasingly deeper understanding of neural mechanisms of motor control. A key requirement when combining these data acquisition systems is fine temporal correspondence between the various data streams. This protocol describes a multifunctional system&#8217;s overall connectivity, intersystem signaling, and the temporal synchronization of recorded data. Synchronization of the component systems is primarily accomplished through the use of a customizable circuit, readily made with off the shelf components and minimal electronics assembly skills.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation, electromyography, and 3D motion capture are commonly used non-invasive techniques for investigating neuromuscular function in humans. In this paper, we describe a protocol that synchronously samples data generated by all three of these tools along with the unique addition of virtual reality stimulus presentation and feedback.

The study of neuromuscular control of movement in humans is accomplished with numerous technologies. Non-invasive methods for investigating neuromuscular ...

Using Virtual Reality to Transfer Motor Skill Knowledge from One Hand to Another

As far as acquiring motor skills is concerned, training by voluntary physical movement is superior to all other forms of training (e.g. training by observation or passive movement of trainee&#39;s hands by a robotic device). This obviously presents a major challenge in the rehabilitation of a paretic limb since voluntary control of physical movement is limited. Here, we describe a novel training scheme we have developed that has the potential to circumvent this major challenge. We exploited the voluntary control of one hand and provided real-time movement-based manipulated sensory feedback as if the other hand is moving. Visual manipulation through virtual reality (VR) was combined with a device that yokes left-hand fingers to passively follow right-hand voluntary finger movements. In healthy subjects, we demonstrate enhanced within-session performance gains of a limb in the absence of voluntary physical training. Results in healthy subjects suggest that training with the unique VR setup might also be beneficial for patients with upper limb hemiparesis by exploiting the voluntary control of their healthy hand to improve rehabilitation of their affected hand.

We describe a novel virtual-reality based setup which exploits voluntary control of one hand to improve motor-skill performance in the other (non-trained) hand. This is achieved by providing real-time movement-based sensory feedback as if the non-trained hand is moving. This new approach may be used to enhance rehabilitation of patients with unilateral hemiparesis.

As far as acquiring motor skills is concerned, training by voluntary physical movement is superior to all other forms of training (e.g. training by ...

Mobile Game-based Virtual Reality Program for Upper Extremity Stroke Rehabilitation

Stroke rehabilitation requires repetitive, intensive, goal-oriented therapy. Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to satisfy these requirements. Game-based therapy can promote patients&#39; engagement in rehabilitation therapy as a more interesting and a motivating tool. Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs can provide personalized home-based therapy with interactive communication between patients and clinicians. In this study, a mobile VR upper extremity rehabilitation program using game applications was developed. The findings from the study show that the mobile game-based VR program effectively promotes upper extremity recovery in patients with stroke. In addition, patients completed two weeks of treatment using the program without adverse effects and were generally satisfied with the program. This mobile game-based VR upper extremity rehabilitation program can substitute for some parts of the conventional therapy that are delivered one-on-one by an occupational therapist. This time-efficient, easy to implement, and clinically effective program would be a good candidate tool for tele-rehabilitation for upper extremity recovery in patients with stroke. Patients and therapists can collaborate remotely through these e-health rehabilitation programs while reducing economic and social costs.

Here, we present a protocol to develop and apply a mobile game-based virtual reality program for the recovery of upper limb dysfunction in patients with stroke. The present study shows that the mobile program is feasible and effectively promotes upper limb recovery in stroke patients.

Stroke rehabilitation requires repetitive, intensive, goal-oriented therapy. Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to satisfy these requirements. ...

Virtual Reality Experiments with Physiological Measures

Virtual reality (VR) experiments are increasingly employed because of their internal and external validity compared to real-world observation and laboratory experiments, respectively. VR is especially useful for geographic visualizations and investigations of spatial behavior. In spatial behavior research, VR provides a platform for studying the relationship between navigation and physiological measures (e.g., skin conductance, heart rate, blood pressure). Specifically, physiological measures allow researchers to address novel questions and constrain previous theories of spatial abilities, strategies, and performance. For example, individual differences in navigation performance may be explained by the extent to which changes in arousal mediate the effects of task difficulty. However, the complexities in the design and implementation of VR experiments can distract experimenters from their primary research goals and introduce irregularities in data collection and analysis. To address these challenges, the Experiments in Virtual Environments (EVE) framework includes standardized modules such as participant training with the control interface, data collection using questionnaires, the synchronization of physiological measurements, and data storage. EVE also provides the necessary infrastructure for data management, visualization, and evaluation. The present paper describes a protocol that employs the EVE framework to conduct navigation experiments in VR with physiological sensors. The protocol lists the steps necessary for recruiting participants, attaching the physiological sensors, administering the experiment using EVE, and assessing the collected data with EVE evaluation tools. Overall, this protocol will facilitate future research by streamlining the design and implementation of VR experiments with physiological sensors.

Virtual reality (VR) experiments can be difficult to implement and require meticulous planning. This protocol describes a method for the design and implementation of VR experiments that collect physiological data from human participants. The Experiments in Virtual Environments (EVE) framework is employed to accelerate this process.

Virtual reality (VR) experiments are increasingly employed because of their internal and external validity compared to real-world observation and ...

Using Flight Mills to Measure Flight Propensity and Performance of Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (LeConte)

The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (LeConte) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is an economically important pest of corn in the northern United States. Some populations have developed resistance to management strategies including transgenic corn that produces insecticidal toxins derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Knowledge of western corn rootworm dispersal is of critical importance for models of resistance evolution, spread, and mitigation. Flight behavior of an insect, especially over a long distance, is inherently difficult to observe and characterize. Flight mills provide a means to directly test developmental and physiological impacts and consequences of flight in the laboratory that cannot be obtained in field studies. In this study, flight mills were used to measure the timing of flight activity, total number of flights, and the distance, duration, and speed of flights taken by female rootworms during a 22-h test period. Sixteen flight mills were housed in an environmental chamber with programmable lighting, temperature, and humidity control. The flight mill described is of a typical design, where a flight arm is free to rotate about a central pivot. Rotation is caused by flight of an insect tethered to one end of the flight arm, and each rotation is recorded by a sensor with a time-stamp. Raw data are compiled by software, which are subsequently processed to provide summary statistics for flight parameters of interest. The most difficult task for any flight mill study is attachment of the tether to the insect with an adhesive, and the method used must be tailored to each species. The attachment must be strong enough to hold the insect in a rigid orientation and to prevent detachment during movement, while not interfering with natural wing motion during flight. The attachment process requires dexterity, finesse, and speed, making video footage of the process for rootworms of value.

Using Flight Mills to Measure Flight Propensity and Performance of Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte

Flight mills are important tools for comparing how age, sex, mating status, temperature, or various other factors may influence an insect&#8217;s flight behavior. Here we describe protocols to tether and measure the flight propensity and performance of western corn rootworm under different treatments.

The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (LeConte) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is an economically important pest of corn in the northern ...

Online Explorative Study on the Learning Uses of Virtual Reality Among Early Adopters

Virtual reality (VR) has shown great educational potential because it makes it possible to simulate any desired situation or event, thus playing an important role in addressing current educational challenges. Despite the unlimited learning possibilities that VR may offer, unless users are willing to apply virtual devices to education, the investment of time, money, and effort will be fruitless. It is therefore crucial to assess the educational interest of the first generation of VR users and to identify their current needs. To this end, in this study we designed an online questionnaire and applied it through the SaaS (Software as a service) of a private server. The sample consisted of 117 early VR adopters recruited via a main portal of communication and information technologies in Spain. In order to engage participants, we posted a thread in the main forum, which is dedicated to the advances and potential uses of VR. Once the responses were gathered, we analyzed the relationship between 12 variables (mean contrasts with Snedecor&#39;s F, and contingency analysis with chi-square and Sommer&#39;s d). The results showed that the current profile of a VR user is a male over 35 years old, with university studies, and who has purchased his viewer recently (&#60;1 year). As for the learning and teaching applications that these users were interested in, only 13.7% of the participants in this study use VR for educational purposes, although 28.2% were interested, indicating that perhaps the lack of applications or learning experiences may be hampering the use of VR within education. Almost half of the early adopters surveyed would like to learn using VR technology and are somehow optimistic about the relationship between VR and education, particularly those who are younger.

This article describes the profile of Spanish early adopters of virtual reality and their interests and preferences regarding learning and educational applications for this technology. To this aim, we designed an online questionnaire and interviewed 117 users of the main virtual reality forum on the Internet.

Virtual reality (VR) has shown great educational potential because it makes it possible to simulate any desired situation or event, thus playing an ...

Using a Virtual Reality Walking Simulator to Investigate Pedestrian Behavior

To cross a road successfully, individuals must coordinate their movements with moving vehicles. This paper describes use of a walking simulator in which people walk on a treadmill to intercept gaps between two moving vehicles in an immersive virtual environment. Virtual reality allows for a safe and ecologically varied investigation of gap crossing behavior. Manipulating the initial starting distance can further the understanding of a participant&#8217;s speed regulation while approaching a gap. The speed profile may be assessed for various gap crossing variables, such as initial distance, vehicle size, and gap size. Each walking simulation results in a position/time series that can inform how velocity is adjusted differently depending on the gap characteristics. This methodology can be used by researchers investigating pedestrian behavior and behavioral dynamics while employing human participants in a safe and realistic setting.

This protocol describes use of a walking simulator that serves as a safe and ecologically valid method to study pedestrian behavior in the presence of moving traffic.

To cross a road successfully, individuals must coordinate their movements with moving vehicles. This paper describes use of a walking simulator in which ...