VR Fails

I will analyze two passages from the video about the VR fails from this video.

First passage

Here, the user is on a virtual plank above the void. We see that he believes in the situation, because he is scared. He is all fours on the plank and does not want to go further. At this point, there is no danger, because he cannot fall from a height. But then a woman pushes him from the plank. Here, the user cannot know what is going on in the real world, so this exterior event is very surprising. The push makes him fall, and he has forgotten that he is safe, so he thinks he is really falling. The game has visual and sound clues to tell he is falling, and if we add the real sensation of loss of balance, his brain believes he is really falling. So, he gets scared and has a mini panic attack on the ground. This could be problematic if his heart is weak, he could have a heart attack.

To avoid this situation, we can imagine having information about the real world in game. For example, we could have sensors to detect close people and objects that are close to the user and to render them or have a clue about their presence in the virtual world. That way, the user could have seen the woman come, and when he was on the ground, he could have seen it.

Second passage

Here, the user is playing and uses her arms as a controller. But then she makes a big move and hits her friend that is next to her. Here the harm is done to another user. To avoid this, we could again have visual clues about the outside environment rendered in the game. But I think the best idea is just to not let people around when someone is playing. Having space is important to not hit walls or objects, but the other users just have to move away to avoid being hit. The user can move more freely if the environment around is static.

The CAVE System vs Head Mounted Display (HMD)

Differences
CAVE system is a room with screens on the walls, ceiling and floor that display the environment to a user. There are sensors that adapt the field of view and the perspective based of the position of the user. A head mounted display is a screen that is directly worn by the user and placed in front of its eyes.

Pros/Cons
The CAVE system allows users to have a wider view, there are no borders, whereas a HMD has a limited field of view.
The CAVE system allows multiple users without additional cost. A HMD must be worn by each user, and there mutual presence is limited, as it can only be virtual. In a CAVE system, the users see each other mutually. But with a HMD, they don’t have to be in the same room.
The CAVE system is much more expensive than a HMD and needs a lot of space.
A HMD can cause visual sickness.
Both systems have visual lag, so the users must not move too quickly.

Reality-Virtuality Continuum of Milgram
The CAVE system is on the virtual reality side, because the environment is mostly virtual. The walls are not physical elements, because they are used as screens, and the users should not go towards them, as it messes the perspective. So, their presence is limited. So, the CAVE system is around Augmented Virtuality.

Adding more people
If we add more people, we add real objects in a virtual world, so this is still Augmented Virtuality, but is goes towards the reality side.