The two-volume set LNCS 8525-8526 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality, VAMR 2014, held as part of the 16th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCI 2014, in Heraklion, Crete, Greece, in June 2014, jointly with 13 other thematically similar conferences. The total of 1476 papers and 220 posters presented at the HCII 2014 conferences were carefully reviewed and selected from 4766 submissions. These papers address the latest research and development efforts and highlight the human aspects of design and use of computing systems. The papers thoroughly cover the entire field of human-computer interaction, addressing major advances in knowledge and effective use of computers in a variety of application areas. The total of 82 contributions included in the VAMR proceedings were carefully reviewed and selected for inclusion in this two-volume set. The 43 papers included in this volume are organized in the following topical sections: VAMR in education and cultural heritage; games and entertainment; medical, health and rehabilitation applications; industrial, safety and military applications.

Virtual and augmented reality raise significant questions for law and policy. When should virtual world activities or augmented reality images count as protected First Amendment ‘speech’, and when are they instead a nuisance or trespass? When does copying them infringe intellectual property laws? When should a person (or computer) face legal consequences for allegedly harmful virtual acts? The Research Handbook on the Law of Virtual and Augmented Reality addresses these questions and others, drawing upon free speech doctrine, criminal law, issues of data protection and privacy, legal rights for increasingly intelligent avatars, and issues of jurisdiction within virtual and augmented reality worlds.

The 2 volume-set of LNCS 12190 and 12191 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality, VAMR 2020, which was due to be held in July 2020 as part of HCI International 2020 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The conference was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 1439 papers and 238 posters have been accepted for publication in the HCII 2020 proceedings from a total of 6326 submissions. The 71 papers included in these HCI 2020 proceedings were organized in topical sections as follows: Part I: design and user experience in VAMR; gestures and haptic interaction in VAMR; cognitive, psychological and health aspects in VAMR; robots in VAMR. Part II: VAMR for training, guidance and assistance in industry and business; learning, narrative, storytelling and cultural applications of VAMR; VAMR for health, well-being and medicine.

This book gathers the recent advances in Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). It includes topics on classification of computer assisted environments, field-of-views on visuospatial memory in complex virtual environment, free-roam VR for gaming, simulation of physical processes in an electric circuit, motion study of mated gears, ternary reversible gates with virtual reality, inclusiveness of AR and VR for agricultural disease detection, application of AR and VR in medical and pharmaceuticals, drones for medical assistance, machine learning based AR technologies for human face detection, recognition, and automated vehicles for medical assistance. The book is targeted towards advancing undergraduate, graduate, and post graduate students, researchers, academicians, policymakers, various government officials, NGOs, and industry research professionals who are currently working in the field of science and technology either directly or indirectly to benefit the common masses.

The convergence of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) has transcended the boundaries of gaming and entertainment, emerging as tools in healthcare and wellbeing. At the heart of recent research-driven exploration lies the recognition of a critical gap in healthcare education. However, amid the promising potential of AR and VR, a need for more comprehensive research has thus far limited the capacity of these technologies to optimize physical, psychological, and social wellbeing. Through the ingenious use of AR, Applications of Virtual and Augmented Reality for Health and Wellbeing spotlights the fusion of virtual learning experiences with tangible real-world scenarios, addressing the educational challenges that have long hindered the development of effective healthcare competencies. This book embarks on an academic journey into this transformative landscape, delving into the intricate tapestry of AR and VR technologies and their applications. It unfurls an inclusive discourse encompassing accessibility considerations, the integration of artificial intelligence within AR/VR paradigms, cross-disciplinary applications, and tangible real-world use cases that underscore the transformational impact of these technologies. As a compendium of solutions to real-world challenges, the book channels the collective wisdom of researchers, offering an invaluable reference guide to professionals at the vanguard of AR/VR innovation. Distinguished voices from academia, industry, and gaming converge within the pages, catering to an eclectic audience, including research scholars, educators, industry practitioners, and gaming enthusiasts.

For the last decade, virtual reality has been utilized in diverse fields such as entertainment, medicine, and industry. Recently, virtual reality has been applied in educational settings in order to transform student learning and experiences through such methods as building prototypes using digital devices or exploring new cultures through immersive interactions. Teachers who can incorporate virtual reality into their classrooms can provide their students with more meaningful learning experiences and can witness higher engagement. Current and Prospective Applications of Virtual Reality in Higher Education is a cutting-edge academic research book that provides comprehensive research on the integration of virtual reality in education programs and establishes foundations for course design, program development, and institutional strategic planning. The book covers an overall understanding and approach to virtual reality in education, specific applications of using virtual reality in higher education, and prospects and issues of virtual reality in the future. Highlighting a wide range of topics such as gamification, teacher training, and virtual reality, this book is ideal for teachers, instructional designers, curriculum developers, academicians, program developers, administrators, educational software developers, policymakers, researchers, education professionals, and students.

A computer scientist and a performance and new media theorist define and document the emerging field of mixed reality performance. Working at the cutting edge of live performance, an emerging generation of artists is employing digital technologies to create distinctive forms of interactive, distributed, and often deeply subjective theatrical performance. The work of these artists is not only fundamentally transforming the experience of theater, it is also reshaping the nature of human interaction with computers. In this book, Steve Benford and Gabriella Giannachi offer a new theoretical framework for understanding these experiences—which they term mixed reality performances—and document a series of landmark performances and installations that mix the real and the virtual, live performance and interactivity. Benford and Giannachi draw on a number of works that have been developed at the University of Nottingham's Mixed Reality Laboratory, describing collaborations with artists (most notably the group Blast Theory) that have gradually evolved a distinctive interdisciplinary approach to combining practice with research. They offer detailed and extended accounts of these works from different perspectives, including interviews with the artists and Mixed Reality Laboratory researchers. The authors develop an overarching theory to guide the study and design of mixed reality performances based on the approach of interleaved trajectories through hybrid structures of space, time, interfaces, and roles. Combinations of canonical, participant, and historic trajectories show how such performances establish complex configurations of real and virtual, local and global, factual and fictional, and personal and social.

An easy-to-understand primer on Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are driving the next technological revolution. If you want to get in on the action, this book helps you understand what these technologies are, their history, how they’re being used, and how they’ll affect consumers both personally and professionally in the very near future. With VR and AR poised to become mainstream within the next few years, an accessible book to bring users up to speed on the subject is sorely needed—and that’s where this handy reference comes in! Rather than focusing on a specific piece of hardware (HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, iOS ARKit) or software (Unity, Unreal Engine), Virtual & Augmented Reality For Dummies offers a broad look at both VR and AR, giving you a bird’s eye view of what you can expect as they continue to take the world by storm. * Keeps you up-to-date on the pulse of this fast-changing technology * Explores the many ways AR/VR are being used in fields such as healthcare, education, and entertainment * Includes interviews with designers, developers, and technologists currently working in the fields of VR and AR Perfect for both potential content creators and content consumers, this book will change the way you approach and contribute to these emerging technologies.

Medical and technological organizations have recently developed therapy and assistance solutions that venture beyond what is considered conventional for individuals with various mental health conditions and behavioral disorders such as autism, Down syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety disorders, phobias, and learning difficulties. Through the use of virtual and augmented reality, researchers are working to provide alternative therapy methods to treat these conditions, while studying the long-term effects the treatment has on patients. Virtual and Augmented Reality in Mental Health Treatment provides innovative insights into the use and durability of virtual reality as a treatment for various behavioral and emotional disorders and health problems. The content within this publication represents the work of e-learning, digital psychology, and quality of care. It is designed for psychologists, psychiatrists, professionals, medical staff, educators, and researchers, and covers topics centered on medical and therapeutic applications of artificial intelligence and simulated environment.