Emerging Metaverse Technologies: Augmented and Virtual Reality

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Computer Science & Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 10559

Special Issue Editors


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School of Computer Art, Chung-Ang University, (17546) 4726, Seodongdae-ro, Daedeok-myon, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Interests: non-photorealistic rendering and animation; color science; image & movie analysis; visual perception-based rendering virtual reality and augmented reality; sensor based physical computing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Computer Engineering, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Korea
Interests: computer graphics; VR/AR; vision
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Game Media, College of Future Industry, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 13120, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Interests: AR and VR; game design; game therapy; application design
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metaverse is a compound word of “meta”, which means virtual and abstract, and “universe”, which means the real world. It refers to a three-dimensional virtual world where social, economic, and cultural activities occur like in the real world. In particular, as it has begun to be commercialized through funsumers familiar with the digitalized lifestyle of expressing themselves with avatars, it is expanding from the existing game-oriented to life and communication and work platforms.

It is necessary to provide immersion to users because the ultimate goal of the Metaverse is to break down the boundaries between reality and virtual reality. The Special Issue aims to deal with studies that can provide immersion in the Metaverse. Representative technologies can be overall Visual Effect technology such as XR(developed in AR and VR), Digital Twin, and modeling technology that generate images, as well as a simulation in a virtual environment, User eXperience/Interface(UX/UI), and related Artificial Intelligence(AI) technology.

The list of possible topics for this Special Issue includes but is not limited to:

  • AI-based technologies for Metaverse;
  • Deep learning-based 3D Contents Generation and Recognition;
  • Untact technologies in Metaverse Space;
  • Graphical simulation for Metaverse;
  • Immersive analytics and visualization;
  • Multiuser and distributed systems;
  • Graphical advancements in Metaverse;
  • Immersive Technologies, Systems, and Devices;
  • Construction Technologies for Immersive Environments and Multidimensional Spaces;
  • Learning Analytics &Immersive Data Visualizations.

Prof. Dr. SangHyun Seo
Dr. Soo Kyun Kim
Prof. Dr. JungYoon Kim
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 4319 KiB  
Article
Efficient Simulation of Volumetric Deformable Objects in Unity3D: GPU-Accelerated Position-Based Dynamics
by Hongly Va, Min-Hyung Choi and Min Hong
Electronics 2023, 12(10), 2229; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12102229 - 14 May 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2501
Abstract
This paper proposes an efficient approach for simulating volumetric deformable objects using the Position-Based Dynamics (PBD) method. Volumetric bodies generated by TetGen are used to represent three-dimensional objects, which accurately capture complex shapes and volumes. However, when a large number of constraints are [...] Read more.
This paper proposes an efficient approach for simulating volumetric deformable objects using the Position-Based Dynamics (PBD) method. Volumetric bodies generated by TetGen are used to represent three-dimensional objects, which accurately capture complex shapes and volumes. However, when a large number of constraints are applied to the system to solve using serialized algorithms on central processing units (CPU), the computational cost can become a bottleneck of the simulation. To address this issue, the proposed implementation algorithm takes advantage of graphic processing unit (GPU) acceleration and parallel processing to improve the efficiency of the simulation. We propose two specific contributions: firstly, the use of the PBD method with volume constraint for tetrahedral elements to simulate volumetric deformable objects realistically; secondly, an efficient GPU-accelerated algorithm for implementing the PBD method that significantly improves computational efficiency. We also applied the node-centric and constraint-centric algorithms to solve the stretch constraint in the GPU-based algorithm. The implementation was performed using Unity3D. The compute shader feature of Unity3D was utilized to perform thousands of parallel computations in a single pass, making it possible to simulate large and complex objects in real-time. The performance of the simulation can be accelerated by using GPU-based methods with stretch and bending constraints, which provides significant speedup factors compared to using only the CPU for deformable objects such as Bunny, Armadillo, and Dragon. The constraint-centric and node-centric GPU approaches provide speedup factors of up to 8.9x and 8x, respectively, while the GPU-based methods with all types of constraints exhibit a slight decrease but still operate at real-time speeds. Overall, this approach enables the simulation of complex and irregular shapes with plausible and realistic results, while also achieving speed, robustness, and flexibility. Additionally, the proposed approach can be applied to general simulation and other game engines that support GPU-based acceleration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Metaverse Technologies: Augmented and Virtual Reality)
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13 pages, 278 KiB  
Article
Metaverse-Based Learning Opportunities and Challenges: A Phenomenological Metaverse Human–Computer Interaction Study
by Ghada Refaat El Said
Electronics 2023, 12(6), 1379; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12061379 - 14 Mar 2023
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 7239
Abstract
The Metaverse is an end-users-oriented integration of various layers of Information Technology (IT), where Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) would be the core technology. With the rapid development of IT, the Metaverse would allow users to connect, work, conduct business, and access educational resources, all [...] Read more.
The Metaverse is an end-users-oriented integration of various layers of Information Technology (IT), where Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) would be the core technology. With the rapid development of IT, the Metaverse would allow users to connect, work, conduct business, and access educational resources, all in a technology-mediated environment in new interaction ways. The Metaverse can play a major role in the future of online learning and enable a rich active learning environment, where learners have the opportunity to obtain first-hand experiences that might not be accessible in the physical world. While currently there is a severe shortage in Metaverse-Learning studies, such research strands are expected to soon emerge. The main objective of this paper is to investigate challenges and opportunities for human-centric Metaverse technology in the learning sector, hence accelerating research in this field. A phenomenological research method was used, including semi-structured in-depth interviews, essays written by participants, a focus group discussion with 19 experts in the areas of HCI, intelligent interactive technologies, and online learning. The individual interviews took place in May 2022, with a focus group meeting held online in June 2022 to formulate a collective opinion of the 19 experts. Five challenges were identified for the Metaverse-Learning context: immersive design, privacy and security, universal access, physical and psychological health concerns, and governance. While the research provided suggestions to overcome those challenges, three Meta-Learning opportunities were identified: hands-on training and learning, game-based learning, and collaboration in creating knowledge. The findings of this research contribute to understanding the complexity of the online learning in the Metaverse from the Human–Computer Interaction point of view. These findings can be used to further research the Metaverse as a virtual communication environment and potential business and learning platform. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Metaverse Technologies: Augmented and Virtual Reality)
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