58659979
submission
vrml writes:
They revealed the existence of their project only to aviation safety specialists at the recent FAA Conference on Cabin Safety in Philadelphia . Now a team of Italian researchers from the HCI Lab of the University of Udine has publicly released the first in a set of aviation safety apps on which they are working. Their mission is to propose novel, first-of-their-kind solutions to a well-known problem in aviation safety: passengers lack preparedness about what to do in aircraft emergencies, and do not pay attention or do not clearly comprehend the pre-flight briefings and safety cards used by airlines to instruct them about safety. So the project is re-inventing safety cards and briefings with new media, turning them into games and apps. The first game they decided to release focuses specifically on the “Brace for impact” position: players can pose the body of their avatar in the 3D airplane cabin and get a personalized simulation of a crash landing . To win the game, you must save your avatar (and yourself).
58151539
submission
vrml writes:
Do you remember the classic Snake game on mobile phones? Now a university lab has built a mobile, augmented reality version of Snake that superimposes the game world on the real world to encourage walking. First, the smartphone detects players' position and retrieves the satellite photograph of the area that will be used as a playing field. Then, the player controls the Snake in the game by walking in the real-world, using GPS. A video demo of this 21st century Snake is available on YouTube , while a technical paper with a detailed user evaluation of the exergame is available at this link.
57839579
submission
vrml writes:
No scientific studies of the effectiveness of mindfulness apps were available so far, but the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies has now published a research that contrasts an interactive mindfulness app with two traditional, non-interactive techniques (one is the centuries-old meditation in which people imagine their thoughts as passing clouds, the other is a card-based technique) on a sample of novice meditators. The app was not only effective, but it also obtained better results than traditional techniques in terms of achieved mindfulness, perceived level of difficulty and degree of pleasantness. Researchers have thus decided to make it freely downloadable for Android as well as Apple devices. A pre-print version of the research paper is available at this link .
55120215
submission
vrml writes:
Critical situations in which participant's actions lead to the death of (virtual) humans have been employed in a study of moral dilemmas, just appeared in the Social Neuroscience journal. The experiment has shown that participants’ behavior becomes more utilitarian (that is, they tend to minimize the number of persons killed) when they have to take a decision in Virtual Reality (VR) rather than the more traditional settings used in Moral Psychology which ask participants to read text descriptions of the critical situations. A video with some of the VR moral dilemmas is available at this link, while the paper can be downloaded at this link.
51564891
submission
vrml writes:
A study that has just appeared on the Personality and Individual Differences Journal has linked specific attitudes towards time (TIme Perspective) of Facebook users with their level of Problematic Internet Use, by applying Phil Zimbardo's psychology of time. More specifically, a negative view of the past (Past Negative) and a fatalistic view of the present (Present Fatalistic) turned out to be the two time perspectives that predict pathologic Internet use in Facebook users. A full copy of the paper can be downloaded at this link .
49940011
submission
vrml writes:
The new issue of the International Journal of Medical Informatics (September 2013) illustrates a thorough study of the effectiveness of 3D games for Advanced Life Support (ALS) training. The tested game has been used in real ALS courses to train nurses and doctors in dealing with medical emergencies, ranging from trauma to heart attacks, that require ALS procedures.
Results of the published study indicate that nurses and doctors effectively increased their ALS knowledge by playing the game. Moreover, a follow-up retention test conducted 3 months after they played the game showed a significant knowledge retention benefit.
A full version of the journal paper can be downloaded from this link . A short video demo of a level of the tested game is available on YouTube .
49801561
submission
vrml writes:
Help! ( https://www.facebook.com/HelpTheSeriousGame ) is a public 3D game on Facebook that teaches (in English and Italian) how to help disabled persons in emergencies in a novel way.
This kind of information was available so far only through the study of printed materials such as the official guidelines produced in different countries by firefighters or civil defense organizations.
In the Facebook game, users can instead test their ability to help in emergency situations through a 3D experience.
The game deals with different kinds of disabilities (physical, visual, and hearing). For each disability, it first provides users with a 3D training gym that allows them to learn the guidelines under the guidance of a virtual firefighter. Then, users move to simulated emergency scenarios in which to apply the guidelines. More specifically, users are faced with simulated events such as an earthquake or a fire, with the goal of helping a disabled person in the evacuation of a building.
The game was created by the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the University of Udine, Italy, in collaboration with the Regional Council of the Associations of Disabled Persons FVG.
A game trailer is also available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZkYXX5hYr0
