Search Results (414)

This study aims to develop a new theoretical framework from the perspective of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), incorporating flow theory, to explore the factors influencing behavioral intentions to participate in metaverse tourism. Using data from 518 respondents with metaverse experience and participation in metaverse tourism, the study employed R Studio and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test the relationships between variables in the model. The results indicate that metaverse flow has a significant positive impact on users’ perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, with flow demonstrating strong explanatory power as a precursor factor. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are predictors of users’ attitudes to using metaverse technology. A positive attitude towards the metaverse can enhance users’ support for metaverse tourism and their behavioral intention to participate in it, while support also positively influences behavioral intention. Support for metaverse tourism acts as a clear mediator between attitudes and behavioral intention. The newly developed theoretical framework in this study provides a fresh perspective for metaverse tourism research and helps enrich empirical analysis in this field. By deeply analyzing tourists’ behavioral intentions, the study provides valuable insights for stakeholders to develop targeted marketing strategies and services, thus promoting the future development of metaverse tourism. Full article

This study explores the effects of Metaverse technology on middle school learners’ academic performance and motivation in science subjects. Utilizing a quasi-experimental design, 33 students in the experimental group were exposed to the Metaverse for one semester, while 32 students in the control group continued with traditional teaching methods at School 148 in Riyadh. Data collection instruments included a validated science achievement test and a motivation scale. The results demonstrated that the nodes were statistically significantly improved in the experimental group, receiving an average post-test score of 73.1, as compared with the control group, receiving an average post-test score of 65.9 (t = 2.3, p < 0.05). The scores in motivation were also slightly higher in the experimental group, with a mean of 26.9, as compared with the control group, with a mean of 17.1 (t = 5.75, p < 0.05). For academic achievement and motivation, the effect sizes were quite high: fixed effect = 1.091; random effect equals 1.086. These results demonstrate the possibilities of Metaverse technology in revolutionizing the way students learn science. This technology could be a valuable tool for instruction in science classes to enhance performances and influence students’ attitudes positively towards enhanced learning environments in schools. Full article

This study explores the process of creating avatars for Virtual Reality and metaverse environments using a variety of specialized applications, including VRChat, Ready Player Me, VRoidStudio, Mixamo, Convai, and MetaHuman. By evaluating these platforms, the research identifies the strengths and limitations of each tool in terms of customization, integration, and overall user experience. The practical implementation focuses on avatar creation within Unity and Unreal Engine, highlighting the technical aspects of rigging, animation, and real-time rendering. The study also delves into the broader implications of avatar use, particularly concerning privacy and security. Our findings reveal that while each platform offers unique advantages, the choice of tool significantly impacts the visual fidelity and performance of avatars in virtual environments. For the ease of use, Ready Player Me stands out with its intuitive interface. VRoidStudio is notable for its high degree of customizability, allowing for detailed avatar personalization. In terms of high-quality graphics, MetaHuman leads the way with its advanced graphical fidelity. At the same time, while some platforms excel in personalizing avatars or integrating with development environments (VRoidStudio, Ready Player Me), others are constrained by their limited flexibility or their platform-specific availability (MetaHuman, Mixamo). Understanding the technical intricacies of these tools is crucial for developing more immersive and secure metaverse experiences. Full article

The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) has triggered changes in modern dance education. This study investigates the application of diffusion-based modeling and virtual digital humans in dance instruction. Utilizing AI and digital technologies, the proposed system innovatively merges music-driven dance generation with virtual human-based teaching. It achieves this by extracting rhythmic and emotional information from music through audio analysis to generate corresponding dance sequences. The virtual human, functioning as a digital tutor, demonstrates dance movements in real time, enabling students to accurately learn and execute dance postures and rhythms. Analysis of the teaching outcomes, including effectiveness, naturalness, and fluidity, indicates that learning through the digital human results in enhanced user engagement and improved learning outcomes. Additionally, the diversity of dance movements is increased. This system enhances students’ motivation and learning efficacy, offering a novel approach to innovating dance education. Full article

This study aims to provide a review of the existing literature regarding the use of extended reality technologies and the metaverse focusing on virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) in safety training. Based on the outcomes, VR was predominantly used in the context of safety training with immersive VR yielding the best outcomes. In comparison, only recently has AR been introduced in safety training but with positive outcomes. Both AR and VR can be effectively adopted and integrated in safety training and render the learning experiences and environments more realistic, secure, intense, interactive, and personalized, which are crucial aspects to ensure high-quality safety training. Their ability to provide safe virtual learning environments in which individuals can practice and develop their skills and knowledge in real-life simulated working settings that do not involve any risks emerged as one of the main benefits. Their ability to support social and collaborative learning and offer experiential learning significantly contributed to the learning outcomes. Therefore, it was concluded that VR and AR emerged as effective tools that can support and enrich safety training and, in turn, increase occupational health and safety. Full article

We present a novel dataset for humanoid robot pose estimation from images, addressing the critical need for accurate pose estimation to enhance human–robot interaction in extended reality (XR) applications. Despite the importance of this task, large-scale pose datasets for diverse humanoid robots remain scarce. To overcome this limitation, we collected sparse pose datasets for commercially available humanoid robots and augmented them through various synthetic data generation techniques, including AI-assisted image synthesis, foreground removal, and 3D character simulations. Our dataset is the first to provide full-body pose annotations for a wide range of humanoid robots exhibiting diverse motions, including side and back movements, in real-world scenarios. Furthermore, we introduce a new benchmark method for real-time full-body 2D keypoint estimation from a single image. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our extended dataset-based pose estimation approach achieves over 33.9% improvement in accuracy compared to using only sparse datasets. Additionally, our method demonstrates the real-time capability of 42 frames per second (FPS) and maintains full-body pose estimation consistency in side and back motions across 11 differently shaped humanoid robots, utilizing approximately 350 training images per robot. Full article

As the metaverse evolves, characterized by its immersive and interactive landscapes, it presents novel opportunities for empathy research. This study aims to systematically review how empathy manifests in metaverse environments, focusing on two distinct forms: specific empathy (context-based) and universal empathy (generalized). Our analysis reveals a predominant focus on specific empathy, driven by the immersive nature of virtual settings, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). However, we argue that such immersive scenarios alone are insufficient for a comprehensive exploration of empathy. To deepen empathetic engagement, we propose the integration of advanced sensory feedback mechanisms, such as haptic feedback and biometric sensing. This paper examines the current state of empathy in virtual environments, contrasts it with the potential for enriched empathetic connections through technological enhancements, and proposes future research directions. By fostering both specific and universal empathy, we envision a metaverse that not only bridges gaps but also cultivates meaningful, empathetic connections across its diverse user base. Full article

The “Metaverse” is evaluated as having significant potential in a “Smart city” design and operation. Despite growing interest, there is still a lack of comprehensive quantitative analysis on the “Metaverse”, particularly in the context of smart cities. This study conducts a bibliometric analysis of 604 articles selected from the “WoS” database and employs three dimensions of technology, people, and institutions as a balanced perspective on smart cities, providing a comprehensive understanding of research trends on the “Metaverse” in the context of smart cities. This study identifies the “Metaverse” as a Virtual reality technology, popular since 2021, and provides information on the active years, countries, fields, journals, authors, and institutions involved in “Metaverse” research on smart cities. This study also identifies three stages of research development as follows: Stage 1 (2007–2013) to Stage 2 (2014–2020) and Stage 3 (2021–20 October 2023), revealing the research focus evolution from basic “urban planning” to complex “urban governance” and “Smart city” construction with consideration of multi-stakeholders’ perspectives. Additionally, this study reveals that “Metaverse” research studies on the “technology” dimension have consistently outnumbered that on “institutions” and “people” across all stages in the “Smart city” domain. These findings address current theoretical gaps and offer a foundation for future research. Full article

The burgeoning metaverse market, encompassing virtual and augmented reality, gaming, and manufacturing processes, presents a unique domain for studying user behavior. This study delineates a research framework to investigate the antecedents of behavioral intention, bifurcating users into inexperienced and experienced cohorts. Utilizing a cross-sectional survey, empirical data were amassed and analyzed using structural equation modeling, encompassing 372 responses from 131 inexperienced and 241 experienced users. For inexperienced users, the analysis underscored the significant impact of perceived usefulness on both satisfaction and adoption intention, while perceived enjoyment was found to bolster only satisfaction. Innovativeness and satisfaction do not drive adoption intention. Conversely, for experienced users, satisfaction was significantly influenced by perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived enjoyment. Continuance intention was positively affected by perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, trust, innovativeness, and satisfaction. This research extends valuable insights for both theoretical advancements and practical implementations in the burgeoning metaverse landscape. Full article

With the rapid expansion of the virtual reality (VR) market, user interest in VR games has increased significantly. However, empirical research on the user experience in VR games remains relatively underdeveloped. Despite the growing popularity and commercial success of VR gaming, there is a lack of comprehensive studies analyzing the impact of different aspects of VR games on user satisfaction and engagement. This gap includes insufficient research on the categorization of VR game genres, the identification of user challenges, and variations in user experiences across these genres. Our study aims to fill this gap by analyzing data from the Meta Quest store using K-means clustering and LDA (Latent Dirichlet Allocation) to categorize the representative genres of VR games. By employing text-mining techniques to conduct a detailed analysis of user experience, we effectively elucidate the primary issues and nuanced differences in user responses across various genres. Our findings serve as a valuable reference for researchers aiming to design games that align with VR user expectations. Furthermore, our study provides a foundational dataset for researchers aiming to enhance the user experience in VR games and suggests ways to increase the immersion and enjoyment of VR gameplay. Full article

As we transition into the era of Web 3.0, where decentralized information and user privacy are paramount, emerging technologies are reshaping the way in which personal data are managed. This paper focuses on decentralized identity management (DID) in the metaverse, particularly within the education sector, which has rapidly embraced digital tools for e-learning, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) are increasingly integrated into educational platforms, raising questions about privacy, security, and interoperability. This literature review examines the current landscape of DID in metaverse-based educational applications. Through a systematic methodology, relevant academic papers were identified, filtered, and analyzed based on four key criteria: standardization, interoperability, application scalability, and security/privacy considerations. The paper provides a comparative analysis of these papers to assess the maturity of DID implementations, highlight existing challenges, and suggest future research directions in the intersection of decentralized identity and educational metaverse applications. Full article

The “Metaverse Territorial Brand” integrates core and interconnected elements into a virtual, interactional, experiential, and immersive space known as the metaverse. This type of brand encompasses the connection with immersive territories that may or may not be digital twins of real territories. It also encompasses two interconnected physical scales: the territorial and the regional, involved in another type of emerging territorial scale, known as the metaversal scale. Therefore, the “Metaverse Territorial Brand” is a digital-immersive extension of the territorial brand of physical territories, encompassing specific geographical and cultural aspects, but directed to the metaverse environment. This brand is a symbolic digital construction, but also a multifaceted one that incorporates discursive and visual elements, articulated by the social actors of the immersive territory, aiming to create a specific and distinct identity for a space in the metaverse. When talking about social actors in the metaverse (users), we highlight that this set of actors may or may not be the same as the physical territory. It is also important to highlight that both the territorial brand directed to physical territories and the “Metaverse Territorial Brand” are formed from the power relations of a given set of social actors. Therefore, without the strategic intention of a plurality of social actors that stimulate these relationships, there is no type of territorial brand involved. Full article

We envision a telepresence system that enhances remote work by facilitating both physical and immersive visual interactions between individuals. However, during robot teleoperation, communication often lacks realism, as users see the robot’s body rather than the remote individual. To address this, we propose a method for overlaying a digital human model onto a humanoid robot using XR visualization, enabling an immersive 3D telepresence experience. Our approach employs a learning-based method to estimate the 2D poses of the humanoid robot from head-worn stereo views, leveraging a newly collected dataset of full-body poses for humanoid robots. The stereo 2D poses and sparse inertial measurements from the remote operator are optimized to compute 3D poses over time. The digital human is localized from the perspective of a continuously moving observer, utilizing the estimated 3D pose of the humanoid robot. Our moving camera-based pose estimation method does not rely on any markers or external knowledge of the robot’s status, effectively overcoming challenges such as marker occlusion, calibration issues, and dependencies on headset tracking errors. We demonstrate the system in a remote physical training scenario, achieving real-time performance at 40 fps, which enables simultaneous immersive and physical interactions. Experimental results show that our learning-based 3D pose estimation method, which operates without prior knowledge of the robot, significantly outperforms alternative approaches requiring the robot’s global pose, particularly during rapid headset movements, achieving markerless digital human augmentation from head-worn views. Full article

The metaverse represents a post-reality universe that seamlessly merges physical reality with digital virtuality. It provides a continuous and immersive social networking environment, enabling multi-user engagement and interaction through Extended Reality (XR) technologies, which include Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR). As a novel solution distinct from traditional methods such as mobile-based applications, the technical affordance of XR technologies in shaping multi-user social experiences remains a complex, multifaceted, and multivariate issue that has not yet been thoroughly explored. Additionally, there is a notable absence of mature frameworks and guidelines for designing and developing these multi-user socio-technical systems. Enhancing multi-user social engagement through these technologies remains a significant research challenge. This systematic review aims to address this gap by establishing an analytical framework guided by the PRISMA protocol. It analyzes 88 studies from various disciplines, including computer science, social science, psychology, and the arts, to define the mechanisms and effectiveness of XR technologies in multi-user social engagement. Quantitative methods such as descriptive statistics, correlation statistics, and text mining are used to examine the manifestation of mechanisms, potential system factors, and their effectiveness. Meanwhile, qualitative case studies identify specific measures by which system factors enhance multi-user social engagement. The study provides a pioneering framework for theoretical research and offers practical insights for developing cross-spatiotemporal co-present activities in the metaverse. It also promotes critical reflection on the evolving relationship between humans and this emerging digital universe. Full article

The rapid advancement of digital technology has necessitated a reevaluation of traditional educational methodologies, particularly in literature and visual arts. This study investigates the application of metaverse technology to integrate contemporary poetry and visual arts, aiming to enhance university-level education. The purpose is to develop a convergent teaching method that leverages the immersive and interactive capabilities of the metaverse. The research involves a joint exhibition project with students from Sangmyung University and international participants, incorporating a metaverse-based educational program. A sample of 85 students participated in the program, and their experiences were evaluated through surveys and focus group interviews (FGIs). The findings reveal significant correlations between content satisfaction and method satisfaction, underscoring the importance of engaging and interactive methods. The study also identifies technical challenges and provides insights for optimizing digital platforms for educational purposes. The implications suggest that integrating metaverse technology in arts education can significantly enhance creativity, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary skills, offering a sustainable and innovative approach to modern education. Based on these implications, this paper proposes methods for incorporating the insights gained from case analyses and implications into the design of educational programs. It is anticipated that this approach will contribute to enhancing the quality of convergence education in higher education institutions. Furthermore, it is expected that this program will serve as a starting point for the systematic implementation of integrated education and the use of digital platforms, thereby helping to reduce disparities in integrated education between countries. Full article