Towards a Common Language for Immersive Experiences: a Cross-Sector Exploration of Concepts and Measurement
How are IX effects measured? And do different sectors actually mean the same thing when they use IX concepts and measurement methods? These questions evolve alongside developments in the IX field. For Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, this is reason to critically re-examine the perception of existing concepts and methods, together with other research groups and IX creators from the creative industry.
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To what degree do interactive agents enhance the willingness-to-adopt IX?
IX environments can change the way people train physical, interactive skills, from surgery to team sport. Together with movement scientists, IX developers and a user experience designer, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is investigating whether interactive avatars that respond physically to the user's movements make XR training more engaging and more effective. The test case is a football training exercise in which participants learn to find space to receive a pass, with and without virtual defenders that move along.
ImmersiveValidMovement: Validatie van consumenten-XR voor verantwoorde fysiotherapie oefeningen
In physiotherapy, there is a wish to use immersive experiences (IX) such as XR serious games both to motivate patients and to help them perform exercises correctly. To this end, VerseUS Games has developed XR exercise formats that use the built-in sensors of consumer XR headsets (such as Meta Quest and Pico) to record patients' movements. However, it is unclear to what extent these data are reliable and valid enough to assess clinically relevant joint angles, particularly in patients with complex shoulder complaints. ImmersiveValidMovement therefore focuses primarily on "new methodological approaches to measuring usability and effectiveness of IX". We develop and validate methods to derive movements of the head, neck, shoulder and elbow from XR sensor data (headset and hand controllers) and to assess their reliability. We do not develop new IX software or hardware, but work with existing VerseUS games and consumer XR headsets. The emphasis is on measurement methods, analysis techniques and responsible use. In work package 1 (the first three months) we carry out the preparatory work. Together with physiotherapists (FlevoFysiotherapie) we specify which joint angles and variables matter for correctly performing the prescribed exercise (position, speed, acceleration; in a global coordinate system and/or relative to body segments). VerseUS Games provides the XR environment and does the technical work to export the data collection from the headset in time-synchronised form. UMCG provides the research protocol, arranges ethical approval and has the research labs required to conduct the study. In work package 2 we then carry out the validation study, in which the XR measurements are compared with the gold standard (for example Vicon or Optotrak) available at UMCG. Reliability and validity are determined using, among other things, ICC, Bland-Altman plots, correlations and RMSE. Based on this research, UMCG will deliver a report on the validity and reliability of the VerseUS XR exercises as measured by the sensors in the commercial headsets. This provides the basis for further development.
EGG: Hoe een immersieve kunst beleving over transitie doorwerkt in het dagelijks leven van mensen en groepen in een wijk
EGG is a large-scale, sensory, interactive and learning art installation in the shape of an egg that invites encounter and conversation about societal system transitions. The sculpture has a smooth, organic form. Visitors can lean against it, climb on it and move around it freely. They can experience, through their senses, the 'hatching process' of an unknown, fictional creature inside the egg. Using augmented reality (AR) and sensor technology, EGG responds to heat, light and sound. This creates a responsive and partly unpredictable system that prompts spontaneous encounters and conversations among bystanders about transitions in the neighbourhood. In carrying out the project and the research, the Public Values Guideline for Immersive Experiences (CIIIC) is used as a framework for the careful handling of visitors, data and societal impact. Art and performance can have substantial effects on empathy, meaning-making and shifts in perspective (Brown & Novak-Leonard, 2011; Broadhead & Hooper, 2024; Norton, 2015). Knowledge about how such experiences carry over into everyday behaviour, social relationships and neighbourhood-based transition practices (Spaas, 2024; Horvath et al., 2025) is, however, limited. This research addresses the question: how do the installation and its development over time resonate through people and through neighbourhood-based transition processes (Vervoort et al., 2020)? And how can the effects of human-art interaction be understood in terms of values, relationships and community formation (scaling deep), as a basis for a meaningful translation to other contexts (scaling out) (Fraser, 2010 & 2023; Moore et al., 2015)? The research maps experiences, emotions, meanings and possible shifts in thinking and acting, and uses qualitative research to build on the data the installation generates: • EGG as Canvas: visitors leave written, drawn and material traces; • EGG Radio: a participatory platform where young people in particular discuss their experiences; • AR and sensor data: making interactions, attention and patterns of resonance visible.
Responsible Immersive Support for Firefighter Retreat under Unreliable Spatial and Communication Information
Firefighters retreating from a building work under extreme time pressure, poor visibility and high mental load - precisely when positioning and communication can become unreliable. The University of Twente is investigating how immersive systems can make that uncertainty visible and understandable, so that digital cues support decision-making without creating false certainty or placing an extra burden on users.