It's Nifty but Is It Useful: Exploring the World With Mixed Reality

• In Event: 25.060 - It's Nifty, but Is It Useful? Exploring the Real World With Mixed Reality

Abstract

This demonstration will use video and live demonstration to show the potential of the Microsoft Hololens in a learning environment

As familiarity with virtual, augmented, and mixed reality environments increases, educators hoping to facilitate multi-modal narratives through experience with emerging technologies may wish to explore potential uses for virtual or mixed reality devices. This session will demonstrate one such device, , the Microsoft Hololens, to highlight potential applications of mixed reality in areas of accessibility, education and training, and research.

The goal of mixed reality is the seamless merging of a virtual world with the user’s perceived real world (L. Guan, 2016). This enhanced view of the physical world brings proven or potential benefits in a variety of domains. Virtual objects in mixed reality are intended to reflect actual placement in the real world; objects may be anchored to a real world object, remaining in place regardless of the user’s presence.The Microsoft Hololens is potentially a resource for enhancing access to the physical world (Stearns, DeSouza, Yin, Findlater, & Froehlich, 2017). Opportunities for the magnification and flexible placement of visual information in Hololens applications provide assistance for people with visual impairment (Stearns et al., 2017). Psychological issues such as phobias may be overcome through the use of mixed reality exposure therapy (Coppens, 2017), and the optical transparent display may lend itself to use in surgery (Qian et al., 2017). Mixed reality experienced via the Microsoft Hololens can overlay instructions onto objects or physical scenarios involving assembly tasks, providing options other than physically printed manuals. Holographic images can be used to augment perception of roads or buildings by representing pipes, wiring, or other subsurface information (Coppens, 2017). Instruction presented in multiple formats can lead to more meaningful learning than that presented in a single format (Mayer, 2002), suggesting potential benefits of the Microsoft Hololens in education and training. The three dimensional visualization environment can assist in the understanding of data, particularly spatial data as found in healthcare, science, and engineering.(Camba, Soler, & Contero, 2017). The synchronization of actions implemented with results seen in mixed reality provides feedback to the user that contributes to a strong sense of presence, creating novel training and learning opportunities (Gordon & Brayshaw, 2017; Qian et al., 2017). Medical students using AR applications to learn anatomy had higher academic achievement and reported lower cognitive load (Baumeister et al., 2017). Users can be immersed in realistic virtual environments, facilitating training and education for instances in which necessary real world training is risky or expensive (Coppens, 2017; Gordon & Brayshaw, 2017). Learning content can be embedded through mixed reality within the real world, enabling gateway features to facilitate flexibility and personalization of learning experiences. Researchers are also exploring ways through which mixed reality might be employed for personal expression

Authors

• Kathy Essmiller, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater

• Penny Marie Thompson, Oklahoma State University

• Tutaleni I. Asino, Oklahoma State University