|
The Archives
-
07.12.09Getting Psyched About AvatarsThe benefits of immersive environments for psychology will be explored by a new working group, to be launched this coming Wednesday in Second Life. The group, called the Psychology of Immersive Environments Technology Working Group (or PIE.TWG for short) will be responsible for: 1) advancing basic and applied research on the psychology of immersive environments, 2) promoting immersive experiences and programs that are psychologically beneficial, 3) defining best practices for the early identification and assistance of at-risk users of immersive environments and the treatment of individuals currently manifesting symptoms of immersive disorder, and 4) collecting and disseminating scientific and professional information on ...
-
05.26.09Midwifery and Counselling Gain Traction in Virtual Worlds: Media ReportsScoop, an independent news outlet in New Zealand, reports on the introduction of virtual education to Otago Polytechnic’s midwifery programme. First, second and third-year students will visit the government-funded SLENZ island on SL to supplement their real world learning. One of the advantages to this is that it enables students to build their education within their own community, enhancing their connection to the people they may eventually service as midwives. "They are supported by a midwife from their area who provides face-to-face tutoring and support,” said Dr. Deborah Davis, the school's principal lecturer. The students will still travel to the ...
-
03.05.09Balance Disorders Aided by Virtual RehabThe University of Pittsburgh's Department of Otolaryngology has developed a virtual reality grocery store that is helping patients with balance disorders. The grocery store is based in Pitt's Medical Virtual Reality Center, a groundbreaking arena for balance control, which is part of the Raymond E. Jordan Center for Balance Disorders. The center features a "spatially-immersive display setting called the BNAVE (Balance NAVE Automatic Virtual Environment)," which in this case becomes the grocery store. Subjects "stand on a platform that is stationary, moves in response to a person's sway, or moves in a predetermined fashion." Balance disorders can cause dizziness, vertigo, disequilibrium, and ...
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.