Xinrong Hu, Kaifan Yang, Ruiqi Luo, Tao Peng, Junping Liu
{"title":"Learning monocular face reconstruction from in the wild images using rotation cycle consistency","authors":"Xinrong Hu, Kaifan Yang, Ruiqi Luo, Tao Peng, Junping Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.vrih.2022.08.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vrih.2022.08.014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the popularity of the digital human body, monocular three-dimensional (3D) face reconstruction is widely used in fields such as animation and face recognition. Although current methods trained using single-view image sets perform well in monocular 3D face reconstruction tasks, they tend to rely on the constraints of the a priori model or the appearance conditions of the input images, fundamentally because of the inability to propose an effective method to reduce the effects of two-dimensional (2D) ambiguity. To solve this problem, we developed an unsupervised training framework for monocular face 3D reconstruction using rotational cycle consistency. Specifically, to learn more accurate facial information, we first used an autoencoder to factor the input images and applied these factors to generate normalized frontal views. We then proceeded through a differentiable renderer to use rotational consistency to continuously perceive refinement. Our method provided implicit multi-view consistency constraints on the pose and depth information estimation of the input face, and the performance was accurate and robust in the presence of large variations in expression and pose. In the benchmark tests, our method performed more stably and realistically than other methods that used 3D face reconstruction in monocular 2D images.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33538,"journal":{"name":"Virtual Reality Intelligent Hardware","volume":"7 4","pages":"Pages 379-392"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144903888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rui Song , Xiaoying Sun , Dangxiao Wang , Guohong Liu , Dongyan Nie
{"title":"Psychological and physiological model of tactile rendering fidelity using combined electro and mechanical vibration","authors":"Rui Song , Xiaoying Sun , Dangxiao Wang , Guohong Liu , Dongyan Nie","doi":"10.1016/j.vrih.2023.10.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vrih.2023.10.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High-fidelity tactile rendering offers significant potential for improving the richness and immersion of touchscreen interactions. This study focuses on a quantitative description of tactile rendering fidelity using a custom-designed hybrid electrovibration and mechanical vibration (HEM) device. An electrovibration and mechanical vibration (EMV) algorithm that renders 3D gratings with different physical heights was proposed and shown to achieve 81% accuracy in shape recognition. Models of tactile rendering fidelity were established based on the evaluation of the height discrimination threshold, and the psychophysical-physical relationships between the discrimination and reference heights were well described by a modification of Weber’s law, with correlation coefficients higher than 0.9. The physiological-physical relationship between the pulse firing rate and the physical stimulation voltage was modeled using the Izhikevich spiking model with a logarithmic relationship.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33538,"journal":{"name":"Virtual Reality Intelligent Hardware","volume":"7 4","pages":"Pages 344-366"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144904024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bidirectional projective sampling for physics-based differentiable rendering","authors":"Ruicheng Gao , Yue Qi","doi":"10.1016/j.vrih.2025.05.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vrih.2025.05.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Physics-based differentiable rendering (PBDR) aims to propagate gradients from scene parameters to image pixels or vice versa. The physically correct gradients obtained can be used in various applications, including inverse rendering and machine learning. Currently, two categories of methods are prevalent in the PBDR community: reparameterization and boundary sampling methods. The state-of-the-art boundary sampling methods rely on a guiding structure to calculate the gradients efficiently. They utilize the rays generated in traditional path-tracing methods and project them onto the object silhouette boundary to initialize the guiding structure.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this study, we propose an augmentation of previous projective-sampling-based boundary-sampling methods in a bidirectional manner. Specifically, we utilize the rays spawned from the sensors and also employ the rays emitted by the emitters to initialize the guiding structure.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>To demonstrate the benefits of our technique, we perform a comparative analysis of differentiable rendering and inverse rendering performance. We utilize a range of synthetic scene examples and evaluate our method against state-of-the-art projective-sampling-based differentiable rendering methods.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The experiments show that our method achieves lower variance gradients in the forward differentiable rendering process and better geometry reconstruction quality in the inverse-rendering results.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33538,"journal":{"name":"Virtual Reality Intelligent Hardware","volume":"7 4","pages":"Pages 367-378"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144903887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Biao Dong , Wenjun Tan , Weichao Chang , Baoting Li , Yanliang Guo , Quanxing Hu , Guangwei Liu
{"title":"Integrating models of real aboveground scene and underground geological structures at an open pit mine","authors":"Biao Dong , Wenjun Tan , Weichao Chang , Baoting Li , Yanliang Guo , Quanxing Hu , Guangwei Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.vrih.2023.08.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vrih.2023.08.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>As information technology has advanced and been popularized, open pit mining has rapidly developed toward integration and digitization. The three-dimensional reconstruction technology has been successfully applied to geological reconstruction and modeling of surface scenes in open pit mines. However, an integrated modeling method for surface and underground mine sites has not been reported.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this study, we propose an integrated modeling method for open pit mines that fuses a real scene on the surface with an underground geological model. Based on oblique photography, a real-scene model was established on the surface. Based on the surface-stitching method proposed, the upper and lower surfaces and sides of the model were constructed in stages to construct a complete underground three-dimensional geological model, and the aboveground and underground models were registered together to build an integrated open pit mine model.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The oblique photography method used reconstructed a surface model of an open pit mine using a real scene. The surface-stitching algorithm proposed was compared with the ball-pivoting and Poisson algorithms, and the integrity of the reconstructed model was markedly superior to that of the other two reconstruction methods. In addition, the surface-stitching algorithm was applied to the reconstruction of different formation models and showed good stability and reconstruction efficiency. Finally, the aboveground and underground models were accurately fitted after registration to form an integrated model.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The proposed method can efficiently establish an integrated open pit model. Based on the integrated model, an open pit auxiliary planning system was designed and realized. It supports the functions of mining planning and output calculation, assists users in mining planning and operation management, and improves production efficiency and management levels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33538,"journal":{"name":"Virtual Reality Intelligent Hardware","volume":"7 4","pages":"Pages 406-420"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144903890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Human-robot collaboration integrated with virtual reality in construction and manufacturing industries: A systematic review","authors":"Ehsan Shourangiz, Fatemeh Ghafari, Chao Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.vrih.2024.08.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vrih.2024.08.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The integration of Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) into Virtual Reality (VR) technology is transforming industries by enhancing workforce skills, improving safety, and optimizing operational processes and efficiency through realistic simulations of industry-specific scenarios. Despite the growing adoption of VR integrated with HRC, comprehensive reviews of current research in HRC-VR within the construction and manufacturing fields are lacking. This review examines the latest advances in designing and implementing HRC using VR technology in these industries. The aim is to address the application domains of HRC-VR, types of robots used, VR setups, and software solutions used. To achieve this, a systematic literature review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses methodology was conducted on the Web of Science and Google Scholar databases, analyzing 383 articles and selecting 53 papers that met the established selection criteria. The findings emphasize a significant focus on enhancing human-robot interaction with a trend toward using immersive VR experiences and interactive 3D content creation tools. However, the integration of HRC with VR, especially in the dynamic construction environment, presents unique challenges and opportunities for future research, including developing more realistic simulations and adaptable robot systems. This paper offers insights for researchers, practitioners, educators, industry professionals, and policymakers interested in leveraging the integration of HRC with VR in construction and manufacturing industries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33538,"journal":{"name":"Virtual Reality Intelligent Hardware","volume":"7 4","pages":"Pages 317-343"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144903886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Erwan Leria, Markku Makitalo, Julius Ikkala, Pekka Jääskeläinen
{"title":"Dynamic load balancing for real-time multiview path tracing on multi-GPU architectures","authors":"Erwan Leria, Markku Makitalo, Julius Ikkala, Pekka Jääskeläinen","doi":"10.1016/j.vrih.2022.08.013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vrih.2022.08.013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stereoscopic and multiview rendering are used for virtual reality and the synthetic generation of light fields from three-dimensional scenes. Because rendering multiple views using ray tracing techniques is computationally expensive, the utilization of multiprocessor machines is necessary to achieve real-time frame rates. In this study, we propose a dynamic load-balancing algorithm for real-time multiview path tracing on multi-compute device platforms. The proposed algorithm was adapted to heterogeneous hardware combinations and dynamic scenes in real time. We show that on a heterogeneous dual-GPU platform, our implementation reduces the rendering time by an average of approximately 30%–50% compared with that of a uniform workload distribution, depending on the scene and number of views.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33538,"journal":{"name":"Virtual Reality Intelligent Hardware","volume":"7 4","pages":"Pages 393-405"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144903889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alberto CANNAVÒ, Giorgio ARRIGO, Alessandro VISCONTI, Federico De LORENZIS, Fabrizio LAMBERTI
{"title":"Designing social immersive virtual environments for the Metaverse: The case study of MetaLibrary","authors":"Alberto CANNAVÒ, Giorgio ARRIGO, Alessandro VISCONTI, Federico De LORENZIS, Fabrizio LAMBERTI","doi":"10.1016/j.vrih.2025.04.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vrih.2025.04.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Over the last few years, the rapid advancement of technology has led to the development of many approaches to digitalization. In this respect, metaverse provides 3D persistent virtual environments that can be used to access digital content, meet virtually, and perform several professional and leisure tasks. Among the numerous technologies supporting the metaverse, immersive Virtual Reality (VR) plays a primary role and offers highly interactive social experiences. Despite growing interest in this area, there are no clear design guidelines for creating environments tailored to the metaverse.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study seeks to advance research in this area by moving from state-of-the-art studies on the design of immersive virtual environments in the context of metaverse and proposing how to integrate cutting-edge technologies within this context. Specifically, the best practices were identified by i) analyzing literature studies focused on human behavior in immersive virtual environments, ii) extracting common features of existing social VR platforms, and iii) conducting interviews with experts in a specific application domain. Specifically, this study considered the creation of a new virtual environment for MetaLibrary, a VR-based social platform aimed at integrating public libraries into metaverse. Several implementation challenges and additional requirements have been identified for the development of virtual environments (VEs). These elements were considered in the selection of specific cutting-edge technologies and their integration into the development process. A user study was also conducted to investigate some design aspects (namely lighting conditions and richness of the scene layout) for which deriving clear indications from the above analysis was not possible because different alternative configurations could be chosen.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The work reported in this paper seeks to bridge the gap between existing VR platforms and related literature in the field, on the one hand, and requirements regarding immersive virtual environments for the metaverse, on the other hand, by reporting a set of best practices which were used to build a social virtual environment that meets users' expectations and needs.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Results suggest that carefully designed virtual environments can positively affect user experience and interaction within metaverse. The insights gained from this study offer valuable cues for developing immersive virtual environments for the metaverse to deliver more effective and engaging experiences.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33538,"journal":{"name":"Virtual Reality Intelligent Hardware","volume":"7 3","pages":"Pages 279-298"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Optimal load frequency control system for two-area connected via AC/DC link using cuckoo search algorithm","authors":"Gaber EL-SAADY , Alexey MIKHAYLOV , Nora BARANYAI , Mahrous AHMED , Mahmoud HEMEIDA","doi":"10.1016/j.vrih.2025.03.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vrih.2025.03.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Interconnection of different power systems has a major effect on system stability. This study aims to design an optimal load frequency control (LFC) system based on a proportional-integral (PI) controller for a two-area power system.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Two areas were connected through an AC tie line in parallel with a DC link to stabilize the frequency of oscillations in both areas. The PI parameters were tuned using the cuckoo search algorithm (CSA) to minimize the integral absolute error (IAE). A state matrix was provided, and the stability of the system was verified by calculating the eigenvalues. The frequency response was investigated for load variation, changes in the generator rate constraint, the turbine time constant, and the governor time constant.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The CSA was compared with particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO) under identical conditions. The system was modeled based on a state-space mathematical representation and simulated using MATLAB. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed controller based on both algorithms and, it is clear that CSA is superior to PSO.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The CSA algorithm smoothens the system response, reduces ripples, decreases overshooting and settling time, and improves the overall system performance under different disturbances.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33538,"journal":{"name":"Virtual Reality Intelligent Hardware","volume":"7 3","pages":"Pages 299-316"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gonzalo ARIAS-ÁLVAREZ , Carla GUZMÁN-PINCHEIRA , Diego GONZÁLEZ-GONZÁLEZ , Waldo OSORIO-TORRES , Daniel PECOS-MARTÍN , José GÓMEZ-PULIDO , Claudio CARVAJAL-PARODI
{"title":"Effects of immersive virtual reality-based exercise on quality of life, stress, anxiety, depression, and handgrip strength in fibromyalgia: A pilot study","authors":"Gonzalo ARIAS-ÁLVAREZ , Carla GUZMÁN-PINCHEIRA , Diego GONZÁLEZ-GONZÁLEZ , Waldo OSORIO-TORRES , Daniel PECOS-MARTÍN , José GÓMEZ-PULIDO , Claudio CARVAJAL-PARODI","doi":"10.1016/j.vrih.2025.03.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vrih.2025.03.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic rheumatic disorder characterised by musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and psychoemotional symptoms. Virtual reality (VR) has proven to be an innovative and motivating tool for managing FM, with several studies indicating that it can improve quality of life indices and reduce psychoemotional symptoms. However, studies on immersive VR-based exercise (iVRE) are limited.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of iVRE on quality of life, stress, anxiety, depression, and handgrip strength in patients with FM. A single-arm pre-post-test pilot study was conducted. Individuals diagnosed with FM were recruited using convenience sampling. The iVRE protocol consisted of 12 sessions of 10 min warm-up and 15 min exercises applied with the Oculus Quest 2<sup>TM</sup> device. The impact on quality of life was assessed using the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, and the effects on stress, anxiety, and depression were determined using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 questionnaire. Handgrip strength was evaluated using the Baseline® dynamometer. The normality assumption was evaluated, and the pre-post means were compared using Student's <em>t</em>-test (<em>p</em> < 0.05).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Eleven individuals (40.6 ± 11.2 years) completed the protocol (10 women). There were significant differences in favour of iVRE in quality of life impact (<em>p</em> < 0.001, Cohen's <em>d</em>: 1.48), handgrip strength (<em>p</em> < 0.05, Cohen's <em>d</em>: 0.26), depression (<em>p</em> < 0.05, Cohen's <em>d</em>: 0.73), and anxiety (<em>p</em> < 0.05, Cohen's <em>d</em>: 0.73).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>A six-week iVRE program significantly reduces the impact on quality of life, anxiety, and depression and improves handgrip strength in people with FM. Future studies should investigate the physiological effects using systemic biomarkers to explain the scope of this therapeutic modality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33538,"journal":{"name":"Virtual Reality Intelligent Hardware","volume":"7 3","pages":"Pages 267-278"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A new human-computer interaction paradigm: Agent interaction model based on large models and its prospects","authors":"Yang LIU","doi":"10.1016/j.vrih.2025.04.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vrih.2025.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the advent of agent interaction (AIx) as a transformative paradigm in human-computer interaction (HCI), signifying a notable evolution beyond traditional graphical interfaces and touchscreen interactions. Within the context of large models, AIx is characterized by its innovative interaction patterns and a plethora of application scenarios that hold great potential. The paper highlights the pivotal role of AIx in shaping the future landscape of the large model industry, emphasizing its adoption and necessity from a user's perspective. This study underscores the pivotal role of AIx in dictating the future trajectory of a large model industry by emphasizing the importance of its adoption and necessity from a user-centric perspective. The fundamental drivers of AIx include the introduction of novel capabilities, replication of capabilities (both anthropomorphic and superhuman), migration of capabilities, aggregation of intelligence, and multiplication of capabilities. These elements are essential for propelling innovation, expanding the frontiers of capability, and realizing the exponential superposition of capabilities, thereby mitigating labor redundancy and addressing a spectrum of human needs. Furthermore, this study provides an in-depth analysis of the structural components and operational mechanisms of agents supported by large models. Such advancements significantly enhance the capacity of agents to tackle complex problems and provide intelligent services, thereby facilitating a more intuitive, adaptive, and personalized engagement between humans and machines. The study further delineates four principal categories of interaction patterns that encompass eight distinct modalities of interaction, corresponding to twenty-one specific scenarios, including applications in smart home systems, health assistance, and elderly care. This emphasizes the significance of this new paradigm in advancing HCI, fostering technological advancements, and redefining user experiences. However, it also acknowledges the challenges and ethical considerations that accompany this paradigm shift, recognizing the need for a balanced approach to harness the full potential of AIx in modern society.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33538,"journal":{"name":"Virtual Reality Intelligent Hardware","volume":"7 3","pages":"Pages 237-266"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}