Virtual Human + Tangible Interface = Mixed Reality Human An Initial Exploration with a Virtual Breast Exam Patient

Virtual human (VH) experiences are receiving increased attention for training real-world interpersonal scenarios. Communication in interpersonal scenarios consists of not only speech and gestures, but also relies heavily on haptic interaction – interpersonal touch. By adding haptic interaction to VH experiences, the bandwidth of human-VH communication can be increased to approach that of human-human communication. To afford haptic interaction, a new species of embodied agent is proposed – mixed reality humans (MRHs). A MRH is a virtual human embodied by a tangible interface that shares the same registered space. The tangible interface affords the haptic interaction that is critical to effective simulation of interpersonal scenarios. We applied MRHs to simulate a virtual patient requiring a breast cancer screening (medical interview and physical exam). The design of the MRH patient is presented. This paper also presents the results of a pilot study in which eight (n = 8) physician-...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2008
• Where: VR
• Authors: Aaron Kotranza, Benjamin Lok
• Keywords: Haptic Interaction, Interpersonal Scenarios, MRH Patient, Virtual Reality, VR 2008