Supporting Bi-Directional Collaboration with Unmodified Immersive Applications Using AccompliceVR

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Virtual Reality Systems
• Collaborative Technologies

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) applications are increasingly popular, necessitating spectator interaction.
• Existing VR streaming systems primarily support remote spectating but lack collaborative features.
• There is a need for systems allowing spectators to actively assist or explore within VR alongside players.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce AccompliceVR (AVR), a novel system for streaming and remote collaboration in VR.
• To enable spectators to interact within VR applications alongside players.
• To enhance the remote spectating experience through avatar representation and pseudo-panoramic views.

Main Methods:

• AVR utilizes OpenVR functionality to overlay spectator avatars into VR player views.
• The system reconstructs a pseudo-panoramic view by stitching video frames for enhanced spectator exploration.
• Compatibility was tested with popular VR games, followed by a user study with 30 participants.

Main Results:

• AVR demonstrated compatibility with popular VR games.
• The user study showed significant improvements in communication between pilots and copilots.
• Pilots reported enhanced understanding of instructions provided by their copilot.

Conclusions:

• AccompliceVR (AVR) effectively integrates spectators into VR experiences for collaboration.
• The system enhances communication and mutual understanding in VR environments.
• AVR offers a viable solution for collaborative spectating in virtual reality applications.