The XR Research Digest

Do head-mounted displays always enhance immersion? Researchers tested 126 participants and found opposing effects: HMDs increased telepresence and interaction but also cybersickness and discomfort, suggesting these effects counterbalance each other.

doi.org/10.17705/1th...

Does VR enhance advertising engagement? Five studies examined 360° video with varied product types. VR's immersive nature offset engagement declines from incongruent product typologies, traditionally seen in 2D displays.

doi.org/10.1002/mar....

What is the best way to make educational VR adaptive? New research integrated adaptive AI in a Java programming VR game whilst also using Flow Theory and gamification. Results showed significant improvements in task performance and reduced errors.

doi.org/10.1186/s405...

Does physical walking always reduce VR sickness? New research tests walking effects on visual motion unrelated to the walking itself. Physical walking actually increased VR sickness, possibly due to heightened sensitivity to sensory information.

doi.org/10.1080/1044...

Can VR-induced hypnosis reduce dental anxiety in children? In a single case study, researchers report on an 11-year-old's tooth extraction whilst using HypnoVR. Measurements of brain activity confirmed the hypnotic state before surgery took place.

doi.org/10.1186/s129...

What happens when users leave VR? New research examines lingering side-effects from hand retargeting and spatial mismatches. After returning to reality, participants' hands remained redirected by up to 7cm and confused virtual locations with real ones.

doi.org/10.1145/3746...

Having near‑death experiences in VR might help reduce death anxiety! New research found that completing a VR NDE led to self-reported death anxiety and stress falling across pre- and post-measures (but there was no control group involved).

doi.org/10.3389/frvi...

Can AR improve home yoga practice? Researchers compared 3D life-sized AR yoga instructors with traditional 2D video lessons. AR showed significantly higher empathy, engagement, technology acceptance, and intrinsic motivation scores.

doi.org/10.1007/s100...

Can VR mindfulness improve health? New research has replicated the effects of using Flowborne for six days showing improved breathing patterns and reduced burnout up to one month later.

doi.org/10.1007/s100...

Can VR enhance trauma treatment? Researchers compared VR versus mobile app interventions for COVID-19 PTSD. VR showed greater symptom reductions and improved post-traumatic growth.

doi.org/10.1007/s100...

How do forests affect well-being? Using VR forest environments, researchers found greenness indices, seasonality, and brightness significantly influenced psychological restoration scores.

doi.org/10.1016/j.tf...

Can VR illusions affect our physiology? Researchers shifted participants' perceived body midline by replacing their right hand with a virtual left hand. This caused significant left-hand temperature decreases and altered skin conductance responses.

doi.org/10.1016/j.co...

Can VR foster empathy towards individuals with schizophrenia? Researchers compared desktop versus VR psychosis simulations. VR users showed enhanced empathic concern, cognitive empathy, and affective empathy.

doi.org/10.1080/1044...

Virtual companionship when using VR for pain management: new research suggests social contact increases pain tolerance, when using VR, regardless of whether the companion is known to you or a virtual stranger.

doi.org/10.1093/pm/p...

Can VR improve adaptive skills in high‑functioning autistic youth? New research suggests repeated VR training may lead to higher task success, quicker completion times and better parent‑rated behaviours (n=33).

doi.org/10.3389/fpsy...

Virtual Reality in Awake brain Surgery (VIRAS) stage I: Proof of concept and tolerance validation during scheduled orthopedic surgery Introduction The VIRAS (Virtual Reality in Awake Surgery) project is a two-stage, adaptive study. Its goal is to demonstrate the tolerance of the virtual reality (VR) headset for performing cognitive…

Can VR improve awake brain surgery? New proof‑of‑concept research used a VR headset for intra‑operative monitoring in orthopaedic operations. High tolerance and acceptance were reported.

doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Can eye‑gaze alone reveal identity in Social VR? New research found convolutional neutral networks could identify 95.5% users from their gaze data during a virtual conversation.

doi.org/10.1007/s100...

How do familiarity and knowledge affect virtual agent interactions? New research tested users with familiar professor replicas versus unknown agents in VR, finding familiarity shaped perceived expertise while knowledge levels influenced trust.

doi.org/10.1145/3757...

New open-access VR environment launched for criminology research. The virtual burglary project enables controlled experiments on crime-related behaviour and decision-making.

doi.org/10.1007/s112...

Can VR detect subtle executive dysfunction missed by standard tests in MS patients? New research using virtual supermarket tasks found VR identified impairments during initial testing that traditional assessments missed.

doi.org/10.1016/j.ne...

Do nature backgrounds boost digital meditation benefits? New research tested classroom versus nature settings on VR and computers (n=202), finding nature enhanced mood and well-being regardless of device type.

doi.org/10.1016/j.ch...

Rock on! Can VR create the feeling of being Mark Knopfler? New research embodied participants as the lead singer of Dire Straits. Those with synchronous body movements, compared to asynchronous, showed stronger ownership and displayed more rock star behaviours on stage.

doi.org/10.1016/j.co...

Can VR help people confront their inner critic? New research tested a VR schema therapy exercise where students faced avatars expressing their self-criticism, finding immediate reductions in self-criticism and increased self-compassion (paywall).

doi.org/10.1016/j.jb...

Can VR reminiscence therapy reduce dementia symptoms and caregiver burden? New research tested immersive 360° VR sessions in Taiwanese day care centres, finding sustained symptom improvements lasting 2 months but no long-term effect on caregiver burden.

doi.org/10.2196/73044

Can AI/VR virtual patients match real life simulated patients in nursing education? Research with undergraduate nursing students suggests AI-VR offers judgment-free practice while simulated patients excel in emotional engagement and realism.

doi.org/10.1016/j.ec...

Does removing touch feedback disrupt eye-hand coordination in VR? Research using hand-, motion- and eye-tracking found haptic feedback improved coordination and embodiment, with both measures correlating.

doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Can VR rehab boost motivation and recovery in stroke patients? New research compared virtual reality cognitive training to traditional methods in chronic stroke survivors, finding VR enhanced motivation, cognitive function, and emotional wellbeing.

doi.org/10.1038/s415...

The 29th-ever research roundup is on its way! 📨

There is even a quote from Dickens in it...

Can virtual reality embodiment of disease symptoms promote healthier behaviours? New research found VR macular degeneration simulation enhanced perceived susceptibility and improved health intentions versus PC version.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...