XR Hub 2 October: Safer cycling thanks to bicycle simulator and a virtual dog against dog fear

How can the application of virtual reality contribute to scientific research? During the XR-Hub meeting, scientists will tell about the use of VR in their research. The plenary session will be followed by demos of the discussed projects in the XR-lab.

Location and time

• Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, Muntinggebouw, Snijderszaal M0061, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712 TS, Groningen;
• The meeting starts at 10:30 and lasts until 12:00;
• Language: English.

Register

Send an email to realitycenter rug.nl

Programme

> Welcome and introduction

> Safer cycling through research with a bicycle simulator | Arjan Stuiver, Researcher Traffic Psychology, Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences
Cycling is healthy, sustainable and often very safe. However, the number of accidents involving cyclists has increased significantly. The Traffic Psychology group of the University of Groningen (UG) has developed a bicycle simulator together with the Delft University of Technology to study cycling behaviour in complex or dangerous traffic situations. The bicycle model and the technical realisation were mainly developed by TU Delft, the VR environment in which the research is conducted was realised by the UG.
Special features of the bicycle simulator are the possibilities to quantify behaviour, the adaptability of worlds that are linked to reality and interaction with other traffic by means of traffic models. The presentation will cover the results of the first validation experiments.

> Reducing children's fear of dogs with virtual reality | Hannah Meckling, PhD candidate, Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences
In this project, virtual reality is used to add positive emotions and experiences to exposure therapy. This therapy is a recommended standard treatment for children with dog anxiety. In collaboration with the visualization team of the CIT, a virtual reality application has been developed in which various characteristics of a virtual dog can be adjusted. The aim of the project is to examine whether changing these characteristics enhances exposure and leads to a reduction in fear of dogs.

XR HUB

The CIT's XR Hub regularly organizes meetings for lecturers and researchers at the University of Groningen to share knowledge and experiences on the development and use of Extended Reality applications: augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), virtual reality (VR) and 3D.