MetaDragonBoat: Exploring Paddling Techniques of Virtual Dragon Boating in a Metaverse Campus

Wei He, Xiang Li, Shengtian Xu, Yuzheng Chen, SIO CHAN IN DEVIN, Ge lin, LIK-HANG LEE

Abstract: The preservation of cultural heritage, as mandated by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is integral to sustainable urban development. This paper focuses on the Dragon Boat Festival, a prominent event in Chinese cultural heritage, and proposes leveraging immersive technologies, particularly Virtual Reality (VR), to enhance its preservation and accessibility. Traditionally, participation in the festival's dragon boat races was limited to elite athletes, excluding broader demographics. Our proposed solution, named MetaDragonBoat, enables virtual participation in dragon boat racing, offering immersive experiences that replicate physical exertion through a cultural journey. Thus, we build a digital twin of a university campus located in a region with a rich dragon boat racing tradition. Coupled with three paddling techniques that are enabled by either commercial controllers or physical paddle controllers with haptic feedback, diversified users can engage in realistic rowing experiences. Our results demonstrate that by integrating resistance into the paddle controls, users could simulate the physical effort of dragon boat racing, promoting a deeper understanding and appreciation of this cultural heritage.

Primary Subject Area: [Experience] Multimedia Applications

Secondary Subject Area: [Experience] Art and Culture, [Experience] Interactions and Quality of Experience

Relevance To Conference: Our research introduces a novel multimedia system, MetaDragonBoat, that leverages immersive Virtual Reality (VR) technologies to simulate the traditional Chinese dragon boat racing, thus enhancing the preservation and accessibility of this cultural heritage. By integrating realistic paddling techniques with haptic feedback through custom-built hardware controllers, our system allows users to experience the physical exertion similar to actual dragon boat racing. This immersive experience is enriched further by the digital twin of a university campus, situated in a region with a rich dragon boat tradition, offering users an authentic cultural journey. The multimedia elements are designed to replicate the sights, sounds, and physical feel of dragon boating, engaging users in a multimodal interaction that bridges the physical and digital realms. Our work not only contributes to the field of VR and cultural heritage preservation but also opens up new avenues for research in multimedia applications that demand high fidelity multimodal interaction. The system's ability to offer diversified users realistic rowing experiences through the integration of visual, auditory, and tactile feedback represents a significant advancement in multimedia/multimodal processing, particularly in the context of virtual environments and interfaces for cultural and sports activities.

Submission Number: 2418