Extended VR: Exploring the Integration of VR Experiences and Real-world Engagement

Xiaoji Zheng, Shaojun Sun, Ying Cao, Jiatong Li, Ding Ding, Zhuying Li

Abstract: In recent years, virtual reality (VR) has become increasingly popular for its affordances in providing interactive and immersive simulated environments. However, with Head-Mounted Displays (HMD), VR is often isolated from reality, which might hinder interactions with the real world. In this paper, we explore whether the combination of VR and ubiquitous computing can help overcome this limitation. We call this paradigm Extended VR. To exemplify the paradigm, we present ReViveLand, a VR system for enhancing real-world engagement where we personalize the VR environment based on the pervasive collection and analysis of users’ daily health and behavioral data. With ReViveLand, we hope to extend VR experiences to the physical world and also empower users’ real-world engagement to benefit their mental health. Ultimately, we hope our work could inspire HCI researchers to further consider how a combination of virtual reality and ubiquitous computing might expand the current interactive experiences.