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HEStaff exchange2023–2027

PLACES · PLAsticity of perception in real and virtual spaCES

Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2023-05-01 → 2027-04-30
EU contribution
€998,200
Participants
13
Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-SE

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

PLAsticity of perception in real and virtual spaCES

Space is the substrate of our lives. The perception of space is the basis for our actions. We learn to act in space and adapt our perception when sensory access to space is altered, for example by injury or degeneration, but also during healthy aging, for example when we develop the need to wear glasses. PLACES investigates how our perceptual space changes with sensorimotor interactions. We study how the representation of space in the brain is calibrated by eye, arm and body movements and use virtual reality (VR) to simulate altered sensory states. We think of VR as both a tool for research and a technology to benefit society in the future. As people will increasingly use VR for work, pleasure and social interactions it is imperative to understand how sensorimotor interactions in VR affect spatial perception in VR and in RR, the Real Reality of actual space. Since perceptual space has been shown to be plastic under sensorimotor interactions, altered sensorimotor contingencies in VR are expected to shape perception in VR and potentially in RR, which might pose problems for long-term VR exposure. We will use VR as a tool to better understand the mechanisms, limitations, and consequences of perceptual plasticity. At the same time, knowledge about perceptual mechanisms and their reliance on sensorimotor contingencies will be essential for the continuing development of VR as a technology. For example, limitations and illusions of self-motion perception have been employed to increase the perceived range of walkable space in VR over the physical space limitations of RR. Consumer grade VR head-mounted displays are now typically equipped with eye trackers to monitor gaze of the user. While this holds enormous potential for future applications, knowledge about the interactions of the oculomotor system with full 3D space perception and with the spatial direction of attention is required to fully exploit this potential. The proposed work in the present application is characterised by a deep link between real and virtual spaces, which we call the RR/VR cycle. We will use this link to study the control of eye-, arm- and self-motion in the brain on the perceptual and physiological level, to study perceptual plasticity in VR and RR based on novel sensorimotor contingencies that can only be introduced in VR, and to advance technological use of VR for social interaction and for simulation processes in the development of RR vision aids.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Space is fundamental to physical and perceptual reality, but physical and perceptual space are not the same. Perceptual space is created by the brain and plastically formed by the sensorimotor interactions of our body with physical reality. In the digital future, these two spaces are joined by novel spaces experienced in virtual (VR) and extended (XR) reality as these new technologies massively expand in work, pleasure and social interaction. The first aim of PLACES is to understand how sensorimotor interactions in virtual environments shape perceptual space and how this interacts with virtual (VS) and real (RS) space. Secondly, deep and improved knowledge of perceptual mechanisms is essential for the future development of VR as a key digital technology for Europe. To work for the people, VR and XR need to be effective, comfortable, transparent and fair. These aims can only be reached by understanding and accounting for perception in a human-centric manner. Based on these premises, the highly interdisciplinary consortium of PLACES pursues five key objectives: to (1) use cutting-edge VR technology to advance scientific knowledge of the mechanisms of sensorimotor perception and plasticity; (2) use our understanding about spatial perception, gaze control and sensorimotor plasticity to advance VR technology and enhance VR applicability; (3) predict action intentions of users in VR and employ these predictions in advanced user interfaces; (4) understand how long-term usage of VR interacts with perceptual and sensorimotor states in real space and in virtual space; and (5) translate research findings into applied fields in vision aids and social telepresence. Reaching these objectives will put the EU on the map as a leader in perception research and its application in VR. PLACES aims for new frontiers in perception science and its applications, and for a significant impact on the people of the EU.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • UNIVERSITAET MUENSTER · MuensterCoordinatorGermany
  • ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA · BolognaItaly
  • CARL ZEISS VISION INTERNATIONAL GMBH · AalenGermany
  • HOCHSCHULE FUR ANGEWANDTE WISSENSCHAFTEN HAMBURG · HamburgGermany
  • MONASH UNIVERSITY · VictoriaAustralia
  • PHILIPPS UNIVERSITAET MARBURG · MarburgGermany
  • ROYAL HOLLOWAY AND BEDFORD NEW COLLEGE · EGHAMUnited Kingdom
  • Simon Fraser University · BurnabyCanada
  • UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY · ChristchurchNew Zealand
  • UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA · OrlandoUnited States
  • UNIVERSITY OF HAMBURG · HamburgGermany
  • UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · ROCHESTER NYUnited States
  • WESTERN SYDNEY UNVERSITY · WERRINGTON NSWAustralia

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union