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Uploaded byJacki Morie
Morie smart lab2011
The document discusses the "Coming Home" virtual world project in Second Life that aims to provide mental health services and support to veterans. Some key aspects summarized: - The project creates a specialized space in Second Life for veterans to connect socially and access relaxation and healing resources through their avatars. - Specific activities offered include Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction classes, a virtual jogging path to relax the mind, and a Warrior's Journey storytelling experience. - Evaluations found veterans easily used and understood the activities, and ongoing work includes improving the experience, collecting more user data, and involving social work students and organizations.
Morie smart lab2011
- 1. The BAC…. MyPhD writing process
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- 6. Virtual Humans andAvatars Who’s Who? Jacquelyn Ford Morie The projects or efforts depicted were or are sponsored by the U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM) Simulation Training and Technology Center (STTC). The content or information presented does not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred. Immersion Virtual Humans Games-Simulation Narrative-Storytelling
- 7. Agenda ICT’s VirtualHumans Virtual Worlds // Virtual Reality Avatars in VWs “ Coming Home” in the VW – Activities: MBSR Running Path Warriors’ Journey Virtual Humans in VWs The Iraqi Village checkpoint Exercise Future work Collaborations & Acknowledgements
- 8. ICT makes VirtualHumans
- 9. Marketing Training ResearchVirtual Humans Clinical Diagnosis ICT’s Virtual Humans Portfolio Support Dr. Perez SASO-ST, SASO-EN Elder-Al-Hassan SASO-EN C3IT Cultural training ELECT Bi-Lat Hassan Emotional Dialog Modeling Raed Tactical Questioning Sgt. Star Sgt. Blackwell Radiobots JFETS Training Rapport Agent Study Justina Virtual Patient Gunslinger Justin Virtual Patient Museum Guide & Coach Veterans Center SimCoach
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- 11. The Rise ofVirtual Worlds 1 in 8 people now use virtual worlds
- 12. Virtual Worlds VWs(vs. Virtual Environments or VR) are rich, networked, persistent, 3D, interactive worlds, which participants inhabit by means of an avatar (self-representation), who interacts with the world, its contents and others. VWs are primarily social This facilitates and encourages communication, social activities & group connections.
- 13. Avatars A keyattractor for people People identify strongly with their avatars And spend a lot of time personalizing them. It is the self they perform/let the (virtual) world see “ I am my avatar and my avatar is me .” Other social networks do NOT provide this means for embodied self-expression.
- 14. The “Coming Home”Project 300,000+ veterans in need , yet only 1 in 3 seeks mental health services (RAND 2008) Why? Access/Location Stigma Not knowing they need help 6 months until issues manifest Not completing treatment Virtual Worlds can address these issues. Easily accessible Anonymity & peer to peer support Traditional health activities with innovative methods
- 15. “ Coming Home”approach Create a specialized space in Second Life for Social connections, relaxation Resources for healing & transition Specific therapeutic offerings Best platform because: Users do not have to pay for an account to use the space We can create the content. We can write code to extend the functionality of the world Social aspect enhances peer-to-peer support
- 16. The Veterans Centeron Chicoma Island (4 sims) Chicoma Lodge (social) Chicoma Exchange (resources) Special activities (engagement) Areas for group sessions (MBSR)
- 17. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction(MBSR) Adapted for the online environment 2 expert facilitators Guided meditation & awareness Completed first class (8 sessions) with 8-10 participants
- 18. The Proteus EffectVirtual Human Interaction Lab vhil.stanford.edu/ Fox & Bailenson (2009) Virtual self-modeling: The effects of vicarious reinforcement and identification on exercise behaviors , Media Psychology , 12(1) Yee, Bailenson & Ducheneaut (2009) The Proteus Effect: Implications of transformed digital self-representation on online and offline behavior. Communication Research , 36 (2).
- 19. Virtual Jogging PathControlling one’s avatar via regular breathing Implementing this activity was non-trivial & required an innovative solution. Needs only standard microphone. Uses SL functions & a HUD. HUD functions show person’s sound levels as a rising/falling green bar. User matches this bar to a target red bar. As they do, their avatar runs along a predefined course.
- 20. TOPSS Virtual Humansin Second Life Ongoing issue: Many people have a confusing 1 st experience and never return. A friend or guide avatar helping can make the difference. Intelligent agent-avatars can Be 24/7 guides Make the world more interesting Collect data to see how people use the space Serve a wide range of other purposes Challenge to implement within an open persistent environment
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- 22. Warriors’ Journey VirtualHuman Storytower experience contains classic warrior (hero) journey stories Why story Power of story How it can help.
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- 24. Continuing Work forSL Virtual Humans Collecting logs and adding to the knowledge base Additional Warrior’s Journey story – Samurai Warrior
- 25. Warrior’s Journey pilotusability study completed 18 participants, non-military. All found it easy to use, navigate, understand the story & talk to the warrior. Testing with veterans next. 2. Voice recognition within the SL Virtual World First basic tests with a general voice model successful. Need speech model to match subject domain Working on more robust SL integration. Continuing Work for SL Virtual Humans
- 26. Future Work forSL Virtual Humans Create storytelling agent to assist veterans in authoring their own Warrior’s Journey story “ Wounded people may be cared for, but as storytellers, they care for others. Their injuries become the source of the potency of their stories.” … (Arthur Frank, 1997)
- 27. Advisors and CollaborationsSL veterans’ group Dr. Rick Satava, Professor of Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle Dr. Skip Rizzo, Associate Director for Health Research, USC-ICT Dr. Valerie Rice, PhD, CPE, OTR-L COL (R) Chief, ARL HRED AMEDD Field Element Ft. Sam Houston Dr. Steve Hickman, Psy.D. Asst. Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UC San Diego Mindfulness Center Allan Goldstein, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Session Leader Richard Dillon, Senior VP, Preferred Family Health Care Collen Crary/Anya Ibor, Fearless Nation PTSD Support Organization: http://www.fearless-nation.org Dr. Jose Coll, USC School of Military Social Work (grad students will do some social work in SL) Ft. Hood Resiliency Center Shelly Young, M.A., LPC, CAC III Shinzen Young, MBSR Expert, Author of Break Through Pain: A Step-by-Step Mindfulness Meditation Program for Transforming Chronic and Acute Pain
Editor's Notes
- #9 Key research area – for negotiations, for cultural awareness, for museum guides. Ada and Grace will be twin guides at the BMOS The Army even has a virtual spokesperson we made for them called SGT Star. He travels around in mobile Army vans. He can answer all your questions about the Army.
- #10 In fact ICT has a full and ever growing portfolio of virtual humans. They are still pretty much single focus, as it is much simpler to make them smart in a limited domain of knowledge. But some even have emotions or can try to make you trust them.
- #12 KZero, a Cambridge-based consultancy, says that there are 175 virtual worlds that are live or in live beta and that theAVERAGE AGE of the registered users to them has risen from 880 million in the fourth quarter of 2009 to 1.1 billion today, a 25% increase within six months in the middle of a recession. About a quarter of a billion people spend time every week inside some kind of virtual world (like World of Warcraft, or Second Life, or IMVU). Rohan Freeman, CEO of a company that makes its own VW If we don’t leverage this, we are missing a huge opportunity.
- #14 A key attractor for people using VWs. Let people IN the Virtual World see. Just like we take on different social roles in real life, we do this through our avatars in the VW. Other social networks, like Facebook, and LinkedIn
- #15 Disproportionate # of troops come from RURAL areas. VFW Hall of the 21 st Century. When we 1 st had this idea, I had been in virtual worlds for some years, and SL specifically since early 2005. I searched to see if military groups we in SL… and I found a fledgling veterans’ group. U.S. Military Veterans Center in Second Life Gwill Brickworks was one of the founders, and we had several talks about our ideas.
- #16 So this makes it an excellent research tool.
- #17 The environment in which people act is very important IN the veterans center, we have a social lodge that can be used for parties, playing games or just relaxing. Designed like a warm, inviting ski lodge, with fireplaces, games and beautiful places to relax.
- #18 Inventing how to do this in the VW. Facilitator has control over actions of the avatars…
- #19 We can see promise in how MBSR work in VW can help one’s mental attitude, but what about the body? Research at Stanford shows that VWs , especially one’s use of an avatar, affect the body too. So, we took this research into account when it came to developing activities on Chicoma Island.
- #20 Missed PT, esp running.
- #21 They are most effective if there is a dedicated guide or friend who can talk to visitors and match their interests with activities within the space. So the solution, as we see it, is to see if we can bring ICT’s VH technology into virtual worlds… to be able to have avatars become intelligent Guides and more
- #22 We can also use these VHs to listen for troubling phrases, that might indicate a soldier is at immediate risk, and can contact a live person.
- #25 This story speaks to finding one’s way back from injury
- #26 After experiencing these stories, participants are then encouraged to construct their own story within the “Coming Home” virtual environment. It is hoped that such activities may help contribute to a more positive sense of self-esteem, a restructured life narrative, and a feeling of control over the stresses incurred during their service to their country.
- #27 After experiencing these stories, participants are then encouraged to construct their own story within the “Coming Home” virtual environment. It is hoped that such activities may help contribute to a more positive sense of self-esteem, a restructured life narrative, and a feeling of control over the stresses incurred during their service to their country.