How TMU researchers are leveraging VR technology

Virtual reality (VR) offers immersive experiences that can transport you to amazing sites, both real and imagined, from the comfort of your home. Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) researchers are exploring innovative ways to leverage this and augmented reality technologies, from training scenarios to health applications to tourism marketing.  

Police training to improve mental health crisis response

Immersive scenario training delivered via virtual reality is being used to improve police officer response to mental health crisis calls. Professor Natalie Álvarez of The Creative School is the principal investigator on a collaborative project that has developed this scenario training, including a virtual reality-based curriculum, to deliver a standardized experience for police departments across Ontario. 

Therapeutic applications of VR 

Adaptive video games used to reduce stress in children before undergoing complex medical procedures, such as surgery, are the subject of a collaboration between engineering professor Naimul Khan and the entertainment company Shaftesbury. Professor Khan has published multiple recent papers on machine learning models developed to monitor a player’s stress and emotions through assessing physiological signals such as heart rate to support this research. 

The immigrant experience

Viewers can experience a creative exploration of an immigrant’s journey through an augmented reality app created by Parnia Shahab (external link, opens in new window)  as part of the Under the Tent project. This project, led by professor and Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration Anna Triandafyllidou and research fellow and filmmaker Cyrus Sundar Singh, brought together graduate students from across Canada to explore issues of multiculturalism through multimedia presentations. 

Tourism marketing in VR

According to researchers, dynamic virtual reality content, such as first-person point-of-view experiences, can be more effective than other media for tourism marketing. Ted Rogers School of Management professors Tom Griffin, Seung Hwan (Mark) Lee and Frédéric Dimanche noted in a recent journal paper (external link, opens in new window)  that “active” VR content outperformed other marketing materials and more “passive” VR content was not as beneficial. 

Try before you book with virtual reality 

The use of virtual reality for tourism will become far more accessible – and more widely adopted – as prices of the technology drop, Ted Rogers School of Management professor Frédéric Dimanche recently told The Island Packet (external link, opens in new window) , a community newspaper in the U.S. According to Dimanche, it’s likely tourist resorts, destinations or cruise lines will develop videos that consumers can use to explore what the experience will be like before booking their trip. 

Explaining the metaverse

Virtual reality is a key part of the metaverse, The Creative School journalism professor Adrian Ma wrote for The Conversation (external link, opens in new window) , but access is not limited to those with headsets. Professor Ma explains the opportunities and applications of the metaverse and how augmented reality experiences may enhance accessibility to this growing area.