RABBOT - Exploring Shared Awareness in Virtual Reality
YIYI SHAO
Project Description
This thesis project explores the possibilities of generating shared awareness in a virtual reality (VR) experience between a head-mounted display (HMD) wearer and other observers in the same physical space by merging wearable technology, augmented reality, asymmetric game design and wireless communications in the Internet of Things (IoT). The final outcome of this thesis project, RABBOT, features a modified VR head-mounted display and three-player asymmetric mobile game experiences with an embedded communication system to create opportunities for shared awareness amongst players. In the game, the participating observers can play cooperatively as Scientists against the HMD wearer who is playing the Rabbot. Overall this thesis project argues that an engaging VR experience should not focus exclusively on the HMD wearer but also include other audiences to address and engage the relationships and interactions between them.
BIO
Yiyi Shao is a maker, programmer and designer with two Bachelor degrees in Design and Digital Arts, and is a candidate for a Master’s in Digital Futures at OCAD University. Her initial forte was in fine arts and graphic design, however, she ventured into interactive and digital arts during her stint as a student in the United Kingdom. Her current research interests cover areas of wearable technology, Internet of Things (IoT) and game design to improve shared awareness in mixed reality experiences. A bubbly and amiable character, she loves spending time with her Airedale terrier, building aquarium landscapes and turning her apartment into a forest.