Lifting some of the restrictions related to the epidemic made it possible to launch VAPE laboratory studies. In the Virtual Reality and Psychophysiology LAB (Institute of Psychology of the Polish Academy of Sciences), we started testing the next version of the multisensory virtual environment. This time we dealt with abstract and specific visual representations of air pollution. Preliminary results show that study participants spend much less time in virtual spaces where pollution is represented by negative visual stimuli (compared to places where the increase in pollution is accompanied by a decrease in the intensity of positive stimuli).
The results of our work were presented during an interactive workshop session during the 4th Interdisciplinary Workshop Symposium of Interactive Research Laboratories and Living Labs as part of the HASE environmental research initiative. Workshop participants had the opportunity to test the laboratory application.
Our experience will be used to build a mobile AR application. One of its functions will be the real-time representation of air pollution. Researchers from XR Lab PJAIT presented their concept of this application.