Virtual reality and telexistence

Summary form only given. Virtual reality (VR) captures the essence of reality and is effectively real. VR can provide a basis for technology that enables humans to experience events and to act in a computer-synthesized environment as if they were in a real environment, while augmented reality (AR) seamlessly integrates virtual environments into real environments to enhance the real world. Telexistence is a concept that frees humans from the restrictions of time and space, thereby allowing them to exist virtually in remote locations, as well as to interact with remote environments that may be real, computer-synthesized, or a combination of both. This keynote reviews recent advancements in VR, AR, and telexistence with a special emphasis on retroreflective projection technology (RPT), such as optical camouflage and Repro3D, a mutual telexistence system called TELESAR IV, TELESAR V for achieving haptic telexistence, and a telexistence wide-angle immersive stereoscope (TWISTER) with a fullcolor autostereoscopic display and a 360-degree field of view. Social interactions have always been an important part of human learning and experience. We now know that social interactions are critical in many knowledge and information processes. Research has shown results ranging from influences on our behavior from social networks [Aral2012] to our understanding of social belonging on health [Walton2011], as well as how conflicts and coordination play out in Wikipedia [Kittur2007]. Interestingly, social scientists have studied social interactions for many years, but it wasn´t until very recently that researchers are able to study these mechanisms through the explosion of services and data available on web-based social systems.