Poster Session in an Avatar? A Report on "Virtual Academic Conference 2023"
Conducting a serious poster session while appearing as an anime-like avatar. It is a surreal scene that sounds like a joke, but I believe this is the essence of VR. Collaboration and inspiration are born precisely because we share a space and meet face-to-face! In this article, I will report on the "Virtual Academic Conference 2023," which took place today and was a great success again this year. We also presented our "VR Lifestyle Survey" and received many opinions and comments.
12/10 "Virtual Academic Conference 2023" Poster Session Live Broadcast
We broadcasted the "Virtual Academic Conference 2023" poster session live from the local cluster venue. I wandered around as I pleased, and when I found a poster that caught my interest, I spoke directly with the presenter. I have added chapters to the video, so please take a look at the parts that interest you. The broadcast cameraman was supported by komatsu-san.
Steering Committee Chair Falco-san discusses the highlights of "Virtual Academic Conference 2023": A virtual space optimized for poster sessions
We had Falco-san, the steering committee chair of the Virtual Academic Conference 2023, explain the purpose of the event and the highlights of this year. It seems they pursued what a conference event should be like, specifically in a way that is unique to virtual reality.

What I particularly noticed was the unique hierarchical venue design, which combined many pentagonal spaces. How can appropriate collaboration be created between the presenter and the people gathering around? The virtual world design, which was repeatedly optimized for poster sessions by considering factors like audio distance attenuation, was full of "aha!" moments. The white lines drawn on the floor for flow design were meant to visually represent the space for the poster sessions, which was also impressive.


Purpose of holding the Virtual Academic Conference 2023
The "Virtual Academic Conference" is an initiative to promote value creation in VR spaces from an academic perspective through academic presentations and exchanges in VR spaces. Here, VR space refers to a CG domain that possesses three-dimensional spatiality and allows interaction with others through electronic information and communication. Exchanges in VR spaces, and by extension the cyber world, will become increasingly convenient as technology develops. However, to make that world richer, it is necessary to promote social and economic activities by the people living in that world. To aim for such a world, the Virtual Academic Conference contributes to the realization of the cyber world from an academic standpoint.
*Source: Purpose of holding the Virtual Academic Conference 2023
Hinagiku Kaede-san & Roy Hozuki-san: "Characteristics of Participants in VR Motion Sickness Training Sessions"
From the "VR Motion Sickness Training Session," Hinagiku Kaede-san and Roy Hozuki-san. VR motion sickness is a major barrier standing in the way of increasing the number of VR users. They mentioned that "rotation" might be a major cause of sickness. The story about the ultimate training course where even users who don't usually get VR motion sickness can experience it was shocking lol. It seems you can actually experience it in cluster.



In recent years, many companies have entered the VR industry, making VR experiences more accessible to general users. On the other hand, regardless of whether it is desktop mode or VR mode, VR motion sickness limits users' VR experiences.
Furthermore, since VR motion sickness is accompanied by symptoms such as nausea and malaise, VR experiences often become traumatic. It is said that one in three people has a constitution that causes VR motion sickness, and we consider this a major problem that makes people hesitate to participate in VR experiences.
Therefore, to solve this problem, a training world was created equipped with functions that allow individuals to train their balance function at their own pace. We hold VR motion sickness training sessions every Monday from 23:00, where you can receive guidance from the creators and regular users in this world. This time, we report the results of summarizing the characteristics of situations where VR motion sickness symptoms occur, based on information obtained from participants in these sessions.
*Source: p36-D2: Characteristics of Participants in VR Motion Sickness Training Sessions
Oumudori-san: "An Attempt at Estimating Fear in VR Spaces"
An attempt by Oumudori-san to quantify fear experienced during VR using brain waves. EEG measurement is quite difficult and has various challenges, but clear correlations were actually observed. It was a presentation that sparked various fantasies, such as the possibility of creating communication that transcends reality if a system could be developed to visualize emotions during VR experiences and reflect them on avatars in real-time.



In recent years, attempts have been made to estimate emotions using various biological indicators. If emotion estimation becomes possible, applications such as objectively evaluating impressions of environments and experiences can be expected. Among these, "fear" is considered a necessary emotion for organisms to protect themselves from danger, and it is well known that it induces physiological changes such as the fight-or-flight response. However, what induces fear and to what extent? There are cultural, social, and individual differences. In particular, states such as excessive fear or so-called phobias can cause problems in daily life, and understanding the relationship between stimuli and the presence or degree of fear is considered beneficial not only from an academic perspective but also from the perspective of improving an individual's quality of life. In this study, we attempted to clarify "what" induces "how much" fear by estimating the author's personal "fear" using biological indicators such as brain waves that can be acquired with consumer-grade equipment.
*Source:
p51-D2: An Attempt at Fear Estimation in VR Space
バーチャル学会で恐怖推定の試みについてポスターやってきました!
— おうむどり (@gaming_ohm) December 10, 2023
結構多くの人に聞きに来てもらえてうれしい!
今後アップデートがあったらVRCで適宜進捗報告しますー pic.twitter.com/lb8vF0bmKd
sai-san: "Efficiency Improvement of Vacant House Surveys Using VR Technology and Drones"
A grand attempt by sai-san to reproduce a town in VR space using drones to streamline vacant house surveys. It is wonderful to see the gap where, despite utilizing various technologies, the final check is still done by human eyes in VR. I thought it was a very interesting attempt at human augmentation that combines the best of reality and VR.



In recent years, the increase in vacant houses has become a social problem in Japan, with the number of vacant houses reaching approximately 8.46 million and the vacancy rate reaching 13.6% as of 2018. This increase causes various problems such as collapse, decreased crime prevention, and impact on the landscape. As a countermeasure, the "Act on Special Measures Concerning the Promotion of Vacant House Countermeasures" was enacted, but current vacant house survey methods are inefficient, and problems such as privacy issues and the influence of the surveyor's subjectivity are also issues. This study focuses on improving the efficiency of vacant house surveys using drone and VR (virtual reality) technology as a new method to solve this problem. Based on visible images collected by drones, a high-definition 3D model is created and deployed in VR space. By conducting vacant house surveys in VR space by multiple subjects, we clarify its usefulness and challenges. In the survey results in VR space for 12 subjects, the overall accuracy was 78.8%, and it was found that the time required for the survey could be reduced by approximately 85%.
*Source: p28-D1: Efficiency Improvement of Vacant House Surveys Using VR Technology and Drones
ねむちゃん!#バーチャル学会 pic.twitter.com/TzQfgOFmrN
— sai【うさむらい】 (@sai777777) December 10, 2023
Mizuho Kori-san: "Creation of Mapping Worlds Utilizing Virtual Photo Data on SNS"
An attempt by Mizuho Kori-san to map photo data taken in social VR spaces and uploaded to SNS into a world, turning it into a 3D infographic. I thought it was an interesting presentation, as it seems possible to create various new experiences by combining asynchronicity with VR, where synchronicity is a merit.


In metaverses such as cluster and VRChat, photos can be taken within virtual spaces called worlds. These virtual photos are frequently posted on SNS, and sharing and diffusion are active. However, there are few examples of utilizing such photo data for world production. In this study, we examined the possibilities of world analysis and new experience provision using virtual photo data on SNS. Using the world "Hokkori Park Zoo" published on cluster as a model, we analyzed virtual photos posted on SNS and mapped the shooting locations within the world. Then, we consider applications for popular shooting spots and world expression.
*Source: p45-D1: Creation of Mapping Worlds Utilizing Virtual Photo Data on SNS
発表にお越しいただきました!
— みずほコリ (@mizuhocoli) December 10, 2023
取り上げていただきありがとうございます…!✨
こちらの記事・配信に、ねむさん始めいくつかのポスター発表の様子がまとまっていますので、会場に来られなかった方も雰囲気楽しんでもらえるかも!#バーチャル学会 #cluster https://t.co/YzTHDXkf86
Virtual Bishoujo Nem: "The Reality of Economic Activities in Social VR (VR Lifestyle Survey)"
From the "Social VR Lifestyle Survey 2023" released the other day, we introduced data regarding economic activities. As the creator economy expands in the future, what will happen to the metaverse? We received many questions and opinions.




Clarifying the reality of economic activities within Social VR, which is rapidly expanding due to population growth, through a large-scale questionnaire survey targeting Social VR residents.
*Source: p19-D3: The Reality of Economic Activity in Social VR (Social VR Lifestyle Survey 2023)
#バーチャル学会
— ミラ🌺🦇バーチャルカルチャー研究者 (@BredikhinaL) December 10, 2023
発表中 #cluster #バーチャル学会https://t.co/Z7t6RUiHXo pic.twitter.com/TFCn2Et1pw
Amaneko: "How to Liven Up the Virtual Academic Conference as a Virtual Photographer"
We had Amaneko, a virtual photographer who serves as the exclusive photographer for the Virtual Academic Conference, talk about her passion for livening up the conference through photography. She also took our photos.


今日の #バーチャル学会 の模様をバーチャルフォトグラファーのあまねこさんが撮ってくれました! 嬉しい(≧∇≦)/
— バーチャル美少女ねむ/Nem⚡大賞作家&国連登壇系VTuber (@nemchan_nel) December 10, 2023
撮影:@Ama_neko_56 pic.twitter.com/z3ysGQiGks
Liudmila Bredikhina: "The Reality of Communities in Social VR (VR Lifestyle Survey)"
Currently studying Japanese, Mira gave her presentation in Japanese this time after intense practice. From the "Social VR Lifestyle Survey 2023" released the other day, we introduced data regarding communities. Various communities are spreading within the greatly expanded Social VR. We also received many questions and opinions on this topic.




Clarifying the reality of community activities within Social VR, which is rapidly expanding due to population growth, through a large-scale questionnaire survey targeting Social VR residents.
*Source: p20-D4: The Reality of Communities in Social VR (Social VR Lifestyle Survey 2023)
Everyone's impressions

バーチャル美少女ねむさん、バーチャルカルチャー研究者ミラさんの #バーチャル学会 ポスターセッションに行きました。
— tt3🎧🎹 (@tt3san) December 10, 2023
メタバースは経済や、人間の認知のあらわれで加速度的に深く研究されています
わたくし、いちユーザーとして見えてなかった事も多く興味深く聴きましたhttps://t.co/Wad2vuKCm1 pic.twitter.com/Ho7hvLftSL
バーチャル学会2023 DAY2https://t.co/Vnq73FE0NK#バーチャル学会
— 美坂結衣 / Yui Misaka (@Yui_cluster) December 10, 2023
終わった後はバーチャル美少女ねむさんの生配信が始まりました。
偶然近くにしちべえさんが居合わせましたwhttps://t.co/RHDm5VxFu3 pic.twitter.com/eRVw7JRHmR
【#バーチャル学会 2023 】
— 🪐YB🌟 |メタバースイベンター (@YB35769492) December 10, 2023
バーチャル美少女ねむちゃん @nemchan_nel の発表を
ファラ男くんアバター(ねむちゃん版)
で聴きに行きました!
質問もさせていただいたのですが、詳細は
以下の動画より(ー46分辺り)https://t.co/HopCuaZkRI
ねむちゃん、ありがとうございました🙇🏻#ファラオDAO pic.twitter.com/lKfvNb2Ssx
[#バーチャル学会]
— 三八種りべか @(ご当地V_Walker) (@AOI_pawn) December 10, 2023
ねむさん[#ポスターセッション]中です!
こんにちは!https://t.co/mSHZzs3LHE
おきゅたんさんの[#くじらビート]のポスターも発見しました!#バーチャル学会2023 DAY2https://t.co/YaqJBtz96p#cluster #metaverse #metaRebekah #こんにちはVTuber https://t.co/LKbz7sRGsY pic.twitter.com/CIBpG51f3S
挨拶が「国連ぶり」はワロタw
— 通信の猫@ID=AO.VTuber.cat (@ID_JAPAN_AO) December 10, 2023
いえーい!
JPNICさん見てるー!?
ツーショット頂きました! https://t.co/22MoeZNbrb
配信カメラのお手伝いをしましたー!
— komatsu (@KouMatsuya) December 10, 2023
(学会は物理現実の現場で一番長くやってたジャンルです) https://t.co/F0FXMo0uQs
#バーチャル学会 から生中継しました! バーチャルなのにポスター前で喋ってるのって凄くシュールなんですけど、顔を合わせるからこそおこる閃きやコラボレーション! ミラ @BredikhinaL も日本語で発表してくれました。ご視聴&ご来場ありがとうございました!
— バーチャル美少女ねむ/Nem⚡大賞作家&国連登壇系VTuber (@nemchan_nel) December 10, 2023
カメラ協力: @KouMatsuya https://t.co/JVVnJzl2RV pic.twitter.com/ZhMDL0PC9e
Presentation at the oral session as well
I also gave a presentation at the oral session. This is a 3-minute short version. It is archived in the official Virtual Academic Conference broadcast.


Reference: Past Virtual Academic Conferences
"Virtual Academic Conference 2022" Report
"Virtual Academic Conference 2021" Report
Social VR Lifestyle Survey 2023
To visualize lifestyles in the metaverse, we have released a report on a large-scale public survey conducted among users worldwide. This second edition saw a record-breaking 2,000 responses. Thank you for your cooperation. We set "changes due to rapid population growth," "community," and "economy" as priority themes, as these were highly requested. To stimulate open discussion regarding the future of humanity and the metaverse, we are releasing all 80 pages for free. Please feel free to share your thoughts.

"Metaverse Evolution Theory (Gijutsu-Hyohron Co., Ltd.)"
I also introduce the Virtual Academic Conference in my book, "Metaverse Evolution Theory (Gijutsu-Hyohron Co., Ltd.)."
いいなと思ったら応援しよう!
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