Impact of avatar representation in a virtual reality-based multi-user tunnel fire simulator for training purposes

Virtual Reality (VR) technology is playing an increasingly important role in the field of training. The emergency domain, in particular, can benefit from various advantages of VR with respect to traditional training approaches. One of the most promising features of VR-based training is the possibility to share the virtual experience with other users. In multi-user training scenarios, the trainees have to be provided with a proper representation of both the other peers and themselves, with the aim of fostering mutual awareness, communication and cooperation. Var- ious techniques for representing avatars in VR have been proposed in the scientific literature and employed in commercial applications. However, the impact of these techniques when deployed to multi-user scenarios for emergency training has not been extensively explored yet. In this work, two techniques for avatar representation in VR, i.e., no avatar (VR Kit only) and Full-Body reconstruction (blending of inverse kinematics and animations), are compared in the context of emergency training. Experiments were carried out in a training scenario simulating a road tunnel fire. The participants were requested to collaborate with a partner (con- trolled by an experimenter) to cope with the emergency, and aspects concerning perceived embodiment, immersion, and social presence were investigated.