The 3D Tune-In Toolkit (3DTI Toolkit) is an open-source standard C++ library which includes a binaural spatialiser. This paper presents the technical details of this renderer, outlining its architecture and describing the processes implemented in each of its components. In order to put this description into context, the basic concepts behind binaural spatialisation are reviewed through a chronology of research milestones in the field in the last 40 years. The 3DTI Toolkit renders the anechoic signal path by convolving sound sources with Head Related Impulse Responses (HRIRs), obtained by interpolating those extracted from a set that can be loaded from any file in a standard audio format. Interaural time differences are managed separately, in order to be able to customise the rendering according the head size of the listener, and to reduce comb-filtering when interpolating between different HRIRs. In addition, geometrical and frequency-dependent corrections for simulating near-field sources are included. Reverberation is computed separately using a virtual loudspeakers Ambisonic approach and convolution with Binaural Room Impulse Responses (BRIRs). In all these processes, special care has been put in avoiding audible artefacts produced by changes in gains and audio filters due to the movements of sources and of the listener. The 3DTI Toolkit performance, as well as some other relevant metrics such as non-linear distortion, are assessed and presented, followed by a comparison between the features offered by the 3DTI Toolkit and those found in other currently available open- and closed-source binaural renderers.

This paper explores the influence of passive haptic feedback on presence and task performance using two important interaction metaphors. We compared direct interaction with the user's hand with interaction using a stylus. Twenty-four participants performed a simple selection task consisting of pressing buttons while playing a memory game, with haptic feedback and interaction metaphor as the independent variables. We measured task performance by computing errors and time between button presses. We measured presence with questionnaires and through a new method based on users' involuntary movements. Our results suggest that passive haptic feedback improves both presence and task performance. However, small but significant differences related to the interaction metaphor were only apparent when haptic feedback was not provided.

This paper1. evaluates the use of the Delay Mirror (DM) in the dance studio. The DM is a device that records a video stream which is rendered immediately on a large screen, but with a delay of a few seconds. A dancer can observe her own movements in the same way she would do so when looking at a normal mirror. However, the delay allows her to observe dynamic movements which cannot usually be observed other than in video. We evaluate whether this device can be useful in the context of a dance class, and whether it complements the normal mirror, while being less intrusive than a normal video recording which is recorded and then re-played, possibly interrupting workflow. Qualitative evaluation was performed in the context of an advanced-level adult ballet course.

Advanced three-dimensional extended reality (XR) technologies are highly suitable for cultural heritage research and education. XR tools enable the creation of realistic virtual or augmented reality applications for curating and disseminating information about cultural artifacts and sites. Developing XR applications for cultural heritage requires interdisciplinary collaboration involving strong teamwork and soft skills to manage user requirements, system specifications, and design cycles. Given the diverse end-users, achieving high precision, accuracy, and efficiency in information management and user experience is crucial. Human–computer interaction (HCI) design and evaluation methods are essential for ensuring usability and return on investment. This article presents ten case studies of cultural heritage software projects, illustrating the interdisciplinary work between computer science and HCI design. Students from institutions such as the State University of New York (USA), Glasgow School of Art (UK), University of Granada (Spain), University of Málaga (Spain), Duy Tan University (Vietnam), Imperial College London (UK), Research University Institute of Communication & Computer Systems (Greece), Technical University of Košice (Slovakia), and Indiana University (USA) contributed to creating, assessing, and improving the usability of these diverse cultural heritage applications. The results include a structured typology of CH XR application scenarios, detailed insights into design and evaluation practices across ten international use cases, and a development framework that supports interdisciplinary collaboration and stakeholder integration in phygital cultural heritage projects.

This paper describes a psychophysical experimental study to determinate whether time duration auditory information may improve the haptic perception of surface stiffness in a virtual environment (VE). In the experiment, the subjects were given the task of deciding which of two virtual surfaces is the stiffer one, via PHANToM, a haptic force feedback device, and displayed on a computer screen. They must tap both surfaces only one time and every time a surface is tapped, an auditory stimulus, synchronized with the tap, is played. Results indicate that auditory stimuli interfere on stiffness haptic perception. It showed that stiffness-duration factors interaction significantly influences on stiffness perception. We found that the subjects perceive coherence between auditory and haptic stimuli when shorter auditory stimuli are associated with stiffer haptic stimuli and vice versa. In case of non-coherence (stiffer surfaces associated to longer auditory stimuli and vice versa), the auditory stimulus misleads the subject providing a negative effect in the task of discerning the stiffer surface. Designers of VEs could use these results for improving stiffness haptic perception of virtual objects