In manufacturing, augmented reality (AR)-based remote instruction systems, which enable workers to receive instructions from an avatar, are widely used. In this study, we developed such a system and investigated the effect of the body representation level of the avatar on the quality of AR-based remote instruction. Drawing on the avatar designs of previous works, three different avatar designs (“Hand only”, “Hand + Arm”, and “Body”), representing three body representation levels, were created. In the experiment with a within-participant design, the avatar pointed at blocks sequentially and participants touched each block as soon as they identified it. The results of the experiment indicate that an AR-based remote instruction system with a “Body” avatar exhibits higher usability and can enable the participants to have a lower workload and higher efficiency.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the style of work. In adapting to the changing work environment, human augmentation technologies (HAT) can provide employees with new options to support their work. However, the agenda for research and development of HAT for the new normal is still unclear. In this study, we set two research questions: (i) what type of technology demand has emerged among employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and (ii) what is the nature of job satisfaction experienced by employees during the COVID-19 pandemic? This study aims to clarify the technology demand and job satisfaction of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed data from in-depth interviews with employees based on a grounded theory approach to answer the research questions and proposed an agenda for the research and development of HAT to enhance employees’ well-being in this new normal based on the crosspoint of technology demand and job satisfaction. The theoretical contribution of this study is the development of models of technology demand and job satisfaction of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. The practical contribution is the development of a crosspoint framework to enable the development of HAT to support work while considering their impact on employees’ well-being.

Tele-guidance systems for the remote monitoring and maintenance of equipment have been extensively investigated. Such systems enable a remote helper to provide guidance to a local worker while perceiving local conditions. In this study, we propose a tele-guidance system that supports the anticipation of an interlocutor’s actions during communication. Our proposed system enables a helper and worker to anticipate each other’s actions by allowing them to move around in the workspace freely and observe each other’s non-verbal cues (e.g., body motions and other gestures) through a head-mounted display. We conducted an experiment to compare the effectiveness of our proposed method with that of existing methods (a simple tele-pointer) that support anticipation during communication.

Most nursing simulation programs focus on persons’ healthcare needs in hospital settings, and little is known about how to identify them in home settings. This study aims to develop and validate a virtual reality (VR) simulation program for nursing students to improve their clinical reasoning skills and confidence in assessing persons’ healthcare needs in home settings. We developed a VR simulation program based on a literature review and expert discussion. In Phase 1, home visit nurses or public health nurses will validate the program through their interviews in 2022. In Phase 2, we will conduct a pilot and main single-blinded randomized trial for nursing students to confirm the effectiveness from 2022 and 2023. Participants will be randomly allocated into an intervention group using VR simulations and a control group receiving videos regarding three kinds of community residents’ lives [1:1]. After obtaining informed consent, the students will submit their anonymous data to the researchers to prevent associating their grade evaluation. The primary outcome will be their clinical reasoning skills. The second outcome will include their satisfaction and self-confidence. This study will examine the effectiveness of improving their clinical reasoning skills and confidence in assessing persons’ healthcare needs in home settings.