The Digital Alchemists: UWS CCT's Research
Released every Tuesday morning by the UWS Creative Computing Technologies Research Group at the University of the West of Scotland, this AI generated podcast explores the latest exciting research developed at the UWS CCT Group.
Discover how emerging technologies suc as virtual and augmented reality, generative AI, serious games, gamification, music tech, and 3D modelling and animation are making an impact right now. Through simple, engaging explanations, you'll learn about recent publications and innovations in cultural heritage, accessibility and inclusion, health and wellbeing, and education and professional training.
The Digital Alchemists: UWS CCT's Research
VR and Deafness: The Emergence of Virtual Reality Sign Language
Welcome to the first UWS CCT AI podcast from the University of the West of Scotland Creative Computing Technologies Research Group. This first episode examines recent research from our undergraduate student Lara McIntyre's paper "A User Study on Deaf Individuals in VR Social Spaces - The Emergence of the VR Sign Language" published at the IEEE SKIMA 2024 conference. The paper investigates the experiences of deaf individuals within social Virtual Reality (VR) environments. The study underscores the challenges deaf individuals face, particularly social isolation, due to limited sign language (SL) proficiency among the hearing majority. While VR offers a potential platform for SL communication, current technology inadequately supports the full richness of SL, including crucial non-manual features. A significant finding is the emergence of Virtual Reality Sign Language (VRSL), an adaptive response simplifying signs due to VR's technical limitations. Despite hurdles, VR positively impacts social connection and mitigates isolation for deaf users globally. This human-centred study highlights the critical need for future VR development supporting comprehensive SL.