Metaverse and Digital Twins, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Computer Science & Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 4181

Special Issue Editors

School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
Interests: virtual reality; augmented reality; serious games; simulation; computer-aided design; bio- and medical sciences; smart cities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Computing Science, University of Glasgow, Singapore 567739, Singapore
Interests: virtual reality; augmented reality; data analytics; computational intelligence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Transmedia School, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, Guangzhou, China
Interests: digital museum; virtual reality; augmented reality; digital media
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Computer Science and Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business Univeristy, Beijing 100048, China
Interests: computer graphics; digital geometry processing; virtual/augmented reality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Management and Industrial Technology, SENAI CIMATEC University Center, Salvador 41650-010, Brazil
2. Institute for Science, Innovation and Technology in Industry 4.0/INCITE INDUSTRIA 4.0, Salvador 41650-010, Brazil
Interests: virtual reality; augmented reality; human–computer interaction; industrial metaverse

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Evolving from VR, AR, and MR, Metaverse is going to penetrate virtually everything and be present everywhere from home to school to the office. This is a timely Special Issue devoted to Metaverse and Digital Twins focusing on fundamental research and application development. Papers published in this Special Issue will discuss and share the outcomes of fundamental research, novel use cases, and the applications of Metaverse and Digital Twins. These include algorithms, methodologies, and techniques related to Metaverse and Digital Twins. Papers on the design and development of Metaverse and Digital Twins systems for various applications will be of interest to this Special Issue as well. For this Special Issue, prospective authors are invited to submit their research findings including state-of-the-art reviews, novel ideas, theoretical frameworks, practical analyses, and innovative applications of Metaverse and Digital Twins in relevant fields. Overall, this Special Issue aims to stimulate future interdisciplinary research and the development of Metaverse and Digital Twins. All submitted papers must be original and must not have been submitted for consideration in other journals or conferences.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:

  1. General Topic of Metaverse and Digital Twins
    1. Frameworks of Metaverse and Digital Twins
    2. Metaverse and Digital Twins in real-time systems
    3. Modelling and simulation of Metaverse and Digital Twins
  2. Science and Technology for VR/AR and Digital Twins
    1. AI solutions for Metaverse and Digital Twins
    2. Cloud/edge computing for VR/AR and Digital Twins
    3. Hardware and software for VR/AR and Digital Twins
    4. VR/AR and Digital Twins in IoT and smart cities
  3. Metaverse and Digital Twins for Engineering
    1. Metaverse and Digital Twins for Industry 4.0
    2. Metaverse and Digital Twins for smart manufacturing
    3. Metaverse and Digital Twins for construction and building
    4. Metaverse and Digital Twins for processing, maintenance, and optimization
  4. Metaverse and Digital Twins for Cultural Heritage
    1. Metaverse and Digital Twins for the conservation of cultural heritage
    2. Metaverse and Digital Twins for the exhibition of cultural heritage
    3. Metaverse and Digital Twins for cultural industries
  5. Metaverse and Digital Twins for Art
    1. Metaverse and Digital Twins for fine art
    2. Metaverse and Digital Twins for media art
    3. Metaverse and Digital Twins for folk art
    4. Metaverse and Digital Twins for art design
    5. Metaverse and Digital Twins for art exhibition

Dr. Yiyu Cai
Dr. Qi Cao
Dr. Xiao Zhang
Dr. Xiaoqun Wu
Dr. Ingrid Winkler
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality
  • digital twins
  • metaverse
  • Industry 4.0
  • internet of things
  • smart cities
  • cultural heritage
  • art

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review, Other

23 pages, 2414 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Mediating Role of Different Aspects of Learning Motivation between Metaverse Learning Experiences and Gamification
by Wei Yang, Meichen Fang, Junping Xu, Xiao Zhang and Younghwan Pan
Electronics 2024, 13(7), 1297; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13071297 - 30 Mar 2024
Viewed by 466
Abstract
In recent years, research and applications related to the metaverse have garnered widespread attention in the field of online education. However, enhancing user experiences in metaverse learning remains a challenging issue. This study aims to explore how gamification enhances the metaverse learning experience [...] Read more.
In recent years, research and applications related to the metaverse have garnered widespread attention in the field of online education. However, enhancing user experiences in metaverse learning remains a challenging issue. This study aims to explore how gamification enhances the metaverse learning experience by boosting learning motivation. In the first phase of the research, the relationship between gamification, learning motivation, and user learning satisfaction was examined. The results indicated higher user satisfaction with gamified metaverse learning experiences, with intrinsic and external regulations serving as mediating factors between gamification and learning satisfaction. In the second phase of the study, the five elements of gamification (challenge, reward, feedback, PBL, social interaction) were further validated for their role in enhancing learning motivation and, consequently, improving learning satisfaction. Notably, the rewarding element emerged as the most significant factor. These research findings hold practical significance for providers of metaverse learning experiences and the application of gamification in metaverse learning. They provide valuable insights for future research and practical implementation in this evolving field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metaverse and Digital Twins, 2nd Edition)
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 18504 KiB  
Article
Hazardous and Toxic Material Decontamination Facility Training in Virtual Reality
by Jeannie S. A. Lee, Teck Jun Tan, David Kuan Peng Teng, Yih Yng Ng and Kan Chen
Electronics 2024, 13(2), 465; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13020465 - 22 Jan 2024
Viewed by 633
Abstract
Patient decontamination is the act of removing or neutralising hazardous substances from an affected individual. To ensure adequate emergency preparedness, regulations require hospitals to train personnel in decontamination procedures regularly. To supplement in-person training, a virtual reality (VR) system is being developed for [...] Read more.
Patient decontamination is the act of removing or neutralising hazardous substances from an affected individual. To ensure adequate emergency preparedness, regulations require hospitals to train personnel in decontamination procedures regularly. To supplement in-person training, a virtual reality (VR) system is being developed for the training of hospital staff members in the mass decontamination of hazardous and toxic materials (HAZMAT) and/or radioactively contaminated casualties. As a demonstration of the concept, a primary VR prototype is designed to help users familiarize themselves with a chemical scanner tool, intended for examining victims for residual chemical hazards. This initial prototype showcases the benefits of using VR to create training simulations, complementing existing decontamination training methods in a secure and cost-effective manner. The proposed approach features a modularized user-centric design, a novel scanning simulation, and a high-realism virtual environment and workflow to enhance training effectiveness. A pilot user study and assessment suggest that new users were able to achieve a significant level of competency with VR, compared to users who underwent traditional training. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metaverse and Digital Twins, 2nd Edition)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research, Other

17 pages, 14597 KiB  
Review
Entering the Next Dimension: A Review of 3D User Interfaces for Virtual Reality
by Adriel Yeo, Benjamin W. J. Kwok, Angelene Joshna, Kan Chen and Jeannie S. A. Lee
Electronics 2024, 13(3), 600; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13030600 - 01 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1084
Abstract
In the last decade, the use of virtual reality (VR) technologies has been increasing, as head-mounted display devices, such as the Meta Quest series, have become commercially accessible to everyday consumers. There are plenty of software applications developed for VR, ranging from games [...] Read more.
In the last decade, the use of virtual reality (VR) technologies has been increasing, as head-mounted display devices, such as the Meta Quest series, have become commercially accessible to everyday consumers. There are plenty of software applications developed for VR, ranging from games to serious training. Despite the fast-growing emergence of novel and natural gesture-based interface components, traditional windows, icons, menus, and pointer user interfaces still remain popular in these implementations. Therefore, navigating and interacting within 3-dimensional environments can still be challenging in virtual reality. This body of work will serve as a reference to the literature survey on 3-dimensional user interfaces and their implementations, and categorize them to reiterate a set of design recommendations for implementing 3-dimensional user interfaces in virtual reality. While questions revolve around the need for a 3-dimensional user interface if a 2-dimensional user interface suffices, we cannot ignore the capabilities and benefits offered when utilising 3-dimensional space. Unlike other work, this work proposes a novel metaphor-guided quadrant model to delineate the 3-dimensional user interface problem in an end-to-end manner. To achieve this, over 30 unique articles selected using a meta-analyses methodology were reviewed. The result highlights the dimensional semantics of the inputs and dimensional outcomes of the virtual targets. Notable reiterated design recommendations would match devices to interaction and then to the tasks in 3-dimensional environments, reducing the degrees of freedom, imposing constraints when possible, and not implementing one single best interaction technique. The results of this survey will be beneficial for virtual reality simulation designers or researchers attempting to determine the appropriate model when developing user interfaces for virtual reality content. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metaverse and Digital Twins, 2nd Edition)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research, Review

35 pages, 1458 KiB  
Systematic Review
Cardiac Healthcare Digital Twins Supported by Artificial Intelligence-Based Algorithms and Extended Reality—A Systematic Review
by Zofia Rudnicka, Klaudia Proniewska, Mark Perkins and Agnieszka Pregowska
Electronics 2024, 13(5), 866; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13050866 - 23 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1301
Abstract
Recently, significant efforts have been made to create Health Digital Twins (HDTs), Digital Twins for clinical applications. Heart modeling is one of the fastest-growing fields, which favors the effective application of HDTs. The clinical application of HDTs will be increasingly widespread in the [...] Read more.
Recently, significant efforts have been made to create Health Digital Twins (HDTs), Digital Twins for clinical applications. Heart modeling is one of the fastest-growing fields, which favors the effective application of HDTs. The clinical application of HDTs will be increasingly widespread in the future of healthcare services and has huge potential to form part of mainstream medicine. However, it requires the development of both models and algorithms for the analysis of medical data, and advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based algorithms have already revolutionized image segmentation processes. Precise segmentation of lesions may contribute to an efficient diagnostics process and a more effective selection of targeted therapy. In this systematic review, a brief overview of recent achievements in HDT technologies in the field of cardiology, including interventional cardiology, was conducted. HDTs were studied taking into account the application of Extended Reality (XR) and AI, as well as data security, technical risks, and ethics-related issues. Special emphasis was put on automatic segmentation issues. In this study, 253 literature sources were taken into account. It appears that improvements in data processing will focus on automatic segmentation of medical imaging in addition to three-dimensional (3D) pictures to reconstruct the anatomy of the heart and torso that can be displayed in XR-based devices. This will contribute to the development of effective heart diagnostics. The combination of AI, XR, and an HDT-based solution will help to avoid technical errors and serve as a universal methodology in the development of personalized cardiology. Additionally, we describe potential applications, limitations, and further research directions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metaverse and Digital Twins, 2nd Edition)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop