Immersive observation support system toward realization of "interactive museum": Observing "live" extinct animals while walking in a virtual paleontological environment

The authors developed a computer-animated "interactive museum" to improve observers' levels of interest and immersion during the exploration of virtual paleontological environments. In the system, animals on the screen move in synchronization with the observer's actions, and hence, the observer feels as though he/she has entered a real-life paleontological environment. In this paper, in order to enhance the immersive experience, we upgraded the system based on the results of past preliminary evaluation. In the upgraded system, animals on the screen animate whenever an observer walks across the screen, and the animal under observation changes in response to the observer walking backward or forward towards the screen. In this way, the observer becomes part of the virtual paleontological environment. Then, in order to verify the upgrade's effectiveness, we conducted an evaluation. The results indicated that the upgrade of the system was effective in immersing observers because of the fidelity of the simulation and the enjoyment afforded by moving one's own body.