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Influence of continuous navigation modes on the immersive experience in a virtual supermarket
(2026)
Avilés-Castillo, Fátima
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Buele, Jorge
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Marco Salazar
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Guillermo Palacios-Navarro
Introduction: Virtual reality has established itself as an effective tool for analyzing user experience and simulating everyday activities. However, there are still many questions remaining, such as how the type of movement in immersive environments influences this experience. The present study evaluated these variables in a virtual supermarket developed for Oculus Quest 2, with the aim of comparing the perceptual and cognitive experience under two navigation modalities: locomotion and joystick. Methods: Twenty-two young adults (18–32 years old) participated in both groups. Usability (SUS), presence (PQ), everyday memory (PRMQ), and cybersickness (CSQ-VR) questionnaires were administered, all with moderate and high reliability (α = 0.685–0.912). Results: The results showed high levels of usability in both conditions (SUS ≥79), with no statistically significant differences between navigation modes (p = 0.521). Natural presence was significantly higher in locomotion mode (6.17 vs. 5.47); however, this result should be interpreted with caution, as it was derived from exploratory subscale-level analyses (p = 0.038). Cybersickness symptoms remained low (p > 0.05). A very strong positive correlation was also observed between usability and presence in the joystick group (ρ = 0.902; p < 0.001), indicating that interaction fluidity enhances immersion. Discussion: Both modes were ergonomic and safe, although with distinct profiles: physical locomotion increased perceptual naturalness, while the joystick reinforced the relationship between ease of use and immersion. These findings provide empirical evidence on how movement modulates the immersive experience and propose an experimental model, with implications for the design of virtual environments applicable to different populations in the future. Copyright © 2026 Avilés-Castillo, Buele, Salazar and Palacios-Navarro.
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The Role of Virtual Reality in Promoting Sustainability
(2025)
Buele, Jorge
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Harlem Miranda
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Alex David Muyulema-Mayorga
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Avilés-Castillo, Fátima
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Guillermo Palacios-Navarro
In a global context where sustainability has become a central challenge, immersive virtual reality emerges as a promising tool to address environmental, social, and economic problems. This study explores the potential of immersive virtual reality and virtual prototyping to foster sustainability. Using a theoretical approach and PRISMA methodology, relevant articles on this topic were selected and rigorously evaluated. The search strategy included the Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, APA PsycNET, and SpringerLink databases, using terms related to virtual reality and sustainability. Ten studies were included, indicating that virtual reality, by providing a deeply immersive experience, not only enhances the perception and understanding of sustainability issues but also motivates significant behavioral changes towards more sustainable practices. It is highlighted that virtual reality is more effective than non-immersive learning methods in terms of emotional and cognitive impact, which underlines its value as an educational and awareness-raising tool. Furthermore, it can offer practical solutions to create a more sustainable environment by reducing the environmental footprint, such as decreasing the need for physical travel through virtual meetings or implementing telemedicine to support human health. Despite these promising applications, the need for further empirical research is recognized to explore the variability of responses among different demographic groups and to validate these findings in real-world contexts. Additionally, the development and optimization of virtual environments is suggested to increase the effectiveness of sustainable interventions.
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Educational Quality in Teaching Magnetism Using Dedicated Mobile Devices
(2024)
Junta, Christian
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Varela Aldas, José
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Washington Collay
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David Rivas-Lalaleo
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Guillermo Palacios-Navarro
New technologies offer unprecedented opportunities to enhance classroom education, especially in practical subjects like physics, where experiments can be controlled via mobile devices. This facilitates both theoretical and practical learning. This study assesses the impact of using dedicated mobile devices in educational settings compared to traditional teaching methods. The application allows students to view educational information on an M5Stack Core2 device that also includes an electromagnet. We use the Student Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ) to gather feedback and evaluate various aspects of the learning experience. Results indicate significant improvements in learning, enthusiasm, organization, group interaction, individual relationships, and breadth of device usage. Evaluations show that device-assisted classes outperform traditional classes in most categories, highlighting the benefits of integrating technology into education. The findings emphasize the importance of adapting teaching methods to enhance the overall quality of education and student engagement using dedicated mobile devices.
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User Experience in Virtual Reality (VR) Applications for Elderly People with Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: A Scoping Review
(2024)
Buele, Jorge
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Avilés-Castillo, Fátima
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Guillermo Palacios-Navarro
Background: In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool to improve the well-being and functional capabilities of older adults. Although VR applications have shown positive results, their impact on user experience and therapeutic outcomes still needs to be evaluated. Objective: This scoping review aims to analyze existing studies on VR use in older adults with neurodegenerative disorders, focusing on the factors that influence usability, satisfaction, and immersion, as well as the effects on emotional and cognitive well-being. Materials and Methods: Empirical studies in English were included on VR applications applied to older adults with cognitive impairment without study design restrictions. The search was conducted in IEEE Xplore, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, identifying a total of 650 initial results. After screening, 14 studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: Immersive VR tends to generate a greater sense of presence, which contributes to improving emotional well-being and reducing neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as apathy and depression. However, its impact on cognitive functions, including memory and executive skills, varied depending on the level of immersion and participant characteristics. Despite these positive findings, significant heterogeneity was evident in study designs, measurement instruments, and user experience indicators. Conclusion: Virtual environments have great potential as a therapeutic tool for older adults, but their success depends on the personalization of applications and the adaptation of technology to the specific needs of this population. Future research should focus on developing standardized protocols, incorporating adaptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, and evaluating the long-term effects of VR to maximize its benefits and minimize its risks. This review was registered in Open Science Framework (OSF). Registration Number: 10.17605/OSF.IO/PNU36
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An assessment of a ROS class using an educational mobile robot
(2024)
Varela Aldas, José
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Junta, Christian
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Buele, Jorge
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Guillermo Palacios-Navarro
The Robot Operating System (ROS) is a middleware that standardizes robot programming, both in simulation and with real equipment. Despite this open-source tool being available for several years, there's still a need to enhance its utilization in robotics education across all educational levels. In this study, a ROS class is assessed among university students using a commercial educational robot. The primary objective is to measure academic emotions in learning and student performance to determine the impact of the class using the open-access tool from a GitHub repository (https://github.com/joseVarelaAldas/ROS-Crowbot). This tool is based on the rosserial package, compatible with the ESP32 board. For class, CrowBot robots connected to the local wireless network via WiFi are used. TThe participants in this study were eight students from an electronics degree program at a higher education institution, who had no prior experience with ROS and received practical training using the educational mobile robot. For data collection on class performance, three parameters are assessed: execution time, functionality, and motivation, and to measure academic emotions, a validated self-report instrument is used. The results show an overall performance of 82.1%, and in the self-report on academic emotions, a high score in enjoyment (95%) and the lowest score in boredom (24.1 %) were obtained. In conclusion, the repository provides an interesting, practical, and accessible tool for an introduction into the world of robotics using ROS.
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Ethical and Social Challenges in Virtual Reality: A Bibliometric Analysis
(2024)
Buele, Jorge
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Homero J. Velastegui
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Avilés-Castillo, Fátima
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Hugo Paz-León
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Guillermo Palacios-Navarro
Virtual reality has revolutionized human interaction with digital environments, creating immersive simulations that have significantly impacted sectors such as education, urban planning, and mental health. Along with its transformative potential, VR presents ethical and societal challenges. This study analyzes trends in research addressing these challenges, focusing on articles published through 2023 in the Web of Science database. Visual and statistical analyses reveal a sustained increase in publications since 2013. Patterns in authorship and collaboration networks emphasize the global and interdisciplinary nature of VR research. Dominant themes include the metaverse and therapeutic applications, as well as concerns about data privacy, virtual identity representation, and psychological effects such as cybersickness. Research highlights temporary symptoms such as nausea and eye strain associated with immersive systems, demonstrating the need for ergonomic design and age-specific usage guidelines. Furthermore, active video games using VR have shown promise in promoting physical activity, offering innovative solutions to combat sedentary lifestyles. Looking ahead, efforts must prioritize equitable access, user safety, and robust ethical frameworks to ensure the responsible and sustainable integration of VR technologies.
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Influence of Higher Education on IoT Acceptance through Hands-On Learning
(2025)
Varela Aldas, José
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Christian Junta
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Elias Choque
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Guillermo Palacios-Navarro
The Internet of Things (IoT) applications are pervasive across various sectors; however, there remains some resistance to its adoption. Education 4.0 promotes the full integration of new technologies, both as tools for learning and instruments for professional development. This work studies the influence of higher education on the willingness towards IoT adoption after hands-on learning experiences. The primary objective is to determine whether a correlation exists between IoT adoption and the education of university students from three distinct professional degrees. The methodology employed involves a practical class where students engage in developing applications for manual data collection. These applications are designed to send data to the Internet, which is then visualized through a web interface. Tailored to each respective degree, three similar applications are developed. For this research, M5 Stack Core2 kits are utilized, along with UIFLOW programming language and the ThingSpeak platform, operating under the MQTT protocol. Following the training, students complete a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) survey for IoT. The analysis of the influence of higher education on IoT acceptance employs ANOVA to identify differences between group means. The results reveal statistically significant differences in IoT acceptance between students in Industrial and Architecture degrees.
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Virtual Reality and User Experience: Current Trends and Future Challenges
(2025)
Avilés-Castillo, Fátima
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Buele, Jorge
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Guillermo Palacios-Navarro
Virtual reality is an emerging and versatile technology that is gaining increasing interest from the scientific community, particularly regarding user experience. A review of the literature highlights the need for updated analyses that comprehensively address current trends in this field. The objective of this study is to analyze the evolution of scientific publications related to virtual reality and user experience, identifying trends, the most influential authors, relevant journals, and international collaborations, to provide a comprehensive overview. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection database, identifying a total of 1,848 relevant publications. Network analysis techniques and Bradford’s law were applied, allowing for the examination of the distribution and impact of publications, as well as collaboration between authors and institutions. The results show an exponential growth in scientific output, particularly since 2019. While the United States leads in the number of publications, most of the influential authors are from Europe, with notable scientific output in Spain and Portugal. Current research hotspots include virtual reality applications in education and healthcare (over 70% of the analyzed publications), which align with Sustainable Development Goals, particularly 3 and 4. Trends indicate a shift towards integrating virtual reality with artificial intelligence, adaptive systems, and multisensory interaction to enhance immersion and usability. Challenges include a lack of standardized methodologies to assess immersion, presence, and cognitive load, which limits comparisons across studies and hinders the development of best practices. Future research should focus on refining interaction paradigms, improving accessibility, and developing ethical frameworks that respect data privacy and protect the user from cybersickness and the psychological effects of prolonged virtual reality exposure.
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Sizing and Characterization of Load Curves of Distribution Transformers Using Clustering and Predictive Machine Learning Models
(2025)
Pedro Torres-Bermeo
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Kevin López-Eugenio
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Carolina Del-Valle-Soto
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Guillermo Palacios-Navarro
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Varela Aldas, José
The efficient sizing and characterization of the load curves of distribution transformers are crucial challenges for electric utilities, especially given the increasing variability of demand, driven by emerging loads such as electric vehicles. This study applies clustering techniques and predictive models to analyze and predict the behavior of transformer demand, optimize utilization factors, and improve infrastructure planning. Three clustering algorithms were evaluated, K-shape, DBSCAN, and DTW with K-means, to determine which one best characterizes the load curves of transformers. The results show that DTW with K-means provides the best segmentation, with a cross-correlation similarity of 0.9552 and a temporal consistency index of 0.9642. For predictive modeling, supervised algorithms were tested, where Random Forest achieved the highest accuracy in predicting the corresponding load curve type for each transformer (0.78), and the SVR model provided the best performance in predicting the maximum load, explaining 90% of the load variability (R2 = 0.90). The models were applied to 16,696 transformers in the Ecuadorian electrical sector, validating the load prediction with an accuracy of 98.55%. Additionally, the optimized assignment of the transformers’ nominal power reduced installed capacity by 39.27%, increasing the transformers’ utilization factor from 31.79% to 52.35%. These findings highlight the value of data-driven approaches for optimizing electrical distribution systems.
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Optimization of Electric Transformer Operation Through Load Estimation Based on the K-Means Algorithm
(2025)
Pedro Torres-Bermeo
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Varela Aldas, José
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Kevin López-Eugenio
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Nancy Velasco
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Guillermo Palacios-Navarro
This study presents an innovative methodology to optimize the operation of distribution transformers through the estimation of hourly load curves, aimed at minimizing technical losses due to oversizing, particularly in systems lacking advanced metering infrastructure. The proposed approach combines clustering techniques, K-Means with DTW, to identify representative daily consumption patterns and a supervised model based on LightGBM to estimate hourly load curves for unmetered transformers, using customer characteristics as input. These estimated curves are integrated into a process that calculates technical losses, both no-load and load losses, for different transformer sizes, selecting the optimal rating that minimizes losses without compromising demand. Empirical validation showed accuracy levels of 95.6%, 95.29%, and 98.14% at an individual transformer, feeder, and a complete electrical system with 16,864 transformers, respectively. The application of the methodology to a real distribution system revealed a potential annual energy savings of 3004 MWh, equivalent to an estimated economic reduction of 150,238 USD.
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