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Virtual Reality and User Experience: Current Trends and Future Challenges

2025 , Avilés-Castillo, Fátima , Buele, Jorge , 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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User Experience in Virtual Reality (VR) Applications for Elderly People with Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: A Scoping Review

2024 , Buele, Jorge , Avilés-Castillo, Fátima , 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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Intelligent Dashboard to Optimize the Tax Management in a Town Municipal Government

2022 , Castillo F. , Oleas-Orozco J.A. , Saá-Tapia F. , Mena-Navas C.

During the pandemic period, the tax collection in the Municipal Governments in Ecuador held a considerable decrease in money income, suffering reductions in budgets that finance the institutional works in the towns. With several taxes, existence becomes challenging to know which are the ones that citizens stop paying. With the purpose of solving this difficulty, in this work, we developed an intelligent dashboard by using the CRISP methodology. As a first step, we evaluated the tax collections information from the Town Cevallos’ municipal government in Ecuador through the management of administrative processes. The information was obtained from the municipality's official digital databases, documentary collections, and interviews with the departments involved in tax collection. The information released helps us determine the need for an intelligent automated tool to optimize the tax collection process. The tool allowed the understanding of the know-how of the tax collection process in the municipality and the paradigm of information storage. Thus, the tool allows us the detection of errors in databases and the collaborative construction of interactive reports for the management staff. The dashboard implementation allowed to optimize the information management, the depuration, and correction of inconsistent data. In consequence, the time used for this process was 40% compared to the time employed without the dashboard. Finally, the intelligent dashboard gives great support. It reduces the global response time by 87%, obtaining several scenarios based on information entered into the database, contributing to the correct decision-making based on graphical reports. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Mapping Monophonic MIDI Tracks to Vibrotactile Stimuli Using Tactile Illusions

2022 , Remache Vinueza, Byron , Trujillo-León A. , Clim M.-A. , Sarmiento-Ortiz F. , Topon-Visarrea L. , Jensenius A.R. , Vidal-Verdú F.

In this project, we propose an algorithm to convert musical features and structures extracted from monophonic MIDI files to tactile illusions. Mapping music to vibrotactile stimuli is a challenging process since the perceptible frequency range of the skin is lower than that of the auditory system, which may cause the loss of some musical features. Moreover, current proposed models do not warrant the correspondence between the emotional response to music and the vibrotactile version of it. We propose to use tactile illusions as an additional resource to convey more meaningful vibrotactile stimuli. Tactile illusions enable us to add dynamics to vibrotactile stimuli in the form of movement, changes of direction, and localization. The suggested algorithm converts monophonic MIDI files into arrangements of two tactile illusions: “phantom motion” and “funneling”. The validation of the rendered material consisted of presenting the audio rendered from MIDI files to participants and then adding the vibrotactile component to it. The arrangement of tactile illusions was also evaluated alone. Results suggest that the arrangement of tactile illusions evokes more positive emotions than negative ones. This arrangement was also perceived as more agreeable and stimulating than the original audio. Although musical features such as rhythm, tempo, and melody were mostly recognized in the arrangement of tactile illusions, it provoked a different emotional response from that of the original audio. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Environmental Sustainability in Industrial Operations: A Comprehensive Review

2024 , Espinoza Castro, Froilan , Lara Ramírez, Andy , Buele, Jorge

As industrial activities expand, their significant environmental impact calls for the adoption of sustainable practices to mitigate adverse effects on ecosystems and communities. This comprehensive review synthesizes recent literature from recognized databases such as Scopus, SciELO, IEEE Xplore and Latindex, focusing on articles published within the last five years that emphasize the implementation of sustainable strategies in industrial operations. Our findings highlight a range of implemented strategies across various sectors, including advancements in energy efficiency through technology integration and resource optimization. Despite these improvements, challenges such as high resource consumption and waste production persist, underscoring the ongoing conflict between industrial growth and environmental preservation. The review discusses case studies demonstrating both the environmental and economic benefits of sustainable practices, illustrating the potential for industry-wide improvements. Conclusively, while the industrial sector has made notable progress towards sustainability, substantial efforts are required to address inherent challenges such as the high costs of initial investments and general resistance to change. Future research should explore the development and application of innovative technologies tailored to specific industrial needs, aiming to foster a holistic approach to sustainability that integrates economic, social, and environmental aspects.

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Biosignal Monitoring System Through an Interface to Optimize People’s Emotional Well-Being

2025 , Kevin Gamboa , Dario Guaman , Carlos Gordon , Myriam Cumbajin

This document presents the development of a Node-RED application with an interactive graphical interface for the visualization of emotional biosignals, allowing users to monitor and analyze their emotional state. The objective is to record relevant information on the implementation of algorithms in real time and the integration of sensors such as the MAX30100 and AD8232 ECG, together with an ESP32 and electrodes to take the samples, in order to identify emotional patterns using predefined thresholds. The aim is to optimize the efficiency of the system by improving biosignal transmission algorithms, minimizing resource consumption, and guaranteeing fast and fluid visualization of emotions on OLED screens, to improve the overall user experience. In this study, a methodology divided into four phases was used: research, development, integration, and optimization. Once the application was implemented, the results obtained in the identification of emotional patterns were compared and the algorithms that offered the best performance were optimized. Finally, an intuitive graphical interface was created in Node-RED that allows users to efficiently visualize and monitor their emotional biosignals, functioning as a tool to optimize people’s emotional well-being.

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U-Net Models for Breast Cancer Detection: Improving Diagnostic Accuracy and Specificity

2024 , Dayanara Yánez-Arcos , Ayala-Chauvin, Manuel Ignacio , Elena Blanco-Romero

Breast cancer remains a critical global health issue, necessitating continuous research and innovative approaches for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. This study evaluates the effectiveness of U -Net models in enhancing diagnostic precision and efficiency using real hospital samples. We aim to improve key diagnostic metrics such as accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity through the application of U-Net models. Our image classification model, tailored for 256 × 256 × 3 input images, excels in detecting and categorizing tumor cells. The architecture begins with initial convolutional layers featuring 64 filters, progresses to layers with 128 filters, and includes a Dropout layer to prevent overfitting. The deep network for object detection utilizes both region proposal and regression/classification approaches, achieving 92.27% confidence and 100% accuracy. Additionally, our deep learning algorithms accurately segment nuclei in histopathological images, employing a clustering strategy that delivers 88.81% confidence and 100% accuracy. Visual results demonstrate precise tumor cell localization and prediction confidence. Performance metrics from ten experimental runs indicate average confidence levels between 74.19% and 92.31%, with 90.0% accuracy and specificity in benign analysis. The model's ability to classify non-carcinomas versus carcinomas achieved an AUC of 0.78, illustrating its effective differentiation between classes.

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A Review of Technological Innovations in Rubber Recycling

2024 , Asubadin Espin, Pablo , De la Cruz, Rubén , Buele, Jorge

Rubber waste management poses a significant environmental challenge globally, exacerbated by the growing production of tires and limited recycling capacity in various industries. This study addresses the need for innovations in rubber recycling by identifying economic and structural barriers that hinder the effective implementation of advanced technologies. The goal is to analyze and evaluate technological innovations, such as enhanced tire marking and pyrolysis, and their potential to improve recycling efficiency and promote a circular economy. The methodology involved a systematic review of the literature, covering recent studies on recycling technology and extended producer responsibility models. Recovery rates of rubber below 4% were identified in some regions, highlighting the urgency of adopting these innovations. The main findings indicate that while technologies like pyrolysis can transform waste into valuable resources, their implementation remains limited due to a lack of infrastructure and economic support. It is emphasized that although promising solutions exist, their success depends on a comprehensive approach that considers socioeconomic realities and the need for supportive policies and public awareness.

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3D Object Reconstruction Using Concatenated Matrices with MS Kinect: A Contribution to Interiors Architecture

2020 , Buele, Jorge , Varela Aldas, José , Castellanos E.X. , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Barberán J.

Interior architecture is part of the individual, social and business life of the human being; it allows structuring the spaces to inhabit, study or work. This document presents the design and implementation of a system that allows the three-dimensional reconstruction of objects with a reduced economic investment. The image acquisition process and treatment of the information with mathematical support that it entails are described. The system involves an MS Kinect as a tool to create a radar that operates with the structured light principle to capture objects at a distance of less than 2 meters. The development of the scripts is done in the MATLAB software and in the same way the graphical interface that is presented to the user. As part of the initial tests of this prototype, the digitization of geometric shape structures has been performed with an accuracy of over 98%. This validates its efficient operation, which serves as the basis for the development of modeling in interior architecture for future work. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Redesign of the electrical power and lighting network at ice cream parlor located in the city of Quito

2024 , Kevin Zurita , Segura, Juan , Topon Visarrea, Blanca , Bryan Barriga , Edgar Ahmed Gutiérrez

This article proposes the redesign of the electrical power and lighting network in an Ice Cream Parlor located in the city of Quito to ensure continuity in the electrical service and a luminous level according to the UNE 12464.1 Standard, established in the country. For this purpose, a survey of all the electrical load installed in the organization was carried out, where the nominal parameters of each equipment were identified with the help of the nameplate of each one of them. Using the specifications of the Ecuadorian Construction Standard (NEC) and the data obtained from the electrical load survey, five (5) circuits for outlets were proposed, considering a possible expansion of small equipment and the ten (10) maximum outlets established by the aforementioned standard. Additionally, four (4) circuits were proposed to feed the power load. With respect to the lighting network, the DIAlux software is used to determine the number of lamps, luminaires and their location to comply with the luminous level indicated. Therefore, it was necessary to propose six (6) circuits in order not to exceed the fifteen (15) lighting points established by the NEC. For each circuit, the following was calculated: conductor cross section, overcurrent protection, type of insulation and the diameter of the corresponding conduit to protect the conductors. Finally, quotations were made for the materials required for the implementation of the project. From these, an organization is selected, based on the availability of the necessary materials, their cost and accessibility, compared to other suppliers. The total amount of the proposal is US$2,518.24.

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