1 Using brain imaging to assess interaction in immersive VR

We have developed a system where the combination of functional brain imaging (fMRI) and Virtual Reality (VR) can be used to study and evaluate user experience based on brain activation and models of cognitive neuroscience. The ability to study the brain during natural interaction with an (ecologically valid) environment has great potential for several areas of research and development, including evaluation of Reality-Based Interaction (RBI). The RBI concept of tradeoffs is of particular interest since we want to further explore the relation between how the brain works with an accepted reality and what happens when this reality is disrupted. We present the system with an overview of conducted studies to illustrate capabilities and feasibility. In particular, feasibility is supported by the fact that the brain activations seen in these studies match expectations based on existing literature. Further discussion elaborates on the relation to RBI and evaluation; and finally some possible future work is presented. Author Keyword