# Impact of VR Application in an Academic Context
## 2 Materials and Methods
### Hardware Equipment  
To be able to simulate the experience in the immersive environment, the following hardware components (see Figure 13) are required:  
* 3D headset (3D glasses);
* Display;
* Movement monitoring system;
* Game controller;  
Figure 11: HMM applied for the word “transition” (adapted from [30]).  
Figure 12: Voice recognition search results.  
* Computer with the minimum configuration of a dual-core hyper-threading processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 970/ AMD RX480 video card, 8 GB RAM, Windows 10/Steam OX/Linux operating system, USB 2.0 port, DisplayPort video output port minimum v 1.2, and broadband Internet connection range.  
There are various virtual reality devices such as Hololens, Valve Index, and Oculus Quest 2. After analyzing which would be the most suitable to be able to get the best results in the virtual teaching assistant experiment, we decided to proceed with the Valve Index variant because it offers more advanced features than the other sets [31]. [PERSON] et al. compared various types of VR equipment and found that Valve was a better option due to its high-resolution display, which provides sharp and clear visuals. Valve Index is a virtual reality hardware produced by Valve that allows users to interact with virtual space.  
The equipment includes the following components:  
* Two base stations for movements monitoring;
* Two controllers for interacting with the 3D virtual assistant;
* An index headset with IPS display.  
Each base station covers a horizontal viewpoint of 150 degrees and a vertical viewpoint of 110 degrees (see Figure 14--214a and 214b). The stations sweep laser beams 100 times per second to track the photonic headsets and controllers' sensors, eliminating any possibility of occlusion or inaccurate tracking. For VR experiences either while seated or while standing, a single base station may be sufficient, but for optimal tracking, two stations are recommended, which is why the package used is the one that includes two stations. These two cover an interaction area of 5 \(\times\) 5 m (the room where the equipment was tested is 16 square meters).  
Figure 13: Valve Index (source [32]).  
The headset (Figure 14--item 202) uses an IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1440 \(\times\) 1600 for each eye. The panels are fully RGB and can operate at 80, 90, 120, or 144 Hz refresh rates. The viewpoint is 130\({}^{\circ}\). To adjust the inter-pupillary distance (IPD) of the user, the helmet is equipped with a physical slider, positioned below the screen that allows the panel and lenses to be moved horizontally. Allowable IPD adjustment ranges are from 58 to 70 mm. It includes \"a pair of ultra-near-field, full-range, over-the-ear (extra-aural) headphones\" [22] that use BMR drivers to create precise, low-frequency sounds, as well as a microphone. Balanced Mode Radiators (BMR) are designed to provide a wide directivity output to the highest frequencies from a single converter, ensuring clear intelligibility throughout the room [33].  
Valve Index controllers (Figure 14--items 208 and 210) have a joystick, touchpad, two control buttons, a menu button, a trigger, and an array of 87 sensors that allow the controllers to track hand position, finger position, movement, and pressure to create an accurate representation of the user's hand in virtual reality. In addition, the controllers also include an accelerometer for additional measurements.