Modelos de processos interativos em realidade virtual aplicados à Bioinformática

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) has been evolving rapidly and becoming more accessible to other areas of research through an easier development of experiences and easier acquisition of specific equipment. As a result, several research opportunities are created by integrating VR with other areas of knowledge. In neurosciences and cognitive sciences, VR has been used in two main ways - to bring the real world to the laboratory through simulations, increasing the ecological validity of experiments, or as a platform to create impossible situations, studying users through a window that was not available before. In education, VR has been seen as means to include other forms of teaching in the student´s daily life, moving away from traditional teaching and increasing engagement with ideas such as embodied cognition, using the body to learn and store information. In the arts, Virtual Reality both complements real experiences while also being capable of creating new worlds, with new possibilities for interaction and new ways of expression. Based on these aspects of VR integration, this cumulative thesis presents nine works developed within these three themes, aiming at proposing and implementing new working models in neurosciences, cognitive sciences, education and arts, using VR. The works presented are discussed regarding their relevance and innovative aspects, and, finally, we conclude some opportunities for future work on top of the texts presented.