⏳ Communication Model under Virtual Reality of Time

  • Research Question: What is the optimal model of communication when time perception is manipulated?
  • Author: Shutaro Aoyama, SEAS ‘26

👓 Background: Time perception manipulation in VR

  • MetaChron Platform (Landeck, et al.)

    • A project by neuroscientists, psychologists, computer scientists, and philosophers from multiple European universities
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    • However,
      • Applications are currently limited to psychopathological conditions
      • The method of manipulating time is also limited
  • Interface That Enables Real-Time and Slow-Motion Coexistence (Muramoto, et al)

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    • Shows different images to the left and right eyes
    • However,
      • Research is focused on the study of methodology
  • TL;DR: Time perception can be manipulated using VR.

💭 My Research

  • However, current applications only focus on manipulating time perception for individuals.
    • What about manipulating time during interpersonal communication?
  • To explore this, we need a new communication model.
    • Research Question: What is the optimal model of communication when time perception is manipulated?
  • Current model: assuming a shared and continuous flow of time
    • We assume that we all experience the same “moment.”
    • Communication does not function well under time manipulation.
  • New model: Living in one’s manipulated time and synchronizing when necessary.
    • “Elastic Sync”
    • Model: image
      • Algorithm to cluster people and manipulate their time speed
    • Experiment conducted in a non-VR setting
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🌟 Applications

  • By applying time perception manipulation to communication:
  • Multithreaded voice communication
    • Current voice communication: Half-duplex communication
      • Only one person can talk at a time
    • With manipulated time, can we have multithreaded voice communication?
  • Real-time and interactive lectures that can be time-manipulated
    • Perform time-manipulations like “go back 10 seconds,” “fast-forward,” “pause” during a real-time and interactive lecture

🏃 What I’ll do

  • Research intern at Superception Lab, Sony CSL / UTokyo
  • Study phenomenology at Columbia University.