Adaptive Virtual Neuroarchitecture

Abstract: Our surrounding environment impacts our cognitive-emotional processes on a daily basis and shapes our physical, psychological and social wellbeing. Although the effects of the built environment on our psycho-physiological processes are well studied, virtual environment design with a potentially similar impact on the user, has received limited attention. Based on the influence of space design on a user and combining that with the dynamic affordances of virtual spaces, we present the idea of adaptive virtual neuroarchitecture (AVN), where virtual environments respond to the user and the user's real world context while simultaneously influencing them both in realtime. To show how AVN has been explored in current research, we present a sampling of recent work that demonstrates reciprocal relationships using physical affordances (space, objects), the user's state (physiological, cognitive, emotional), and the virtual world used in the design of novel virtual reality experiences. We believe AVN has the potential to help us learn how to design spaces and environments that can enhance the wellbeing of their inhabitants.