Virtual farm tours using tablets and VR glasses (part 2)

In the second part (see Fig 1), participants watched a 360-degree video of a standard pig fattening stable with a fully slatted floor. A screenshot from the video including a QR code leading to the video source can be found in Fig 2. We used a within-subject design in which participants watched the video twice in randomized order: wearing VR glasses and on a tablet. We used this design to improve the comparability of the two media devices. The devices used were a standalone VR headset (Oculus Go VR glasses) and a tablet (Samsung Galaxy Tab 3). The stable shown in the video consisted of a pig fattening pen divided into two sections by a central aisle, but with a passage where pigs weighing 50–60 kilograms were kept. In intensive pig fattening, pigs usually have a starting weight of 25–30 kg and a final weight of 110–125 kg. Thus, the pigs shown in our video were in a fattening phase in which they already had less space to move around due to their weight gain compared to the beginning, but still had more space than at the end of the fattening phase. The video was recorded from a standing human as well as from an animal perspective (Fig 2).

Recording perspectives: a) standing human perspective; b) animal perspective, c) QR code leading to the 360-degree video on YouTube. Source: Reprinted from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzeDx5Sxhhw under a CC BY license, with permission from FABRYKANT (Thomas Fabry), original copyright 2020.

The perspective changed approximately mid-way through the video. The overall length of the video was 3:05 minutes. Participants had a 360-degree panoramic view from a fixed position, which means that they were able to look around in the stable by either moving their head (i.e., when watching the video via VR glasses) or the device (i.e., when watching the video via tablet) up, down, or to the side. Besides 360-degree video images, both media devices reproduced the original sound from the stable. No additional information, such as details regarding the farm, the housing conditions, or the animals, was given. During the virtual stable tour, participants were asked to speak out loud all the thoughts that went through their mind while watching the videos. These spontaneous statements were recorded using a voice recorder.