QoE Evaluation of Remote Physiotherapy in Volumetric Video and Video-Based Real-Time Communication

In recent years, video conferencing platforms have become powerful tools for remote communication. There has also been an increase in the use of VR systems for communication. However, very few of these systems utilize photorealistic human representation. This paper investigates the strengths, challenges, and limitations of a novel 3D communication prototype (VR2Gather) and a well-established video conferencing system (Zoom). Specifically, we explore whether the 3D communication prototype can achieve comparable performance levels in a remote physiotherapy use case. By assessing various aspects, such as audio-visual quality, presence, and interaction, we aim to determine if the current prototype is comparable with commercial systems in some dimensions while exceeding expectations in others. Our results indicated that VR2Gather has the potential for a better sense of connection and higher concentration. However, challenges like improving 3D rendering quality and communication ease still need to be overcome to make it suitable for physiotherapy.