Virtual Reality and Metaverse: Impact on the Digital Transformation of Society—3rd Edition

Immersive technologies—including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), extended reality (XR), and the metaverse—have undergone significant development over the past decade and are increasingly being integrated into a broad range of application domains [1]. Their influence extends far beyond technological innovation, enabling new paradigms in education [2,3], healthcare [4,5,6], tourism [7], industry [8], social aspects [9,10,11], and many other areas. As these technologies continue to mature, scholarly attention has progressively shifted from demonstrating their technical feasibility to evaluating their effectiveness, usability, user experience, and broader societal impact. Consequently, immersive technologies have emerged as key enablers of the ongoing digital transformation of society.

The Special Issue Virtual Reality and Metaverse: Impact on the Digital Transformation of Society—3rd Edition was conceived as a forum for disseminating recent advances and fostering interdisciplinary discussion on the development and application of immersive technologies. The contributions collected in this issue provide a representative overview of current research trends, encompassing both technological innovations and practical applications while identifying emerging challenges and future research opportunities. A total of 19 manuscripts were submitted for consideration. Following an initial editorial screening and a rigorous peer-review process, 10 manuscripts were accepted for publication, corresponding to an acceptance rate of 52.6%, whereas the remaining nine submissions were rejected. Of the accepted papers, nine are original research articles, and one is a review article.

Two of these papers are related to the field of education. In particular, paper [2] presents an interactive virtual reality application that combines automatic hand gesture recognition with interpretable machine learning to teach the meaning of iconic Italian gestures, contributing to the preservation and dissemination of intangible cultural heritage. A particularly noteworthy contribution of this paper [2] is the development of an interpretable and computationally efficient recognition framework based on geometric features and RGB-D sensing, which enables reliable gesture recognition while maintaining low computational complexity and transparency. The integration of this framework into an interactive learning environment further demonstrates its potential for supporting cultural education and intercultural communication in real-world settings.

On the other hand, paper [3] introduces the STREAM framework, a multimodal architecture for personalized virtual classrooms that integrates automatic speech recognition, transformer-based natural language processing, and planned computer vision components to transform instructional content into adaptive learning resources while preserving semantic traceability. A key contribution is the proposal of a transparent, modular framework for within-lesson content adaptation, moving beyond conventional adaptive learning systems that primarily personalize content sequencing or difficulty adjustment. Rather than demonstrating educational effectiveness, the framework establishes a conceptual and methodological foundation for supporting future research on AI-driven adaptive learning environments through large-scale validation studies.

In the field of healthcare, three papers are included in this Special Issue. Among them, one paper introduces SAVE (Securing Avatars in Virtual Environments), a framework for securing virtual healthcare environments through environmental fingerprinting based on Electric Network Frequency (ENF) signals [4]. A key contribution is the use of physical environmental fingerprints to authenticate avatars and detect deepfake attacks in real time, effectively bridging the gap between physical and virtual environments. The proposed framework establishes a robust and extensible security architecture for remote healthcare monitoring, demonstrating the potential of environmental fingerprinting to enhance the trustworthiness and security of Metaverse-based healthcare applications for vulnerable populations.

On the other hand, another healthcare-related contribution proposes a mixed-reality platform for cardiovascular anatomy education [5], combining the Apple Vision Pro with an AI-powered tutoring system based on retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). A particularly noteworthy contribution is the integration of a context-grounded retrieval-augmented voice assistant, whose responses are constrained by the Terminologia Anatomica knowledge base and weighted according to the learner’s spatial focus, thereby enhancing the contextual relevance and reliability of AI-generated explanations. In addition, the use of open-source resources and a portable, modular architecture provides a scalable, reproducible, and cost-effective framework for the development of intelligent immersive learning environments in medical education.

Finally, this Special Issue includes a review article addressing the role of virtual and augmented reality in exergaming and its implications for health and well-being [6]. A particularly noteworthy contribution is the comprehensive synthesis of research published between 2010 and 2025, providing a structured overview of the applications, benefits, and challenges of immersive exergaming while identifying nine major research themes through topic modeling. The review also highlights the growing potential of XR exergaming beyond rehabilitation, particularly in educational settings, and outlines key directions for future research and evidence-based practice.

On the other hand, another article [7] explores the integration of virtual museums into art history education through a technology-mediated learning approach. The main contribution of this paper [7] is the empirical validation of a pedagogical framework for integrating virtual museums into humanities curricula, demonstrating significant improvements in students’ learning outcomes and sustained engagement over a four-week intervention. Furthermore, the study identifies key design principles for educational virtual museums, characterizes learners’ strategies in immersive environments, and extends technology-mediated learning theory to humanities education, providing both practical guidance and a solid theoretical foundation for future research on immersive learning.

From a more technical perspective, paper [8] presents a cyber-physical SCADA system with three-dimensional visualization for the real-time monitoring and management of a drinking water supply network. One of the main contributions is the integration of GIS-based 3D visualization, hybrid communication technologies, and real-time data analytics into a scalable platform that enables efficient monitoring, teleoperation, and optimization of critical water infrastructure. The proposed approach highlights the potential of advanced 3D visualization and cyber-physical systems to improve operational efficiency and support sustainable resource management in large-scale infrastructure networks.

Finally, three papers are related to social aspects. One of them examines users’ attitudes towards the social metaverse by developing and validating a psychometric scale specifically designed to assess perceptions of future virtual social interactions [9]. A relevant contribution of this paper is the identification of four underlying dimensions that characterize attitudes towards the social metaverse using a rigorously validated measurement instrument. The proposed scale provides researchers, educators, and policymakers with a valuable tool for investigating public awareness, acceptance, and readiness for emerging forms of digital socialization, thereby supporting future research on the societal implications of immersive technologies.

Another contribution related to social aspects explores the feasibility of conducting Deliberative Polling^® in the Metaverse through immersive virtual environments [10]. A distinctive contribution of this paper is the empirical evaluation of deliberative processes in social VR platforms, showing that virtual environments can support structured discussions and social dynamics comparable to face-to-face deliberation under exploratory conditions. The study provides valuable insights into the potential of immersive technologies to facilitate new forms of civic engagement while also highlighting current challenges related to accessibility, usability, and inclusiveness that must be addressed for broader adoption.

The final contribution related to social aspects investigates citizens’ acceptance of AI-supported mixed-reality avatars in municipal services [11]. An important contribution of this paper is the experimental analysis of how avatar appearance influences user acceptance and trust, demonstrating that functional and social factors, rather than visual realism, play a more decisive role in shaping users’ perceptions. The study provides valuable insights for the user-centered design and implementation of mixed-reality avatars in public administration, highlighting their potential to improve accessibility and efficiency in citizen services while emphasizing the importance of usability, transparency, and social integration.

The contributions included in this Special Issue collectively demonstrate the breadth, maturity, and interdisciplinary nature of current research on immersive technologies. They highlight not only the rapid technological progress achieved in recent years but also the growing emphasis on evaluating the educational, industrial, healthcare, and societal value of these technologies in real-world contexts. Despite these significant advances, immersive technologies continue to evolve at a remarkable pace, driven by ongoing developments in artificial intelligence, digital twins, haptic systems, cloud computing, and human–computer interaction. Consequently, numerous scientific and technological challenges remain open, including issues related to accessibility, scalability, interoperability, ethical considerations, long-term user acceptance, and the assessment of their real impact across diverse application domains. We hope that the studies presented in this volume will stimulate further interdisciplinary collaboration and inspire new research aimed at unlocking the full potential of immersive technologies, thereby contributing to the continued digital transformation of society and addressing emerging challenges in the years ahead.