From Big Data to Big Displays: High-Performance Visualization at Blue Brain

Blue Brain has pushed high-performance visualization (HPV) to complement its HPC strategy since its inception in 2007. In 2011, this strategy has been accelerated to develop innovative visualization solutions through increased funding and strategic partnerships with other research institutions. We present the key elements of this HPV ecosystem, which integrates C++ visualization applications with novel collaborative display systems. We motivate how our strategy of transforming visualization engines into services enables a variety of use cases, not only for the integration with high-fidelity displays, but also to build service oriented architectures, to link into web applications and to provide remote services to Python applications.Comment: ISC 2017 Visualization at Scale worksho

GAINE - A Portable Framework for the Development of Edutainment Applications Based on Multitouch and Tangible Interaction

In the last few years, Multitouch and Tangible User Interfaces have emerged as a powerful tool to integrate interactive surfaces and responsive spaces that embody digital information. Besides providing a natural interaction with digital contents, they allow the interaction of multiple users at the same time, thus promoting collaborative activities and information sharing. In particular, these characteristics have opened new exploration possibilities in the edutainment context, as witnessed by the many applications successfully developed in different areas, from children’s collaborative learning to interactive storytelling, cultural heritage and medical therapy support. However, due to the availability of different multitouch and tangible interaction technologies and of different target computing platforms, the development and deployment of such applications can be challenging. To this end, in this paper we present GAINE (tanGible Augmented INteraction for Edutainment), a software framework that enables rapid prototyping and development of tangible augmented applications for edutainment purposes. GAINE has two main features. First, it offers developers high-level context specific constructs that significantly reduces the implementation burden. Second, the framework is portable on different operating systems and offers independence from the underlying hardware and tracking technology. In this paper, we also discuss several case studies to show the effectiveness of GAINE in simplifying the development of entertainment and edutainment applications based on multitouch and tangible interaction

Two-Finger 3D Rotations for Novice Users: Surjective and Integral Interactions

International audienceNow that 3D interaction is available on tablets and smart phones, it becomes critical to provide efficient 3D interaction techniques for novice users. This paper investigates interaction techniques for 3D rotation with two fingers of a single hand, on multitouch mobile devices. We introduce two new rotation techniques that allow integral control of the 3 axes of rotation. These techniques also satisfy a new criterion that we introduce: surjection. We ran a study to compare the new techniques with two widely used rotation techniques from the literature. Results indicate that surjection and integration lead to a performance improvement of a group of participants who had no prior experience in 3D interaction. Qualitative results also indicate participants' preference for the new interaction techniques

Generalized Trackball and 3D Touch Interaction

This thesis faces the problem of 3D interaction by means of touch and mouse input. We propose a multitouch enabled adaptation of the classical mouse based trackball interaction scheme. In addition we introduce a new interaction metaphor based on visiting the space around a virtual object remaining at a given distance. This approach allows an intuitive navigation of topologically complex shapes enabling unexperienced users to visit hard to be reached parts

New generation of interactive platforms based on novel printed smart materials

Programa doutoral em Engenharia Eletrónica e de Computadores (área de Instrumentação e Microssistemas Eletrónicos)The last decade was marked by the computer-paradigm changing with other digital devices suddenly becoming available to the general public, such as tablets and smartphones. A shift in perspective from computer to materials as the centerpiece of digital interaction is leading to a diversification of interaction contexts, objects and applications, recurring to intuitive commands and dynamic content that can proportionate more interesting and satisfying experiences. In parallel, polymer-based sensors and actuators, and their integration in different substrates or devices is an area of increasing scientific and technological interest, which current state of the art starts to permit the use of smart sensors and actuators embodied within the objects seamlessly. Electronics is no longer a rigid board with plenty of chips. New technological advances and perspectives now turned into printed electronics in polymers, textiles or paper. We are assisting to the actual scaling down of computational power into everyday use objects, a fusion of the computer with the material. Interactivity is being transposed to objects erstwhile inanimate. In this work, strain and deformation sensors and actuators were developed recurring to functional polymer composites with metallic and carbonaceous nanoparticles (NPs) inks, leading to capacitive, piezoresistive and piezoelectric effects, envisioning the creation of tangible user interfaces (TUIs). Based on smart polymer substrates such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), among others, prototypes were prepared using piezoelectric and dielectric technologies. Piezoresistive prototypes were prepared with resistive inks and restive functional polymers. Materials were printed by screen printing, inkjet printing and doctor blade coating. Finally, a case study of the integration of the different materials and technologies developed is presented in a book-form factor.A última década foi marcada por uma alteração do paradigma de computador pelo súbito aparecimento dos tablets e smartphones para o público geral. A alteração de perspetiva do computador para os materiais como parte central de interação digital levou a uma diversificação dos contextos de interação, objetos e aplicações, recorrendo a comandos intuitivos e conteúdos dinâmicos capazes de tornarem a experiência mais interessante e satisfatória. Em simultâneo, sensores e atuadores de base polimérica, e a sua integração em diferentes substratos ou dispositivos é uma área de crescente interesse científico e tecnológico, e o atual estado da arte começa a permitir o uso de sensores e atuadores inteligentes perfeitamente integrados nos objetos. Eletrónica já não é sinónimo de placas rígidas cheias de componentes. Novas perspetivas e avanços tecnológicos transformaram-se em eletrónica impressa em polímeros, têxteis ou papel. Neste momento estamos a assistir à redução da computação a objetos do dia a dia, uma fusão do computador com a matéria. A interatividade está a ser transposta para objetos outrora inanimados. Neste trabalho foram desenvolvidos atuadores e sensores e de pressão e de deformação com recurso a compostos poliméricos funcionais com tintas com nanopartículas (NPs) metálicas ou de base carbónica, recorrendo aos efeitos capacitivo, piezoresistivo e piezoelétrico, com vista à criação de interfaces de usuário tangíveis (TUIs). Usando substratos poliméricos inteligentes tais como fluoreto de polivinilideno (PVDF) ou politereftalato de etileno (PET), entre outos, foi possível a preparação de protótipos de tecnologia piezoelétrica ou dielétrica. Os protótipos de tecnologia piezoresistiva foram feitos com tintas resistivas e polímeros funcionais resistivos. Os materiais foram impressos por serigrafia, jato de tinta, impressão por aerossol e revestimento de lâmina doctor blade. Para terminar, é apresentado um caso de estudo da integração dos diferentes materiais e tecnologias desenvolvidos sob o formato de um livro.This project was supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, within the doctorate grant with reference SFRH/BD/110622/2015, by POCH – Programa Operacional Capital Humano, and by EU – European Union

GAINE - tanGible Augmented INteraction for Edutainment

Interactive tabletops are gaining an increasing interest since they provide a more natural interaction with digital contents and allow the interaction of multiple users at a time promoting face-to-face collaboration, information sharing and the raise of social experiences. Given the potentialities offered by these devices, several entertainment-edutainment applications based on interactive tabletops have been successfully developed in different areas, from medical therapy support to children’s collaborative learning, interactive storytelling and cultural heritage. However, the development of such applications often requires complex technical and implementation skills. Taking this into consideration, in this paper we present GAINE (tanGible Augmented INteraction for Edutainment), a software framework aimed at the rapid prototyping and development of interactive tabletop games. GAINE offers developers context specific high-level constructs and a simple scripting language that simplifies the implementation task. The framework is portable on different operating systems and offers independence from the underlying hardware. Two practical case studies are thoroughly discussed to show how GAINE can simplify the development of interactive tabletop applications in the entertainment and edutainment contexts

Designing a mobile collaborative system for navigating and reviewing oil industry cad models

In this paper, we describe an industrial experience with the creation of a new product for collaboratively navigating and reviewing 3D engineering models, applied to the oil industry. Together with professional oil industry engineers from a large oil company, a team of HCI researchers per formed task analysis and storyboards, designed, imple mented and qualitatively evaluated a prototype that com bines the power of mobility brought by tablets with new navigation modes that employ every sensor present in the tablet to deliver a better experience. The system was the target of a qualitative assessment made by architects and oil industry engineering experts. Lessons learned are valuable, both in terms of performance and experience design, issues that necessarily arise when creating new collaborative vir tual reality systemsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Development platform for elderly-oriented tabletop games

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informática e Computação. Universidade do Porto. Faculdade de Engenharia. 201