6,786 research outputs found
Control theoretic models of pointing
This article presents an empirical comparison of four models from manual control theory on their ability to model targeting behaviour by human users using a mouse: McRuer’s Crossover, Costello’s Surge, second-order lag (2OL), and the Bang-bang model. Such dynamic models are generative, estimating not only movement time, but also pointer position, velocity, and acceleration on a moment-to-moment basis. We describe an experimental framework for acquiring pointing actions and automatically fitting the parameters of mathematical models to the empirical data. We present the use of time-series, phase space, and Hooke plot visualisations of the experimental data, to gain insight into human pointing dynamics. We find that the identified control models can generate a range of dynamic behaviours that captures aspects of human pointing behaviour to varying degrees. Conditions with a low index of difficulty (ID) showed poorer fit because their unconstrained nature leads naturally to more behavioural variability. We report on characteristics of human surge behaviour (the initial, ballistic sub-movement) in pointing, as well as differences in a number of controller performance measures, including overshoot, settling time, peak time, and rise time. We describe trade-offs among the models. We conclude that control theory offers a promising complement to Fitts’ law based approaches in HCI, with models providing representations and predictions of human pointing dynamics, which can improve our understanding of pointing and inform design
A note on brain actuated spelling with the Berlin brain-computer interface
Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are systems capable of decoding neural activity in real time, thereby allowing a computer application to be directly controlled by the brain. Since the characteristics of such direct brain-tocomputer interaction are limited in several aspects, one major challenge in BCI research is intelligent front-end design. Here we present the mental text entry application ‘Hex-o-Spell’ which incorporates principles of Human-Computer Interaction research into BCI feedback design. The system utilises the high visual display bandwidth to help compensate for the extremely limited control bandwidth which operates with only two mental states, where the timing of the state changes encodes most of the information. The display is visually appealing, and control is robust. The effectiveness and robustness of the interface was demonstrated at the CeBIT 2006 (world’s largest IT fair) where two subjects operated the mental text entry system at a speed of up to 7.6 char/min
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A Perspective on Future Research Directions in Information Theory
Information theory is rapidly approaching its 70th birthday. What are
promising future directions for research in information theory? Where will
information theory be having the most impact in 10-20 years? What new and
emerging areas are ripe for the most impact, of the sort that information
theory has had on the telecommunications industry over the last 60 years? How
should the IEEE Information Theory Society promote high-risk new research
directions and broaden the reach of information theory, while continuing to be
true to its ideals and insisting on the intellectual rigor that makes its
breakthroughs so powerful? These are some of the questions that an ad hoc
committee (composed of the present authors) explored over the past two years.
We have discussed and debated these questions, and solicited detailed inputs
from experts in fields including genomics, biology, economics, and
neuroscience. This report is the result of these discussions
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