183,074 research outputs found
Mixed Reality Architecture: a dynamic architectural topology
Architecture can be shown to structure patterns of co-presence and in turn to be
structured itself by the rules and norms of the society present within it. This two-way
relationship exists in a surprisingly stable framework, as fundamental changes to
buildings are slow and costly. At the same time, change within organisations is
increasingly rapid and buildings are used to accommodate some of that change. This
adaptation can be supported by the use of telecommunication technologies, overcoming
the need for co-presence during social interaction. However, often this results in a loss
of accountability or ācivic legibilityā, as the link between physical location and social
activity is broken. In response to these considerations, Mixed Reality Architecture
(MRA) was developed. MRA links multiple physical spaces across a shared 3D virtual
world. We report on the design of MRA, including the key concept of the Mixed Reality
Architectural Cell, a novel architectural interface between architectural spaces that are
remote to each other. An in-depth study lasting one year and involving six office-based
MRACells, used video recordings, the analysis of event logs, diaries and an interview
survey. This produced a series of ethnographic vignettes describing social interaction
within MRA in detail. In this paper we concentrate on the topological properties of MRA.
It can be shown that the dynamic topology of MRA and social interaction taking place
within it are fundamentally intertwined. We discuss how topological adjacencies across
virtual space change the integration of the architectural spaces that MRA is installed in.
We further reflect on how the placement of MRA technology in different parts of an
office space (deep or shallow) impacts on the nature of that particular space. Both the
above can be shown to influence movement through the building and social interaction
taking place within it. These findings are directly relevant to new buildings that need to
be designed to accommodate organisational change in future but also to existing
building stock that might be very hard to adapt. We are currently expanding the system
to new sites and are planning changes to the infrastructure of MRA as well as its
interactional interface
Discrete event simulation and virtual reality use in industry: new opportunities and future trends
This paper reviews the area of combined discrete
event simulation (DES) and virtual reality (VR) use within industry.
While establishing a state of the art for progress in this
area, this paper makes the case for VR DES as the vehicle of choice
for complex data analysis through interactive simulation models,
highlighting both its advantages and current limitations. This paper
reviews active research topics such as VR and DES real-time
integration, communication protocols, system design considerations,
model validation, and applications of VR and DES. While
summarizing future research directions for this technology combination,
the case is made for smart factory adoption of VR DES as
a new platform for scenario testing and decision making. It is put
that in order for VR DES to fully meet the visualization requirements
of both Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet visions of digital
manufacturing, further research is required in the areas of lower
latency image processing, DES delivery as a service, gesture recognition
for VR DES interaction, and linkage of DES to real-time data streams and Big Data sets
Developing serious games for cultural heritage: a state-of-the-art review
Although the widespread use of gaming for leisure purposes has been well documented, the use of games to support cultural heritage purposes, such as historical teaching and learning, or for enhancing museum visits, has been less well considered. The state-of-the-art in serious game technology is identical to that of the state-of-the-art in entertainment games technology. As a result, the field of serious heritage games concerns itself with recent advances in computer games, real-time computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence. On the other hand, the main strengths of serious gaming applications may be generalised as being in the areas of communication, visual expression of information, collaboration mechanisms, interactivity and entertainment. In this report, we will focus on the state-of-the-art with respect to the theories, methods and technologies used in serious heritage games. We provide an overview of existing literature of relevance to the domain, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the described methods and point out unsolved problems and challenges. In addition, several case studies illustrating the application of methods and technologies used in cultural heritage are presented
Serious Games in Cultural Heritage
Although the widespread use of gaming for leisure purposes has been well documented, the use of games to support cultural heritage purposes, such as historical teaching and learning, or for enhancing museum visits, has been less well considered. The state-of-the-art in serious game technology is identical to that of the state-of-the-art in entertainment games technology. As a result the field of serious heritage games concerns itself with recent advances in computer games, real-time computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence. On the other hand, the main strengths of serious gaming applications may be generalised as being in the areas of communication, visual expression of information, collaboration mechanisms, interactivity and entertainment. In this report, we will focus on the state-of-the-art with respect to the theories, methods and technologies used in serious heritage games. We provide an overview of existing literature of relevance to the domain, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the described methods and point out unsolved problems and challenges. In addition, several case studies illustrating the application of methods and technologies used in cultural heritage are presented
Space time pixels
This paper reports the design of a networked system, the aim of
which is to provide an intermediate virtual space that will
establish a connection and support interaction between multiple
participants in two distant physical spaces.
The intention of the project is to explore the potential of the
digital space to generate original social relationships between
people that their current (spatial or social) position can
difficultly allow the establishment of innovative connections.
Furthermore, to explore if digital space can sustain, in time,
low-level connections like these, by balancing between the two
contradicting needs of communication and anonymity.
The generated intermediate digital space is a dynamic reactive
environment where time and space information of two physical
places is superimposed to create a complex common ground where
interaction can take place. It is a system that provides
awareness of activity in a distant space through an abstract
mutable virtual environment, which can be perceived in several
different ways ā varying from a simple dynamic background image
to a common public space in the junction of two private spaces or
to a fully opened window to the other space ā according to the
participants will.
The thesis is that the creation of an intermediary environment
that operates as an activity abstraction filter between several
users, and selectively communicates information, could give
significance to the ambient data that people unconsciously
transmit to others when co-existing. It can therefore generate a new layer of connections and original interactivity patterns; in contrary to a straight-forward direct real video and sound
system, that although it is functionally more feasible, it
preserves the existing social constraints that limit interaction
into predefined patterns
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