Application of Robot Programming to the Teaching of Object-Oriented Computer Languages

Object-oriented programming (OOP) abstract concepts are often difficult to understand for students, since it is not easy to find the equivalence of such concepts in daily life. In this paper we will study if an interdisciplinary approach based on an introduction to robotics and robot programming helps the student in acquiring theOOPconcepts. For our experiments, we selected a sample of thirty individuals among students with an adequate knowledge of procedural programming. This sample was divided into two groups of fifteen students each: for the first one we used a standard introductory approach to C#, whereas for the second one we developed an experimental course that included a demonstration program that illustrated OOP basic concepts using the features of a specific type of commercial ball-shaped robot with sensing, wireless communication and output capabilities. After the courses, both groups were evaluated by completing a multiple-choice exam and aC#programming exercise. Our results show that the student group that attended the course including the robot demo showed a higher interest level (i.e. they felt more motivated) than those students that attended the standard introductory C# course. Furthermore, the students from the experimental group also achieved an overall better mark

Postdigital interfaces and the aesthetics of recruitment

This paper analyses reconfigurations of play in emergent digital materialities of game design. It extends recent work examining dimensions of hybridity in playful products by turning attention to interfaces, practices and spaces, rather than devices. We argue that the concept of hybrid play relies on predefining clear and distinct digital or material entities that then enter into hybrid situations. Drawing on concepts of the ‘interface’ and ‘postdigital’, we argue the distribution of computing devices creates difficulties for such presuppositions. Instead, we propose thinking these situations through an ‘aesthetic of recruitment’ that is able to accommodate the intensive entanglements and inherent openness of both the social and technical in postdigital play

User perception of robot's role in floor projection-based Mixed-Reality robotic games

Within the emerging research area represented by robotic gaming and, specifically, in application domains in which the recent literature suggests to combine commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) robots and projected mixed reality (MR) technology in order to develop engaging games, one of the crucial issues to consider in the design process is how to make the player perceive the robot as having a key role, i.e., to valorize its presence from the user experience point of view. By moving from this consideration, this paper reports efforts that are being carried out with the aim to investigate the impact of diverse game design choices in the above perspective, while at the same time extracting preliminary insights that can be exploited to orient further research in the field of MR-based robotic gaming and related scenarios

Developing a depth-based tracking systems for interactive playful environments with animals

© ACM 2015. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive Version of Record was published in ACM. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology (p. 59). http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2832932.2837007.[EN] Digital games for animals within Animal Computer Interaction are usually single-device oriented, however richer interactions could be delivered by considering multimodal environments and expanding the number of technological elements involved. In these playful ecosystems, animals could be either alone or accompanied by human beings, but in both cases the system should react properly to the interactions of all the players, creating more engaging and natural games. Technologically-mediated playful scenarios for animals will therefore require contextual information about the game participants, such as their location or body posture, in order to suitably adapt the system reactions. This paper presents a depth-based tracking system for cats capable of detecting their location, body posture and field of view. The proposed system could also be extended to locate and detect human gestures and track small robots, becoming a promising component in the creation of intelligent interspecies playful environments.Work supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and funded by the EDRF-FEDER (TIN2014-60077-R). The work of Patricia Pons has been supported by a national grant from the Spanish MECD (FPU13/03831). Alejandro Catalá also received support from a VALi+d fellowship from the GVA (APOSTD/2013/013). Special thanks to our cat participants, their owners, and our feline caretakers and therapistsPons Tomás, P.; Jaén Martínez, FJ.; Catalá Bolós, A. (2015). Developing a depth-based tracking systems for interactive playful environments with animals. ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2832932.2837007SJan Bednarik and David Herman. 2015. Human gesture recognition using top view depth data obtained from Kinect sensor.Excel. - Student Conf. Innov. Technol. Sci. IT, 1--8.Hrvoje Benko, Andrew D. Wilson, Federico Zannier, and Hrvoje Benko. 2014. Dyadic projected spatial augmented reality.Proc. 27th Annu. ACM Symp. User interface Softw. Technol. - UIST '14, 645--655.Alper Bozkurt, David L Roberts, Barbara L Sherman, et al. 2014. Toward Cyber-Enhanced Working Dogs for Search and Rescue.IEEE Intell. Syst. 29, 6, 32--39.Rita Brugarolas, Robert T. Loftin, Pu Yang, David L. Roberts, Barbara Sherman, and Alper Bozkurt. 2013. Behavior recognition based on machine learning algorithms for a wireless canine machine interface.2013 IEEE Int. Conf. Body Sens. Networks, 1--5.Adrian David Cheok, Roger Thomas K C Tan, R. L. Peiris, et al. 2011. Metazoa Ludens: Mixed-Reality Interaction and Play for Small Pets and Humans.IEEE Trans. Syst. Man, Cybern. - Part A Syst. Humans41, 5, 876--891.Amanda Hodgson, Natalie Kelly, and David Peel. 2013. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for surveying Marine Fauna: A dugong case study.PLoS One8, 11, 1--15.Gang Hu, Derek Reilly, Mohammed Alnusayri, Ben Swinden, and Qigang Gao. 2014. DT-DT: Top-down Human Activity Analysis for Interactive Surface Applications.Proc. Ninth ACM Int. Conf. Interact. Tabletops Surfaces - ITS '14, 167--176.Brett R Jones, Hrvoje Benko, Eyal Ofek, and Andrew D. Wilson. 2013. IllumiRoom: Peripheral Projected Illusions for Interactive Experiences.Proc. SIGCHI Conf. Hum. Factors Comput. Syst. - CHI '13, 869--878.Brett Jones, Lior Shapira, Rajinder Sodhi, et al. 2014. RoomAlive: magical experiences enabled by scalable, adaptive projector-camera units.Proc. 27th Annu. ACM Symp. User Interface Softw. Technol. - UIST '14, 637--644.Cassim Ladha, Nils Hammerla, Emma Hughes, Patrick Olivier, and Thomas Ploetz. 2013. Dog's Life: Wearable Activity Recognition for Dogs.Proc. 2013 ACM Int. Jt. Conf. Pervasive Ubiquitous Comput. - UbiComp'13, 415.Shang Ping Lee, Adrian David Cheok, Teh Keng Soon James, et al. 2006. A mobile pet wearable computer and mixed reality system for human--poultry interaction through the internet.Pers. Ubiquitous Comput. 10, 5, 301--317.Clara Mancini, Janet van der Linden, Jon Bryan, and Andrew Stuart. 2012. Exploring interspecies sensemaking: Dog Tracking Semiotics and Multispecies Ethnography.Proc. 2012 ACM Conf. Ubiquitous Comput. - UbiComp '12, 143--152.Clara Mancini. 2011. Animal-computer interaction: a manifesto.Mag. Interact. 18, 4, 69--73.Clara Mancini. 2013. Animal-computer interaction (ACI): changing perspective on HCI, participation and sustainability.CHI '13 Ext. Abstr. Hum. Factors Comput. Syst., 2227--2236.Steve North, Carol Hall, Amanda Roshier, and Clara Mancini. 2015. HABIT: Horse Automated Behaviour Identification Tool -- A Position Paper.Proc. Br. Hum. Comput. Interact. Conf. - Anim. Comput. Interact. Work., 1--4.Mikko Paldanius, Tuula Kärkkäinen, Kaisa Väänänen-Vainio-Mattila, Oskar Juhlin, and Jonna Häkkilä. 2011. Communication technology for human-dog interaction: exploration of dog owners' experiences and expectations.Proc. SIGCHI Conf. Hum. Factors Comput. Syst., 2641--2650.Patricia Pons, Javier Jaen, and Alejandro Catala. Multimodality and Interest Grabbing: Are Cats Ready for the Game?Submitt. to Int. J. Human-Computer Stud. Spec. Issue Anim. Comput. Interact. (under Rev).Patricia Pons, Javier Jaen, and Alejandro Catala. 2014. 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Augmented reality in mathematics: Enhancing pupils’ everyday school lives

This article presents findings from a study focused on using technology as a learning tool in education. Educational research on game-based learning argues that technology-based learning tools effectively enhance learning and memory. Augmented reality (AR) technology is attracting significant attention; its importance will continue to increase as new learning environments are exploited and new possibilities for promoting flexible and playful learning are revealed. This study investigated pupils’ experiences with an AR application by comparing experiences and reflections from pupils who learned mathematics using the Wittario game-based learning application with pupils exposed to more traditional instructional methods. 72 pupils in 5th and 6th grade, divided into three different test groups, and 5 teachers were interviewed. The study revealed that the application provided more subjectoriented interactions, and pupils expressed a high level of motivation and peer affiliation when using the application. Our findings, therefore, reveal that using the application, especially when facilitating tasks that involve peer collaboration and interaction with a specter of features available, contributes to a positive learning environment. Also uncovered was that the teacher’s presence and positioning of the activity in a pedagogical context are essential to this process.publishedVersio

Hybrid Playful Experiences : Playing between Material and Digital - Hybridex Project, Final Report

Some of the future’s most important product innovations will be made at the borderline of physical and immaterial realities. New technologies enable development where immaterial products become materialized in novel ways, while material products and environment will be augmented with digital services. In this evolution immaterial, digital services will form multifaceted value networks with material products. The creative and playful design solutions and user cultures will form the basis for the utilization of these novel potentials in design of innovative and engaging experiences

Visual Design Process: Communicating with Storyboarding and Augmented Reality

In the building profession, it is essential for architects to communicate clearly and effectively to numerous people. This thesis introduces a design process utilizing two visual tools— Storyboarding and Augmented Reality—as a methodology for stronger visual communication. Storyboarding is a visual design tool that communicates concepts, ideas, and specifics quickly through clear illustrations. It allows designers to visually communicate to a team and change ideas during the development phase of a project. Augmented Reality is a visual tool that communicates superimposed digital information through a composite view of the real and digital world. This gives designers the ability to present more information about completed projects. Through further investigation of this design process, I have found that it is the balance between the two and the transition of information between design phases that allows for a brand new process of visual communication throughout a design project’s entirety.In the building profession, it is essential for architects to communicate clearly and effectively to numerous people. This thesis introduces a design process utilizing two visual tools— Storyboarding and Augmented Reality—as a methodology for stronger visual communication. Storyboarding is a visual design tool that communicates concepts, ideas, and specifics quickly through clear illustrations. It allows designers to visually communicate to a team and change ideas during the development phase of a project. Augmented Reality is a visual tool that communicates superimposed digital information through a composite view of the real and digital world. This gives designers the ability to present more information about completed projects. Through further investigation of this design process, I have found that it is the balance between the two and the transition of information between design phases that allows for a brand new process of visual communication throughout a design project’s entirety.In the building profession, it is essential for architects to communicate clearly and effectively to numerous people. This thesis introduces a design process utilizing two visual tools— Storyboarding and Augmented Reality—as a methodology for stronger visual communication. Storyboarding is a visual design tool that communicates concepts, ideas, and specifics quickly through clear illustrations. It allows designers to visually communicate to a team and change ideas during the development phase of a project. Augmented Reality is a visual tool that communicates superimposed digital information through a composite view of the real and digital world. This gives designers the ability to present more information about completed projects. Through further investigation of this design process, I have found that it is the balance between the two and the transition of information between design phases that allows for a brand new process of visual communication throughout a design project’s entirety.In the building profession, it is essential for architects to communicate clearly and effectively to numerous people. This thesis introduces a design process utilizing two visual tools— Storyboarding and Augmented Reality—as a methodology for stronger visual communication. Storyboarding is a visual design tool that communicates concepts, ideas, and specifics quickly through clear illustrations. It allows designers to visually communicate to a team and change ideas during the development phase of a project. Augmented Reality is a visual tool that communicates superimposed digital information through a composite view of the real and digital world. This gives designers the ability to present more information about completed projects. Through further investigation of this design process, I have found that it is the balance between the two and the transition of information between design phases that allows for a brand new process of visual communication throughout a design project’s entirety.In the building profession, it is essential for architects to communicate clearly and effectively to numerous people. This thesis introduces a design process utilizing two visual tools— Storyboarding and Augmented Reality—as a methodology for stronger visual communication. Storyboarding is a visual design tool that communicates concepts, ideas, and specifics quickly through clear illustrations. It allows designers to visually communicate to a team and change ideas during the development phase of a project. Augmented Reality is a visual tool that communicates superimposed digital information through a composite view of the real and digital world. This gives designers the ability to present more information about completed projects. Through further investigation of this design process, I have found that it is the balance between the two and the transition of information between design phases that allows for a brand new process of visual communication throughout a design project’s entirety.In the building profession, it is essential for architects to communicate clearly and effectively to numerous people. This thesis introduces a design process utilizing two visual tools— Storyboarding and Augmented Reality—as a methodology for stronger visual communication. Storyboarding is a visual design tool that communicates concepts, ideas, and specifics quickly through clear illustrations. It allows designers to visually communicate to a team and change ideas during the development phase of a project. Augmented Reality is a visual tool that communicates superimposed digital information through a composite view of the real and digital world. This gives designers the ability to present more information about completed projects. Through further investigation of this design process, I have found that it is the balance between the two and the transition of information between design phases that allows for a brand new process of visual communication throughout a design project’s entirety.In the building profession, it is essential for architects to communicate clearly and effectively to numerous people. This thesis introduces a design process utilizing two visual tools— Storyboarding and Augmented Reality—as a methodology for stronger visual communication. Storyboarding is a visual design tool that communicates concepts, ideas, and specifics quickly through clear illustrations. It allows designers to visually communicate to a team and change ideas during the development phase of a project. Augmented Reality is a visual tool that communicates superimposed digital information through a composite view of the real and digital world. This gives designers the ability to present more information about completed projects. Through further investigation of this design process, I have found that it is the balance between the two and the transition of information between design phases that allows for a brand new process of visual communication throughout a design project’s entirety.In the building profession, it is essential for architects to communicate clearly and effectively to numerous people. This thesis introduces a design process utilizing two visual tools— Storyboarding and Augmented Reality—as a methodology for stronger visual communication. Storyboarding is a visual design tool that communicates concepts, ideas, and specifics quickly through clear illustrations. It allows designers to visually communicate to a team and change ideas during the development phase of a project. Augmented Reality is a visual tool that communicates superimposed digital information through a composite view of the real and digital world. This gives designers the ability to present more information about completed projects. Through further investigation of this design process, I have found that it is the balance between the two and the transition of information between design phases that allows for a brand new process of visual communication throughout a design project’s entirety.In the building profession, it is essential for architects to communicate clearly and effectively to numerous people. This thesis introduces a design process utilizing two visual tools— Storyboarding and Augmented Reality—as a methodology for stronger visual communication. Storyboarding is a visual design tool that communicates concepts, ideas, and specifics quickly through clear illustrations. It allows designers to visually communicate to a team and change ideas during the development phase of a project. Augmented Reality is a visual tool that communicates superimposed digital information through a composite view of the real and digital world. This gives designers the ability to present more information about completed projects. Through further investigation of this design process, I have found that it is the balance between the two and the transition of information between design phases that allows for a brand new process of visual communication throughout a design project’s entirety.In the building profession, it is essential for architects to communicate clearly and effectively to numerous people. This thesis introduces a design process utilizing two visual tools— Storyboarding and Augmented Reality—as a methodology for stronger visual communication. Storyboarding is a visual design tool that communicates concepts, ideas, and specifics quickly through clear illustrations. It allows designers to visually communicate to a team and change ideas during the development phase of a project. Augmented Reality is a visual tool that communicates superimposed digital information through a composite view of the real and digital world. This gives designers the ability to present more information about completed projects. Through further investigation of this design process, I have found that it is the balance between the two and the transition of information between design phases that allows for a brand new process of visual communication throughout a design project’s entirety.In the building profession, it is essential for architects to communicate clearly and effectively to numerous people. This thesis introduces a design process utilizing two visual tools— Storyboarding and Augmented Reality—as a methodology for stronger visual communication. Storyboarding is a visual design tool that communicates concepts, ideas, and specifics quickly through clear illustrations. It allows designers to visually communicate to a team and change ideas during the development phase of a project. Augmented Reality is a visual tool that communicates superimposed digital information through a composite view of the real and digital world. This gives designers the ability to present more information about completed projects. Through further investigation of this design process, I have found that it is the balance between the two and the transition of information between design phases that allows for a brand new process of visual communication throughout a design project’s entirety.In the building profession, it is essential for architects to communicate clearly and effectively to numerous people. This thesis introduces a design process utilizing two visual tools— Storyboarding and Augmented Reality—as a methodology for stronger visual communication. Storyboarding is a visual design tool that communicates concepts, ideas, and specifics quickly through clear illustrations. It allows designers to visually communicate to a team and change ideas during the development phase of a project. Augmented Reality is a visual tool that communicates superimposed digital information through a composite view of the real and digital world. This gives designers the ability to present more information about completed projects. Through further investigation of this design process, I have found that it is the balance between the two and the transition of information between design phases that allows for a brand new process of visual communication throughout a design project’s entirety