1,376 research outputs found
AFFECTIVE COMPUTING AND AUGMENTED REALITY FOR CAR DRIVING SIMULATORS
Car simulators are essential for training and for analyzing the behavior, the responses and the performance of the driver. Augmented Reality (AR) is the technology that enables virtual images to be overlaid on views of the real world. Affective Computing (AC) is the technology that helps reading emotions by means of computer systems, by analyzing body gestures, facial expressions, speech and physiological signals. The key aspect of the research relies on investigating novel interfaces that help building situational awareness and emotional awareness, to enable affect-driven remote collaboration in AR for car driving simulators. The problem addressed relates to the question about how to build situational awareness (using AR technology) and emotional awareness (by AC technology), and how to integrate these two distinct technologies [4], into a unique affective framework for training, in a car driving simulator
TechNews digests: Jan - Mar 2010
TechNews is a technology, news and analysis service aimed at anyone in the education sector keen to stay informed about technology developments, trends and issues. TechNews focuses on emerging technologies and other technology news. TechNews service : digests september 2004 till May 2010 Analysis pieces and News combined publish every 2 to 3 month
Human-Machine Interfaces for Service Robotics
L'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen
AMMP-EXTN: A User Privacy and Collaboration Control Framework for a Multi-User Collaboratory Virtual Reality System
In this thesis, we propose a new design of privacy and session control for improving a collaborative molecular modeling CVR system AMMP-VIS [1]. The design mainly addresses the issue of competing user interests and privacy protection coordination. Based on our investigation of AMMP-VIS, we propose a four-level access control structure for collaborative sessions and dynamic action priority specification for manipulations on shared molecular models. Our design allows a single user to participate in multiple simultaneous sessions. Moreover, a messaging system with text chatting and system broadcasting functionality is included. A 2D user interface [2] for easy command invocation is developed in Python. Two other key aspects of system implementation, the collaboration Central deployment and the 2D GUI for control are also discussed. Finally, we describe our system evaluation plan which is based on an improved cognitive walkthrough and heuristic evaluation as well as statistical usage data
Virtual Reality Games for Motor Rehabilitation
This paper presents a fuzzy logic based method to track user satisfaction without the need for devices to monitor users physiological conditions. User satisfaction is the key to any product’s acceptance; computer applications and video games provide a unique opportunity to provide a tailored environment for each user to better suit their needs. We have implemented a non-adaptive fuzzy logic model of emotion, based on the emotional component of the Fuzzy Logic Adaptive Model of Emotion (FLAME) proposed by El-Nasr, to estimate player emotion in UnrealTournament 2004. In this paper we describe the implementation of this system and present the results of one of several play tests. Our research contradicts the current literature that suggests physiological measurements are needed. We show that it is possible to use a software only method to estimate user emotion
Design, development and deployment of a hand/wrist exoskeleton for home-based rehabilitation after stroke - SCRIPT project
YesChanges in world-wide population trends have provided new demands for new technologies in areas
such as care and rehabilitation. Recent developments in the the field of robotics for neurorehabilitation
have shown a range of evidence regarding usefulness of these technologies as a tool to augment
traditional physiotherapy. Part of the appeal for these technologies is the possibility to place a
rehabilitative tool in one’s home, providing a chance for more frequent and accessible technologies
for empowering individuals to be in charge of their therapy.
Objective: this manuscript introduces the Supervised Care and Rehabilitation Involving Personal
Tele-robotics (SCRIPT) project. The main goal is to demonstrate design and development steps
involved in a complex intervention, while examining feasibility of using an instrumented orthotic
device for home-based rehabilitation after stroke.
Methods: the project uses a user-centred design methodology to develop a hand/wrist
rehabilitation device for home-based therapy after stroke. The patient benefits from a dedicated
user interface that allows them to receive feedback on exercise as well as communicating with
the health-care professional. The health-care professional is able to use a dedicated interface
to send/receive communications and remote-manage patient’s exercise routine using provided
performance benchmarks. Patients were involved in a feasibility study (n=23) and were instructed to
use the device and its interactive games for 180 min per week, around 30 min per day, for a period of
6 weeks, with a 2-months follow up. At the time of this study, only 12 of these patients have finished
their 6 weeks trial plus 2 months follow up evaluation.
Results: with the “use feasibility” as objective, our results indicate 2 patients dropping out due
to technical difficulty or lack of personal interests to continue. Our frequency of use results indicate
that on average, patients used the SCRIPT1 device around 14 min of self-administered therapy a day.
The group average for the system usability scale was around 69% supporting system usability.
Conclusions: based on the preliminary results, it is evident that stroke patients were able to use the
system in their homes. An average of 14 min a day engagement mediated via three interactive games
is promising, given the chronic stage of stroke. During the 2nd year of the project, 6 additional games
with more functional relevance in their interaction have been designed to allow for a more variant context for interaction with the system, thus hoping to positively influence the exercise duration.
The system usability was tested and provided supporting evidence for this parameter. Additional
improvements to the system are planned based on formative feedback throughout the project and
during the evaluations. These include a new orthosis that allows a more active control of the amount
of assistance and resistance provided, thus aiming to provide a more challenging interaction.This work has been partially funded under Grant FP7-ICT-288698(SCRIPT) of the European Community Seventh Framework Programme
Presence 2005: the eighth annual international workshop on presence, 21-23 September, 2005 University College London (Conference proceedings)
OVERVIEW (taken from the CALL FOR PAPERS)
Academics and practitioners with an interest in the concept of (tele)presence are invited to submit their work for presentation at PRESENCE 2005 at University College London in London, England, September 21-23, 2005.
The eighth in a series of highly successful international workshops, PRESENCE 2005 will provide an open discussion forum to share ideas regarding concepts and theories, measurement techniques, technology, and applications related to presence, the psychological state or subjective perception in which a person fails to accurately and completely acknowledge the role of technology in an experience, including the sense of 'being there' experienced by users of advanced media such as virtual reality.
The concept of presence in virtual environments has been around for at least 15 years, and the earlier idea of telepresence at least since Minsky's seminal paper in 1980. Recently there has been a burst of funded research activity in this area for the first time with the European FET Presence Research initiative. What do we really know about presence and its determinants? How can presence be successfully delivered with today's technology? This conference invites papers that are based on empirical results from studies of presence and related issues and/or which contribute to the technology for the delivery of presence. Papers that make substantial advances in theoretical understanding of presence are also welcome. The interest is not solely in virtual environments but in mixed reality environments. Submissions will be reviewed more rigorously than in previous conferences. High quality papers are therefore sought which make substantial contributions to the field.
Approximately 20 papers will be selected for two successive special issues for the journal Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments.
PRESENCE 2005 takes place in London and is hosted by University College London. The conference is organized by ISPR, the International Society for Presence Research and is supported by the European Commission's FET Presence Research Initiative through the Presencia and IST OMNIPRES projects and by University College London
Quantification of human operator skill in a driving simulator for applications in human adaptive mechatronics
Nowadays, the Human Machine System (HMS) is considered to be a proven technology, and now plays an important role in various human activities. However,
this system requires that only a human has an in-depth understanding of the machine
operation, and is thus a one-way relationship. Therefore, researchers have recently
developed Human Adaptive Mechatronics (HAM) to overcome this problem and
balance the roles of the human and machine in any HMS. HAM is different compared
to ordinary HMS in terms of its ability to adapt to changes in its surroundings and the
changing skill level of humans. Nonetheless, the main problem with HAM is in
quantifying the human skill level in machine manipulation as part of human
recognition. Therefore, this thesis deals with a proposed formula to quantify and
classify the skill of the human operator in driving a car as an example application
between humans and machines. The formula is evaluated using the logical conditions
and the definition of skill in HAM in terms of time and error. The skill indices are
classified into five levels: Very Highly Skilled, Highly Skilled, Medium Skilled, Low
Skilled and Very Low Skilled.
Driving was selected because it is considered to be a complex mechanical task that
involves skill, a human and a machine. However, as the safety of the human subjects
when performing the required tasks in various situations must be considered, a driving
simulator was used. The simulator was designed using Microsoft Visual Studio,
controlled using a USB steering wheel and pedals, as was able to record the human
ii
path and include the desired effects on the road. Thus, two experiments involving the
driving simulator were performed; 20 human subjects with a varying numbers of
years experience in driving and gaming were used in the experiments. In the first
experiment, the subjects were asked to drive in Expected and Guided Conditions
(EGC). Five guided tracks were used to show the variety of driving skill: straight,
circular, elliptical, square and triangular. The results of this experiment indicate that
the tracking error is inversely proportional to the elapsed time. In second experiment,
the subjects experienced Sudden Transitory Conditions (STC). Two types of
unexpected situations in driving were used: tyre puncture and slippery surface. This
experiment demonstrated that the tracking error is not directly proportional to the
elapsed time. Both experiments also included the correlation between experience and
skill. For the first time, a new skill index formula is proposed based on the logical
conditions and the definition of skill in HAM
Sailing with a ghost ship: Design guidelines for developing supervisory control interfaces for the semi-autonomous cargo vessel system
Rolls-Royce Marine is currently developing a semi-autonomous cargo vessel. The semi-autonomous cargo ship operation is a supervisory control task, in which the human operator is receiving information from a remote semi-autonomous vessel and instructing it through supervisory control interfaces. Thus, it is necessary to have supervisory control interfaces to carry the operation. But, the design guidelines for the interfaces are unclear, because of the lack of semi-autonomous cargo ships.
The thesis presents design guidelines for developing supervisory control interfaces for the semi-autonomous cargo vessel. The research question answered in this thesis is: “How to design a supervisory control interface for remote semi-autonomous cargo vessel system to enable intuitive and precise instruction of the course plan?” The author answers the question through a research and design process that consists of the problem and solution spaces.
The problem space suggests design requirements through a literature review and experts interviews. The literature review gives contextual and theoretical knowledge to design supervisory control interfaces. The expert interviews with video gamers and autonomous ship experts present potential user needs and design considerations. The findings from the problem space combine and formulate design requirements.
The solution space ideates and prototypes a supervisory control interface prototype by applying the design requirements. The prototype has been evaluated in usability tests with sailors and autonomous ship expert. The findings from the usability tests are linked to the design requirements to evaluate how the designed solution fulfils design requirements.
The thesis contributes to the design of semi-autonomous cargo vessel supervisory control interfaces by answering to the research question. In the conclusion part, the author answer to the research question by suggesting three design themes, which are synthetics of the design requirements and analysis. The design themes are: providing situation awareness, intuitive manipulation, and collaborative control.
With these design themes designers will be able to develop supervisory control interfaces, which present intuitive and precise course planning capability to the operators. At the same time, the findings of the thesis will provide several directions for further research, such as researching an unmanned surface vehicle supervisory control interface
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