187 research outputs found

    Multimodal augmented reality tangible gaming

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    This paper presents tangible augmented reality gaming environment that can be used to enhance entertainment using a multimodal tracking interface. Players can interact using different combinations between a pinch glove, a Wiimote, a six-degrees-of-freedom tracker, through tangible ways as well as through I/O controls. Two tabletop augmented reality games have been designed and implemented including a racing game and a pile game. The goal of the augmented reality racing game is to start the car and move around the track without colliding with either the wall or the objects that exist in the gaming arena. Initial evaluation results showed that multimodal-based interaction games can be beneficial in gaming. Based on these results, an augmented reality pile game was implemented with goal of completing a circuit of pipes (from a starting point to an end point on a grid). Initial evaluation showed that tangible interaction is preferred to keyboard interaction and that tangible games are much more enjoyable

    An evaluation of the Wii Nunchuk as an alternative assistive device for people with intellectual and physical disabilities using switch controlled software

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    Many people with intellectual disabilities also have physical difficulties which prevent them from using standard computer control devices. Custom made alternative devices for those with special needs can be expensive and the low unit turnover makes the prospect unattractive to potential manufacturers. One solution is to explore the potential of devices used in contemporary gaming technology, such as the Nintendo Wii. The Wii Nunchuk has the potential to replace joystick functions with the advantages of not being surface bound and easier for some individuals to grasp. This study evaluated the feasibility of using the Nunchuk by comparing its performance as a switch with the participant's usual switch. Twenty three volunteers aged between 17 and 21 with intellectual and physical disabilities completed a Single Switch Performance Test using the new device and their familiar device. For most functions of the switch, there was no significant difference between the participants' performance using the Nunchuck and their familiar device. Additional analysis found that some participants' performance did improve whilst using the Nunchuck, but this was not significantly related to physical or cognitive ability. Those whose performance was better with the Nunchuk were more likely to hold it in the conventional way than were those who had better performance with their familiar device. This merits it being offered as a possible alternative to currently available switches for those with physical difficulties affecting their grip

    Serious games: design and development

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    With the growth of the video game industry, interest in video game research has increased, leading to the study of Serious Games. Serious Games are generally perceived as games that use the video games’ capabilities to emerge players, for other purposes besides entertainment. These purposes include education and training, among others. By using Serious Games for education, teachers could capture the students’ attention in the same way that video games often do, thus the learning process could be more efficient. Additionally, by exploiting the potential of these virtual worlds, it is possible to experience situations that would otherwise be very difficult to experience in the real world, mainly due to reasons of cost, safety and time. Serious Games research and development is still very scarse. However, nowadays there is a large number of available platforms and tools, which can be used to develop Serious Games and video games in general. For instance, web browsers can now provide easy access to realistic 3D virtual worlds. This grants video game developers the tools to create compelling and rich environments that can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection. Additionnaly, other development platforms can be used to achieve different goals. Desktop technologies provide greater processing power and achieve greater results in terms of visual quality, as well as in terms of creating more accurate simulations. This disseration describes the design and development of two Serious Games, one for PC, developed with XNA, and another for the web, developed with WebGL.O crescimento da indústria dos jogos de vídeo, despoletou um maior interesse no estudo deste fenómeno, o que consequentemente levou ao estudo de Jogos Sérios. Jogos Sérios são normalmente considerados jogos de vídeo que são desenvolvidos para outros fins para além do entretenimento. Estes fins incluem a educação e o treino, entre outros. Ao utilizar Jogos Sérios para a educação, os docentes poderiam conseguir captar a atenção dos alunos da mesma forma que os jogos de vídeo normalmente conseguem. Desta forma o processo de aprendizagem poderia ser mais eficiente. Adicionalmente, ao explorar o potencial destes mundos virtuais, é possível experienciar situações que de outra forma seriam difíceis de experienciar na vida real, devido ao seu custo, a razões de segurança e também ao tempo dispendido para as realizar. O estudo de Jogos Sérios é ainda bastante disperso. No entanto, hoje em dia existe já um grande número de plataformas e ferramentas disponíveis que podem ser usadas para desenvolver Jogos Sérios. Por exemplo, os web browsers podem agora fornecer acesso fácil a mundos virtuais 3D. Isto permite que os criadores de jogos de vídeo tenham acesso às ferramentas necessárias para criar ambientes ricos, que possam ser acedidos por qualquer pessoa através de uma ligacção à internet. Adicionalmente, existem outras plataformas de desenvolvimento que podem ser utilizadas para alcançar objetivos diferentes. Tecnologias desktop fornecem um maior poder de processamento e permitem alcançar melhores resultados em termos de qualidade visual, bem como em termos de criação de simulações mais precisas. Nesta dissertação descreve-se a criação e o desenvolvimento de dois Jogos Sérios, um para PC, desenvolvido em XNA e outro outro para a web, desenvolvido em WebGL

    Communicating and Co-Producing Information with Stakeholders: Examples of Participatory Mapping Approaches Related to Sea Level Rise Risks and Impacts

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    This chapter discusses practical approaches for using participatory mapping as a tool to visualize and communicate sea level rise (SLR) and climate change risks, to share information about the vulnerability to, and threats of, climate change, and to co-produce knowledge with stakeholders. The examples presented in this chapter are from demonstrated applications in communities in Virginia (USA) that involve participatory mapping and that utilize a web-Geographic Information System (GIS). The web-GIS is innovatively combined with other technologies and participatory processes to create low-cost high-tech approaches so that even people with little to no knowledge of GIS can interact with maps and can contribute to knowledge creation in the complex issues of SLR and climate change

    An Interactive System for Concurrent Engineering Design

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    The methods in delivering engineering design have gone through evolvement where the effectiveness of conventional methods is decreasing. However, the importance of concurrent engineering design approach has tremendously increased due to the ever competitive world today. This is the reason why engineering designers are concern about the methods of delivering design and one of the recent interests is using interactive system to deliver design. In this paper, the construction of interactive system will be discussed followed by the experimental setup. Experiments will be conducted in the form of performing few selected tasks with the interactive system and comparison will be made with the conventional design approach. Comparison will be done by collecting feedback through questionnaires from the participants who are involved in the experiments. Feedback will be analysed to identify the feasibility of interactive concurrent engineering design system

    Design for social interaction through physical play : proceedings of the 1st workshop, October 22, 2008, Eindhoven

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    Enhanced e-learning and simulation for obstetrics education

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    Background: In medicine, new media technologies have been used in recent years to simulate situations and techniques that may not be common enough for students to experience in reality or may not be visible to the naked eye. Especially in areas of medicine focusing on important surgeries or procedures, these simulated designs could train students and ultimately prevent possible risk or morbidity. Aims: The aim of this thesis was to develop a multipurpose hybrid educational resource based on a physical/software driven simulator platform enabling the use of multimedia properties like 3D and video to enhance the educational training of obstetrics students through haptic interactions. All of this content was enabled by the learning preferences of the obstetric students involved. Method: The learning resource was developed using a combination of student learning preference, online learning content, 3D, video, human patient simulations and sensor technology interaction. These mediums were all interconnected to create a multipurpose resource. The learning preference was collected through a developed student online survey, the results consequently informed the creation of the other aspects of the finished resource. The interactive aspects were created through position and orientation sensors and the 3D/video influences which localised the position and orientation of an object like a fetal model relative to a human patient simulator. All of these methods combined with added assessment contributions for obstetric tutors, enabled the finalising of a prototype. Conclusion: This form of learning resource has a vital role in the progressing higher level education in the digital age. This proposal is the development of a new type of joint simulator that allows students and practitioners physically involve themselves in a series of processes while assessing their own progression through real time digital feedback in the form of video narrative and analytics. Usability test was not conducted on the full resource (one on the video platform) due to time limitations
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