Survey of End-to-End Mobile Network Measurement Testbeds, Tools, and Services

Mobile (cellular) networks enable innovation, but can also stifle it and lead to user frustration when network performance falls below expectations. As mobile networks become the predominant method of Internet access, developer, research, network operator, and regulatory communities have taken an increased interest in measuring end-to-end mobile network performance to, among other goals, minimize negative impact on application responsiveness. In this survey we examine current approaches to end-to-end mobile network performance measurement, diagnosis, and application prototyping. We compare available tools and their shortcomings with respect to the needs of researchers, developers, regulators, and the public. We intend for this survey to provide a comprehensive view of currently active efforts and some auspicious directions for future work in mobile network measurement and mobile application performance evaluation.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials. arXiv does not format the URL references correctly. For a correctly formatted version of this paper go to http://www.cs.montana.edu/mwittie/publications/Goel14Survey.pd

You Can't Hide Behind Your Headset: User Profiling in Augmented and Virtual Reality

Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR, AR) are increasingly gaining traction thanks to their technical advancement and the need for remote connections, recently accentuated by the pandemic. Remote surgery, telerobotics, and virtual offices are only some examples of their successes. As users interact with VR/AR, they generate extensive behavioral data usually leveraged for measuring human behavior. However, little is known about how this data can be used for other purposes. In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of user profiling in two different use-cases of virtual technologies: AR everyday application ($N=34$) and VR robot teleoperation ($N=35$). Specifically, we leverage machine learning to identify users and infer their individual attributes (i.e., age, gender). By monitoring users' head, controller, and eye movements, we investigate the ease of profiling on several tasks (e.g., walking, looking, typing) under different mental loads. Our contribution gives significant insights into user profiling in virtual environments

Fall Prediction and Prevention Systems: Recent Trends, Challenges, and Future Research Directions.

Fall prediction is a multifaceted problem that involves complex interactions between physiological, behavioral, and environmental factors. Existing fall detection and prediction systems mainly focus on physiological factors such as gait, vision, and cognition, and do not address the multifactorial nature of falls. In addition, these systems lack efficient user interfaces and feedback for preventing future falls. Recent advances in internet of things (IoT) and mobile technologies offer ample opportunities for integrating contextual information about patient behavior and environment along with physiological health data for predicting falls. This article reviews the state-of-the-art in fall detection and prediction systems. It also describes the challenges, limitations, and future directions in the design and implementation of effective fall prediction and prevention systems

Moving sounds and sonic moves : exploring interaction quality of embodied music mediation technologies through a user-centered perspective

This research project deals with the user-experience related to embodied music mediation technologies. More specifically, adoption and policy problems surrounding new media (art) are considered, which arise from the usability issues that to date pervade new interfaces for musical expression. Since the emergence of new wireless mediators and control devices for musical expression, there is an explicit aspiration of the creative industries and various research centers to embed such technologies into different areas of the cultural industries. The number of applications and their uses have exponentially increased over the last decade. Conversely, many of the applications to date still suffer from severe usability problems, which not only hinder the adoption by the cultural sector, but also make culture participants take a rather cautious, hesitant, or even downright negative stance towards these technologies. Therefore, this thesis takes a vantage point that is in part sociological in nature, yet has a link to cultural studies as well. It combines this with a musicological frame of reference to which it introduces empirical user-oriented approaches, predominantly taken from the field of human-computer-interaction studies. This interdisciplinary strategy is adopted to cope with the complex nature of digital embodied music controlling technologies. Within the Flanders cultural (and creative) industries, opportunities of systems affiliated with embodied interaction are created and examined. This constitutes an epistemological jigsaw that looks into 1) “which stakeholders require what various levels of involvement, what interactive means and what artistic possibilities?”, 2) “the way in which artistic aspirations, cultural prerequisites and operational necessities of (prospective) users can be defined?”, 3) “how functional, artistic and aesthetic requirements can be accommodated?”, and 4) “how quality of use and quality of experience can be achieved, quantified, evaluated and, eventually, improved?”. Within this multi-facetted problem, the eventual aim is to assess the applicability of the foresaid technology, both from a theoretically and empirically sound basis, and to facilitate widening and enhancing the adoption of said technologies. Methodologically, this is achieved by 1) applied experimentation, 2) interview techniques, 3) self-reporting and survey research, 4) usability evaluation of existing devices, and 5) human-computer interaction methods applied – and attuned – to the specific case of embodied music mediation technologies. Within that scope, concepts related to usability, flow, presence, goal assessment and game enjoyment are scrutinized and applied, and both task- and experience-oriented heuristics and metrics are developed and tested. In the first part, covering three chapters, the general context of the thesis is given. In the first chapter, an introduction to the topic is offered and the current problems are enumerated. In the second chapter, a broader theoretical background is presented of the concepts that underpin the project, namely 1) the paradigm of embodiment and its connection to musicology, 2) a state of the arts concerning new interfaces for musical expression, 3) an introduction into HCI-usability and its application domain in systematic musicology, 4) an insight into user-centered digital design procedures, and 5) the challenges brought about by e-culture and digitization for the cultural-creative industries. In the third chapter, the state of the arts concerning the available methodologies related to the thesis’ endeavor is discussed, a set of literature-based design guidelines are enumerated and from this a conceptual model is deduced which is gradually presented throughout the thesis, and fully deployed in the “SoundField”-project (as described in Chapter 9). The following chapters, contained in the second part of the thesis, give a quasi-chronological overview of how methodological concepts have been applied throughout the empirical case studies, aimed specifically at the exploration of the various aspects of the complex status quaestionis. In the fourth chapter, a series of application-based tests, predominantly revolving around interface evaluation, illustrate the complex relation between gestural interfaces and meaningful musical expression, advocating a more user-centered development approach to be adopted. In the fifth chapter, a multi-purpose questionnaire dubbed “What Moves You” is discussed, which aimed at creating a survey of the (prospective) end-users of embodied music mediation technologies. Therefore, it primarily focused on cultural background, musical profile and preferences, views on embodied interaction, literacy of and attitudes towards new technology and participation in digital culture. In the sixth chapter, the ethnographical studies that accompanied the exhibition of two interactive art pieces, entitled "Heart as an Ocean" & "Lament", are discussed. In these studies, the use of interview and questionnaire methodologies together with the presentation and reception of interactive art pieces, are probed. In the seventh chapter, the development of the collaboratively controlled music-game “Sync-In-Team” is presented, in which interface evaluation, presence, game enjoyment and goal assessment are the pivotal topics. In the eighth chapter, two usability studies are considered, that were conducted on prototype systems/interfaces, namely a heuristic evaluation of the “Virtual String” and a usability metrics evaluation on the “Multi-Level Sonification Tool”. The findings of these two studies in conjunction with the exploratory studies performed in association with the interactive art pieces, finally gave rise to the “SoundField”-project, which is recounted in full throughout the ninth chapter. The integrated participatory design and evaluation method, presented in the conceptual model is fully applied over the course of the “SoundField”-project, in which technological opportunities and ecological validity and applicability are investigated through user-informed development of numerous use cases. The third and last part of the thesis renders the final conclusions of this research project. The tenth chapter sets out with an epilogue in which a brief overview is given on how the state of the arts has evolved since the end of the project (as the research ended in 2012, but the research field has obviously moved on), and attempts to consolidate the implications of the research studies with some of the realities of the Flemish cultural-creative industries. Chapter eleven continues by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the conceptual model throughout the various stages of the project. Also, it comprises the evaluation of the hypotheses, how the assumptions that were made held up, and how the research questions eventually could be assessed. Finally, the twelfth and last chapter concludes with the most important findings of the project. Also, it discusses some of the implications on cultural production, artistic research policy and offers an outlook on future research beyond the scope of the “SoundField” project

Customizing Experiences for Mobile Virtual Reality

A criação manual de conteúdo para um jogo é um processo demorado e trabalhoso que requer um conjunto de habilidades diversi cado (normalmente designers, artistas e programadores) e a gestão de diferentes recursos (hardware e software especializados). Dado que o orçamento, tempo e recursos são frequentemente muito limitados, os projetos poderiam bene ciar de uma solução que permitisse poupar e investir noutros aspectos do desenvolvimento. No contexto desta tese, abordamos este desa o sugerindo a criação de pacotes especí cos para a geração de conteúdo per sonalizável, focados em aplicações de Realidade Virtual (RV) móveis. Esta abordagem divide o problema numa solução com duas facetas: em primeiro lugar, a Geração Procedural de Conteúdo, alcançada através de métodos convencionais e pela utilização inovadora de Grandes Modelos de Lin guagem (normalmente conhecidos por Large Language Models). Em segundo lugar, a Co-Criação de Conteúdo, que enfatiza o desenvolvimento colaborativo de conteúdo. Adicionalmente, dado que este trabalho se foca na compatibilidade com RV móvel, as limitações de hardware associadas a capacetes de RV autónomos (standalone VR Headsets) e formas de as ultrapassar são também abordadas. O conteúdo será gerado utilizando métodos actuais em geração procedural e facilitando a co-criação de conteúdo pelo utilizador. A utilização de ambas estas abordagens resulta em ambi entes, objectivos e conteúdo geral mais re-jogáveis com muito menos desenho. Esta abordagem está actualmente a ser aplicada no desenvolvimento de duas aplicações de RV distintas. A primeira, AViR, destina-se a oferecer apoio psicológico a indivíduos após a perda de uma gravidez. A se gunda, EmotionalVRSystem, visa medir as variações nas respostas emocionais dos participantes induzidas por alterações no ambiente, utilizando tecnologia EEG para leituras precisas

Exploring the effectiveness of wall and floor mounted guiding light systems in an underground parking evacuation scenario

Abstract. The usage of virtual reality (VR) in all kinds of applications has been on the rise for several years now. The technology and its applications have matured to a state where it is possible to create realistic and immersive simulations to easily and affordably train people for certain activities that could otherwise be dangerous or costly to implement. These activities include dealing with hazardous materials, evacuating structures or performing surgeries to name a few. The focus of this thesis is on evaluating two types of differently placed guiding light systems using a VR simulation. The effectiveness of these light systems is examined using an evacuation scenario occurring in an underground parking garage during an emergency. The collected data consisted of heart rate measurements and various performance metrics such as completion time, walk distance, and average speed that were recorded during the simulation, and a questionnaire that was conducted before and after the simulation. The participants were divided into three groups consisting of a baseline group with no assistive lighting and two experiment groups with different types of assistive lights. The simulation was run using a VR HMD (head mounted display) in a glass-walled cubicle. All the performance results and measurements are discussed and conclusions are made about the lighting system performances, user experiences and the heart rate measurements. The performance results as well as the heart rate measurements showed differences between the three groups. Furthermore, when comparing the participants by their gaming experience, the results showed significantly better performance for those with more gaming experience. Finally, the experiment as a whole is analysed and improvement suggestion are made to it as well as for possible further research into the topic.Tutkielma seinä- ja lattia-asennettujen avustusvalojen vaikutuksesta maanalaisen parkkihallin evakuointiskenaariossa. Tiivistelmä. Virtuaalitodellisuuden (VR) käyttö kaikenlaisissa sovelluksissa on ollut kasvussa viime vuosien aikana. Itse tekniikka ja sitä käyttävät sovellukset ovat kehittyneet siihen pisteeseen, että niiden avulla on mahdollista luoda realistisia ja immersiivisiä simulaatioita, joilla voidaan helposti ja edullisesti kouluttaa ihmisiä aktiviteetteihin, jotka voisivat muuten olla vaarallisia tai kalliita toteuttaa. Tällaisia aktiviteetteja ovat mm. toimiminen vaarallisten aineiden kanssa, rakennusten evakuointi ja leikkausten tekeminen. Tämän diplomityön fokus on kahden eri tavalla asennettujen avustusvalojen vertailu VR- simulaatiossa. Näiden valaistussysteemien vaikutusta arvioidaan maanalaisessa parkkihallissa tapahtuneen vaaratilanteen jälkeistä evakuointia mallintavan VR-simulaation avulla. Kerätty data koostui sykkeenmittauksesta ja useista suorituskykymittareista kuten suoritusajasta, kävellystä matkasta ja keskinopeudesta, jotka tallennettiin simulaation ajalta, sekä kysymysosioista, joista ensimmäinen täytettiin ennen simulaatiota ja toinen sen jälkeen. Testiin osallistujat jaettiin kolmeen ryhmään, joista kahdella testiryhmällä oli molemmilla apunaan toinen testattavista avustusvalojärjestelmistä ja verrokkiryhmään, jolla ei ollut minkäänlaisia avustusvaloja. Simulaatiossa käytettiin virtuaalitodellisuuslaseja ja ne tehtiin suljetussa lasikopissa. Simulaatiosta suoriutuminen ja mittaustulokset käydään läpi ja niiden perusteella tehdään johtopäätökset valaistusjärjestelmien suorituskyvystä, käyttäjien kokemuksista ja sykkeenmittauksen tuloksista. Sekä suoritusten- että sykkeenmittauksen tuloksissa oli eroja ryhmien välillä. Lisäksi verrattaessa osallistujia näiden pelikokemuksen perusteella, osoittivat tulokset selkeästi parempaa suorituskykyä niillä, joilla oli enemmän kokemusta tietokonepeleistä. Lopuksi tutkimuksen onnistuminen kokonaisuudessaan analysoidaan ja tehdään parannusehdotuksia jo tehtyyn tutkimukseen sekä ehdotuksia mahdolliseen jatkotutkimukseen

Software Usability

This volume delivers a collection of high-quality contributions to help broaden developers’ and non-developers’ minds alike when it comes to considering software usability. It presents novel research and experiences and disseminates new ideas accessible to people who might not be software makers but who are undoubtedly software users