133 research outputs found
Fictional Practices of Spirituality I: Interactive Media
"Fictional Practices of Spirituality" provides critical insight into the implementation of belief, mysticism, religion, and spirituality into worlds of fiction, be it interactive or non-interactive. This first volume focuses on interactive, virtual worlds - may that be the digital realms of video games and VR applications or the imaginary spaces of life action role-playing and soul-searching practices. It features analyses of spirituality as gameplay facilitator, sacred spaces and architecture in video game geography, religion in video games and spiritual acts and their dramaturgic function in video games, tabletop, or LARP, among other topics. The contributors offer a first-time ever comprehensive overview of play-rites as spiritual incentives and playful spirituality in various medial incarnations
Creating immersive, play-anywhere handheld augmented reality stories, through remote user testing
This thesis outlines new instances of Extended Reality (XR) stories as well as associated user studies with them, to create more immersive story experiences delivered at a user’s choice of location through a mobile phone. This extends prior work on Location Based Experiences (LBEs), which have typically been designed to offer a game or story at a pre-determined location. A play-anywhere experience offers potential to open up LBEs to a wider audience, as well as to those may prefer to take part individually or closer to home, such attitude shifts becoming increasingly more common. The current research adopted an in the wild approach combining practice, studies and theory, with most user data being collected remotely. Each story application developed is subsequently referred to as an app, with each app offering a bespoke story incorporating Augmented Reality (AR) features, to better bring users’ location inline with the narrative. Testing the apps across various locations matched their intended use, and resulted in new guidelines for both incorporating AR into such LBEs, as well as for conducting remote user studies. A final app offered a site-specific curated story, with all study participants taking part under similar conditions at the same location, the ability to observe them using the app providing additional insights. The story apps used available local map data alongside Handheld Augmented Reality (HAR), to overlay interactable virtual objects on top of the physical environment, and visible on the phone’s display. Guidelines from related methodologies were used to better allow for the variety of factors that might influence different users’ immersion and engagement. These included the implementation of the AR features, the story itself, real world activity, and personal preferences including onboarding requirements. The approach taken contributed a reverse methodology to a lot of related research, that would typically begin with laboratory testing before moving to public spaces. User studies with the five mobile apps contributed guidelines for such experiences, that could benefit both practitioners and researchers in related fields. In the later case, a need was identified to develop new research tools specifically suited to the subtleties of handheld play-anywhere LBEs, such issues explored within the apps tested. The guidelines identified for offering more effective XR LBEs were also implemented in the creation of a new open source Unity project, called Map Story Engine. This offers a tool to test new features, as well as providing a fully customisable template for practitioners to author their own play-anywhere HAR stories and games
Cyber-Human Systems, Space Technologies, and Threats
CYBER-HUMAN SYSTEMS, SPACE TECHNOLOGIES, AND THREATS is our eighth textbook in a series covering the world of UASs / CUAS/ UUVs / SPACE. Other textbooks in our series are Space Systems Emerging Technologies and Operations; Drone Delivery of CBNRECy – DEW Weapons: Emerging Threats of Mini-Weapons of Mass Destruction and Disruption (WMDD); Disruptive Technologies with applications in Airline, Marine, Defense Industries; Unmanned Vehicle Systems & Operations On Air, Sea, Land; Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technologies and Operations; Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the Cyber Domain: Protecting USA’s Advanced Air Assets, 2nd edition; and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the Cyber Domain Protecting USA’s Advanced Air Assets, 1st edition. Our previous seven titles have received considerable global recognition in the field. (Nichols & Carter, 2022) (Nichols, et al., 2021) (Nichols R. K., et al., 2020) (Nichols R. , et al., 2020) (Nichols R. , et al., 2019) (Nichols R. K., 2018) (Nichols R. K., et al., 2022)https://newprairiepress.org/ebooks/1052/thumbnail.jp
The use of extended reality and machine learning to improve healthcare and promote greenhealth
Com a Quarta Revolução Industrial, a propagação da Internet das Coisas, o avanço nas áreas de Inteligência Artificial e de Machine Learning até à migração para a Computação em Nuvem, o
termo "Ambientes Inteligentes" cada vez mais deixa de ser uma idealização para se tornar realidade.
Da mesma forma as tecnologias de Realidade Extendida também elas têm aumentado a
sua presença no mundo tecnológico após um "período de hibernação", desde a popularização do
conceito de Metaverse assim como a entrada das grandes empresas informáticas como a Apple e
a Google num mercado onde a Realidade Virtual, Realidade Aumentada e Realidade Mista eram
dominadas por empresas com menos experiência no desenvolvimento de sistemas (e.g. Meta),
reconhecimento a nível mundial (e.g. HTC Vive), ou suporte financeiro e confiança do mercado.
Esta tese tem como foco o estudo do potencial uso das tecnologias de Realidade Estendida de
forma a promover Saúde Verde assim como seu uso em Hospitais Inteligentes, uma das variantes
de Ambientes Inteligentes, incorporando Machine Learning e Computer Vision, como ferramenta
de suporte e de melhoria de cuidados de saúde, tanto do ponto de vista do profissional de saúde
como do paciente, através duma revisão literarária e análise da atualidade. Resultando na elaboração
de um modelo conceptual com a sugestão de tecnologias a poderem ser usadas para alcançar
esse cenário selecionadas pelo seu potencial, sendo posteriormente descrito o desenvolvimento de
protótipos de partes do modelo conceptual para Óculos de Realidade Extendida como validação
de conceito.With the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the spread of the Internet of Things, the advance in the areas of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning until the migration to Cloud Computing, the term "Intelligent Environments" increasingly ceases to be an idealization to become reality. Likewise, Extended Reality technologies have also increased their presence in the technological world after a "hibernation period", since the popularization of the Metaverse concept, as well as the entry of large computer companies such as Apple and Google into a market where Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality were dominated by companies with less experience in system development (e.g. Meta), worldwide recognition (e.g. HTC Vive) or financial support and trust in the market. This thesis focuses on the study of the potential use of Extended Reality technologies in order to promote GreenHealth as well as their use in Smart Hospitals, one of the variants of Smart Environments, incorporating Machine Learning and Computer Vision, as a tool to support and improve healthcare, both from the point of view of the health professional and the patient, through a literature review and analysis of the current situation. Resulting in the elaboration of a conceptual model with the suggestion of technologies that can be used to achieve this scenario selected for their potential, and then the development of prototypes of parts of the conceptual model for Extended Reality Headsets as concept validation
A Phenomenological approach to media art environments: The Immersive art experience and the Finnish art scene
This research focuses on immersive art, defined as a multimedia experience where visitors interact with artwork whilst immersed in a range of sensory experiences. In this dissertation, I investigate the immersive art experience from the perspective of art history, social theory, and media studies situated within a phenomenological theoretical framework. I present a comparative analysis of forms of immersive spatiality, including projected moving-image art, spatial environments, participatory installations, video art installations and interactive environments in the international art scene. One of my objectives is to emphasise the role of video art in the development of interactive and immersive art environments. The growing importance of spectators for giving meaning to the artwork allows immersivity to be analysed in relation to the notions of spectacle and spectatorship.
I connect disciplines, practices and concepts by adopting principles from Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological writings. Spatiality and motility are pivotal points in immersive experiences. Immersive art, as an embodied mutual experience, materialises the phenomenological concepts of spectatorship, corporeality, motility, porosity, chiasm, and encounter.
I have selected a group of relevant Finnish artists from different generations to characterise the development of media art and, particularly, immersive media art in an international context. The group includes Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Lauri Astala, Laura Beloff, Hanna Haaslahti, Tuomas A. Laitinen, Erkka Nissinen, and Marjatta Oja. I examine the historical dissemination of phenomenology in Finland and a renewed interest in the 1990s which coincided with the spatialisation of video art and the emergence of immersivity. I also investigate the opening of Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art and its impact on Finnish culture, and the recent Amos Rex Museum, specifically built for immersive exhibitions.
Regarding the unstable nature of media art, I analyse the changes in displaying art collections and exhibitions, the new commitments of art museums and the innovative directions taken by media conservators. My examination of immersive art, with its performativity and transience, reveals environmentally friendly and sustainable aspects.Fenomenologinen tulokulma mediataideympäristöihin. Immersiivinen taidekokemus ja Suomen taidekenttä
Tämä tutkimus käsittelee immersiivistä taidetta multimediaalisena kokemuksena. Immersiossa kävijät ovat erilaisten aistimellisten kokemusten ympäröiminä vuorovaikutuksessa taiteen kanssa. Tutkin väitöskirjassani immersiivistä taidekokemusta fenomenologisessa teoriakehyksessä taidehistorian, yhteiskuntateorian ja mediatutkimuksen näkökulmasta. Esitän vertailevan analyysin immersiivisistä tilallisuuden muodoista, joihin sisällytän liikkuvan kuvan projisoinnit, tilateokset, osallistavat installaatiot, videoinstallaatiot ja interaktiiviset ympäristöt kansainvälisen taidekentän ilmiöinä. Yhtenä pyrkimyksenäni on painottaa videotaiteen merkitystä interaktiivisen ja immersiivisen taiteen kehityksessä. Katsojien kasvava rooli taideteoksen merkityksen muodostuksessa tarjoaa perustan immersion analyysille nimenomaan spektaakkelin ja katsojuuden viitekehyksessä.
Yhdistän eri tieteenaloja, käytäntöjä ja käsitteitä toisiinsa Maurice Merleau-Pontyn fenomenologisten kirjoitusten avulla. Tilallisuus ja liike ovat immersiivisten kokemusten ytimessä. Jaettuna ruumiillisena kokemuksena immersiivinen taide ilmentää materiaalisesti fenomenologisia katsojuuden, ruumiillisuuden, liikkeessä olemisen, huokoisuuden, kiasman ja kohtaamisen käsitteitä.
Olen valinnut joukon eri sukupolvia edustavia suomalaistaiteilijoita hahmot-taakseni mediataiteen ja erityisesti immersiivisen mediataiteen kansainvälisiä kehityskulkuja. Heihin lukeutuvat Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Lauri Astala, Laura Beloff, Hanna Haaslahti, Tuomas A. Laitinen, Erkka Nissinen ja Marjatta Oja. Käsittelen fenomenologian saapumista Suomeen sekä siihen 1990-luvulla videotaiteen tilallistumisen ja immersion esiin nousun yhteydessä uudelleen virinnyttä mielenkiintoa. Tarkastelen myös Nykytaiteen museo Kiasman perustamista ja sen vaikutusta suomalaiseen kulttuuriin, samoin kuin vastikään avattua Amos Rex -taidemuseota, joka on rakennettu erityisesti immersiivisiä näyttelyitä silmällä pitäen.
Analysoin muutoksia taidekokoelmien ja näyttelyiden esillepanossa, taidemuseoiden uudenlaisia sitoumuksia ja mediataiteen kuratoinnin uutta luovia suuntia suhteessa mediataiteen nopeasti muuttuvaan luonteeseen. Painottamalla performatiivisuutta ja hetkellisyyttä nostan immersiivisen taiteen analyysissani näkyville sen ympäristöystävällisiä ja kestäviä ulottuvuuksia
Acoustic-based Smart Tactile Sensing in Social Robots
Mención Internacional en el título de doctorEl sentido del tacto es un componente crucial de la interacción social humana y es único
entre los cinco sentidos. Como único sentido proximal, el tacto requiere un contacto
físico cercano o directo para registrar la información. Este hecho convierte al tacto en
una modalidad de interacción llena de posibilidades en cuanto a comunicación social. A través
del tacto, podemos conocer la intención de la otra persona y comunicar emociones. De esta
idea surge el concepto de social touch o tacto social como el acto de tocar a otra persona en
un contexto social. Puede servir para diversos fines, como saludar, mostrar afecto, persuadir
y regular el bienestar emocional y físico.
Recientemente, el número de personas que interactúan con sistemas y agentes artificiales
ha aumentado, principalmente debido al auge de los dispositivos tecnológicos, como los smartphones
o los altavoces inteligentes. A pesar del auge de estos dispositivos, sus capacidades de
interacción son limitadas. Para paliar este problema, los recientes avances en robótica social han
mejorado las posibilidades de interacción para que los agentes funcionen de forma más fluida y
sean más útiles. En este sentido, los robots sociales están diseñados para facilitar interacciones
naturales entre humanos y agentes artificiales. El sentido del tacto en este contexto se revela
como un vehículo natural que puede mejorar la Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) debido a su
relevancia comunicativa en entornos sociales. Además de esto, para un robot social, la relación
entre el tacto social y su aspecto es directa, al disponer de un cuerpo físico para aplicar o recibir
toques.
Desde un punto de vista técnico, los sistemas de detección táctil han sido objeto recientemente
de nuevas investigaciones, sobre todo dedicado a comprender este sentido para crear sistemas
inteligentes que puedan mejorar la vida de las personas. En este punto, los robots sociales
se han convertido en dispositivos muy populares que incluyen tecnologías para la detección
táctil. Esto está motivado por el hecho de que un robot puede esperada o inesperadamente
tener contacto físico con una persona, lo que puede mejorar o interferir en la ejecución de sus
comportamientos. Por tanto, el sentido del tacto se antoja necesario para el desarrollo de aplicaciones
robóticas. Algunos métodos incluyen el reconocimiento de gestos táctiles, aunque
a menudo exigen importantes despliegues de hardware que requieren de múltiples sensores. Además, la fiabilidad de estas tecnologías de detección es limitada, ya que la mayoría de ellas
siguen teniendo problemas tales como falsos positivos o tasas de reconocimiento bajas. La detección
acústica, en este sentido, puede proporcionar un conjunto de características capaces de
paliar las deficiencias anteriores. A pesar de que se trata de una tecnología utilizada en diversos
campos de investigación, aún no se ha integrado en la interacción táctil entre humanos y robots.
Por ello, en este trabajo proponemos el sistema Acoustic Touch Recognition (ATR), un sistema
inteligente de detección táctil (smart tactile sensing system) basado en la detección acústica
y diseñado para mejorar la interacción social humano-robot. Nuestro sistema está desarrollado
para clasificar gestos táctiles y localizar su origen. Además de esto, se ha integrado en plataformas
robóticas sociales y se ha probado en aplicaciones reales con éxito. Nuestra propuesta
se ha enfocado desde dos puntos de vista: uno técnico y otro relacionado con el tacto social.
Por un lado, la propuesta tiene una motivación técnica centrada en conseguir un sistema táctil
rentable, modular y portátil. Para ello, en este trabajo se ha explorado el campo de las tecnologías
de detección táctil, los sistemas inteligentes de detección táctil y su aplicación en HRI. Por
otro lado, parte de la investigación se centra en el impacto afectivo del tacto social durante la
interacción humano-robot, lo que ha dado lugar a dos estudios que exploran esta idea.The sense of touch is a crucial component of human social interaction and is unique
among the five senses. As the only proximal sense, touch requires close or direct physical
contact to register information. This fact makes touch an interaction modality
full of possibilities regarding social communication. Through touch, we are able to ascertain
the other person’s intention and communicate emotions. From this idea emerges the concept
of social touch as the act of touching another person in a social context. It can serve various purposes,
such as greeting, showing affection, persuasion, and regulating emotional and physical
well-being.
Recently, the number of people interacting with artificial systems and agents has increased,
mainly due to the rise of technological devices, such as smartphones or smart speakers. Still,
these devices are limited in their interaction capabilities. To deal with this issue, recent developments
in social robotics have improved the interaction possibilities to make agents more seamless
and useful. In this sense, social robots are designed to facilitate natural interactions between
humans and artificial agents. In this context, the sense of touch is revealed as a natural interaction
vehicle that can improve HRI due to its communicative relevance. Moreover, for a social
robot, the relationship between social touch and its embodiment is direct, having a physical
body to apply or receive touches.
From a technical standpoint, tactile sensing systems have recently been the subject of further
research, mostly devoted to comprehending this sense to create intelligent systems that can
improve people’s lives. Currently, social robots are popular devices that include technologies
for touch sensing. This is motivated by the fact that robots may encounter expected or unexpected
physical contact with humans, which can either enhance or interfere with the execution
of their behaviours. There is, therefore, a need to detect human touch in robot applications.
Some methods even include touch-gesture recognition, although they often require significant
hardware deployments primarily that require multiple sensors. Additionally, the dependability
of those sensing technologies is constrained because the majority of them still struggle with issues
like false positives or poor recognition rates. Acoustic sensing, in this sense, can provide a
set of features that can alleviate the aforementioned shortcomings. Even though it is a technology that has been utilised in various research fields, it has yet to be integrated into human-robot
touch interaction.
Therefore, in thiswork,we propose theATRsystem, a smart tactile sensing system based on
acoustic sensing designed to improve human-robot social interaction. Our system is developed
to classify touch gestures and locate their source. It is also integrated into real social robotic platforms
and tested in real-world applications. Our proposal is approached from two standpoints,
one technical and the other related to social touch. Firstly, the technical motivation of thiswork
centred on achieving a cost-efficient, modular and portable tactile system. For that, we explore
the fields of touch sensing technologies, smart tactile sensing systems and their application in
HRI. On the other hand, part of the research is centred around the affective impact of touch
during human-robot interaction, resulting in two studies exploring this idea.Programa de Doctorado en Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y Automática por la Universidad Carlos III de MadridPresidente: Pedro Manuel Urbano de Almeida Lima.- Secretaria: María Dolores Blanco Rojas.- Vocal: Antonio Fernández Caballer
NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION WITH PHYSIOLOGICAL SENSORS. THE AESTHETIC DOMAIN OF WEARABLES AND NEURAL NETWORKS
Historically, communication implies the transfer of information between bodies, yet this
phenomenon is constantly adapting to new technological and cultural standards. In a
digital context, it’s commonplace to envision systems that revolve around verbal modalities.
However, behavioural analysis grounded in psychology research calls attention to
the emotional information disclosed by non-verbal social cues, in particular, actions that
are involuntary. This notion has circulated heavily into various interdisciplinary computing
research fields, from which multiple studies have arisen, correlating non-verbal
activity to socio-affective inferences. These are often derived from some form of motion
capture and other wearable sensors, measuring the ‘invisible’ bioelectrical changes that
occur from inside the body.
This thesis proposes a motivation and methodology for using physiological sensory
data as an expressive resource for technology-mediated interactions. Initialised from a
thorough discussion on state-of-the-art technologies and established design principles
regarding this topic, then applied to a novel approach alongside a selection of practice
works to compliment this. We advocate for aesthetic experience, experimenting with
abstract representations. Atypically from prevailing Affective Computing systems, the
intention is not to infer or classify emotion but rather to create new opportunities for rich
gestural exchange, unconfined to the verbal domain.
Given the preliminary proposition of non-representation, we justify a correspondence
with modern Machine Learning and multimedia interaction strategies, applying an iterative,
human-centred approach to improve personalisation without the compromising
emotional potential of bodily gesture. Where related studies in the past have successfully
provoked strong design concepts through innovative fabrications, these are typically limited
to simple linear, one-to-one mappings and often neglect multi-user environments;
we foresee a vast potential. In our use cases, we adopt neural network architectures to
generate highly granular biofeedback from low-dimensional input data.
We present the following proof-of-concepts: Breathing Correspondence, a wearable
biofeedback system inspired by Somaesthetic design principles; Latent Steps, a real-time auto-encoder to represent bodily experiences from sensor data, designed for dance performance;
and Anti-Social Distancing Ensemble, an installation for public space interventions,
analysing physical distance to generate a collective soundscape. Key findings are
extracted from the individual reports to formulate an extensive technical and theoretical
framework around this topic. The projects first aim to embrace some alternative perspectives
already established within Affective Computing research. From here, these concepts
evolve deeper, bridging theories from contemporary creative and technical practices with
the advancement of biomedical technologies.Historicamente, os processos de comunicação implicam a transferência de informação
entre organismos, mas este fenómeno está constantemente a adaptar-se a novos padrões
tecnológicos e culturais. Num contexto digital, é comum encontrar sistemas que giram
em torno de modalidades verbais. Contudo, a análise comportamental fundamentada
na investigação psicológica chama a atenção para a informação emocional revelada por
sinais sociais não verbais, em particular, acções que são involuntárias. Esta noção circulou
fortemente em vários campos interdisciplinares de investigação na área das ciências da
computação, dos quais surgiram múltiplos estudos, correlacionando a actividade nãoverbal
com inferências sócio-afectivas. Estes são frequentemente derivados de alguma
forma de captura de movimento e sensores “wearable”, medindo as alterações bioeléctricas
“invisíveis” que ocorrem no interior do corpo.
Nesta tese, propomos uma motivação e metodologia para a utilização de dados sensoriais
fisiológicos como um recurso expressivo para interacções mediadas pela tecnologia.
Iniciada a partir de uma discussão aprofundada sobre tecnologias de ponta e princípios
de concepção estabelecidos relativamente a este tópico, depois aplicada a uma nova abordagem,
juntamente com uma selecção de trabalhos práticos, para complementar esta.
Defendemos a experiência estética, experimentando com representações abstractas. Contrariamente
aos sistemas de Computação Afectiva predominantes, a intenção não é inferir
ou classificar a emoção, mas sim criar novas oportunidades para uma rica troca gestual,
não confinada ao domínio verbal.
Dada a proposta preliminar de não representação, justificamos uma correspondência
com estratégias modernas de Machine Learning e interacção multimédia, aplicando uma
abordagem iterativa e centrada no ser humano para melhorar a personalização sem o
potencial emocional comprometedor do gesto corporal. Nos casos em que estudos anteriores
demonstraram com sucesso conceitos de design fortes através de fabricações
inovadoras, estes limitam-se tipicamente a simples mapeamentos lineares, um-para-um,
e muitas vezes negligenciam ambientes multi-utilizadores; com este trabalho, prevemos
um potencial alargado. Nos nossos casos de utilização, adoptamos arquitecturas de redes
neurais para gerar biofeedback altamente granular a partir de dados de entrada de baixa dimensão.
Apresentamos as seguintes provas de conceitos: Breathing Correspondence, um sistema
de biofeedback wearable inspirado nos princípios de design somaestético; Latent
Steps, um modelo autoencoder em tempo real para representar experiências corporais
a partir de dados de sensores, concebido para desempenho de dança; e Anti-Social Distancing
Ensemble, uma instalação para intervenções no espaço público, analisando a
distância física para gerar uma paisagem sonora colectiva. Os principais resultados são
extraídos dos relatórios individuais, para formular um quadro técnico e teórico alargado
para expandir sobre este tópico. Os projectos têm como primeiro objectivo abraçar algumas
perspectivas alternativas às que já estão estabelecidas no âmbito da investigação
da Computação Afectiva. A partir daqui, estes conceitos evoluem mais profundamente,
fazendo a ponte entre as teorias das práticas criativas e técnicas contemporâneas com o
avanço das tecnologias biomédicas
PROCEEDINGS 5th PLATE Conference
The 5th international PLATE conference (Product Lifetimes and the Environment) addressed product lifetimes in the context of sustainability. The PLATE conference, which has been running since 2015, has successfully been able to establish a solid network of researchers around its core theme. The topic has come to the forefront of current (political, scientific & societal) debates due to its interconnectedness with a number of recent prominent movements, such as the circular economy, eco-design and collaborative consumption. For the 2023 edition of the conference, we encouraged researchers to propose how to extend, widen or critically re-construct thematic sessions for the PLATE conference, and the paper call was constructed based on these proposals. In this 5th PLATE conference, we had 171 paper presentations and 238 participants from 14 different countries. Beside of paper sessions we organized workshops and REPAIR exhibitions
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