Restorative Virtual Environment Design for Augmenting Nursing Home Rehabilitation

With increasing age, muscle strength decreases excessively rapidly if physical activity is not maintained. However, physical activity is increasingly difficult with aging. This is due to balance, strength or coordination difficulties, arthritis, etc. Moreover, many nursing home residents become unable to experience natural surroundings. Augmenting a conventional biking exercise with a recreational virtual environment (RVE) has shown to serve as an intrinsic motivation contributor to exercise for nursing home residents. RVEs might be able to provide some of the health benefits that regular nature experiences do. More studies on content of proper custom designs for RVEs are necessary. This paper reviews the background for RVE design, describes four custom RVE designs for recreational VE exploration and presents user preferences among nursing home users concerning content and other pivotal design considerations

Optimal Wheelchair Multi-LiDAR Placement for Indoor SLAM

One of the most prevalent technologies used in modern robotics is Simultaneous Localization and Mapping or, SLAM. Modern SLAM technologies usually employ a number of different probabilistic mathematics to perform processes that enable modern robots to not only map an environment but, also, concurrently localize themselves within said environment. Existing open-source SLAM technologies not only range in the different probabilistic methods they employ to achieve their task but, also, by how well the task is achieved and by their computational requirements. Additionally, the positioning of the sensors in the robot also has a substantial effect on how well these technologies work. Therefore, this dissertation is dedicated to the comparison of existing open-source ROS implemented 2D SLAM technologies and in the maximization of the performance of said SLAM technologies by researching optimal sensor placement in a Intelligent Wheelchair context, using SLAM performance as a benchmark

Recall of Landmarks in Information Space

Research on navigation and landmarks in physical space, information space and virtual reality environments indicates that landmarks play an important role in all types of navigation. This dissertation tackles the problem of defining and evaluating the characteristics of landmarks in information space. This work validates a recent theory that three types of characteristics, structural, visual and semantic, are important for effective landmarks.This dissertation applies concepts and techniques from the extensive body of research on physical space navigation to the investigation of landmarks on a web site in the World Wide Web. Data was collected in two experiments to examine characteristics of web pages on the University of Pittsburgh web site. In addition, objective measurements were made to examine the characteristics of web pages with relation to the experimental data. The two experiments examined subjects' knowledge, use and evaluation of web pages. This research is unique in research on web navigation in its use of experimental techniques that ask subjects to recall from memory possible navigation paths and URLs.Two measures of landmark quality were used to examine the characteristics of landmarks; one, an algorithm that incorporated objective measures of the structural, visual and semantic characteristics of each web page, and the second, a measure based on the experimental data regarding subjects' knowledge and evaluation of the page.Analysis of this data from a web space confirms the tri-partite theory of characteristics of landmarks. Significant positive correlations were found between the objective and subjective landmark measures, indicating that this work is an important step toward the ability to objectively evaluate web pages and web site design in terms of landmarks. This dissertation further suggests that researchers can utilize the characteristics to analyze and improve the design of information spaces, leading to more effective navigation

Pre-Travel Training And Real-Time Guidance System For People With Disabilities In Indoor Environments

Public transportation provides people with access to education, employment, health and community activities. However, navigating inside public hubs for people with disabilities such as cognitive or mobility impairments can be very challenging and dangerous. With the rapid development of digital technology such as Smartphones and sensors, there are unprecedented opportunities to assist people with disabilities to conquer these challenges. In this research, we aim to create a two-step indoor navigation solution for users with different mobility and orientation abilities. In the first step, we developed a virtual reality-based pre-travel training module that enables users to familiarize themselves with the virtual environment which represents the physical environment. After users feel confident and familiar enough with the environment, they proceed to the second step in which they visit the physical environment and use our real-time navigation assistance module. The pre-travel training module is developed using a Unity-based 3D game and includes a virtual indoor environment that represents the physical environment. The game provides a navigation function that highlights the path between the user location and the chosen destination. Considering the unique needs of cognitive impaired users, we designed action training modules in the game environment which train the user to use the ticket machine, fare gate and call boxes. Such training modules help cognitive impaired users familiarize themselves with the environment as well as gain confidence to experience the physical environment. When the users are ready to visit the physical environment, they use our real-time navigation assistance module which includes the same 3D virtual environment developed for the pre-travel training module. This approach is particularly important for people with cognitive impairment since they cannot organize navigation cues effectively. Using the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) infrastructure in the environment, our localization algorithm can track the user location in real-time. Subsequently, the user’s location will be integrated into the game environment so that the navigation path between the user’s current location and the selected destination can be generated and visualized by the user on the fly

Improving the acquisition of spatial knowledge when navigating with an augmented reality navigation system

Navigation is a process humans use whenever they move. There are more complex tasks like finding our way in a new city and easier tasks like getting a cup of coffee. Daniel Montello (2005, p. 2) defines navigation as “the coordinated and goal-directed movement through the environment by organisms or intelligent machines”. When navigating in an unknown environment, humans often rely on assisted wayfinding by some sort of navigation aid. During the last years, the preferred navigation system shifted from printed maps to electronic and thus dynamic navigation systems on our smartphones. Recently, mixed reality and virtual reality approaches such as augmented reality (AR) have become an interesting alternative to the classical smartphone navigation. This although, the first attempts to AR were already made in the middle of the last century. The major advantages of AR navigation systems are that localisation and above all also tracking tasks are made by the system and that the navigation instructions are directly laid into the environment. The main drawback, on the other hand, is that the more tasks are made by the system, the less spatial learning is achieved by a human. The goal of this thesis is to examine ways to improve the process of spatial learning on assisted wayfinding. An experiment where participants are guided through a test environment by an AR system is set up to test these ways. After completing the route, the participants had to fill out a questionnaire about landmarks and intersections, which they had encountered on the route. The concrete goals of the thesis are to find out (1) whether giving more spatial information will improve spatial learning, (2) whether the placement of navigation instructions has an influence (positive or negative) on spatial learning, (3) whether the type of landmark has an influence on how well it is recalled and (4) how well landmark and route knowledge is built after having completed the route once. The results of the experiment suggest that giving background information to certain landmarks do not lead to a significantly different performance in spatial learning (p = .691). The result could also show that there is no difference whether a landmark is highlighted by a navigation instruction or not (p = .330). The analyses of landmark and route knowledge has shown that the participants have built less landmark knowledge than route knowledge after the run, as they have approx. 50 % of the landmarks correct but 67 % of the intersections. Interesting and in this case significant is the difference between the types of landmarks (p = .018). 3D objects are recalled much better than other landmarks. Also significant (p = 6.14e-3) but unfortunately not very robust is the influence of the age on the acquisition of route knowledge. As the age distribution is very unbalanced, these results have to be interpreted with caution. Following the findings of this thesis, it is suggested to conduct a series of experiments with an eye tracker to learn more about how the visual focus of people using AR as a wayfinding assistance behaves

Assisted Viewpoint Interaction for 3D Visualization

Many three-dimensional visualizations are characterized by the use of a mobile viewpoint that offers multiple perspectives on a set of visual information. To effectively control the viewpoint, the viewer must simultaneously manage the cognitive tasks of understanding the layout of the environment, and knowing where to look to find relevant information, along with mastering the physical interaction required to position the viewpoint in meaningful locations. Numerous systems attempt to address these problems by catering to two extremes: simplified controls or direct presentation. This research attempts to promote hybrid interfaces that offer a supportive, yet unscripted exploration of a virtual environment.Attentive navigation is a specific technique designed to actively redirect viewers' attention while accommodating their independence. User-evaluation shows that this technique effectively facilitates several visualization tasks including landmark recognition, survey knowledge acquisition, and search sensitivity. Unfortunately, it also proves to be excessively intrusive, leading viewers to occasionally struggle for control of the viewpoint. Additional design iterations suggest that formalized coordination protocols between the viewer and the automation can mute the shortcomings and enhance the effectiveness of the initial attentive navigation design.The implications of this research generalize to inform the broader requirements for Human-Automation interaction through the visual channel. Potential applications span a number of fields, including visual representations of abstract information, 3D modeling, virtual environments, and teleoperation experiences

Applications of Virtual Reality

Information Technology is growing rapidly. With the birth of high-resolution graphics, high-speed computing and user interaction devices Virtual Reality has emerged as a major new technology in the mid 90es, last century. Virtual Reality technology is currently used in a broad range of applications. The best known are games, movies, simulations, therapy. From a manufacturing standpoint, there are some attractive applications including training, education, collaborative work and learning. This book provides an up-to-date discussion of the current research in Virtual Reality and its applications. It describes the current Virtual Reality state-of-the-art and points out many areas where there is still work to be done. We have chosen certain areas to cover in this book, which we believe will have potential significant impact on Virtual Reality and its applications. This book provides a definitive resource for wide variety of people including academicians, designers, developers, educators, engineers, practitioners, researchers, and graduate students

Recall differences in the reconstitution of a tour through a virtual environment

A rapidly expanding area of human geography is the study of spatial knowledge. This growth can be partly attributed to the recent emergence of user-friendly and affordable technology that allows more researchers (notably students) to design, build and use virtual environments in spatial knowledge research. The purpose of this thesis project is to explore recall differences in the reconstitution of spatial knowledge acquired by means of a tour through a virtual environment. The motivation behind this area of inquiry is the apparent assumption that the order of spatial knowledge tasks may have some effect on acquisition or recall, which is evidenced in some current research methodologies. The results show that there is no significant difference between two groups of participants with respect to the order of recall tasks; however, one group of participants performed better in almost every task, suggesting that the first recall task appears to be influencing the succeeding recall task. This study contributes to the ongoing debate regarding the recall of spatial knowledge and introduces issues of concern regarding methodological desig

LandMarkAR: An application to study virtual route instructions and the design of 3D landmarks for indoor pedestrian navigation with a mixed reality head-mounted display

Mixed Reality (MR) interfaces on head-mounted displays (HMDs) have the potential to replace screen-based interfaces as the primary interface to the digital world. They potentially offer a more immersive and less distracting experience compared to mobile phones, allowing users to stay focused on their environment and main goals while accessing digital information. Due to their ability to gracefully embed virtual information in the environment, MR HMDs could potentially alleviate some of the issues plaguing users of mobile pedestrian navigation systems, such as distraction, diminished route recall, and reduced spatial knowledge acquisition. However, the complexity of MR technology presents significant challenges, particularly for researchers with limited programming knowledge. This thesis presents “LandMarkAR” to address those challenges. “LandMarkAR” is a HoloLens application that allows researchers to create augmented territories to study human navigation with MR interfaces, even if they have little programming knowledge. “LandMarkAR” was designed using different methods from human-centered design (HCD), such as design thinking and think-aloud testing, and was developed with Unity and the Mixed Reality Toolkit (MRTK). With “LandMarkAR”, researchers can place and manipulate 3D objects as holograms in real-time, facilitating indoor navigation experiments using 3D objects that serve as turn-by-turn instructions, highlights of physical landmarks, or other information researchers may come up with. Researchers with varying technical expertise will be able to use “LandMarkAR” for MR navigation studies. They can opt to utilize the easy-to-use User Interface (UI) on the HoloLens or add custom functionality to the application directly in Unity. “LandMarkAR” empowers researchers to explore the full potential of MR interfaces in human navigation and create meaningful insights for their studies