Emerging ExG-based NUI Inputs in Extended Realities : A Bottom-up Survey

Incremental and quantitative improvements of two-way interactions with extended realities (XR) are contributing toward a qualitative leap into a state of XR ecosystems being efficient, user-friendly, and widely adopted. However, there are multiple barriers on the way toward the omnipresence of XR; among them are the following: computational and power limitations of portable hardware, social acceptance of novel interaction protocols, and usability and efficiency of interfaces. In this article, we overview and analyse novel natural user interfaces based on sensing electrical bio-signals that can be leveraged to tackle the challenges of XR input interactions. Electroencephalography-based brain-machine interfaces that enable thought-only hands-free interaction, myoelectric input methods that track body gestures employing electromyography, and gaze-tracking electrooculography input interfaces are the examples of electrical bio-signal sensing technologies united under a collective concept of ExG. ExG signal acquisition modalities provide a way to interact with computing systems using natural intuitive actions enriching interactions with XR. This survey will provide a bottom-up overview starting from (i) underlying biological aspects and signal acquisition techniques, (ii) ExG hardware solutions, (iii) ExG-enabled applications, (iv) discussion on social acceptance of such applications and technologies, as well as (v) research challenges, application directions, and open problems; evidencing the benefits that ExG-based Natural User Interfaces inputs can introduceto the areaof XR.Peer reviewe

Emerging ExG-based NUI Inputs in Extended Realities : A Bottom-up Survey

Incremental and quantitative improvements of two-way interactions with extended realities (XR) are contributing toward a qualitative leap into a state of XR ecosystems being efficient, user-friendly, and widely adopted. However, there are multiple barriers on the way toward the omnipresence of XR; among them are the following: computational and power limitations of portable hardware, social acceptance of novel interaction protocols, and usability and efficiency of interfaces. In this article, we overview and analyse novel natural user interfaces based on sensing electrical bio-signals that can be leveraged to tackle the challenges of XR input interactions. Electroencephalography-based brain-machine interfaces that enable thought-only hands-free interaction, myoelectric input methods that track body gestures employing electromyography, and gaze-tracking electrooculography input interfaces are the examples of electrical bio-signal sensing technologies united under a collective concept of ExG. ExG signal acquisition modalities provide a way to interact with computing systems using natural intuitive actions enriching interactions with XR. This survey will provide a bottom-up overview starting from (i) underlying biological aspects and signal acquisition techniques, (ii) ExG hardware solutions, (iii) ExG-enabled applications, (iv) discussion on social acceptance of such applications and technologies, as well as (v) research challenges, application directions, and open problems; evidencing the benefits that ExG-based Natural User Interfaces inputs can introduceto the areaof XR.Peer reviewe

Exploring heritage through time and space : Supporting community reflection on the highland clearances

On the two hundredth anniversary of the Kildonan clearances, when people were forcibly removed from their homes, the Timespan Heritage centre has created a program of community centred work aimed at challenging pre conceptions and encouraging reflection on this important historical process. This paper explores the innovative ways in which virtual world technology has facilitated community engagement, enhanced visualisation and encouraged reflection as part of this program. An installation where users navigate through a reconstruction of pre clearance Caen township is controlled through natural gestures and presented on a 300 inch six megapixel screen. This environment allows users to experience the past in new ways. The platform has value as an effective way for an educator, artist or hobbyist to create large scale virtual environments using off the shelf hardware and open source software. The result is an exhibit that also serves as a platform for experimentation into innovative ways of community co-creation and co-curation.Postprin

Interaction in Metaverse: A Survey

Human-computer interaction (HCI) emerged with the birth of the computer and has been upgraded through decades of development. Metaverse has attracted a lot of interest with its immersive experience, and HCI is the entrance to the Metaverse for people. It is predictable that HCI will determine the immersion of the Metaverse. However, the technologies of HCI in Metaverse are not mature enough. There are many issues that we should address for HCI in the Metaverse. To this end, the purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic literature review on the key technologies and applications of HCI in the Metaverse. This paper is a comprehensive survey of HCI for the Metaverse, focusing on current technology, future directions, and challenges. First, we provide a brief overview of HCI in the Metaverse and their mutually exclusive relationships. Then, we summarize the evolution of HCI and its future characteristics in the Metaverse. Next, we envision and present the key technologies involved in HCI in the Metaverse. We also review recent case studies of HCI in the Metaverse. Finally, we highlight several challenges and future issues in this promising area.Comment: Preprint. 3 figures, 3 table

A review of smart homes in healthcare

The technology of Smart Homes (SH), as an instance of ambient assisted living technologies, is designed to assist the homes’ residents accomplishing their daily-living activities and thus having a better quality of life while preserving their privacy. A SH system is usually equipped with a collection of inter-related software and hardware components to monitor the living space by capturing the behaviour of the resident and understanding his activities. By doing so the system can inform about risky situations and take actions on behalf of the resident to his satisfaction. The present survey will address technologies and analysis methods and bring examples of the state of the art research studies in order to provide background for the research community. In particular, the survey will expose infrastructure technologies such as sensors and communication platforms along with artificial intelligence techniques used for modeling and recognizing activities. A brief overview of approaches used to develop Human–Computer interfaces for SH systems is given. The survey also highlights the challenges and research trends in this area

Usable Security. A Systematic Literature Review

Usable security involves designing security measures that accommodate users’ needs and behaviors. Balancing usability and security poses challenges: the more secure the systems, the less usable they will be. On the contrary, more usable systems will be less secure. Numerous studies have addressed this balance. These studies, spanning psychology and computer science/engineering, contribute diverse perspectives, necessitating a systematic review to understand strategies and findings in this area. This systematic literature review examined articles on usable security from 2005 to 2022. A total of 55 research studies were selected after evaluation. The studies have been broadly categorized into four main clusters, each addressing different aspects: (1) usability of authentication methods, (2) helping security developers improve usability, (3) design strategies for influencing user security behavior, and (4) formal models for usable security evaluation. Based on this review, we report that the field’s current state reveals a certain immaturity, with studies tending toward system comparisons rather than establishing robust design guidelines based on a thorough analysis of user behavior. A common theoretical and methodological background is one of the main areas for improvement in this area of research. Moreover, the absence of requirements for Usable security in almost all development contexts greatly discourages implementing good practices since the earlier stages of development

Active aging in place supported by caregiver-centered modular low-cost platform

Aging in place happens when people age in the residence of their choice, usually their homes because is their preference for living as long as possible. This research work is focused on the conceptualization and implementation of a platform to support active aging in place with a particular focus on the caregivers and their requirements to accomplish their tasks with comfort and supervision. An engagement dimension is also a plus provided by the platform since it supports modules to make people react to challenges, stimulating them to be naturally more active. The platform is supported by IoT, using low-cost technology to increment the platform modularly. Is a modular platform capable of responding to specific needs of seniors aging in place and their caregivers, obtaining data regarding the person under supervision, as well as providing conditions for constant and more effective monitoring, through modules and tools that support decision making and tasks realization for active living. The constant monitoring allows knowing the routine of daily activities of the senior. The use of machine learning techniques allows the platform to identify, in real-time, situations of potential risk, allowing to trigger triage processes with the older adult, and consequently trigger the necessary actions so that the caregiver can intervene in useful time.O envelhecimento no local acontece quando as pessoas envelhecem na residência da sua escolha, geralmente nas suas próprias casas porque é a sua preferência para viver o máximo de tempo possível. Este trabalho de investigação foca-se na conceptualização e implementação de uma plataforma de apoio ao envelhecimento ativo no local, com particular enfoque nos cuidadores e nas suas necessidades para cumprir as suas tarefas com conforto e supervisão. Uma dimensão de engajamento também é um diferencial da plataforma, pois esta integra módulos de desafios para fazer as pessoas reagirem aos mesmos, estimulando-as a serem naturalmente mais ativas. A plataforma é suportada por IoT, utilizando tecnologia de baixo custo para incrementar a plataforma de forma modular. É uma plataforma modular capaz de responder às necessidades específicas do envelhecimento dos idosos no local e dos seus cuidadores, obtendo dados relativos à pessoa sob supervisão, bem como fornecendo condições para um acompanhamento constante e mais eficaz, através de módulos e ferramentas que apoiam a tomada de decisões e realização de tarefas para a vida ativa. A monitorização constante permite conhecer a rotina das atividades diárias do idoso, permitindo que, com a utilização de técnicas de machine learning, a plataforma seja capaz de detetar em tempo real situações de risco potencial, permitindo desencadear um processo de triagem junto do idoso, e consequentemente despoletar as ações necessárias para que o prestador de cuidados possa intervir em tempo útil

Shopping center tracking and recommendation systems

Anacleto R., Luz N., Almeida A., Figueiredo L., Novais P., Shopping Center Tracking and Recommendation Systems, in Soft Computing Models in Industrial and Environmental Applications, 6th International Conference SOCO 2011, Corchado E.; Snasel V., Sedano J., Hassanien A.E.; Calvo J.L., Slezak D. (Eds.), Springer - Series Advances in Intelligent and Soft Computing, vol. 87, ISBN 978-3-642-19643-0, pp 299-308, 2011.Shopping centers present a rich and heterogeneous environment, where IT systems can be implemented in order to support the needs of its actors. However, due to the environment complexity, several feasibility issues emerge when designing both the logical and physical architecture of such systems. Additionally, the system must be able to cope with the individual needs of each actor, and provide services that are easily adopted by them, taking into account several sociological and economical aspects. In this sense, we present an overview of current support systems for shopping center environments. From this overview, a high-level model of the domain (involving actors and services) is described along with challenges and possible features in the context of current Semantic Web, mobile device and sensor technologies

An architecture for privacy-enabled user profile portability on the web of data

Providing relevant recommendations requires access to user profile data. Current social networking ecosystems allow third party services to request user authorisation for accessing profile data, thus enabling cross-domain recommendation. However these ecosystems create user lock-in and social networking data silos, as the profile data is neither portable nor interoperable. We argue that innovations in reconciling heterogeneous data sources must be also be matched by innovations in architecture design and recommender methodology. We present and qualitatively evaluate an architecture for privacy-enabled user profile portability, which is based on technologies from the emerging Web of Data (FOAF, WebIDs and the Web Access Control vocabulary). The proposed architecture enables the creation of a universal "private by default" ecosystem with interoperability of user profile data. The privacy of the user is protected by allowing multiple data providers to host their part of the user profile. This provides an incentive for more users to make profile data from different domains available for recommendations.The work presented in this paper has been funded in part by Science Foundation Ireland under Grant No.SFI/08/CE/I1380 (Lion-2) and by Korean Small and Medium Business Administration under Grant No. 0420-2009-0061