313 research outputs found

    Virtual Valcamonica: collaborative exploration of prehistoric petroglyphs and their surrounding environment in multi-user virtual reality

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    In this paper, we present a novel, multi-user, virtual reality environment for the interactive, collaborative 3D analysis of large 3D scans and the technical advancements that were necessary to build it: a multi-view rendering system for large 3D point clouds, a suitable display infrastructure and a suite of collaborative 3D interaction techniques. The cultural heritage site of Valcamonica in Italy with its large collection of prehistoric rock-art served as an exemplary use case for evaluation. The results show that our output-sensitive level-of-detail rendering system is capable of visualizing a 3D dataset with an aggregate size of more than 14 billion points at interactive frame rates. The system design in this exemplar application results from close exchange with a small group of potential users: archaeologists with expertise in rock-art and allows them to explore the prehistoric art and its spatial context with highly realistic appearance. A set of dedicated interaction techniques was developed to facilitate collaborative visual analysis. A multi-display workspace supports the immediate comparison of geographically distributed artifacts. An expert review of the final demonstrator confirmed the potential for added value in rock-art research and the usability of our collaborative interaction techniques

    Sonic presence and spectral technology

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    We describe a series of experiments in artistic research, each investigating and illustrating aspects of presence phenomena. In each, we utilise digital technologies to invert the prevailing academic approach to presence, with the intention not to teleport a person to another place but to draw attention to unseen phenomena in physical spaces, specifically through the use of sound. Our work is grounded in theories of experience, mediation and context, and we follow a methodology merging artistic strategies with computational thinking. This paper serves to introduce aspects of presence theory into our existing conceptual model in order to develop it further, and to conversely contribute an alternative perspective to the presence research community

    Human factors in space telepresence

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    The problems of interfacing a human with a teleoperation system, for work in space are discussed. Much of the information presented here is the result of experience gained by the M.I.T. Space Systems Laboratory during the past two years of work on the ARAMIS (Automation, Robotics, and Machine Intelligence Systems) project. Many factors impact the design of the man-machine interface for a teleoperator. The effects of each are described in turn. An annotated bibliography gives the key references that were used. No conclusions are presented as a best design, since much depends on the particular application desired, and the relevant technology is swiftly changing

    Augmented Reality Trends to the Field of Business and Economics: A Review of 20 years of Research

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    Augmented Reality (AR) is emerging as a technology that is reshaping the current society, especially the fields of Business and Economics (B&E). Therefore, the scientific studies produced on AR call for an interdisciplinary systematic review of the knowledge generated to structure an organized framework. Three main questions are addressed: How has the production of AR scientific knowledge evolved? What user-related aspects does AR affect? Also, which set of subtopics is associated with each motivation to develop an AR solution? The content of 328 papers produced between 1997 and 2016 in the field of AR is analyzed, unveiling 58 coding categories. There are 13 digital media characteristics that assume instrumental roles in addressing four major motivations to develop AR solutions. Technological topics dominate the research focus over behavioral ones. The investigations on AR in mobile displays show the highest increase. This research identifies the main scientific topics that have led researchers' agenda. Consequently, they contributed to develop and to adopt AR solutions and to forecast its future application in the organizations' strategiesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Practical, appropriate, empirically-validated guidelines for designing educational games

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    There has recently been a great deal of interest in the potential of computer games to function as innovative educational tools. However, there is very little evidence of games fulfilling that potential. Indeed, the process of merging the disparate goals of education and games design appears problematic, and there are currently no practical guidelines for how to do so in a coherent manner. In this paper, we describe the successful, empirically validated teaching methods developed by behavioural psychologists and point out how they are uniquely suited to take advantage of the benefits that games offer to education. We conclude by proposing some practical steps for designing educational games, based on the techniques of Applied Behaviour Analysis. It is intended that this paper can both focus educational games designers on the features of games that are genuinely useful for education, and also introduce a successful form of teaching that this audience may not yet be familiar with

    Citizen engagement through tangible data representation

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    We begin with the premise that data literacy is a fundamental facet of citizen education in this information age, and that an engaged citizenry in a democracy not only requires access to data, but also the capacity to manipulate and examine the data from multiple perspectives. The visualization of data elucidates trends and patterns in the phenomena that the data represents, and opens accessibility to understanding complicated human and natural processes represented by data sets. Research indicates that interacting with a visualization amplifies cognition and analysis. A single visualization may show only one facet of the data. To examine the data from multiple perspectives, engaged citizens need to be able to construct their own visualizations from a data set. Many tools for data visualization have responded to this need, allowing non-data experts to manipulate and gain insights into their data, but most of these tools are restricted to the computer screen, keyboard, and mouse. Cognition and analysis may be strengthened even more through embodied interaction with data. We present here the rationale for the design of a tool that allows users to probe a data set, through interactions with graspable (tangible) three-dimensional objects, rather than through a keyboard and mouse interaction. We argue that the use of tangibles facilitates understanding abstract concepts, and facilitates many concrete learning scenarios. Another advantage of using tangibles over screen-based tools is that they foster collaboration, which can promote a productive working and learning environment. We speculate that collaborative data exploration can be a productive educational activity for citizens in their communities and in the classroom, and we suggest our tool as a means to do this

    Money & Trust in Digital Society, Bitcoin and Stablecoins in ML enabled Metaverse Telecollaboration

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    We present a state of the art and positioning book, about Digital society tools, namely; Web3, Bitcoin, Metaverse, AI/ML, accessibility, safeguarding and telecollaboration. A high level overview of Web3 technologies leads to a description of blockchain, and the Bitcoin network is specifically selected for detailed examination. Suitable components of the extended Bitcoin ecosystem are described in more depth. Other mechanisms for native digital value transfer are described, with a focus on `money'. Metaverse technology is over-viewed, primarily from the perspective of Bitcoin and extended reality. Bitcoin is selected as the best contender for value transfer in metaverses because of it's free and open source nature, and network effect. Challenges and risks of this approach are identified. A cloud deployable virtual machine based technology stack deployment guide with a focus on cybersecurity best practice can be downloaded from GitHub to experiment with the technologies. This deployable lab is designed to inform development of secure value transaction, for small and medium sized companies

    Situated Displays in Telecommunication

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    In face to face conversation, numerous cues of attention, eye contact, and gaze direction provide important channels of information. These channels create cues that include turn taking, establish a sense of engagement, and indicate the focus of conversation. However, some subtleties of gaze can be lost in common videoconferencing systems, because the single perspective view of the camera doesn't preserve the spatial characteristics of the face to face situation. In particular, in group conferencing, the `Mona Lisa effect' makes all observers feel that they are looked at when the remote participant looks at the camera. In this thesis, we present designs and evaluations of four novel situated teleconferencing systems, which aim to improve the teleconferencing experience. Firstly, we demonstrate the effectiveness of a spherical video telepresence system in that it allows a single observer at multiple viewpoints to accurately judge where the remote user is placing their gaze. Secondly, we demonstrate the gaze-preserving capability of a cylindrical video telepresence system, but for multiple observers at multiple viewpoints. Thirdly, we demonstrated the further improvement of a random hole autostereoscopic multiview telepresence system in conveying gaze by adding stereoscopic cues. Lastly, we investigate the influence of display type and viewing angle on how people place their trust during avatar-mediated interaction. The results show the spherical avatar telepresence system has the ability to be viewed qualitatively similarly from all angles and demonstrate how trust can be altered depending on how one views the avatar. Together these demonstrations motivate the further study of novel display configurations and suggest parameters for the design of future teleconferencing systems
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