Capacity Based Evacuation with Dynamic Exit Signs

Exit paths in buildings are designed to minimise evacuation time when the building is at full capacity. We present an evacuation support system which does this regardless of the number of evacuees. The core concept is to even-out congestion in the building by diverting evacuees to less-congested paths in order to make maximal usage of all accessible routes throughout the entire evacuation process. The system issues a set of flow-optimal routes using a capacity-constrained routing algorithm which anticipates evolutions in path metrics using the concept of "future capacity reservation". In order to direct evacuees in an intuitive manner whilst implementing the routing algorithm's scheme, we use dynamic exit signs, i.e. whose pointing direction can be controlled. To make this system practical and minimise reliance on sensors during the evacuation, we use an evacuee mobility model and make several assumptions on the characteristics of the evacuee flow. We validate this concept using simulations, and show how the underpinning assumptions may limit the system's performance, especially in low-headcount evacuations

Proceedings of the 8th International congress on architectural technology (ICAT 2019): architectural technology, facing the renovation and refurbishment challenge.

During the past decade, the construction industry focus has largely been on the many new challenges brought about by the sustainability/climate change agenda and the introduction of BIM in new build. The theme of the next ICAT conference will focus on all issues related to the renovation, refurbishment and re-use of existing buildings. Given the fact that more than half of the industry’s activity is dedicated to these types of building work, the focus seems highly needed. Architectural technology is at the core of the industry where the interplay of many factors creates varied interfaces. Academics and professionals associated with the discipline are ideally placed to lead as we strive to enhance the design, delivery and performance of existing and new buildings as well as the industry at large. This congress will be a vehicle to disseminate research, education and practice at these interfaces

How I met your V2X sensor data : analysis of projection-based light field visualization for vehicle-to-everything communication protocols and use cases

The practical usage of V2X communication protocols started emerging in recent years. Data built on sensor information are displayed via onboard units and smart devices. However, perceptually obtaining such data may be counterproductive in terms of visual attention, particularly in the case of safety-related applications. Using the windshield as a display may solve this issue, but switching between 2D information and the 3D reality of traffic may introduce issues of its own. To overcome such difficulties, automotive light field visualization is introduced. In this paper, we investigate the visualization of V2X communication protocols and use cases via projection-based light field technology. Our work is motivated by the abundance of V2X sensor data, the low latency of V2X data transfer, the availability of automotive light field prototypes, the prevalent dominance of non-autonomous and non-remote driving, and the lack of V2X-based light field solutions. As our primary contributions, we provide a comprehensive technological review of light field and V2X communication, a set of recommendations for design and implementation, an extensive discussion and implication analysis, the exploration of utilization based on standardized protocols, and use-case-specific considerations

New interaction models for 360º video

Esta dissertação tem como principal objectivo a incorporação de um mecanismo de buffering num sistema de multimídia, capaz de oferecer experiências multivista adaptáveis. A incorporação deste mecanismo vem provocar melhorias na qualidade de serviço e na qualidade de experiência. O sistema recorre ao protocolo MPEG-DASH e a uma câmara convencional para detecção dos movimentos da cabeça do utilizador. O sistema incorpora ainda um mecanismo de adaptação automática da qualidade, ajustável às condições da rede. O mecanismo desenvolvido é composto por um proxy e tem o objectivo de minimizar o atraso existente na transição de vistas. O proxy será capaz de enviar três vistas em simultâneo, duas em baixa qualidade, enquanto a vista principal será enviada e apresenta ao utilizador em alta qualidade.Sempre que existe um novo pedido por parte do utilizador, o mecanismo irá comutar entre as vistas enviadas até receber a resposta por parte do servidor. Deste modo, esta dissertação pretende identificar as dificuldades que se colocam relativamente à disponibilização e transmissão eficiente deste tipo de conteúdos, assim como os compromissos necessários ao nível da qualidade de experiência do utilizador.Today, the fast technological evolution and the significant increase in the demand for multimedia content has boosted the development of the transmission mechanisms used for this purpose.This development had repercussions in several areas, such as the immersive experiences that include the 360º contents. Whether through live streaming or using on demand services, the quality of service and experience have become two points whose development has assumed high importance. The capture and reproduction of 360º content allows transmitting an immersive view of reality at a given moment. With this approach, the industry intends to provide a product with better audiovisual quality, more comfortable for the user and that allows a better interaction with the same. An example of this is the choice of the view that most appeals to us in a given event (for example, football matches or concerts). This dissertation has as main objective the incorporation of a buffering mechanism in a multimedia system, able to offer adaptive multivista experiments. The system uses the MPEG-DASH protocol for efficient use of network resources and a conventional camera for detecting the movements of the user's head, selecting the points of view that one wishes to visualize in real time. The system also incorporates an automatic quality adjustment mechanism, adjustable to the network conditions. The buffering mechanism is intended to increase the quality of experience and the quality of service, minimizing the delay in the transition of views. The mechanism will consist of a proxy capable of sending three views simultaneously. Of these views, two will be sent in low quality, while the main view will be sent and presented to the user in high quality. Whenever there is a new request from the user, the mechanism will switch between sent views until it receives the response from the server. Based on these assumptions, the dissertation intends to identify the challenges that are posed regarding the availability and efficient transmission of 360º content, as well as the necessary commitments regarding the quality of user experience. This last point is particularly significant, taking into account the network requirements and the volume of data presented by the transmissions of this type of content

On the Road to 6G: Visions, Requirements, Key Technologies and Testbeds

Fifth generation (5G) mobile communication systems have entered the stage of commercial development, providing users with new services and improved user experiences as well as offering a host of novel opportunities to various industries. However, 5G still faces many challenges. To address these challenges, international industrial, academic, and standards organizations have commenced research on sixth generation (6G) wireless communication systems. A series of white papers and survey papers have been published, which aim to define 6G in terms of requirements, application scenarios, key technologies, etc. Although ITU-R has been working on the 6G vision and it is expected to reach a consensus on what 6G will be by mid-2023, the related global discussions are still wide open and the existing literature has identified numerous open issues. This paper first provides a comprehensive portrayal of the 6G vision, technical requirements, and application scenarios, covering the current common understanding of 6G. Then, a critical appraisal of the 6G network architecture and key technologies is presented. Furthermore, existing testbeds and advanced 6G verification platforms are detailed for the first time. In addition, future research directions and open challenges are identified for stimulating the on-going global debate. Finally, lessons learned to date concerning 6G networks are discussed

Interactive Experiences in Public Spaces: A Novel Floor Display System Based on Luminous Modular Units

We describe the design of an interactive concrete floor display for public spaces and discuss its implementation and areas of application. The primary purpose of our system is to provide new forms of collaborative interaction in long-term installations in both indoor and outdoor spaces. Our design is an expandable system of interconnected tiles, which control an array of RGB Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) based on user input. The LEDs are built into the tiles and arranged in a manner that simulates pixels on a computer screen, providing a natural visualization mechanism. Each tile acts as an independent node in a network, where motion sensors trigger specific actions and provide interactivity to the surface. A series of applications are illustrated, including promotional advertising and interactive games. The system was installed and evaluated on a university campus for four weeks where hundreds of visitors successfully interacted with the floor

6G Enabled Smart Infrastructure for Sustainable Society: Opportunities, Challenges, and Research Roadmap

The 5G wireless communication network is currently faced with the challenge of limited data speed exacerbated by the proliferation of billions of data-intensive applications. To address this problem, researchers are developing cutting-edge technologies for the envisioned 6G wireless communication standards to satisfy the escalating wireless services demands. Though some of the candidate technologies in the 5G standards will apply to 6G wireless networks, key disruptive technologies that will guarantee the desired quality of physical experience to achieve ubiquitous wireless connectivity are expected in 6G. This article first provides a foundational background on the evolution of different wireless communication standards to have a proper insight into the vision and requirements of 6G. Second, we provide a panoramic view of the enabling technologies proposed to facilitate 6G and introduce emerging 6G applications such as multi-sensory–extended reality, digital replica, and more. Next, the technology-driven challenges, social, psychological, health and commercialization issues posed to actualizing 6G, and the probable solutions to tackle these challenges are discussed extensively. Additionally, we present new use cases of the 6G technology in agriculture, education, media and entertainment, logistics and transportation, and tourism. Furthermore, we discuss the multi-faceted communication capabilities of 6G that will contribute significantly to global sustainability and how 6G will bring about a dramatic change in the business arena. Finally, we highlight the research trends, open research issues, and key take-away lessons for future research exploration in 6G wireless communicatio

Designing privacy-preserving personalized public display systems

Public Displays sind heute ein allgegenwärtiges Kommunikationsmedium. Benutzern relevante Inhalte zu präsentieren ist zweifelsohne wichtig. Persönliche Inhalte sind meist relevant, erfordern jedoch besondere Datenschutzmaßnahmen. Diese Arbeit konzentriert sich auf den Entwurf personalisierter Public Displays, die die Privatsphäre schützen. Sie untersucht drei Forschungsfragen: (1) Was sind die größten Gefahren für die Privatsphäre auf Public Displays? (2) Welche Gegenmaßnahmen existieren für diese Gefahren? (3) Wie kann der Entwurf von Public Displays unterstützt werden?Drei konkrete Beiträge widmen sich je einer Forschungsfrage: (1) Ein Gefahren-Modell, (2) eine Liste samt Klassifizierung von Gegenmaßnahmen, und (3) eine neue Methodik für die Entwicklung von Public Displays. Designer und Forscher können diese Ergebnisse nutzen, um Systeme zu erstellen, die die Privatsphäre der Benutzer schützen. Zusammenfassend kann diese Arbeit dazu beitragen, die Entwicklung solcher personalisierter Public Displays zu vereinfachen und zu beschleunigen.Digital public displays are a popular means of communication nowadays. Showing users content that is relevant to them is an important issue. Personal content is often regarded as relevant, but that calls for certain means of privacy in turn. This thesis focuses on designing privacy-preserving personalized public display systems. It addresses three research questions: (1) What are main privacy threats on public displays? (2) What are countermeasures to those privacy threats? (3) How to support the design process of public displays?Three tangible contributions address each research question: (1) a privacy threat model for public displays, (2) a list and classification of countermeasures, and (3) a novel methodology to design, prototype, and evaluate public display systems. Designers and researchers can use these contributions to create public displays, that do not pose a threat to the user's privacy. In conclusion, this thesis can thus contribute towards simplifying and accelerating the development of privacy-preserving personalized public display systems