221 research outputs found
VIRTUAL TOUR IN THE SUNKEN âVILLA CON INGRESSO A PROTIROâ WITHIN THE UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK OF BAIAE
The paper presents the application of some Virtual Reality technologies developed in the Horizon 2020 i-MARECulture project to the case study of the sunken âVilla con ingresso a protiroâ, dated around the II century AD, and located in the Marine Protected Area - Underwater Park of Baiae (Naples).The i-MARECulture project (www.imareculture.eu), in fact, aims to improve the public awareness about the underwater cultural heritage by developing new tool and techniques that take advantage of the virtual reality technologies to allow the general public to explore the archaeological remains outside of the submerged environment.To this end, the paper details the techniques and methods adopted for the development of an immersive virtual tour that allow users to explore, through a storytelling experience, a virtual replica and a 3D hypothetical reconstruction of the complex of the âVilla con ingresso a protiroâ.</p
The Exhibition of Oceans A History of the ʻImmersive Exhibitionʌ at Public Aquariums from the 19th to the 21st Century
This paper aims to trace the history of the âimmersive exhibitionâ at public aquariums from the 19th to the 21st century, with reference to technological developments as well as the social and cultural background of these exhibits. We also take a look at what these kinds of exhibitions might look like in the near future.In this paper, we also consider the ârealityâ presented by aquarium exhibitions. The simulated seascape cannot seem ârealisticâ unless it meets visitors\u27 expectations. Therefore, aquarists have over time tried to reconstructâ oceansâ so that visitors would feel as if the exhibition were ârealâ. The first section of this paper focuses on the features of early immersive exhibitions from the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century, comparing them with other visual cultural forms, such as the panorama. The second section treats aquariums from the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century. We have selected here representative aquariums in Western and Eastern countries and analyse their exhibition styles. In the last section, which features the advent of new exhibitions that apply VR technology, we concisely discuss the exhibition that may appear in the near future
Kaleidoscopic vision: immersive experiments in maritime worlds
This article critically engages with intersecting tropes of immersion central to both notions of ethnography and technologically-enabled âextended realityâ (XR). The authors build on Pauwelussenâs experience of disorientation while doing research within the dynamic land-sea environment of the Makassar Strait in Indonesia by hacking 360° video technologies to juxtapose multiple scenes of âflatâ video. These techniques of spatial montage enabled the authors to destabilize the assumption of âomni-scopicâ spherical holism and reconceptualize the ontological complexity of these entangled lifeworlds. Unexpectedly, this multimodal assemblage of agencies offered a kaleidoscopic perspective on immersive ethnography comprised of dynamic perception and speculative thinking.Global Challenges (FSW
UNDERSTANDING UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAMMETRY FOR MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGY THROUGH IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL REALITY
Underwater archaeological discoveries bring new challenges to the field, but such sites are more difficult to reach and, due to natural influences, they tend to deteriorate fast. Photogrammetry is one of the most powerful tools used for archaeological fieldwork. Photogrammetric techniques are used to document the state of the site in digital form for later analysis, without the risk of damaging any of the artefacts or the site itself. To achieve best possible results with the gathered data, divers should come prepared with the knowledge of measurements and photo capture methods. Archaeologists use this technology to record discovered arteacts or even the whole archaeological sites. Data gathering underwater brings several problems and limitations, so specific steps should be taken to get the best possible results, and divers should well be prepared before starting work at an underwater site. Using immersive virtual reality, we have developed an educational software to introduce maritime archaeology students to photogrammetry techniques. To test the feasibility of the software, a user study was performed and evaluated by experts. In the software, the user is tasked to put markers on the site, measure distances between them, and then take photos of the site, from which the 3D mesh is generated offline. Initial results show that the system is useful for understanding the basics of underwater photogrammetry
Actors in VR storytelling
Virtual Reality (VR) storytelling enhances the immersion of users into
virtual environments (VE). Its use in virtual cultural heritage presentations
helps the revival of the genius loci (the spirit of the place) of cultural
monuments. This paper aims to show that the use of actors in VR storytelling
adds to the quality of user experience and improves the edutainment value of
virtual cultural heritage applications. We will describe the Baiae dry visit
application which takes us to a time travel in the city considered by the Roman
elite as "Little Rome (Pusilla Roma)" and presently is only partially preserved
under the sea.Comment: Pre-print versio
Making the invisible visible:Underwater Maltaâa virtual museum for submerged cultural heritage
The seabed can be considered as the worldâs largest museum, and underwater sites exâ
plored and studied so far provide priceless information on human interaction with the sea. In recogâ
nition of the importance of this cultural resource, UNESCO, in its 2001 Convention on the Protection
of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, determined that objects/sites should be preserved in situ,
whilst also advocating for public access and sharing. The implementation of these principles is not
without difficulties. Some states have opened up underwater sites to the publicâmainly through
diving, yet the vast majority of the worldâs population does not dive. In Malta, 7000 years of human
occupation is reflected in and on the landscape, and recent offshore surveys show that the islandsâ
long and complex history has also left an indelible mark on the seabed. Besides difficulties related
to their protection and management, these sites also present a challenge with regard to sharing and
communicating. Recent advances in underwater imaging and processing software have accelerated
the development of 3D photogrammetry of submerged sites and the idea for a virtual museum was
born. The virtual museum, UnderwaterMalta, was created out of a need to share the plethora of
underwater sites located on the seabed of the Maltese Islands. A multitude of digital tools are used
to share and communicate these sites, offering visitors a dry dive into submerged sites that would
otherwise remain invisible to the vast majority of the public. This paper discusses the basic principle
of the sharing of underwater cultural heritage and the difficulties that beset the implementation of
such a principle. A detailed explanation and evaluation of the methods used to gather the raw data
needed is set in the context of the particular and unique working conditions related to deep water
sites. The workings of this paper are based on firstâhand experiences garnered through the recordâ
ing of numerous wrecks over the years and the creation and launch of The Virtual MuseumâUnderâ
water Maltaâa comprehensive virtual museum specifically built for âdisplayingâ underwater arâ
chaeological sites that are otherwise invisible to the general public.peer-reviewe
The fluid experience of space : physical body in virtual spaces over an analysis of Osmose
Cataloged from PDF version of article.By the naissance of virtual reality, the body is repressed and transformed into
representation in technological virtuality, and the cyberspace has defined as the
space experienced by the mind that is separated from the body. By this
transformation to âsimulacraâ, this dystopian world of Neuromancer has become
the model for future works. Whereas by the help of Char Daviesâ Osmose using
Virtual Reality technology, the boundaries of technological virtuality is
expanded in such a way to include the de-technologized virtuality: the virtuality
of nature. By the use of virtual reality technology, Daviesâs interpretation to
cyberspace is transgressive in terms of body and space notion. Starting from the
definition virtuality of nature, my aim is to analyze the virtuality of water, that
will help the thesis to criticize the technology per se and proposes âotherâ space
and body relation in this newly created environment: water space. By the direct
âcontactâ of the body, water space become united with the element, dissolving
the boundaries of object/subject, inside/outside splits. Drawing parallel lines
between water and imagination, virtuality and freedom, this thesis proposes a
look at the cyberspace notion through water.VarinlioÄlu, GĂŒzdenM.S
MODELING HYPERBARIC CHAMBER ENVIRONMENT AND CONTROL SYSTEM
Deep water activities are essential for many industrial fields, for instance in repairing and
installation of underwater cables, pipes and constructions, marine salvage and rescue opera-
tions. In some cases, these activities must be performed in deep water and hence require
special equipment and prepared and experienced personnel. In some critical situations, re-
motely controlled vehicles (ROVs) can't be used and a human diver intervention is required.
In the last case, divers are required to perform work at high depths, which could be as low
as 300m below the water surface. Usually, this is the limit depth for commercial diving and
when operations must be carried out even deeper, ROVs remain only possibility to perform
them. In the past, the safety regulations were less strict and numerous operations on depth
of 300-350 meters of seawater were conducted. However, in the beginning of the 90s gov-
ernments and companies started to impose limits on depths of operation; for instance, in
Norway maximum operational depth for saturation divers is limited to 180 meters of sea-
water (Imbert et al., 2019).
Obviously, harsh environmental conditions impose various limitations on performed activi-
ties; indeed, low temperature, poor visibility and high pressure make it difficult not only to
operate at depth, but even to achieve the point of intervention.
One of the main problems is related to elevated pressure, which rises for about 1 bar for each
10 meters of water depth and could achieve up to 20-25 bars at required depth, while pressure
inside divers\u2019 atmospheric diving suites must be nearly the same. Considering this, there are
several evident limitations. First is related to the fact that at high atmospheric pressure oxy-
gen becomes poisonous for human body and special breath gas mixtures are required to
avoid health issues. The second one is maximum pressure variation rate which would not
cause damage for the human body; indeed, fast compression or decompression could easily
cause severe damages and even death of divers. Furthermore, surveys found that circa 1/3 of
divers experience headache during decompression which usually last for at least several
hours and up to several days (Imbert et al., 2019). The same study indicates that majority of
the divers experience fatigue after saturation and it lasts on average more than 4 days before
return to normal. Obviously, risk of accidents increases with high number of compression-
decompression cycles.
To address these issues, in commercial deep water diving the common practice is to perform
pressurization only one time before the start of the work activity which typically lasts 20-30
days and consequent depressurization after its end. Hence, divers are living for several weeks
in isolated pressurized environments, typically placed on board of a Dive Support Vessel
(DSV), usually barge or a ship, and go up and down to the workplace using submersible
decompression chamber also known as the bell.
While long-term work shifts provide numerous advantages, there is still necessity to perform
life support supervision of the plant, the bell and the diving suits, which require presence of
well qualified personnel. Currently, most of training activities are performed on empty plant
during idle time, but obviously this approach is low efficient and costly, as well as accom-
panied by the risk to broke equipment.
To address such issues, this research project proposes utilization of simulator of plant and
its life support system, devoted to train future Life-Support Supervisors (LSS), taking into
account gas dynamics, human behaviour and physiology as well as various aspect of opera-
tion of saturation diving plants
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