10,371 research outputs found
Challenges in Collaborative HRI for Remote Robot Teams
Collaboration between human supervisors and remote teams of robots is highly
challenging, particularly in high-stakes, distant, hazardous locations, such as
off-shore energy platforms. In order for these teams of robots to truly be
beneficial, they need to be trusted to operate autonomously, performing tasks
such as inspection and emergency response, thus reducing the number of
personnel placed in harm's way. As remote robots are generally trusted less
than robots in close-proximity, we present a solution to instil trust in the
operator through a `mediator robot' that can exhibit social skills, alongside
sophisticated visualisation techniques. In this position paper, we present
general challenges and then take a closer look at one challenge in particular,
discussing an initial study, which investigates the relationship between the
level of control the supervisor hands over to the mediator robot and how this
affects their trust. We show that the supervisor is more likely to have higher
trust overall if their initial experience involves handing over control of the
emergency situation to the robotic assistant. We discuss this result, here, as
well as other challenges and interaction techniques for human-robot
collaboration.Comment: 9 pages. Peer reviewed position paper accepted in the CHI 2019
Workshop: The Challenges of Working on Social Robots that Collaborate with
People (SIRCHI2019), ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing
Systems, May 2019, Glasgow, U
Remote real-time monitoring of subsurface landfill gas migration
The cost of monitoring greenhouse gas emissions from landfill sites is of major concern for regulatory authorities. The current monitoring procedure is recognised as labour intensive, requiring agency inspectors to physically travel to perimeter borehole wells in rough terrain and manually measure gas concentration levels with expensive hand-held instrumentation. In this article we present a cost-effective and efficient system for remotely monitoring landfill subsurface migration of methane and carbon dioxide concentration levels. Based purely on an autonomous sensing architecture, the proposed sensing platform was capable of performing complex analytical measurements in situ and successfully communicating the data remotely to a cloud database. A web tool was developed to present the sensed data to relevant stakeholders. We report our experiences in deploying such an approach in the field over a period of approximately 16 months
Computational steering of a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm for engineering design
The execution process of an evolutionary algorithm typically involves some trial and error. This is due to the difficulty in setting the initial parameters of the algorithm—especially when little is known about the problem domain. This problem is magnified when applied to many-objective optimisation, as care is needed to ensure that the final population of candidate solutions is representative of the trade-off surface. We propose a computational steering system that allows the engineer to interact with the optimisation routine during execution. This interaction can be as simple as monitoring the values of some parameters during the execution process, or could involve altering those parameters to influence the quality of the solutions produced by the optimisation process. The implementation of this steering system should provide the ability to tailor the client to the hardware available, for example providing a lightweight steering and visualisation client for use on a PDA
Making Heat Visible: Promoting Energy Conservation Behaviors Through Thermal Imaging
Householders play a role in energy conservation through the decisions they make about purchases and installations such as insulation, and through their habitual behavior. The present U.K. study investigated the effect of thermal imaging technology on energy conservation, by measuring the behavioral effect after householders viewed images of heat escaping from or cold air entering their homes. In Study 1 (n = 43), householders who received a thermal image reduced their energy use at a 1-year follow-up, whereas householders who received a carbon footprint audit and a non-intervention control demonstrated no change. In Study 2 (n = 87), householders were nearly 5 times more likely to install draught proofing measures after seeing a thermal image. The effect was especially pronounced for actions that addressed an issue visible in the images. Findings indicate that using thermal imaging to make heat loss visible can promote energy conservation
From Keyword Search to Exploration: How Result Visualization Aids Discovery on the Web
A key to the Web's success is the power of search. The elegant way in which search results are returned is usually remarkably effective. However, for exploratory search in which users need to learn, discover, and understand novel or complex topics, there is substantial room for improvement. Human computer interaction researchers and web browser designers have developed novel strategies to improve Web search by enabling users to conveniently visualize, manipulate, and organize their Web search results. This monograph offers fresh ways to think about search-related cognitive processes and describes innovative design approaches to browsers and related tools. For instance, while key word search presents users with results for specific information (e.g., what is the capitol of Peru), other methods may let users see and explore the contexts of their requests for information (related or previous work, conflicting information), or the properties that associate groups of information assets (group legal decisions by lead attorney). We also consider the both traditional and novel ways in which these strategies have been evaluated. From our review of cognitive processes, browser design, and evaluations, we reflect on the future opportunities and new paradigms for exploring and interacting with Web search results
Proximity Map Projection: Interactive Visualisation for Image-Guided Surgery
This thesis describes a new interface technique for neurosurgeons
and interventional radiologists performing image-guided therapies
such as the ablation of brain tumours. This new technique is
called Proximity Map Projection (PMP).
Based on an analysis of related work, including the documented
recent progress in enabling technologies, a case is made that
present-day interactive visualisations supporting image-guided
treatment of tumours will need to be dramatically improved to
take advantage of the increased image refresh rates available as
soon as 2020. This probable requirement for improved
visualisation technology in the very near future motivated the
invention and investigation of the PMP technique described in
this thesis. The PMP technique is an interactive 2-D visual
projection of the proximity of two 3-D surfaces – in
particular, the surface representing the boundary of a thermal
treatment region, and the surface of a tumour that is the target
of this treatment. By clicking on interesting points in the PMP,
surgeons are able to quickly select the 2-D MRI slices
corresponding to those interesting points. The PMP provides a
quick way of selecting a desired image from a large stack of 2-D
MRI data, thus freeing up surgeons to spend a greater proportion
of their time applying their expertise to decision making, rather
than to navigating through image data.
In this thesis, the PMP technique is presented and then refined
as user studies are undertaken. In a series of investigations
exploring its effectiveness, it is shown that the PMP technique
enables non-expert users to quickly and accurately navigate to,
and observe, desired individual medical images within large
stacks of such images. A further experiment finds no significant
differences in the way that medically experienced and
inexperienced users use PMP to complete tasks. That study also
verifies that users pay visual attention to PMP, regardless of
whether or not they have interacted with it via the mouse.
Observation of the visual attention of users during simulated
tasks is used to provide further explanation of why PMP is
effective. PMP’s potential to be used by medical professionals
is then assessed via a series of semi-structured interviews with
surgeons and interventional radiologists. Such experts are found
to be optimistic about the potential for PMP to be incorporated
into their workflows. This last phase of the research then
culminates with observations of a number of medical procedures on
human patients that are similar to the kinds of procedures to
which PMP might be applied. From these observations it appears
that, while they do enable life-saving therapies, present
software interfaces are not entirely satisfying for the surgeons
who use them. Opportunities for significant future research
collaborations were identified during these interviews and
observations.
This thesis concludes by describing a practical path towards
achieving its ultimate goal: the use of PMP in real-time
image-guided medical procedures on human patients. Key activities
on this path include: integration of PMP into the training and
simulation version of a collaborator’s therapy system;
conducting a case study to allow further refinement of the PMP
technique; and inclusion of PMP in a clinical trial with
surgeons
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