VR-CHEM Developing a virtual reality interface for molecular modelling

VR-CHEM is a prototype for a virtual reality molecular modelling program with a modern 3D user interface. In this thesis, the author discusses the research behind the development of the prototype, provides a detailed description of the program and its features, and reports on the user tests. The research includes reviewing previous programs of a similar category that have appeared in studies in the literature. Some of these are related to chemistry and molecular modelling while others focus on 3D input techniques. Consequently, the prototype contributes by exploring the design of the user interface and how it can affect productivity in this category of programs. The prototype is subjected to a pilot user test to evaluate what further developments are required. Based on this, the thesis proposes that 3D interfaces, while capable of several unique tasks, are yet to overcome some significant drawbacks such as limitations in accuracy and precision. It also suggests that virtual reality can aid in spatial understanding but virtual hands and controllers are far inferior to real hands for even basic tasks due to a lack of tactile feedback

Multisensory learning in adaptive interactive systems

The main purpose of my work is to investigate multisensory perceptual learning and sensory integration in the design and development of adaptive user interfaces for educational purposes. To this aim, starting from renewed understanding from neuroscience and cognitive science on multisensory perceptual learning and sensory integration, I developed a theoretical computational model for designing multimodal learning technologies that take into account these results. Main theoretical foundations of my research are multisensory perceptual learning theories and the research on sensory processing and integration, embodied cognition theories, computational models of non-verbal and emotion communication in full-body movement, and human-computer interaction models. Finally, a computational model was applied in two case studies, based on two EU ICT-H2020 Projects, "weDRAW" and "TELMI", on which I worked during the PhD

Machine Sensation

Emphasising the alien qualities of anthropomorphic technologies, Machine Sensation makes a conscious effort to increase rather than decrease the tension between nonhuman and human experience. In a series of rigorously executed cases studies, including natural user interfaces, artificial intelligence as well as sex robots, Leach shows how object-oriented ontology enables one to insist upon the unhuman nature of technology while acknowledging its immense power and significance in human life. Machine Sensation meticulously engages OOO, Actor Network Theory, the philosophy of technology, cybernetics and posthumanism in innovative and gripping ways

Creating and evaluating embodied interactive experiences: case studies of full-body, sonic and tactile enaction.

This thesis contributes to the field of embodied and multimodal interaction by presenting the development of different original interactive systems. Using a constructive approach, a variety of real-time user interaction situations were designed and tested, two cases of human-virtual character bodily interaction, two interactive sonifications of trampoline jumping, collaborative interaction in mobile music performance and tangible and tactile interaction with virtual sounds. While diverse in terms of application, all the explored interaction techniques belong to the context of augmentation and are grounded in the theory of embodiment and strategies for natural human-computer interaction (HCI). The cases have been contextualized within the umbrella of enaction, a paradigm of cognitive science that addresses the user as an embodied agent situated in an environment and coupled to it through sensorimotor activity. This activity of sensing and action is studied through different modalities: auditory, tactile and visual and combinations of these. The designed applications aim at a natural interaction with the system, being full-body, tangible and spatially aware. Particularly sonic interaction has been explored in the context of music creation, sports and auditory display. These technology-mediated scenarios are evaluated in order to understand what the adopted interaction techniques can bring to the user experience, how they modify impressions and enjoyment. The publications also discuss the enabling technologies used for the development, including motion tracking and programmed hardware for the tactile-sonic interaction and sonic and tangible interaction. Results show that combining full-body interaction with auditory augmentation and sonic interaction can modify the perception, observed behavior and emotion during the experience. Using spatial interaction together with tangible interaction or tactile feedback provides for a multimodal experience of exploring a mixed reality environment where audio can be accessed and manipulated with natural interaction. Embodied and spatial interaction brings playfulness to a mobile music improvisation, shifting the focus of the experience from music-making towards movement-based gaming. Finally, two novel implementations of full-body interaction based on the enactive paradigm are presented. In these designed scenarios of enaction the participant is motion tracked and a virtual character rendered as a stick figure is displayed in front of her on a screen. Results from the user studies show how the involvement of the body is crucial in understanding the behavior of a virtual character or a digital representation of the self in a gaming scenario

Proceedings of the 10th international conference on disability, virtual reality and associated technologies (ICDVRAT 2014)

The proceedings of the conferenc