Fostering computational thinking skills with tangible user interfaces

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonGiven how technology surrounds our whole life, learning to code is becoming more and more crucial for the general public: think for example of the amount of software involved in managing a flight, or when you just turn on the engine of your car. People want to play an increasingly active role in their life and there is already evidence in an overall heightened interest in coding from the many successful public initiatives aiming at introducing coding skills to a wide audience. Nonetheless, coding skills are not just about programming but require an ability of problem-solving, abstraction, pattern recognition to name but a few; in a word, the so-called Computational Thinking (CT) skills, namely a set of thinking skills, habits, and approaches that are integral to solving complex problems using a computer and widely applicable in today’s information society. Due to this sudden global interest in promoting CT skills to many broad and diverse audiences, several tools and methods have been designed with the aim of supporting the introduction of programming concepts in more effective and less daunting ways than the past. A popular theory of learning that can come to the aid on this matter is Piaget’s constructivism, which argues that people produce knowledge and form new meanings based upon their experiences in the real world and social interactions. Thus, exploiting human’s natural ability for objects manipulation in the physical world and its afforded interactions could be an effective way of supporting users in learning abstract concepts such as the ones underpinning CT. Tangible User Interfaces are an interaction paradigm that was devised to foster collaborative learning and exploit humans’ natural dexterity for physical objects manipulation to provide an easy to use interface that can be used even by inexperienced people. They exploit the physical world to offer a concrete representation of the abstract concepts learners usually struggle with and thus employing them to teach those concepts underpinning CT might represent an effective and engaging way of supporting the learning of such skills. This thesis investigates this claim through the development of a software platform combining its digital and physical features to promote CT skills in different domains. The platform design is informed by a review of related work, a workshop with domain experts, and was validated through a series of studies in different application scenarios which reported promising results in terms of CT support

Virtual Reality

At present, the virtual reality has impact on information organization and management and even changes design principle of information systems, which will make it adapt to application requirements. The book aims to provide a broader perspective of virtual reality on development and application. First part of the book is named as "virtual reality visualization and vision" and includes new developments in virtual reality visualization of 3D scenarios, virtual reality and vision, high fidelity immersive virtual reality included tracking, rendering and display subsystems. The second part named as "virtual reality in robot technology" brings forth applications of virtual reality in remote rehabilitation robot-based rehabilitation evaluation method and multi-legged robot adaptive walking in unstructured terrains. The third part, named as "industrial and construction applications" is about the product design, space industry, building information modeling, construction and maintenance by virtual reality, and so on. And the last part, which is named as "culture and life of human" describes applications of culture life and multimedia-technology

Presentation adaptation for multimodal interface systems: Three essays on the effectiveness of user-centric content and modality adaptation

The use of devices is becoming increasingly ubiquitous and the contexts of their users more and more dynamic. This often leads to situations where one communication channel is rather impractical. Text-based communication is particularly inconvenient when the hands are already occupied with another task. Audio messages induce privacy risks and may disturb other people if used in public spaces. Multimodal interfaces thus offer users the flexibility to choose between multiple interaction modalities. While the choice of a suitable input modality lies in the hands of the users, they may also require output in a different modality depending on their situation. To adapt the output of a system to a particular context, rules are needed that specify how information should be presented given the users’ situation and state. Therefore, this thesis tests three adaptation rules that – based on observations from cognitive science – have the potential to improve the interaction with an application by adapting the presented content or its modality. Following modality alignment, the output (audio versus visual) of a smart home display is matched with the user’s input (spoken versus manual) to the system. Experimental evaluations reveal that preferences for an input modality are initially too unstable to infer a clear preference for either interaction modality. Thus, the data shows no clear relation between the users’ modality choice for the first interaction and their attitude towards output in different modalities. To apply multimodal redundancy, information is displayed in multiple modalities. An application of the rule in a video conference reveals that captions can significantly reduce confusion. However, the effect is limited to confusion resulting from language barriers, whereas contradictory auditory reports leave the participants in a state of confusion independent of whether captions are available or not. We therefore suggest to activate captions only when the facial expression of a user – captured by action units, expressions of positive or negative affect, and a reduced blink rate – implies that the captions effectively improve comprehension. Content filtering in movies puts the character into the spotlight that – according to the distribution of their gaze to elements in the previous scene – the users prefer. If preferences are predicted with machine learning classifiers, this has the potential to significantly improve the user’ involvement compared to scenes of elements that the user does not prefer. Focused attention is additionally higher compared to scenes in which multiple characters take a lead role

Training of Crisis Mappers and Map Production from Multi-sensor Data: Vernazza Case Study (Cinque Terre National Park, Italy)

This aim of paper is to presents the development of a multidisciplinary project carried out by the cooperation between Politecnico di Torino and ITHACA (Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action). The goal of the project was the training in geospatial data acquiring and processing for students attending Architecture and Engineering Courses, in order to start up a team of "volunteer mappers". Indeed, the project is aimed to document the environmental and built heritage subject to disaster; the purpose is to improve the capabilities of the actors involved in the activities connected in geospatial data collection, integration and sharing. The proposed area for testing the training activities is the Cinque Terre National Park, registered in the World Heritage List since 1997. The area was affected by flood on the 25th of October 2011. According to other international experiences, the group is expected to be active after emergencies in order to upgrade maps, using data acquired by typical geomatic methods and techniques such as terrestrial and aerial Lidar, close-range and aerial photogrammetry, topographic and GNSS instruments etc.; or by non conventional systems and instruments such us UAV, mobile mapping etc. The ultimate goal is to implement a WebGIS platform to share all the data collected with local authorities and the Civil Protectio

PREdictive model for DISaster response configuration (PREDIS decision platform)

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThe extraordinary conditions of a disaster, require the mobilisation of all available resources, inducing the rush of humanitarian partners into the affected area. This phenomenon called the proliferation of actors, causes serious problems during the disaster response phase including the oversupply, duplicated efforts, lack of planning. The aim of this research is to provide a solution to reduce the partner proliferation problem. To that end the main research question is put forward as “How to reduce the proliferation of partners in a disaster response”? Panel analysis of the historic record of 4,252 natural onset disasters between 1980 to 2013 via regression analysis, MA and AHP gives rise to the formation of a predictive decision-making platform called PREDIS. It is capable of predicting the human impact of the disaster (fatality, injured, homeless) of up to 3% of errors and enables the decision makers to estimate the required needs for each disaster and prioritises them based on the disaster type and socio-economics of the affected country. It further renders it possible to rank and optimise the desired partners based on the decision maker’s preferences. Verification of the PREDIS through a simulation game design using a sample group of decision makers, show that this technique enables the user to decide within one hour after the disaster strike using the widely available data at the time of the disaster. It also enables non-experts to decide almost identically to experts in terms of the similarity of the choices and the speed of the decision.The lack of an extensive database for the potential humanitarian partners from which to choose, is the limitation of this research in addition to the lack of standardised set of minimum requirements for the suitable partners.The model is also as strong as its data feed which is inconsistent in various humanitarian sources

“WELL, DON’T WALK AROUND NAKED... UNLESS YOU’RE A GIRL”: GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND RISK IN JAMTRONICA FESTIVAL SUBCULTURAL SCENES

The purpose of this study was to explore emerging issues surrounding gendered fear, threat, and violence perpetration at music festivals – particularly events that feature a synthesis of jam band and electronic dance music acts – a genre termed jamtronica by its fans. Though gendered violence perpetration and prevention have been widely studied within other party-oriented settings (i.e., sexual violence perpetration on college campuses), very little research exists to address how wider disparities of gender and sexuality permeate a community whose members frequently claim the scene’s immunity from external inequalities. In this three-year multi-sited ethnography, I incorporate participant observations, group and individual interviews, and textual analyses to progressively layer investigations into: 1) festival-goers’ gender-bifurcated perceptions of the problems they face within the event arena; 2) how institutional and interactional inequalities fuel gender-sexual expectations that exacerbate the risks with which festival-going women’s contend; and, 3) how jamtronica’s “libertarian and libertine” codes complicate women’s negotiations of (sub)cultural agency, expression, and safety. Findings derived across fourteen sites, interviews with 179 festival participants, and countless material texts suggest that men and women do perceive festival “problems” in very different ways – subsequently leading women to calculatedly navigate festival terrains, interactions, and self-presentations in ways that festival-going men seldom must. Protected by scene norms that paradoxically elevate personal autonomy and group integration, festival-going men’s homosocial displays of masculinity (through pranks, drinking and drug use, and even sexual predation) often goes unchallenged – or, is seemingly even encouraged. In an environment that both scholars and study participants claim to eclipse mainstream inequalities of gender and sexuality, a closer look reveals the multiplex ways that festival-going women risk their physical, social, and sexual well-beings in order to pursue the emancipatory promises that jamtronica music festival community discourses purport. For this understudied, yet rapidly growing, subcultural scene, this study offers conceptual and analytical foundations to event-specific violence prevention programming, as well as gender and sexuality-centric initiatives paramount to ever-diversifying jamtronica music festival communities

Human factors of semi-autonomous robots for urban search and rescue

During major disasters or other emergencies, Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams are responsible for extricating casualties safely from collapsed urban structures. The rescue work is dangerous due to possible further collapse, fire, dust or electricity hazards. Sometimes the necessary precautions and checks can last several hours before rescuers are safe to start the search for survivors. Remote controlled rescue robots provide the opportunity to support human rescuers to search the site for trapped casualties while they remain in a safe place. The research reported in this thesis aimed to understand how robot behaviour and interface design can be applied to utilise the benefits of robot autonomy and how to inform future human-robot collaborative systems. The data was analysed in the context of USAR missions when using semi-autonomous remote controlled robot systems. The research focussed on the influence of robot feedback, robot reliability, task complexity, and transparency. The influence of these factors on trust, workload, and performance was examined. The overall goal of the research was to make the life of rescuers safer and enhance their performance to help others in distress. Data obtained from the studies conducted for this thesis showed that semi-autonomous robot reliability is still the most dominant factor influencing trust, workload, and team performance. A robot with explanatory feedback was perceived as more competent, more efficient and less malfunctioning. The explanatory feedback was perceived as a clearer type of communication compared to concise robot feedback. Higher levels of robot transparency were perceived as more trustworthy. However, single items on the trust questionnaire were manipulated and further investigation is necessary. However, neither explanatory feedback from the robot nor robot transparency, increased team performance or mediated workload levels. Task complexity mainly influenced human-robot team performance and the participants’ control allocation strategy. Participants allowed the robot to find more targets and missed more robot errors in the high complexity conditions compared to the low task complexity conditions. Participants found more targets manually in the low complexity tasks. In addition, the research showed that recording the observed robot performance (the performance of the robot that was witnessed by the participant) can help to identify the cause of contradicting results: participants might not have noticed some of the robots mistakes and therefore they were not able to distinguish between the robot reliability levels. Furthermore, the research provided a foundation of knowledge regarding the real world application of USAR in the United Kingdom. This included collecting knowledge via an autoethnographic approach about working processes, command structures, currently used technical equipment, and attitudes of rescuers towards robots. Also, recommendations about robot behaviour and interface design were collected throughout the research. However, recommendations made in the thesis include consideration of the overall outcome (mission performance) and the perceived usefulness of the system in order to support the uptake of the technology in real world applications. In addition, autonomous features might not be appropriate in all USAR applications. When semi-autonomous robot trials were compared to entirely manual operation, only the robot with an average of 97% reliability significantly increased the team performance and reduced the time needed to complete the USAR scenario compared to the manually operated robot. Unfortunately, such high robot success levels do not exist to date. This research has contributed to our understanding of the factors influencing human-robot collaboration in USAR operations, and provided guidance for the next generation of autonomous robots

Human factors of semi-autonomous robots for urban search and rescue

During major disasters or other emergencies, Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams are responsible for extricating casualties safely from collapsed urban structures. The rescue work is dangerous due to possible further collapse, fire, dust or electricity hazards. Sometimes the necessary precautions and checks can last several hours before rescuers are safe to start the search for survivors. Remote controlled rescue robots provide the opportunity to support human rescuers to search the site for trapped casualties while they remain in a safe place. The research reported in this thesis aimed to understand how robot behaviour and interface design can be applied to utilise the benefits of robot autonomy and how to inform future human-robot collaborative systems. The data was analysed in the context of USAR missions when using semi-autonomous remote controlled robot systems. The research focussed on the influence of robot feedback, robot reliability, task complexity, and transparency. The influence of these factors on trust, workload, and performance was examined. The overall goal of the research was to make the life of rescuers safer and enhance their performance to help others in distress. Data obtained from the studies conducted for this thesis showed that semi-autonomous robot reliability is still the most dominant factor influencing trust, workload, and team performance. A robot with explanatory feedback was perceived as more competent, more efficient and less malfunctioning. The explanatory feedback was perceived as a clearer type of communication compared to concise robot feedback. Higher levels of robot transparency were perceived as more trustworthy. However, single items on the trust questionnaire were manipulated and further investigation is necessary. However, neither explanatory feedback from the robot nor robot transparency, increased team performance or mediated workload levels. Task complexity mainly influenced human-robot team performance and the participants’ control allocation strategy. Participants allowed the robot to find more targets and missed more robot errors in the high complexity conditions compared to the low task complexity conditions. Participants found more targets manually in the low complexity tasks. In addition, the research showed that recording the observed robot performance (the performance of the robot that was witnessed by the participant) can help to identify the cause of contradicting results: participants might not have noticed some of the robots mistakes and therefore they were not able to distinguish between the robot reliability levels. Furthermore, the research provided a foundation of knowledge regarding the real world application of USAR in the United Kingdom. This included collecting knowledge via an autoethnographic approach about working processes, command structures, currently used technical equipment, and attitudes of rescuers towards robots. Also, recommendations about robot behaviour and interface design were collected throughout the research. However, recommendations made in the thesis include consideration of the overall outcome (mission performance) and the perceived usefulness of the system in order to support the uptake of the technology in real world applications. In addition, autonomous features might not be appropriate in all USAR applications. When semi-autonomous robot trials were compared to entirely manual operation, only the robot with an average of 97% reliability significantly increased the team performance and reduced the time needed to complete the USAR scenario compared to the manually operated robot. Unfortunately, such high robot success levels do not exist to date. This research has contributed to our understanding of the factors influencing human-robot collaboration in USAR operations, and provided guidance for the next generation of autonomous robots

Mobile phones' contributions to socio-economic development according to Sen: corn growers' perceived impact in the Congo

Research questions This research was focused on exploring the impact of communication technologies on rural populations in the Congo. In particular, this research posed two questions: 1. Do mobile phones produce development in rural areas of the Congo? 2. Do mobile phones improve the living conditions of people? The questions helped examine ways in which mobile phones were or were not engendering development among these populations. Methods The research was undertaken using four methods: 1. Phenomenology, 2. Sen s capability approach, 3. Participatory method, and 4. Ecological method Phenomenology aimed to cater to the experiences and meanings of mobile phone uses. Sen s capability approach allowed the interviews to be focused on the basic needs of the poor. Participatory method provided a greater participation of respondents in discussion groups, and ecological method helped achieve a higher inclusion of key players in the targeted area. Major findings The major findings of this study included: 1.Much of the literature on mobile phones and development was not representative or inclusive of key players and their day-to-day lives. 2.Studies have tended to present snapshots or single-focused accounts of mobile phone and development. 3.Authors of mobile phone research have tended to see rural populations with an urban-led bias, leaving aside the actual characteristics of rural areas. 4.Mobile phones were not limited to a person and her properties, but rather mobile phones were owned and shared by the community. 5.Participants expressed a need for technical skills and means to be available to the community and their members. 6.Households were not separated, but rather they were connected to allow people take care of one another. 7.People were connected through collective solidarities in order to come to the aid of those with special needs. 8.Literature and mobile phone sponsors or companies were disseminating mobile phones with an extractive and commercial tendency, focused principally on fees of batteries, chargers, and prepaid cards. Major contributions The major contributions of this research revolved around the focus on: 1.technology to enhance the needed technical skills among concerned populations. 2.shared ownership of mobile phones to cater to both users and non-users of mobile phones among concerned populations. 3.connected households to capitalize on the dynamics of family among concerned populations. 4.collective solidarities to accommodate the processes of aiding one another among concerned populations. 5.capabilities, from a commercial or extractive aspect to capabilities to enhance the capabilities of people to afford mobile phones fees. 6.capabilities, from a corporate or business aspect to capabilities to enhance the capabilities of people who did not and could not own a business. 7.human basic needs to enhance the capabilities of mobile phone users with regard to human basic needs. 8.outliers or the marginalized to attend to those left out among concerned populations. 9.mobile phone-centric libraries to enhance the storage and retrieval of needed information among concerned populations

Training of Crisis Mappers and Map Production from Multi-sensor Data: Vernazza Case Study (Cinque Terre National Park, Italy)

This aim of paper is to presents the development of a multidisciplinary project carried out by the cooperation between Politecnico di Torino and ITHACA (Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action). The goal of the project was the training in geospatial data acquiring and processing for students attending Architecture and Engineering Courses, in order to start up a team of “volunteer mappers”. Indeed, the project is aimed to document the environmental and built heritage subject to disaster; the purpose is to improve the capabilities of the actors involved in the activities connected in geospatial data collection, integration and sharing. The proposed area for testing the training activities is the Cinque Terre National Park, registered in the World Heritage List since 1997. The area was affected by flood on the 25th of October 2011. According to other international experiences, the group is expected to be active after emergencies in order to upgrade maps, using data acquired by typical geomatic methods and techniques such as terrestrial and aerial Lidar, close-range and aerial photogrammetry, topographic and GNSS instruments etc.; or by non conventional systems and instruments such us UAV, mobile mapping etc. The ultimate goal is to implement a WebGIS platform to share all the data collected with local authorities and the Civil Protection