Virtual bloXing - assembly rapid prototyping for near net shapes

Virtual reality (VR) provides another dimension to many engineering applications. Its immersive and interactive nature allows an intuitive approach to study both cognitive activities and performance evaluation. Market competitiveness means having products meet form, fit and function quickly. Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing (RP&M) technologies are increasingly being applied to produce functional prototypes and the direct manufacturing of small components. Despite its flexibility, these systems have common drawbacks such as slow build rates, a limited number of build axes (typically one) and the need for post processing. This paper presents a Virtual Assembly Rapid Prototyping (VARP) project which involves evaluating cognitive activities in assembly tasks based on the adoption of immersive virtual reality along with a novel nonlayered rapid prototyping for near net shape (NNS) manufacturing of components. It is envisaged that this integrated project will facilitate a better understanding of design for manufacture and assembly by utilising equivalent scale digital and physical prototyping in one rapid prototyping system. The state of the art of the VARP project is also presented in this paper

The design-by-adaptation approach to universal access: learning from videogame technology

This paper proposes an alternative approach to the design of universally accessible interfaces to that provided by formal design frameworks applied ab initio to the development of new software. This approach, design-byadaptation, involves the transfer of interface technology and/or design principles from one application domain to another, in situations where the recipient domain is similar to the host domain in terms of modelled systems, tasks and users. Using the example of interaction in 3D virtual environments, the paper explores how principles underlying the design of videogame interfaces may be applied to a broad family of visualization and analysis software which handles geographical data (virtual geographic environments, or VGEs). One of the motivations behind the current study is that VGE technology lags some way behind videogame technology in the modelling of 3D environments, and has a less-developed track record in providing the variety of interaction methods needed to undertake varied tasks in 3D virtual worlds by users with varied levels of experience. The current analysis extracted a set of interaction principles from videogames which were used to devise a set of 3D task interfaces that have been implemented in a prototype VGE for formal evaluation

Shifting the Focus: The Role of Presence in Reconceptualising the Design Process

In this paper the relationship between presence and imaging is examined with the view to establish how our understanding of imaging, and subsequently the design process, may be reconceptualised to give greater focus to its experiential potential. First, the paper outlines the research project contributing to the discussion. Then, it provides brief overviews of research on both imaging and presence in the process highlighting the narrow conceptions of imaging (and the recognition of the need for further research) compared to the more holistic and experiential understandings of presence. The paper concludes with an argument and proposed study for exploring the role of digital technology and presence in extending the potential of imaging and its role in the design process. As indicated in the DRS Conference Theme, this paper focuses “…on what people experience and the systems and actions that create those experiences.” Interface designers, information architects and interactive media artists understand the powerful influence of experience in design. ‘Experience design’ is a community of practice driven by individuals within digital based disciplines where the belief is that understanding people is essential to any successful design in any medium and that “…experience is the personal connection with the moment and… every aspect of living is an experience, whether we are the creators or simply chance participants” (Shedroff, 2001, p. 5). Keywords: Design, Design Process, Presence, Imaging, Grounded Theory</p

A motion control method for a differential drive robot based on human walking for immersive telepresence

Abstract. This thesis introduces an interface for controlling Differential Drive Robots (DDRs) for telepresence applications. Our goal is to enhance immersive experience while reducing user discomfort, when using Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) and body trackers. The robot is equipped with a 360° camera that captures the Robot Environment (RE). Users wear an HMD and use body trackers to navigate within a Local Environment (LE). Through a live video stream from the robot-mounted camera, users perceive the RE within a virtual sphere known as the Virtual Environment (VE). A proportional controller was employed to facilitate the control of the robot, enabling to replicate the movements of the user. The proposed method uses chest tracker to control the telepresence robot and focuses on minimizing vection and rotations induced by the robot’s motion by modifying the VE, such as rotating and translating it. Experimental results demonstrate the accuracy of the robot in reaching target positions when controlled through the body-tracker interface. Additionally, it also reveals an optimal VE size that effectively reduces VR sickness and enhances the sense of presence

Virtual assembly rapid prototyping of near net shapes

Virtual reality (VR) provides another dimension to many engineering applications. Its immersive and interactive nature allows an intuitive approach to study both cognitive activities and performance evaluation. Market competitiveness means having products meet form, fit and function quickly. Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing (RP&M) technologies are increasingly being applied to produce functional prototypes and the direct manufacturing of small components. Despite its flexibility, these systems have common drawbacks such as slow build rates, a limited number of build axes (typically one) and the need for post processing. This paper presents a Virtual Assembly Rapid Prototyping (VARP) project which involves evaluating cognitive activities in assembly tasks based on the adoption of immersive virtual reality along with a novel non-layered rapid prototyping for near net shape (NNS) manufacturing of components. It is envisaged that this integrated project will facilitate a better understanding of design for manufacture and assembly by utilising equivalent scale digital and physical prototyping in one rapid prototyping system. The state of the art of the VARP project is also presented in this paper

Discrete event simulation and virtual reality use in industry: new opportunities and future trends

This paper reviews the area of combined discrete event simulation (DES) and virtual reality (VR) use within industry. While establishing a state of the art for progress in this area, this paper makes the case for VR DES as the vehicle of choice for complex data analysis through interactive simulation models, highlighting both its advantages and current limitations. This paper reviews active research topics such as VR and DES real-time integration, communication protocols, system design considerations, model validation, and applications of VR and DES. While summarizing future research directions for this technology combination, the case is made for smart factory adoption of VR DES as a new platform for scenario testing and decision making. It is put that in order for VR DES to fully meet the visualization requirements of both Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet visions of digital manufacturing, further research is required in the areas of lower latency image processing, DES delivery as a service, gesture recognition for VR DES interaction, and linkage of DES to real-time data streams and Big Data sets

Edge-Centric Space Rescaling with Redirected Walking for Dissimilar Physical-Virtual Space Registration

We propose a novel space-rescaling technique for registering dissimilar physical-virtual spaces by utilizing the effects of adjusting physical space with redirected walking. Achieving a seamless immersive Virtual Reality (VR) experience requires overcoming the spatial heterogeneities between the physical and virtual spaces and accurately aligning the VR environment with the user's tracked physical space. However, existing space-matching algorithms that rely on one-to-one scale mapping are inadequate when dealing with highly dissimilar physical and virtual spaces, and redirected walking controllers could not utilize basic geometric information from physical space in the virtual space due to coordinate distortion. To address these issues, we apply relative translation gains to partitioned space grids based on the main interactable object's edge, which enables space-adaptive modification effects of physical space without coordinate distortion. Our evaluation results demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm in aligning the main object's edge, surface, and wall, as well as securing the largest registered area compared to alternative methods under all conditions. These findings can be used to create an immersive play area for VR content where users can receive passive feedback from the plane and edge in their physical environment.Comment: This paper has been accepted as a paper for the 2023 ISMAR conference (2023/10/16-2023/10/20) 10 pages, 5 figure