Game engines selection framework for high-fidelity serious applications

Serious games represent the state-of-the-art in the convergence of electronic gaming technologies with instructional design principles and pedagogies. Despite the value of high-fidelity content in engaging learners and providing realistic training environments, building games which deliver high levels of visual and functional realism is a complex, time consuming and expensive process. Therefore, commercial game engines, which provide a development environment and resources to more rapidly create high-fidelity virtual worlds, are increasingly used for serious as well as for entertainment applications. Towards this intention, the authors propose a new framework for the selection of game engines for serious applications and sets out five elements for analysis of engines in order to create a benchmarking approach to the validation of game engine selection. Selection criteria for game engines and the choice of platform for Serious Games are substantially different from entertainment games, as Serious Games have very different objectives, emphases and technical requirements. In particular, the convergence of training simulators with serious games, made possible by increasing hardware rendering capacity is enabling the creation of high-fidelity serious games, which challenge existing instructional approaches. This paper overviews several game engines that are suitable for high-fidelity serious games, using the proposed framework

Space Programs Summary No. 37-50, Volume 1 for the Period January 1 to February 29, 1968. Flight Projects

Systems analysis and engineering data on Mariner Venus 67, Mariner 4, Mariner Mars 69, and Surveyor projects, and advanced planetary missions technolog

Design and development smart aquaculture in freshwater pond based on fuzzy logic

This research has the topic of Smart Aquaculture in freshwater ponds. Aquaculture or fish farming in Indonesia still monitors and manages ponds manually. Temperature, pH, and water turbidity are important parameters for the survival of fish in ponds. Therefore, it is necessary to design a tool that can monitor and control ponds automatically. This system worked by reading the pH, temperature, and water turbidity sensors. The microcontroller utilized the sensor readings to control the peristaltic pump for liquid pH, water pump, and valve operations. Subsequently, the sensor readings were transmitted to the ESP32, which further forwarded the sensor data to the cloud database. Applications that were integrated with the cloud database display sensor reading data. The system utilized Fuzzy Logic Control with the Mamdani method to automate its operation. The inputs for the fuzzy logic control included pH, temperature, and turbidity, while the outputs consisted of the peristaltic pump, valve, and water pump. This system successfully adjusts the control conditions of temperature 35°C, pH 5, and turbidity 1200 NTU, bringing them back to the normal setpoint, which is a temperature of 32°C, pH between 6-8, and turbidity of 150 NTU, and maintains them at these values

Feasibility Study: Development and Demonstration of Virtual Reality Simulation Training for the BHPB Olympic Dam Site Inductions

This report presents the findings of the project ―Feasibility Study: Development and Demonstration of Virtual Reality Simulation Training for the BHPB Olympic Dam Site Inductions.‖ The project was a collaborative exercise between the University of New South Wales (UNSW) - School of Mining Engineering, the University of Adelaide - Australian Centre for Visual Technologies, BHPB Olympic Dam Expansion, RESA, TAFESA and Skills DMC. The project Chief Investigators were Dr Phillip Stothard (UNSW) and Prof Anton van den Hengel (University of Adelaide).The project was a pilot study research project that looked into the feasibility of developing interactive virtual reality simulations for mine site inductions in the hard rock industry. Many simulations have been successfully implemented into the coal industry and the aim was to build a pilot module that looked at a high risk environment on a surface mine that would also have application to the wider construction industry and other heavy industries. The project collaborators came together as a group of parties interested in virtual reality simulation. The research and development was led by UNSW and University of Adelaide. Invaluable input was provided by the collaborators. The project had a value of $431, 306. Of which$208,563 was in cash and $222,743 was in kind. The budget was fully expended during the course of the project. The subject area of the project was ̳Working at Heights‘ and this was chosen because it is a high risk area. Substantial documentation, mining industry input and effort was placed on building the five sub-modules that form the Working at Heights module. The outcome is a high quality visualisation of an area of the Olympic Dam Mine Site. This high quality visualisation is enhanced by the inclusion of interaction within the module that requires the user to interrogate data within the site and to assess and understand issues that arise when working at heights in relation ladders, scaffolding, open excavations and elevated work platforms. Much project emphasis and time was placed on producing the 3D model. Also, as much information as possible was placed into the module itself as this was to be a pilot example to show to the Olympic Dam Expansion Project Team. The module allows users to interact with Safety Documentation and equipment and procedures that they would encounter on sit

Integration of multiple data types in 3-D immersive virtual reality (VR) environments

Intelligent sensors have begun to play a key part in the monitoring and maintenance of complex infrastructures. Sensors have the capability not only to provide raw data, but also provide information by indicating the reliability of the measurements. The effect of this added information is a voluminous increase in the total data that is gathered. If an operator is required to perceive the state of a complex system, novel methods must be developed for sifting through enormous data sets. Virtual reality (VR) platforms are proposed as ideal candidates for performing this task-- a virtual world will allow the user to experience a complex system that is gathering a multitude of sensor data and are referred as Integrated Awareness models. This thesis presents techniques for visualizing such multiple data sets, specifically - graphical, measurement and health data inside a 3-D VR environment. The focus of this thesis is to develop pathways to generate the required 3-D models without sacrificing visual fidelity. The tasks include creating the visual representation, integrating multi-sensor measurements, creating user-specific visualizations and a performance evaluation of the completed virtual environment

Hardware accelerated computer graphics algorithms

The advent of shaders in the latest generations of graphics hardware, which has made consumer level graphics hardware partially programmable, makes now an ideal time to investigate new graphical techniques and algorithms as well as attempting to improve upon existing ones. This work looks at areas of current interest within the graphics community such as Texture Filtering, Bump Mapping and Depth of Field simulation. These are all areas which have enjoyed much interest over the history of computer graphics but which provide a great deal of scope for further investigation in the light of recent hardware advances. A new hardware implementation of a texture filtering technique, aimed at consumer level hardware, is presented. This novel technique utilises Fourier space image filtering to reduce aliasing. Investigation shows that the technique provides reduced levels of aliasing along with comparable levels of detail to currently popular techniques. This adds to the community's knowledge by expanding the range of techniques available, as well as increasing the number of techniques which offer the potential for easy integration with current consumer level graphics hardware along with real-time performance. Bump mapping is a long-standing and well understood technique. Variations and extensions of it have been popular in real-time 3D computer graphics for many years. A new hardware implementation of a technique termed Super Bump Mapping (SBM) is introduced. Expanding on the work of Cant and Langensiepen [1], the SBM technique adopts the novel approach of using normal maps which supply multiple vectors per texel. This allows the retention of much more detail and overcomes some of the aliasing deficiencies of standard bump mapping caused by the standard single vector approach and the non-linearity of the bump mapping process. A novel depth of field algorithm is proposed, which is an extension of the authors previous work [2][3][4]. The technique is aimed at consumer level hardware and attempts to raise the bar for realism by providing support for the 'see-through' effect. This effect is a vital factor in the realistic appearance of simulated depth of field and has been overlooked in real time computer graphics due to the complexities of an accurate calculation. The implementation of this new algorithm on current consumer level hardware is investigated and it is concluded that while current hardware is not yet capable enough, future iterations will provide the necessary functional and performance increases

Research Reports: 1984 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

A NASA/ASEE Summer Faulty Fellowship Program was conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The basic objectives of the programs are: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers. The Faculty Fellows spent ten weeks at MSFC engaged in a research project compatible with their interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA/MSFC colleague. This document is a compilation of Fellows' reports on their research during the summer of 1984. Topics covered include: (1) data base management; (2) computational fluid dynamics; (3) space debris; (4) X-ray gratings; (5) atomic oxygen exposure; (6) protective coatings for SSME; (7) cryogenics; (8) thermal analysis measurements; (9) solar wind modelling; and (10) binary systems

Knowledge-based approaches to fault diagnosis. The development, implementation, evaluation and comparison of knowledge-based systems, incorporating deep and shallow knowledge, to aid in the diagnosis of faults in complex hydro-mechanical devices.

The use of knowledge-based systems to aid in the diagnosis of faults in physical devices has grown considerably since their introduction during the 1970s. The majority of the early knowledge-based systems incorporated shallow knowledge, which sought to define simple cause and effect relationships between a symptom and a fault, that could be encoded as a set of rules. Though such systems enjoyed much success, it was recognised that they suffered from a number of inherent limitations such as inflexibility, inadequate explanation, and difficulties of knowledge elicitation. Many of these limitations can be overcome by developing knowledge-based systems which contain deeper knowledge about the device being diagnosed. Such systems, now generally referred to as model-based systems, have shown much promise, but there has been little evidence to suggest that they have successfully made the transition from the research centre to the workplace. This thesis argues that knowledge-based systems are an appropriate tool for the diagnosis of faults in complex devices, and that both deep and shallow knowledge have their part to play in this process. More specifically this thesis demonstrates how a wide-ranging knowledge-based system for quality assurance, based upon shallow knowledge, can be developed, and implemented. The resultant system, named DIPLOMA, not only diagnoses faults, but additionally provides advice and guidance on the assembly, disassembly, testing, inspection and repair of a highly complex hydro-mechanical device. Additionally it is shown that a highly innovative modelbased system, named MIDAS, can be used to contribute to the provision of diagnostic, explanatory and training facilities for the same hydro-mechanical device. The methods of designing, coding, implementing and evaluating both systems are explored in detail. The successful implementation and evaluation of the DIPLOMA and MIDAS systems has shown that knowledge-based systems are an appropriate tool for the diagnosis of faults in complex hydro-mechanical devices, and that they make a beneficial contribution to the business performance of the host organisation. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the most effective and comprehensive knowledge-based approach to fault diagnosis is one which incorporates both deep and shallow knowledge, so that the distinctive advantages of each can be realised in a single application. Finally, the research has provided evidence that the model-based approach to diagnosis is highly flexible, and may, therefore, be an appropriate technique for a wide range of industrial applications.Science and Engineering Research Council, and Alvey Directorat

SET2023 : 20th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies 15th to 17th August 2023, Nottingham, UK: Sustainable Energy Technologies 2023 Conference Proceedings. Volume 3

Papers #201 to #300 presented at SET 202

Mission Design und Technologie für ein Titan Aerobot Ballon-System (TABS)

An alternative implementation to a Titan aerobot mission is presented that uses tried (by similarity) and relatively low-risk methods for designing and deploying a Hydrogen-filled balloon in Titan’s atmosphere. This is a departure from the current consensus approach of using a Montgolfier (hot air) balloon for in-situ exploration. It was demonstrated that this mission implementation is not only feasible, but also presents a risk advantage in the deployment (the most critical part of operations) of this system, without the need for a complicated scheme of lines and ties that can snatch or rupture the material. With on-board Hydrogen, and an auxiliary tank for replenishment during a six-month mission, the Titan Aerobot Balloon System (TABS) is capable of gathering up to 892 Mbits of data per day, that includes optical, spectroscopy, and atmospheric remote and in-situ sensing. This data is transmitted directly to Earth with a steerable 1-meter parabolic dish antenna. During the course of formulating mission enablers, a new Thermal Protection System (TPS) material was also designed, manufactured, and tested at the Institut für Raumfahrtsysteme of the Universität Stuttgart. This new carbon/Phenolic ablator was successfully demonstrated at the IRS’ Plasma Wind tunnel. Two out of three sample types proved to be viable ablators, with no sign of delamination, and with thermal properties that enable high-speed entry not only in Titan’s atmosphere, but also for Earth re-entry and planetary sample return missions. TABS entry vehicle is 628 kg with a total floating mass including gondola and buoyant system of 242 kg (both numbers include a 30% contingency). TABS can be launched in a Space X Falcon 9 rocket, with a 30% performance margin (on top of the 30% contingency). There is enough mass and volume reserve left in the launch vehicle for co-manifested spacecraft, so international cooperation is not only built-into TABS, the flight can also accommodate the addition of separate contributions with the potential for individual partner cost-sharing and savings.Diese Arbeit präsentiert eine Variante einer robotischen Raumsonde zur Erkundung des Saturnmondes Titan unter Nutzung von Analogie- und Risikominderungsmethoden zum Entwurf eines wasserstoffgefüllten Ballons, der sich in Titans Atmospäre entfaltet. Dies ist ein Umdenken, weg vom gegenwärtig akzeptierten Vorgehen, wo ein Heißluftballon (Montgolfiere) zur In-Situ-Erforschung verwendet wird. Es hat sich gezeigt, dass die Umsetzung einer solchen Mission nicht nur durchführbar ist, sondern auch Vorteile durch Risikoverringerung während der Entfaltungsphase bietet – dem kritischsten Teil des Ablaufes. Das System kommt dabei ohne ein kompliziertes Geflecht aus Leinen und Verbindungen aus, die reißen und andere Komponenten oder Materialien beschädigen können. Mit an Bord gelagertem Wasserstoff sowie einem Hilfstank zum Nachfüllen während einer sechsmonatigen Mission ist TABS (Titan Aerobot Balloon System) in der Lage bis zu 892 MBits an Daten pro Tag zu sammeln (aus optischer, spektroskopischer und atmospärischer Fernerkundung sowie aus In-Situ-Messungen). Diese Daten werden mittels einer steuerbaren 1 m Parabolantenne direkt zur Erde gesendet. Im Verlauf der Arbeit wurde ein neues Karbon-Phenol-Hitzeschildmaterial am Institut für Raumfahrtsysteme (IRS) der Universität Stuttgart entwickelt, gefertigt und getestet und daraufhin erfolgreich im IRS-Plasmawindkanal validiert. Zwei der drei untersuchten Konzepte erwiesen sich als realisierbar – ohne Anzeichen von Ablösung und mit Thermaleigenschaften, die nicht nur einen atmosphärischen Hochgeschwindigkeitseintritt am Titan ermöglichen sondern auch einen Wiedereintritt an der Erde sowie zukünftige planetare Probenrückführungsmissionen. Das TABS-Eintrittsfahrzeug hat eine Masse von 628 kg mit einer Masse des Ballonfahrzeuges von 242 kg inklusive Gondel und Auftriebskörper (jeweils einschließlich 30% Sicherheitsreserve). Ein Start von TABS an der Spitze der SpaceX Falcon 9 Rakete bietet einen Leistungsspielraum von 30% zusätzlich zur bereits vorhandenen 30% Sicherheitsreserve. Die verfügbare Masse- und Volumenreserve eröffnet daher die Möglichkeit eines kombinierten Starts mit weiteren Raumsonden/Satelliten. Internationale Zusammenarbeit ist also nicht nur innerhalb des TABS-Projektes durchführbar, sondern auch im Rahmen der Kostenteilung eines gemeinsamen Starts