The use of embedded context-sensitive attractors for clinical walking test guidance in virtual reality

Virtual reality is increasingly used in rehabilitation and can provide additional motivation when working towards therapeutic goals. However, a particular problem for patients regards their ability to plan routes in unfamiliar environments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore how visual cues, namely embedded context-sensitive attractors, can guide attention and walking direction in VR, for clinical walking interventions. This study was designed using a butterfly as the embedded context- sensitive attractor, to guide participant locomotion around the clinical figure of eight walk test, to limit the use of verbal instructions. We investigated the effect of varying the number of attractors for figure of eight path following, and whether there are any negative impacts on perceived autonomy or workload. A total of 24 participants took part in the study and completed six attractor conditions in a counterbalanced order. They also experienced a control VE (no attractors) at the beginning and end of the protocol. Each VE condition lasted a duration of 1 minute and manipulated the number of attractors to either singular or multiple alongside, the placement of turning markers (virtual trees) used to represent the cones used in clinical settings for the figure of eight walk test. Results suggested that embedded context-sensitive attractors can be used to guide walking direction, following a figure of eight in VR without impacting perceived autonomy, and workload. However, there appears to be a saturation point, with regards to effectiveness of attractors. Too few objects in a VE may reduce feelings of intrinsic motivation, and too many objects in a VE may reduce the effectiveness of attractors for guiding individuals along a figure of eight path. We conclude by indicating future research directions, for attractors and their use as a guide for walking direction

A Prospect-Refuge Approach to Seat Preference: Environmental psychology and spatial layout

The interplay between mind, behaviour and world has been extensively examined by the field of environmental psychology. This approach investigates the ways in which environment furnishes human spatial behaviour as well as individual’s responses to information retrieved by his or her immediate stimuli. Despite the fact that scholarly work in this field has provided valuable conclusions about social functioning in various spatial settings, the spatial context is usually conceptualised as if unstructured and without distinctive physical or organisational properties as a spatial whole. For these reasons several approaches from the built environment tried to address this gap by combining space syntax theoretical and methodological tools with key concepts from the field of environmental psychology and examined spatial cognition, movement, wayfinding, navigation and visual perception. This paper aims at contributing to this existing body of literature by drawing on Appleton’s (1975) prospect-refuge theory and examining stationary activities such as seat preference. The coffee shop like settings of three customer lounges in the UK serve as empirical case studies to investigate customers’ seat preferences. The methodology implemented for this study combines a consistent analysis of spatial structures captured by space syntax analytical tools with behavioural data retrieved by detailed onsite observations of space usage. Furniture settings were mapped and classified according to orientation of seats (‘directness’), presence or absence of attractors (such as windows, TV, coffee bar) and furniture types (armchairs, sofas, booths, etc.). This study found that there is no linear relationship of occupancy with spatial variables and that various contributing factors determine seat selection. In essence, seat preference is rendered as a rather complex phenomenon which depends on the degree of control that is given to the occupant, furniture type as well as furniture directness. At the same time, the paper develops joint metrics that aim at tackling Appleton’s concept of prospect-refuge. In summary, this research by adopting a more empirical and behavioural approach centred on seating preferences presents an innovative way of jointly analysing spatial variables alongside space usage preferences for the examination of stationary activities

"So go downtown": simulating pedestrian movement in town centres

Pedestrian movement models have been developed since the 1970s. A review of the literature shows that such models have been developed to explain and predict macro, meso, and micro movement patterns. However, recent developments in modelling techniques, and especially advances in agent-based simulation, open up the possibility of developing integrative and complex models which use existing models as 'building blocks'. In this paper we describe such integrative, modular approach to simulating pedestrian movement behaviour. The STREETS model, developed by using Swarm and GIS, is an agent-based model that focuses on the simulation of the behavioural aspects of pedestrian movement. The modular structure of the simulation is described in detail. This is followed by a discussion of the lessons learned from the development of STREETS, especially the advantages of adopting a modular approach and other aspects of using the agent-based paradigm for modelling

Sensing the City: Legibility in the Context of Mediated Spatial Terrains

Smartphones, with their “pervasive presence” in contact with our bodies, have come to act as sensory prosthetics that mediate our experience of the city. They activate new possibilities of navigating the urban, such that we can find exactly what we want, rather than what has been placed before us. This article argues that smartphone technologies produce a more fluid engagement with urban space: where space is not so much “given” as “enacted.” In this context, notions of “legibility” take on new algorithmic and virtual forms. Thus, according to Hamilton and colleagues, where “the legible city waited to be read, the transparent city of data waits to be accessed.” Here, stable features dissolve as urban space becomes increasingly fluid and contingent, no longer limited by static patterns of inhabitation. Instead, how we move and where we move shift in accordance with the kinds of urban resources being activated at any given location, at any given moment, and in conjunction with the shifting vicissitudes of the crowd. In this context, the virtual (in its technological definition of cyber-enabled or -enacted space) mediates and activates the virtual (in its philosophical definition pertaining to the capacities of an entity that may or may not be manifested depending on context). The article considers the implications of this novel spatial mediation using an ontological perspective informed by complex adaptive systems theory, which considers forms and objects not as absolutes but rather as contingent entities activated through interactions

Agent based approach to land use mix

Modelling and simulating the dynamics of crowd movement within the complex built environment such as a city centre is an evolutionary, processing research task. Recent methodological and theoretical advances have provided the opportunity to explore and provide answers to various crucial problems on land use mix. Daily in our urban settlements we seek for resources and attractions. Our search behaviour is complex and emergent, related to urban morphology and land use patterns as this is generated by our daily movement and activities. This report discusses a pedestrian movement study which examines the ways pedestrian behaviour and flows affect and are affected by the formation of the built environment and the land uses. The focus is in retailing uses and especially shopping. For the formulation of the model, an agent based simulation approach is adapted based on object oriented analysis and programming. Agents are given long distance vision and direct their movement and behaviour in response to the information retreat from their vision field, morphology of the local environment, and their individual desire for retail or exploration of the area. The simulations are used to extract meaningful conclusions on the pedestrian behaviour and factors that have an impact on it. Various formations of retail location patterns in a 7 x 7 grid are explored and three different approaches of agents’ behaviour are used in order to get meaningful conclusions

Movement economies in fractured urban systems: the case of Boston, Massachusetts

This thesis explores the influence of configuration on movement in fragmented, low intelligibility spatial systems. Traditional space syntax theory holds that correlation between space and movement breaks down in such situations, resulting in lower predictability and / or apparently chaotic behaviour. This thesis uses the case study of Boston, Massachusetts to test three hypotheses; 1) that space is indeed influential on fragmented systems, 2) that other variables are less important than space in predicting movement, and 3) that space – movement correlations are distributed non-uniformly between areas and user groups. These are tested through the use of multiple regression analysis and a new technique named “correlation contour mapping,” which outlines the boundaries of predictability within complex spatial systems. It will be shown that space plays a significant role in pedestrian movement in Boston, but that it correlates non-uniformly with different areas and users. An understanding of sub-area definitions and the effect of overlapping patterns of correlation is therefore necessary in order to fully comprehend the effects of fragmentary configuration. It is suggested that the use of correlation contouring may achieve this and might be a useful tool for exploring the interaction of different user groups in urban space. This understanding is then used to construct a pedestrian movement model to forecast the effects of a large-scale urban regeneration project in Boston, known as the “Big Dig”. The implications of these findings for other fragmented cities are also discussed in a context of successful urbanisation, based on the work of Lewis Mumford, Jane Jacobs, Kevin Lynch, and Bill Hillier

Spontaneous diffusion of information in online social networks

Online Social Networks (OSN) are new types of web services which provide online communities an environment to gather and meet virtually. The online users are connected to each other via links of trust and utilize the features of the OSN to interact and communicate in an easy socio-technical way. Hence these virtual networks of social relationships have a high potential for influential decision-making and the word of mouth spread of information, but also for spreading fads, rumors, and erroneous information. The power of these new forms of social networks is also recognized by service providers, marketers and vendors of consumer goods. They would all like to (mis) use these existing communication channels to spread product placements, advertising and promotions directly to the connected users. However, just like the old economy businesses, not all attempted marketing initiatives are successful. Most of them fail or do notreach the desired audience. This paper tries to explain why OSN are a good environment for spontaneous diffusion of information and what phases of development need to beaccomplished to reach the optimal spreading rate for one piece information. Therefore, we start with a look at the "Hype Cycle" model of Gartner to explain over-enthusiasm for new technology adoptions. Next we introduce the concept of "social contagion" and the infections spread of information. After a short introduction of OSN, we try to illustrate the phases of a social online contagion development process which can lead to spontaneous and uncontrolled diffusion of information, messages or ideas. The core statement of our approach is that online individuals tend to behave collectively if they observe the virtual behaviors and actions of others. This principle of "other-directedness" can generate a chain reaction of infectious imitation which can sometimes spread uncontrolled through the interconnected social network like an epidemic. This helps to explain why some online information waves can grow extraordinarily high and others fall.Онлайнові соціальні мережі (ОСМ) є новими типами веб-сервісів, які пропонують онлайновим суспільствам середовище для гуртування та віртуального спілкування. Як наслідок, такі віртуальні мережі соціальних зв'язків мають високий потенціал для впливового прийняття рішень та розповсюдження інформації "з вуст в уста", але, з іншого боку, вони також можуть розповсюджувати чутки, плітки та некоректну інформацію. Потенціал цих мереж також розпізнається сервіс-провайдерами, маркетологами та виробниками товарів. Вони усі бажають використовувати ці існуючі комунікаційні канали для розповсюдження реклами продуктів безпосередньо користувачам. Але не усі такі спроби є успішними. Ця робота робить спробу пояснити, чому ОСМ є добрим середовищем для спонтанного розповсюдження інформації, та які етапи повинні бути виконані для досягнення оптимального рівня розповсюдження для одного елемента інформації. Ми починаємо з розгляду моделі гіперциклів Гартнера, яка пояснює надмірний ентузіазм при впровадженні нових технологій. Далі ми вводимо концепцію "соціального забруднення" та інфекційного розповсюдження інформації. Базова ідея нашого підходу полягає в тому, що онлайнові індивідуали прихильні до колективної поведінки, тобто вони спрямовані на віртуальну поведінку та дії інших. Цей принцип "спрямованості на інших" може генерувати ланцюгову реакцію інфекційних імітацій які інколи можуть розповсюджуватись неконтрольовано через соціальні мережі, подібно до епідемії

How do atria affect navigation in multi-level museum environments?

How do people explore multiplex environments? What role do atria play in spatial navigation? These are critical questions for architectural design. However, few studies have examined the role atria play in visitors’ exploration of museums. Consequently, the relationship between free exploration and the design of atria in museums is not well understood. A pilot study in the Ashmolean Museum indicated that atria influence navigation. The Museum, therefore, lends itself as a case study to assess the impact of visual connections upon exploration and orientation. We present an experimental study with two conditions: a highly-detailed realistic virtual model of the building and a modified virtual model of the same building, eliminating the views crossing through the atria. Two hypotheses are tested: first, that visitors’ paths will be different depending on the amount of visual information they receive inside each experimental condition; second, that visitors’ ease of exploring and viewing the environment will also differ. Analysis confirmed that participants followed different paths in the two experimental conditions. Users visiting the exact model turned their heads around fewer times than users visiting the modified model. These findings suggest that atria play a significant role in nudging movement and affect the ease of navigation

Hybrid Brain-Computer Interface Systems: Approaches, Features, and Trends

Brain-computer interface (BCI) is an emerging field, and an increasing number of BCI research projects are being carried globally to interface computer with human using EEG for useful operations in both healthy and locked persons. Although several methods have been used to enhance the BCI performance in terms of signal processing, noise reduction, accuracy, information transfer rate, and user acceptability, the effective BCI system is still in the verge of development. So far, various modifications on single BCI systems as well as hybrid are done and the hybrid BCIs have shown increased but insufficient performance. Therefore, more efficient hybrid BCI models are still under the investigation by different research groups. In this review chapter, single BCI systems are briefly discussed and more detail discussions on hybrid BCIs, their modifications, operations, and performances with comparisons in terms of signal processing approaches, applications, limitations, and future scopes are presented