LightGuider: Guiding Interactive Lighting Design using Suggestions, Provenance, and Quality Visualization

LightGuider is a novel guidance-based approach to interactive lighting design, which typically consists of interleaved 3D modeling operations and light transport simulations. Rather than having designers use a trial-and-error approach to match their illumination constraints and aesthetic goals, LightGuider supports the process by simulating potential next modeling steps that can deliver the most significant improvements. LightGuider takes predefined quality criteria and the current focus of the designer into account to visualize suggestions for lighting-design improvements via a specialized provenance tree. This provenance tree integrates snapshot visualizations of how well a design meets the given quality criteria weighted by the designer's preferences. This integration facilitates the analysis of quality improvements over the course of a modeling workflow as well as the comparison of alternative design solutions. We evaluate our approach with three lighting designers to illustrate its usefulness

Developing Flexible, Networked Lighting Control Systems That Reliably Save Energy in California Buildings

An important strategy to meet California's ambitious energy efficiency goals is to use innovative wireless communications, embedded sensors, data analytics and controls to significantly reduce lighting energy use in commercial buildings. This project developed a suite of networked lighting solutions to further this goal. The technologies include a platform for low-cost sensing, distributed intelligence and communications, the “PermaMote,” which is a self-powered sensor and controller for lighting applications. The project team also developed a task ambient daylighting system that integrates sensors with data-driven daylighting control using an open communication interface, called the “Readings-At-Desk” (RAD) system. To address the problem of building occupants being confused about how to operate traditional lighting control systems, the research team created content that could be the basis for a user interface standard for lighting controls. Finally, to address the difficulty of ensuring that advanced lighting control systems actually deliver their promised energy savings, the project team developed a new method for evaluating and specifying lighting systems’ performance. The research team validated these technologies in the laboratory, showing significant lighting energy savings, up to 73% for the PermaMote sensor system from occupancy control and daylight dimming features, compared to the same light source (LED replacement lamps) operated via simple on/off scheduling. The project team also developed a proposed standard lighting data model and user interface elements, which were contributed to the ANSI Lighting Systems Committee (C137) for standardization. Existing data models are incomplete and inconsistent, whereas the lighting-specific data model developed here is clear and comprehensive, to serve as a starting point for creating common, universally agreed upon semantic definitions of key lighting parameters, to promote interoperability. For the task on verifiable performance of lighting systems, the project team developed a more effective metric for capturing the actual energy impact of a lighting system over time — the energy usage intensity (kWh/ft2/year). Three commercial lighting systems were tested in FLEXLAB® using this new metric, and the tests show a wide range in the accuracy of the self-reported energy-use metric, from 0.5% to 28% error compared to direct measurement of lighting energy using dedicated submeters. Overall, the project team estimates that these advanced technologies can reduce California office lighting energy use by 20% (above and beyond normal advanced lighting controls mandated by Title 24), resulting in about 1,600 GWh/year in savings

Road lighting and future factors

Street lighting is currently a growing market that is adapting to and benefiting from numerous technological developments. This dissertation maps the technological factors that will contribute to the future of road lighting in order to aid professionals working in the field, such as lighting designers and engineers. Therefore, this dissertation makes a contribution to knowledge in this area by developing a framework tool (Figure 41. SLSNF - developed on draw.io) to assist stakeholders seeking to implement a new street lighting system. This is based on insights gathered through mixed methods of research from a varied group of professionals associated with street lighting. Furthermore, it also establishes a summarising model (Figure 49. Road lighting and associated factors overview, developed by Ajay Parmar, using www.mindmeister.com) to illustrate all of the considerations surrounding road lighting as a domain. One of the primary focuses of this research targets how lighting professionals interact with lighting standards. Data is collected by mixed methods research of both interviews and a questionnaire. This research confirms that good collaboration amongst a range of different professionals is required for new street lighting projects to develop efficiently. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of these projects, the proposed tool (Figure 41. SLSNF - developed on draw.io), which has been developed as a result of the data collected, will assist those involved to identify and mitigate any possible oversights in a street lighting installation at an early stage

Investigating the effect of light color temperature on selective attention, error and human reaction time

Background and aims: The reaction time of humans that affected by several factors includes the time that takes to stimulate the sensory organs and the stimulus effect is transmitted to the brain, then is perceived and the decision is made; consequently, the command resulting from the decision of the brain is sent from the brain to the functional organs. Failure to respond at the right time may result in human error and accidents. There are important factors that affect the reaction time. Attention is one of the important factors affecting the speed of the reaction. Selective attention and correct perception of several stimuli among the other stimuli is one of the effective factors in promoting performance and safety. Additionally, various environmental factors may be effective in determining selective attention, increasing the number of errors and the human response time in detecting triggers. Lighting is one of the factors affecting the processing mechanisms of the brain. In the design of indoor and outdoor lighting systems, the quality parameters of the lighting system are usually less considered. Color temperature is one of the most important qualitative parameters of light, which is measured by the Kelvin unit and is an indicator for the brightness and color of the light. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of light color temperature on selective attention, error rate and reaction time. Methods: This research is an interventional and laboratory study in order to determine the effect of the light color temperature on human error, selective attention, and reaction time of students in Tarbiat Modares University (TMU) of Tehran during the fall of 2018. All students were in the same age range. The inclusion criteria for this study were; not having any eye-related diseases, such as diminished vision and subtlety, and mental-psychiatric disorders. On the day before performing the test, participants were informed to: have enough sleep and rest, adhere to a regular diet, and avoid taking medicines, coffee and caffeinated drinks. In this interventional study, 92 students (36 female and 56 male) from Tarbiat Modarres University of Tehran with an average age of 28.33 years were recruited as subjects. The measurements and tests related to selective attention and reaction time of individuals were performed in 4 locations with an equal lighting system and different color temperatures (3500, 4000, 5000, or 6500 degrees Kelvin). In the first step of the study, in order to determine the effect of light color temperature on the studied parameters, the participants were randomly divided into four groups with 24 subjects in each group. Before the main test was being performed, the participants were kept in rooms adjusted to a brightness of 3500° K to rest for at least 5 minutes in order to be adapted to the situation, and then, in the same conditions, to become familiar with the test method they were studied with the Stroop software. In the second step, each group was placed in a separate room where the levels of brightness had been designed with one of the lighting systems to yield a color temperature of 3500, 4000, 5000, and 6500° K. Cognitive performance tests including reaction time, accuracy and selective attention were measured using Stroop tests. Measurement of score interference and time interference, which are indicators for selective attention, were calculated by measuring the difference in the error rate and the reaction time in detecting incongruent and consonant words. Stroop test was used to determine the reaction time, error and other parameters. This test consists of two parts; the practice and the main test, each of them has two stages. The first step is to name the color of circular shapes that appears on the laptop monitor screen. The participant, upon viewing the image, applies pressure on keyboard buttons which are labeled with colors corresponding to the ones on the screen. The second step is to name the word which appears in a white box. The names of the colors appear, and as soon as the correct word is recognized, the participant should press the color word associated to the word on the keyboard. The third step, which is the main stage of the test, is a non-consistent word (red-green-blue) that shown randomly and sequentially on the monitor's screen. The subject must only press the keyboard button with the same color, only emphasizing the color and regardless of its connotation. In this test, 48 consistent colored words (the color of the word is identical with the meaning of the word; red, yellow, green and blue) and 48 non-consistent colored words (the color of the word is not the same as the word meaning; for example, the blue word shown in red). The time lap between the stimulants was 800 milliseconds and the duration of each of them was 2000 milliseconds. The subject's task was to select the correct color only. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: Based on the results of this study, the highest mean of correct selection (474.49 ± 10.65) and the lowest mean of the correct ones (654.49 ± 11.77) were assigned to the color temperature of 6500 and 3500 ° K, respectively. Also, the highest mean of error rate (15.65 ± 9.77) and the lowest mean of error rate (10.94 ± 9.4) were reported at a color temperature of 3500 and 6500 ° K, respectively. According to the results of this study, with increase in color temperature from 3500 to 5000° Kelvin, the number of questions that were not responded decreased. Likewise, the number of unanswered questions for the color temperature of 6500 °K slightly increased compared to the color temperature of 5000 and 4000 °K. The results also indicated that, with an increase in color temperature from 3500 to 6500 °K, the reaction time to visual stimuli also decreased. The highest interference score was in the light color temperature of 3500 °K which indicates that the number of faults in naming inconsistent words relative to consonant words was higher in color temperature of 3500° K compared to other color temperatures. Also, according to Fig. 3, the maximum interference time was at 6500 ° K. This indicates that the performance time of the subjects in naming inconsistent words was higher relative to consonants in color temperature of 6,500° K compared to other color temperatures. Although the average response time under lighting condition with color temperature of 6500° K (718.95 ± 65.33) was less than the color temperature of 3500° K (728.58 ± 43.48), according to the results of the study, with a decrease in color temperature, the increase in mean response time was observed, but this difference was not significant (p p). Also, based on independent t-test (Table 2), there was a significant relationship between subjects' gender and variables such as interference score, interference time and number of unanswered questions. For all of these three variables (interference score, interference time and number of unanswered questions) mean in men was significantly lower than women (p <0.05). Based on subjects' gender, the average response time under different color temperatures showed that the response time (or reaction time) of female under lighting conditions with 3000 and 5,000 ° K was higher than male, while under lighting conditions with 4000 and 6500° K the response time of male was higher than female students. Although the average response time under different color temperatures was different between male and female subjects, based on the results of independent t-test, such difference was not significant. Conclusion: In general, the results of this study showed that when subjects are exposed to light color temperature of 6,500 ° K, the number of correct responses by them is higher than those exposed to other color temperatures, and with increasing the color temperature, the number of correct answers increases. Also, according to the results of this study, the error rate decrease by increasing color temperature of light source. Based on the results of this study, it is suggested to make use of light sources with a color temperature of 6,500 ° K in designing the lighting system of the places where human reaction time and error are high importance. Accordingly, it is recommended to repeat this study in other demographic groups, as well as taking into account the qualitative parameters of the lighting system in addition to its quantitative parameters. © 2020 Iran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

形態生成アルゴリズムを活用した環境性能指標に基づく建築設計プロセスの最適化手法に関する研究

This thesis focuses on the implementation of a generative algorithm approach in investigating environmental performance indicators during the early phases of architectural design by proposing techniques to discover the best design solutions based on their optimal design goals, as well as the study of the design parameter’s role. The investigation encompasses a multitude of design aspects, including glazing and shade configuration, geometry, and structural objective-related factors. The findings indicate that the proposed methodology suggests performance optimization related to daylight, energy consumption, thermal comfort, and structural consideration. The study contributes to the field of computational architecture design by providing insight into how form finding leads to design goal optimization and a method for examining the link between design parameters and design objectives at various scales of the design project. Through this approach, design goals can be quantitatively justified, and it is expected to contribute to an environmentally friendly architectural design vision.北九州市立大

Computational Modeling and Experimental Research on Touchscreen Gestures, Audio/Speech Interaction, and Driving

As humans are exposed to rapidly evolving complex systems, there are growing needs for humans and systems to use multiple communication modalities such as auditory, vocal (or speech), gesture, or visual channels; thus, it is important to evaluate multimodal human-machine interactions in multitasking conditions so as to improve human performance and safety. However, traditional methods of evaluating human performance and safety rely on experimental settings using human subjects which require costly and time-consuming efforts to conduct. To minimize the limitations from the use of traditional usability tests, digital human models are often developed and used, and they also help us better understand underlying human mental processes to effectively improve safety and avoid mental overload. In this regard, I have combined computational cognitive modeling and experimental methods to study mental processes and identify differences in human performance/workload in various conditions, through this dissertation research. The computational cognitive models were implemented by extending the Queuing Network-Model Human Processor (QN-MHP) Architecture that enables simulation of human multi-task behaviors and multimodal interactions in human-machine systems. Three experiments were conducted to investigate human behaviors in multimodal and multitasking scenarios, combining the following three specific research aims that are to understand: (1) how humans use their finger movements to input information on touchscreen devices (i.e., touchscreen gestures), (2) how humans use auditory/vocal signals to interact with the machines (i.e., audio/speech interaction), and (3) how humans drive vehicles (i.e., driving controls). Future research applications of computational modeling and experimental research are also discussed. Scientifically, the results of this dissertation research make significant contributions to our better understanding of the nature of touchscreen gestures, audio/speech interaction, and driving controls in human-machine systems and whether they benefit or jeopardize human performance and safety in the multimodal and concurrent task environments. Moreover, in contrast to the previous models for multitasking scenarios mainly focusing on the visual processes, this study develops quantitative models of the combined effects of auditory, tactile, and visual factors on multitasking performance. From the practical impact perspective, the modeling work conducted in this research may help multimodal interface designers minimize the limitations of traditional usability tests and make quick design comparisons, less constrained by other time-consuming factors, such as developing prototypes and running human subjects. Furthermore, the research conducted in this dissertation may help identify which elements in the multimodal and multitasking scenarios increase workload and completion time, which can be used to reduce the number of accidents and injuries caused by distraction.PHDIndustrial & Operations EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143903/1/heejinj_1.pd

A Multisensory Analysis of the Moisture Course of the Cave of Altamira (Spain): Implications for Its Conservation

[EN] This paper addresses the conservation problems of the cave of Altamira, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Santillana del Mar, Cantabria, Spain, due to the effects of moisture and water inside the cave. The study focuses on the description of methods for estimating the trajectory and zones of humidity from the external environment to its eventual dripping on valuable cave paintings. To achieve this objective, several multisensor remote sensing techniques, both aerial and terrestrial, such as 3D laser scanning, a 2D ground penetrating radar, photogrammetry with unmanned aerial vehicles, and high-resolution terrestrial techniques are employed. These tools allow a detailed spatial analysis of the moisture and water in the cave. The paper highlights the importance of the dolomitic layer in the cave and how it influences the preservation of the ceiling, which varies according to its position, whether it is sealed with calcium carbonate, actively dripping, or not dripping. In addition, the crucial role of the central fracture and the areas of direct water infiltration in this process is examined. This research aids in understanding and conserving the site. It offers a novel approach to water-induced deterioration in rock art for professionals and researchers.This research was funded by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Tourism and Trade of the Regional Government of Cantabria in the context of aid to encourage industrial research and innovation in companies, project "SImulador Climático del Karst de cuevas de especial valor. (SICLIKA)", grant number 2016/INN/25.Bayarri, V.; Prada, A.; García García, F.; De Las Heras, C.; Fatás, P. (2024). A Multisensory Analysis of the Moisture Course of the Cave of Altamira (Spain): Implications for Its Conservation. Remote Sensing. 16(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/rs1601019716