Tangible User Interfaces and Metaphors for 3D Navigation

The most fundamental and common 3D interaction is the control of the virtual camera or viewpoint, commonly referred to as navigation. The navigational requirements of controlling multiple degrees of freedom and maintaining adequate spatial awareness are big challenges to many users. Many tasks additionally demand large portions of cognitive effort from the user for non-navigational aspects. Therefore, new solutions that are simple and naturally efficient are in high demand. These major challenges to 3D navigation have yet to be satisfactorily addressed, and as a result, there has yet to be a declaration of a suitable unified 3D interaction technique or metaphor. We present a new domain and task independent 3D navigation metaphor, Navigational Puppetry, which we intend to be a candidate for the navigational portion of a unifying 3D interaction metaphor. The major components of the metaphor - the puppet, puppeteer, stage, and puppet-view - enable a new meta-navigational perspective and provide the user with a graspable navigational avatar, within a multiple-view perspective, that allows them to ‘reach’ within the virtual world and manipulate the viewpoint directly. We position this metaphor as a distinct articulation of the front wave of a puppetry related trend in recent 3D navigation solutions. The metaphor was implemented into a tangible user interface prototype called the Navi-Teer. Two usability studies and a unique spatial audio experiment were completed to observe and demonstrate, respectively, the metaphor’s benefits of tactile intimacy, spatial orientation, easy capture of complex input and support for collaboration

NASA space station automation: AI-based technology review

Research and Development projects in automation for the Space Station are discussed. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based automation technologies are planned to enhance crew safety through reduced need for EVA, increase crew productivity through the reduction of routine operations, increase space station autonomy, and augment space station capability through the use of teleoperation and robotics. AI technology will also be developed for the servicing of satellites at the Space Station, system monitoring and diagnosis, space manufacturing, and the assembly of large space structures

Luontoa jäljittelevän pallorobotin kehittäminen planeettatutkimukseen

Planeetoille suuntautuvat tutkimusmatkat tähtäävät usein maaperänäytteiden keräämiseen ja tutkimiseen, usein myös näytteiden palauttamiseen Maahan tarkempia tutkimuksia varten. Äskettäiset Marsiin suuntautuneet robottimissiot ovat osoittaneet liikkuvien robottien kyvyn suorittaa tutkimustehtäviä. Vieraalla planeetalla robotin liikkumiskyky on tarpeen tutkittavan alueen laajentamiseksi ja tutkimusten kohdentamiseksi haluttuihin tieteellisesti kiinnostavimpiin kohteisiin. Luonnon kehittämiä ratkaisuja jäljittelevä liikkumistapa saattaa tarjota liikkuvalle robotille nykyisiä parempaa mukautumis- ja viansietokykyä. Tämä tutkimustyö etsii luonnosta uusia innovaatioita ja tähtää uudenlaisten joustavien ja tehokkaiden liikkumistapojen kehittämiseen liikkuville roboteille. Erityisesti työ keskittyy pallomaisen, aro-ohdakkeen mukaan englanniksi 'Thistle':ksi nimetyn, robotin määrittelyyn ja alustavaan kehitystyöhön. Tutkimus käsittelee myös keinoja hyödyntää liikkumisessa Marsin paikallisia energialähteitä, kuten tuuli- ja lämpöenergiaa. Useita erilaisia energiankeruutapoja esitellään ja arvioidaan. Vaikka kaikki tutkitut konseptit eivät heti vaikuta toteuttamiskelpoisilta, on ne kuitenkin esitelty mitään pois jättämättä, jotta ne voisivat olla innoittajina tuleville uusille asiaan liittyville tutkimuksille.Planetary exploration missions often aim to carry out in-situ analysis and possibly return samples to Earth for more thorough examination. Recent robotic missions to Mars have demonstrated effectiveness of robotic exploration of planetary surface. Purpose of a mobile robot on planet surface is to enlarge the area to be investigated, and to concentrate investigations on subjects with most scientific interest. The application of biomimetic locomotion to the Martian surface offers the possibility of increased robustness and failure tolerance of a mobile robot. This study searches for new innovations from nature and aims to develop a novel system to provide robust and efficient locomotion system to be used for exploring surface of foreign planets. Especially this work describes definition and conceptual development of a rolling robot -later called 'The Thistle' mimicking a Russian Thistle -plant. The study considers locomotion and power generation methods that would utilize local power generation resources like wind or heat. This study involves the identification and conceptual development of innovative concepts for planetary surface locomotion and energy collection. Several concepts are presented and evaluated. Considering nature of the study, although evaluation reveals some concepts probably not adequate, these are not removed from the thesis, but are left here for the interest and further inspiration of the reader

Measuring user experience for virtual reality

In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) and 3D User Interfaces (3DUI) have seen a drastic increase in popularity, especially in terms of consumer-ready hardware and software. These technologies have the potential to create new experiences that combine the advantages of reality and virtuality. While the technology for input as well as output devices is market ready, only a few solutions for everyday VR - online shopping, games, or movies - exist, and empirical knowledge about performance and user preferences is lacking. All this makes the development and design of human-centered user interfaces for VR a great challenge. This thesis investigates the evaluation and design of interactive VR experiences. We introduce the Virtual Reality User Experience (VRUX) model based on VR-specific external factors and evaluation metrics such as task performance and user preference. Based on our novel UX evaluation approach, we contribute by exploring the following directions: shopping in virtual environments, as well as text entry and menu control in the context of everyday VR. Along with this, we summarize our findings by design spaces and guidelines for choosing optimal interfaces and controls in VR.In den letzten Jahren haben Virtual Reality (VR) und 3D User Interfaces (3DUI) stark an Popularität gewonnen, insbesondere bei Hard- und Software im Konsumerbereich. Diese Technologien haben das Potenzial, neue Erfahrungen zu schaffen, die die Vorteile von Realität und Virtualität kombinieren. Während die Technologie sowohl für Eingabe- als auch für Ausgabegeräte marktreif ist, existieren nur wenige Lösungen für den Alltag in VR - wie Online-Shopping, Spiele oder Filme - und es fehlt an empirischem Wissen über Leistung und Benutzerpräferenzen. Dies macht die Entwicklung und Gestaltung von benutzerzentrierten Benutzeroberflächen für VR zu einer großen Herausforderung. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Evaluation und Gestaltung von interaktiven VR-Erfahrungen. Es wird das Virtual Reality User Experience (VRUX)- Modell eingeführt, das auf VR-spezifischen externen Faktoren und Bewertungskennzahlen wie Leistung und Benutzerpräferenz basiert. Basierend auf unserem neuartigen UX-Evaluierungsansatz leisten wir einen Beitrag, indem wir folgende interaktive Anwendungsbereiche untersuchen: Einkaufen in virtuellen Umgebungen sowie Texteingabe und Menüsteuerung im Kontext des täglichen VR. Die Ergebnisse werden außerdem mittels Richtlinien zur Auswahl optimaler Schnittstellen in VR zusammengefasst

Technology 2000, volume 1

The purpose of the conference was to increase awareness of existing NASA developed technologies that are available for immediate use in the development of new products and processes, and to lay the groundwork for the effective utilization of emerging technologies. There were sessions on the following: Computer technology and software engineering; Human factors engineering and life sciences; Information and data management; Material sciences; Manufacturing and fabrication technology; Power, energy, and control systems; Robotics; Sensors and measurement technology; Artificial intelligence; Environmental technology; Optics and communications; and Superconductivity

Eighteenth Space Simulation Conference: Space Mission Success Through Testing

The Institute of Environmental Sciences' Eighteenth Space Simulation Conference, 'Space Mission Success Through Testing' provided participants with a forum to acquire and exchange information on the state-of-the-art in space simulation, test technology, atomic oxygen, program/system testing, dynamics testing, contamination, and materials. The papers presented at this conference and the resulting discussions carried out the conference theme 'Space Mission Success Through Testing.

Aerospace medicine and biology: A cumulative index to a continuing bibliography (supplement 384)

This publication is a cumulative index to the abstracts contained in Supplements 372 through 383 of Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A Continuing Bibliography. It includes seven indexes: subject, personal author, corporate source, foreign technology, contract number, report number, and accession number

Bio-Inspired Robotics

Modern robotic technologies have enabled robots to operate in a variety of unstructured and dynamically-changing environments, in addition to traditional structured environments. Robots have, thus, become an important element in our everyday lives. One key approach to develop such intelligent and autonomous robots is to draw inspiration from biological systems. Biological structure, mechanisms, and underlying principles have the potential to provide new ideas to support the improvement of conventional robotic designs and control. Such biological principles usually originate from animal or even plant models, for robots, which can sense, think, walk, swim, crawl, jump or even fly. Thus, it is believed that these bio-inspired methods are becoming increasingly important in the face of complex applications. Bio-inspired robotics is leading to the study of innovative structures and computing with sensory–motor coordination and learning to achieve intelligence, flexibility, stability, and adaptation for emergent robotic applications, such as manipulation, learning, and control. This Special Issue invites original papers of innovative ideas and concepts, new discoveries and improvements, and novel applications and business models relevant to the selected topics of ``Bio-Inspired Robotics''. Bio-Inspired Robotics is a broad topic and an ongoing expanding field. This Special Issue collates 30 papers that address some of the important challenges and opportunities in this broad and expanding field