Freeform User Interfaces for Graphical Computing

報告番号: 甲15222 ; 学位授与年月日: 2000-03-29 ; 学位の種別: 課程博士 ; 学位の種類: 博士(工学) ; 学位記番号: 博工第4717号 ; 研究科・専攻: 工学系研究科情報工学専

Moving Away From the Traditional Desktop Computer Workstations: Identifying Opportunities to Improve Upper Extremity Biomechanics

Statement of Problem: Office computer workers have elevated risks of adverse health outcome such as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) associated with computer work. Although they now have many alternatives, these modern computer workstations and associated technologies require new guidelines and recommendations for proper practice. We see this as an opportunity to improve current and future computer workstation designs through an ergonomics approach by improving users’ upper extremity biomechanics while interacting with these modern technologies. Method: The dissertation first utilized a psychophysical protocol to compare users’ self-selected set ups for sitting and standing computer workstations. Users’ biomechanics and perceived comfort across different computer tasks for the two workstations are then compared. Subsequently, a hand mapping technique was developed to evaluate effects of computer pointing devices on users’ hand posture and associated forearm muscle effort using 3-D motion analysis and surface electromyography. To improve mobile device ergonomics, we investigated tablet users’ biomechanical load, comfort level and performance while performing swipe actions at different tablet locations. Results: Different selected computer workstation set ups were found for sitting and standing. Compared to sitting, users while standing kept workstation components closer to their sternum and adopted a more neutral shoulder posture while working. However, users had greater wrist extension and started reporting more low back discomfort after 45 minutes. While investigating different computer pointing devices, we found device affordance associated with significantly different hand posture and forearm muscle load. Devices that required less holding and were centrally placed associated with more neutral shoulder and hand postures, with significantly less forearm muscle load. For tablet interface, swipe locations closer to the palm had significantly smaller forearm muscle load and more neutral posture across wrist and thumb joints. Conclusion: Through empirical results described in the dissertation, we demonstrated how users’ upper extremity biomechanics can provide insights into the complex interactions between users and modern computer workstations, both as a whole and with specific components. For technology innovation, ergonomics concepts and methodologies can be used to design future generation technologies that fit users’ physical capabilities to reduce MSDs risk while promoting performance

Buyers' reactions to the IBM notebook computer.

Lorraine Yuen Tai Yeung.Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1992.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 28).ABSTRACT --- p.iTABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iiLIST OF FIGURES --- p.ivACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.vGLOSSARY --- p.viChapter CHAPTER 1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1Chapter 1.0 --- Description of Personal Computers --- p.1Chapter 2.0 --- IBM Notebook Computer --- p.8Chapter 3.0 --- Objective and Significance of the Research --- p.19Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.21Chapter 1.0 --- Competitive Environment --- p.21Chapter 2.0 --- Strategies of Major PC Manufacturers --- p.23Chapter 3.0 --- Hong Kong Market --- p.25Chapter 4.0 --- Hong Kong PC Market Segmentation by Industrial Applications --- p.26BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.28Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- METHODOLOGY --- p.30Chapter 1.0 --- Exploratory Projects --- p.30Chapter 2.0 --- Trade Survey --- p.34Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- KEY FINDINGS --- p.36Chapter 1.0 --- Findings on Buyers' Reactions to the Notebook Computers --- p.36Chapter 2.0 --- Retailers and Dealers --- p.41Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS --- p.46Chapter 1.0 --- Conclusions --- p.46Chapter 2.0 --- Recommendations --- p.54APPENDICESChapter I --- An Example of Radio NetworkingChapter II --- PC Unit Sales in Hong Kong: 1989 - 1995Chapter III --- 1990 Hong Kong PC Market Shares by Dollar VolumeChapter IV --- The IBM Notebook Computer SpecificationsChapter V --- The IBM Notebook Computer AdvertisementChapter VI --- The IBM Notebook Computer Sales VolumeChapter VII --- Notebook Computer Competitive InformationChapter VIII --- Questionnaire Part 1Chapter IX --- Questionnaire Part 2Chapter X --- Focus Group Discussion GuideChapter XI --- Retailers and Dealers Interview GuideChapter XII --- Demographic Information of ParticipantsChapter XIII --- Detailed Information on the Survey FindingsChapter XIV --- The IBM Notebook Computer Direct Mail AdvertisementChapter XV --- Media Placement of the IBM Notebook Computer Ad (as shown in Appendix V

Development of an Artificial Intelligence Method for the Analysis of Bloodstain Patterns

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (BPA) is a forensic discipline that plays a crucial role in reconstructing the events at a crime scene (Acampora, 2014). The shape, size, distribution, and location of bloodstains can help infer the potential murder weapon, the origin of the attack, and if the body has been moved or relocated from the original crime scene. Commonly, errors in identifying blood spatter evidence arise when the crime scene has large amounts of bloodstains which can yield less information during analysis. This study aims to utilize artificial intelligence (A.I.) algorithms to assist the analyst in the analysis of bloodstain patterns. To date, BPA relies on a manual analysis process; therefore, it is imperative to have forensic analysts who can accurately produce reliable results (Hoelz, 2009). However, human error is unavoidable, and analyst error can result in inaccurate conclusions that can jeopardize casework. The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) report on Forensic Science in Criminal Courts: Ensuring Scientific Validity of Feature-Comparison Methods brought to light the shortcomings of many forensic disciplines, including BPA. To improve the field of BPA, automated and computer-assisted methods of analysis are needed. In this study, we used A.I. to estimate the angle of impact from simulated crime scene samples. Our A.I.-assisted approach was determined to be accurate for 78.64% of all data analyzed. This study focused on the analysis of photos taken from a single impact angle as the primary input data. Bloodstain patterns were experimentally constructed using controlled conditions, and a single variable altered at a time

Evaluation of Posture, Muscle Activity and Comfort during Portable Computer Use

With increased popularity of portable devices and their use outside of a traditional workstation becoming increasingly widespread, it is essential to expand on the limited research available concerning their ergonomic exposures. The goal of this study was to quantify how spine posture, muscle activation, and comfort varied depending on workstation layout, device type, and task. Twenty university aged participants completed two tasks, reading-typing and swiping, for 15-minutes blocks in eight different combination of workstation layout and device. Mean angles, muscle activation, and discomfort ratings were measured. Participants showed an increased head, neck, upper thoracic, and lumbar flexion in the lap setting. When participants used the tablet, greater head flexion was observed. Additionally, participants elicited greater muscle activation in the trapezius during the reading-typing task. Portable computer users should be conscious of the postures they adopt and consider the impact of workstation layout, device type, and task in fixed computing environments

Getting their acts together: A coordinated systems approach to extended cognition

A cognitive system is a set of processes responsible for intelligent behaviour. This thesis is an attempt to answer the question: how can cognitive systems be demarcated; that is, what criterion can be used to decide where to draw the boundary of the system? This question is important because it is one way of couching the hypothesis of extended cognition – is it possible for cognitive systems to transcend the boundary of the brain or body of an organism? Such a criterion can be supplied by what is called in the literature a ‘mark of the cognitive’. The main task of this thesis is to develop a general mark of the cognitive. The starting point is that a system responsible for intelligent behaviour is a coordinated coalition of processes. This account proposes a set of functional conditions for coordination. These conditions can then be used as a sufficient condition for membership of a cognitive system. In certain circumstances, they assert that a given process plays a coordination role in the system and is therefore part of the system. The controversy in the extended cognition debate surrounds positive claims of systemhood concerning ‘external’ processes so a sufficient condition will help settle some of these debates. I argue that a Coordinated Systems Approach like this will help to move the extended cognition debate forward from its current impasse. Moreover, the application of the approach to social systems and stygmergic systems - systems where current processes are coordinated partly by the trace of previous action – promises new directions for research

The Use of Multiple Slate Devices to Support Active Reading Activities

Reading activities in the classroom and workplace occur predominantly on paper. Since existing electronic devices do not support these reading activities as well as paper, users have difficulty taking full advantage of the affordances of electronic documents. This dissertation makes three main contributions toward supporting active reading electronically. The first contribution is a comprehensive set of active reading requirements, drawn from three decades of research into reading processes. These requirements explain why existing devices are inadequate for supporting active reading activities. The second contribution is a multi-slate reading system that more completely supports the active reading requirements above. Researchers believe the suitability of paper for active reading is largely due to the fact it distributes content across different sheets of paper, which are capable of displaying information as well as capturing input. The multi-slate approach draws inspiration from the independent reading and writing surfaces that paper provides, to blend the beneficial features of e-book readers, tablets, PCs, and tabletop computers. The development of the multi-slate system began with the Dual-Display E-book, which used two screens to provide richer navigation capabilities than a single-screen device. Following the success of the Dual-Display E-book, the United Slates, a general-purpose reading system consisting of an extensible number of slates, was created. The United Slates consisted of custom slate hardware, specialized interactions that enabled the slates to be used cooperatively, and a cloud-based infrastructure that robustly integrated the slates with users' existing computing devices and workflow. The third contribution is a series of evaluations that characterized reading with multiple slates. A laboratory study with 12 participants compared the relative merits of paper and electronic reading surfaces. One month long in-situ deployments of the United Slates with graduate students in the humanities found the multi-slate configuration to be highly effective for reading. The United Slates system delivered desirable paper-like qualities that included enhanced reading engagement, ease of navigation, and peace-of-mind while also providing superior electronic functionality. The positive feedback suggests that the multi-slate configuration is a desirable method for supporting active reading activities

InfoTech Update, Volume 11, Number 1, January/February 2003

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_news/4996/thumbnail.jp

Kolab: Improvising Nomadic Tangible User Interfaces in the Workplace for Co-Located Collaboration

Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) [Ishii 1997] offer an interface style that couples "digital information to everyday physical objects and environments" [Ishii 1997 page 2]. However this physicality may also be a limitation as the tendency to use iconic representations for tangibles can result in inflexible 'concrete and specialised objects' [Shaer 2009 page 107]. The current research investigates whether by reducing the dependence on specific tangible sets through the use of improvised tangibles we may begin to address the issue of tangible flexibility within TUIs. Improvised tangibles may be characterised by being potentially arbitrary and abstract, in that they may bear little or no resemblance to the underlying digital value. Core literature in the field (e. g. [Fitzmaurice 1996] [Ishii 2008] [Hornecker 2006] [Holmquist 1999]) suggests that a system based on improvised tangibles would suffer from impaired usability and so the research focuses on the impact on usability due to a lack of close representational significance [Ullmer 2000] during co-located collaboration. Using a prototyping methodology a functional, shareable, TUI system was developed based on computer vision techniques using the Microsoft Kinect [Microsoft2011]. This prototype system ('Kolab') was used to explore an interaction design that supports the dynamic binding of improvised tangibles to digital values. A simple co-located collaborative task was developed using 'Kolab' and a user study was conducted to investigate the usability of the system in a collaborative context. Within the limitations of the simple task the results of the study show that a) users appeared comfortable with improvising artefacts b) the high rate of task completion strongly suggests that a lack of close representational significance does not impair system usability and c) despite some temporary issues with users interfering with other's action an overall indication of equitable participation suggests that collaboration was not impaired by the 'Kolab' prototype