How Machines are Serviced - Design of a Virtual Reality-based Training System for Technical Customer Services

Training service provider is a crucial factor for high-quality service delivery. Due to the rise of new devices, reviving Virtual Reality (VR) offer great opportunities to overcome current training challenges. As various new interaction and visualization systems push into market, guidance on how to design VR-based training systems is necessary. The presented use case is based on technicians in technical customer services (TCS) who tackle increasing complexity of machines. We fill the research gap of design knowledge by (1) analyzing the domain in a multi-method approach to elicit meta-requirements, (2) proposing design principles, and (3) instantiating them in a prototype. The interaction of the user with the training system was identified as key aspect to foster learning. We follow a design science research approach (DSR) combing the build-phase with agile evaluation cycles obtaining focus groups and demonstration with a prototype

Evolution of the emotional maturity in basic proffesional formation students throught the use of out of school activities

Las aulas de la nueva modalidad de FP Básica, se caracterizan por presentar una alta concentración de alumnos con significativas carencias en su madurez emocional y en su alfabetización científica. El siguiente artículo analiza la evolución de la madurez emocional de 16 alumnos del primer curso de FP Básica de la rama de Peluquería, utilizando las actividades fuera del contexto escolar como recurso educativo para la asignatura de Ciencias de la Naturaleza. Estas actividades, están diseñadas de forma que se incida tanto en el aspecto cognitivo, como en el emocional, incluyendo tareas individuales o en equipo y siempre conectando su conocimiento cotidiano con el escolar. Tras la realización de las actividades, los alumnos son entrevistados de cara a analizar una serie de indicadores emocionales predeterminados. Estos indicadores, responden a los antónimos establecidos por Díaz y Flores (2001) y que constituyen la denominada Plantilla General de Indicadores Emocionales. Las respuestas de los alumnos son analizadas utilizando una Plantilla Específica de Diferenciales Semánticos, definida a tal efecto, según tres momentos diferentes en los que se manifiesta la emoción: durante la actividad, en el aula y fuera ya del centro. El tratamiento de los datos obtenidos permite comparar la evolución de la madurez emocional en el transcurso de las actividades, observándose una evolución emocional importante entre los estados inicial y final, de manera general, en alumnos de esta tipología.The new implementations of the FP Básica (Spanish equivalent of a Foundation Degree) tend to gather quite a high number of students in the same classroom. In general, these students lack emotional and scientific literacy. The following investigation analyses the evolution of the emotional literacy of 16 students in their first year of FP Básica in the hairdressing sector, using some out of the scholar context interdisciplinary activities as an educative resource. Once the activities have taken place, the students are interviewed in order to analyse a series of predetermined emotional indicators which constitute to the denominated General Stencil of Emotional Indicators and respond to the antonym of the ones established by Díaz y Flores (2001). The answers of the students are analysed using Specific Templates of Semantic Pairs, according to three different situations where the emotions happen: during the activity, in the classroom and finally outside the school. The processing of the different results allows us to compare the evolution of the emotional literacy in the course of the tasks. Taking into account the starting and final statuses, an important emotional evolution is noticed generally among the students

IRGM variants and susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease in the German population.

Genome-wide association studies identified the autophagy gene IRGM to be strongly associated with Crohn's disease (CD) but its impact in ulcerative colitis (UC), its phenotypic effects and potential epistatic interactions with other IBD susceptibility genes are less clear which we therefore analyzed in this study. Genomic DNA from 2060 individuals including 817 CD patients, 283 UC patients, and 961 healthy, unrelated controls (all of Caucasian origin) was analyzed for six IRGM single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs13371189, rs10065172 = p.Leu105Leu, rs4958847, rs1000113, rs11747270, rs931058). In all patients, a detailed genotype-phenotype analysis and testing for epistasis with the three major CD susceptibility genes NOD2, IL23R and ATG16L1 were performed. Our analysis revealed an association of the IRGM SNPs rs13371189 (p = 0.02, OR 1.31 [95% CI 1.05-1.65]), rs10065172 = p.Leu105Leu (p = 0.016, OR 1.33 [95% CI 1.06-1.66]) and rs1000113 (p = 0.047, OR 1.27 [95% CI 1.01-1.61]) with CD susceptibility. There was linkage disequilibrium between these three IRGM SNPs. In UC, several IRGM haplotypes were weakly associated with UC susceptibility (p<0.05). Genotype-phenotype analysis revealed no significant associations with a specific IBD phenotype or ileal CD involvement. There was evidence for weak gene-gene-interaction between several SNPs of the autophagy genes IRGM and ATG16L1 (p<0.05), which, however, did not remain significant after Bonferroni correction. Our results confirm IRGM as susceptibility gene for CD in the German population, supporting a role for the autophagy genes IRGM and ATG16L1 in the pathogenesis of CD

Regionale Steuerung der Energiewende in Nordostdeutschland - Innovationen im Planungssystem?

Nordostdeutschland ist einer der räumlichen "Hotspots" der deutschen Energiewende für die Windkraft an Land wie auch für andere Anlagen erneuerbarer Stromproduktion. In Brandenburg und Mecklenburg-Vorpommern wurden dazu in den letzten Jahren vielfältige Erfahrungen gesammelt und Herausforderungen seitens der Regionalplanung gemeistert. Der Forschungsbericht analysiert dieses dynamische Themenfeld aus der Perspektive der Innovationsforschung. Ansätze der Innovationsforschung werden vorgestellt und auf ihre Relevanz für die Analyse des Planungssystems diskutiert, Rahmenbedingungen der regionalen Steuerung der Energiewende in Bund und Ländern werden beschrieben. Diskussionen mit Fokusgruppen untermauern die Betrachtungen empirisch. Der Forschungsbericht macht sichtbar, welche Beiträge die Regionalplanung zu den Erfolgen insbesondere im Windkraftausbau der letzten Jahre geleistet hat. Wenngleich Akteure der Regionalplanung sich in ihrer traditionellen Selbstbeschreibung nicht unbedingt als innovativ verstehen, sind sie sich aber bewusst, dass sie an tiefgreifenden Veränderungen mitwirken.Northeast Germany is one of the spatial "hotspots" of the German energy transition for onshore wind power as well as for other renewable electricity production facilities. Regional Planning in Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania gained a wide range of experience in recent years and mastered respective challenges. This report analyses this dynamic topic area from the perspective of innovation research. It presents and discusses approaches of innovation regarding their relevance for the analysis of the planning system; it explains framework conditions of the regional control of the energy transition in the federal and state governments. Discussions with focus groups provided empirical support for the observations. The report enlightens the contributions of regional planning to the successes of recent years, especially in the expansion of wind power. Although actors in regional planning do not necessarily see themselves as innovative in their traditional self-description, they are aware that they are involved in profound changes. The title of this report evokes the question about the innovative power of regional planning. In general, we can answer this question in a positive way. We detected atmospheres of innovativeness in supra-local spatial planning in terms of informal moderation of social negotiation processes, with regard to the development of goals and guiding principles, but also in the transformation of formal regional planning processes. This necessary transformation did not only follow a top-down approach, but was actively promoted at all levels of the planning system. Hence, the challenging transformation process of the energy transition was not only a conflict driver, but also an "innovation driver". It created a climate of innovation in the field of action of regional planning

Distracting people from sources of discomfort in a simulated aircraft environment

BACKGROUND: Comfort is an important factor in the acceptance of transport systems. In 2010 and 2011, the European Commission (EC) put forward its vision for air travel in the year 2050 which envisaged the use of in-flight virtual reality. This paper addressed the EC vision by investigating the effect of virtual environments on comfort. Research has shown that virtual environments can provide entertaining experiences and can be effective distracters from painful experiences. OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent to which a virtual environment could distract people from sources of discomfort. METHODS: Experiments which involved inducing discomfort commonly experienced in-flight (e.g. limited space, noise) in order to determine the extent to which viewing a virtual environment could distract people from discomfort. RESULTS: Virtual environments can fully or partially distract people from sources of discomfort, becoming more effective when they are interesting. They are also more effective at distracting people from discomfort caused by restricted space than noise disturbances. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual environments have the potential to enhance passenger comfort by providing positive distractions from sources of discomfort. Further research is required to understand more fully the reasons why the effect was stronger for one source of discomfort than the other

A system for high-quality real-time rendering for Virtual Environments

Digitale Prototypen bilden in vielen Anwendungsbereichen heute die Grundlage für den Produktentstehungsprozeß. Systeme und Verfahren der Virtuellen Realität (VR) ermöglichen es durch ihre räumliche Visualisierung und Interaktion, digitale Prototypen in einer Art und Weise darzustellen und erlebbar zu machen, daß ein physisches Modell oft entbehrlich wird. Neben dem klassischen Anwendungsbereich CAD werden digitale Prototypen zunehmend auch im Bereich der Visualisierung von Produktgestaltungs- und Architekturentwürfen eingesetzt, was in der Visualisierung eine wesentlich höhere Qualität als bei CAD-Anwendungen erfordert. Der VR-Einsatz führt zudem immer zur Anforderung der Echtzeitfähigkeit. Vor allem für den Anwendungsbereich der Computerspiele sind zahlreiche echtzeitfähige visuelle Verfahren und Effekte entwickelt worden, die sich teilweise auch unter den besonderen Randbedingungen der VR-Visualisierung einsetzen lassen. Die im Stand der Technik im VR-Bereich eingesetzten Echtzeitrendering-Systeme unterstützen jedoch diese Verfahren nur unzureichend und machen sie zudem den End\-anwendern nicht zugänglich. Daraus resultiert ein hoher Aufwand für die Aufbereitung visuell hochwertiger VR-Modelle. Deshalb wird VR im Anwendungsbereich der hochwertigen Visualisierung nur selten eingesetzt, oder die visuelle Qualität der Darstellung liegt unter den Anforderungen der Gestalter als der eigentlichen Anwender. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein zweistufiger Lösungsansatz für diese Problematik entwickelt. Dieser addressiert zunächst den funktionalen Aspekt der Bildsynthese. Mit dem System ARS wird ein paralleles, hybrides Echtzeitrenderingsystem konzipiert und prototypisch realisiert, das den flexiblen Einsatz unterschiedlicher Visualisierungsverfahren in einem VR-System ermöglicht. Die von ARS unterstützte Parallelisierung der Bildsynthese auf Cluster aus mehreren Einzelrechnern ermöglicht den Einsatz auch solcher Renderingverfahren, die auf einem einzelnen Rechner bei der Darstellung anwendungsrelevanter Szenenkomplexitäten noch nicht echtzeitfähig sind. Die Untersuchung paralleler Renderingansätze in einer Clusterumgebung zeigt auch die Grenzen dieser Verfahren auf; diese werden vor allem durch die netzwerkbasierte Bilddatenverteilung gesetzt. Mit dem Entwurf eines kaskadierbaren, kostengünstigen Hardwaresystems zum Zusammensetzen des Endbildes auf der Basis digitaler Videosignale wird ein Weg aufgezeigt, diese Beschränkung zu überwinden. Das System ARS bildet damit eine technische Grundlage für eine hochwertige, effizient nutzbare VR-Visualisierung. Das hybride, parallele Konzept des Systems ARS ist zudem offen gegenüber neuen Renderingverfahren wie Raytracing und damit zukunftssicher. Der zweite Aspekt des entwickelten Lösungsansatzes ist die Integration der hochwertigen VR-Visualisierung in den digitalen Produktentstehungsprozeß, der eine wesentliche Voraussetzung für den ökonomischen Einsatz des Systems ist. Hierzu wird die im Stand der Technik übliche Vorgehensweise analysiert und daraus resultierend ein optimierter Prozeß konzipiert. Zur Implementierung dieses Prozesses wird das Softwarewerkzeug VRfx entwickelt, das es Endanwendern erstmals ermöglicht, den Prozeß der hochwertigen VR-Visualisierung vollständig zu beherrschen, ohne daß VR-Spezialisten involviert werden müssen. Zur einfachen Erweiterung der Visualisierung um räumliche Benutzungsschnittstellen wird eine Bibliothek aus wiederverwendbaren Schnittstellenelementen (Widgets) entwickelt. Als Resultat der Arbeit stehen das Basissystem ARS und das darauf aufbauende Anwendungs-Softwarewerkzeug VRfx zur Verfügung, das gegenüber dem Stand der Technik eine wesentliche Steigerung der visuellen Qualität der VR-Visualisierung ermöglicht und diese zudem effizient nutzbar macht. Die erreichten Verbesserungen können in verschiedenen Visualisierungsprojekten nachgewiesen werden.Many stages of today's product development process rely more or less entirely on digital prototypes. By providing scale-correct spatial visualization and spatial interaction, Virtual Reality (VR) systems and applications allow users to perceive digital prototypes at a level of fidelity which makes physical prototypes unnecessary in many cases. Besides the established application area of CAD-related review tasks, VR visualization is gaining increasing relevance in review and presentation of industrial and architectural designs. This application domain requires a considerably higher level of visual quality than what's needed for CAD-related use cases. Mainly driven by the computer games market, a lot of visual effects and rendering techniques have been developed which target towards higher visual realism. VR systems and computer games have significant similarities considering image synthesis, most importantly real-time capability. Thus, many visualization techniques developed for computer games can be adopted for use in VR visualization. However, a major difference between computer games, where the digital model (i.e. the game content) itself is the product, and VR applications, where the digital model is only a medium in the design process, is that the acceptable amount of work to create or prepare the model is by orders of magnitude less. In the state-of-the-art of VR image synthesis, support for advanced rendering techniques is missing or insufficient, and they are not exposed to the end user in a convenient way. Also, rendering methods other than the programmable graphics pipeline, particularly raytracing, are not used in state-of-the-art VR systems. As a result, the achievable visual quality in VR visualization is limited, and high preparation effort is required, the latter considerably reducing the economic benefit of using VR. Consequently, VR visualization is used only infrequently for industrial and architectural design review tasks, or the visual quality is below what's requested from the product designers and architects as the end users. In this thesis, a two-level solution approach is pursued to tackle this problem. The first level addresses the functional aspect of real-time image synthesis. A parallel, hybrid real-time rendering system, named ARS (Advanced Rendering System), is conceived and prototypically realized. ARS allows the flexible use of different visualization techniques in a VR system. ARS supports the parallelization of the image synthesis on a cluster of multiple PCs which are interconnected through a standard network. This makes it possible to use rendering methods which are not yet real-time capable on a single PCs if used with application-relevant model data complexities. The investigation of parallel rendering approaches in a cluster environment also shows their limitations, which are mainly established by the network-based image data transmission, particularly when avoiding the use of special high-bandwidth network hardware. To overcome this bottleneck, a cascadable, hardware-based image compositor is conceived as an alternative to network image data transmission. This compositor can be realized at considerably lower cost than existing systems, allowing an economic use in productive environments. The hybrid, parallel concept of ARS is open towards new real-time rendering techniques, which makes it future-proof. The second level of the solution approach of this thesis is the integration of the image synthesis capabilities provided by the system ARS into the visualization process of digital product development and architectural design. This is a major requirement for an economical use of the system. To achieve this, the state-of-the-art process integration is analyzed, and an optimized process is conceived. To implement this process, the software tool VRfx is developed, which allows, for the first time, end users to master the complete process of VR visualization without needing to consult VR specialists. To facilitate the implementation of spatial user interfaces for use in visualization projects, a library of reusable interface elements (3D widgets) is developed. As the result of this thesis, the rendering system ARS and the application VRfx based on it are available, which together not only allow a considerable enhancement of the visual quality of VR visualization, but also makes this level of quality available in a productive environment. The improvements accomplished are demonstrated in a number of visualization projects which were conducted using the system developed in this thesis

Network aware parallel rendering with PCs

Interactive rendering of complex models has many applications in the Virtual Reality Continuum. The oil&gas industry uses interactive visualizations of huge seismic data sets to evaluate and plan drilling operations. The automotive industry evaluates designs based on very detailed models. Unfortunately, many of these very complex geometric models cannot be displayed with interactive frame rates on graphics workstations. This is due to the limited scalability of their graphics performance. Recently there is a trend to use networked standard PCs to solve this problem. Care must be taken however, because of nonexistent shared memory with clustered PCs. All data and commands have to be sent across the network. It turns out that the removal of the network bottleneck is a challenging problem to solve in this context.In this article we present some approaches for network aware parallel rendering on commodity hardware. These strategies are technological as well as algorithmic solutions

Komplexitätsreduktion durch nutzerzentrierte Gestaltung eines Arbeitsplatzes für die Produktentwicklung

Die Anforderungen an den Ingenieur verändern sich stetig, in erster Linie durch steigende Komplexität auf verschiedenen Ebenen des Arbeitsprozesses. Eine nutzerzentrierte Gestaltung der Arbeitsumgebung mit einer gezielten Anwenderunterstützung durch die Software(SW)-Benutzungsschnittstelle kann wesentliche Beiträge zur Reduktion dieser Komplexität leisten. Sie betrifft vor allem die Optimierung der Mensch-Computer-Schnittstelle, sowohl hinsichtlich der Art und Dimension der Informationsdarstellung als auch der nutzbaren Eingabetechniken. In diesem Beitrag werden das Konzept und die Implementierung einer nutzerzentrierten Benutzungsschnittstelle und deren Evaluation an zwei praxisrelevanten Anwendungsfällen aus den Bereichen Konstruktion und Fertigungsplanung beschrieben. Das Konzept der Benutzungsschnittstelle umfasst sowohl deren physischen Aufbau (horizontales/vertikales Display) als auch deren Funktionalität (Steuerung wie Touch/Multitouch). Die Evaluierung erfolgt durch den Vergleich der Geschäftsprozesse am heutigen Arbeitsplatz mit denjenigen am Extended Workdesk, mittels der Methoden Expertengespräch und Probandentest. In dieser Evaluierung konnte eine Komplexitätsreduktion statistisch nachgewiesen werden

FPGA-based Image Combining for Parallel Rendering

An electronic display often has to present information from several sources. This contribution reports about an approach, in which programmable logic (FPGA) synchronises and combines several graphics inputs. The application area is computer graphics, especially rendering of large 3D models, which is a computing intensive task. Therefore, complex scenes are generated on parallel systems and merged to give the requested output image. So far, the transportation of intermediate results is often done by a local area network. However, as this can be a limiting factor, the new approach removes this bottleneck and combines the graphic signals with an FPGA