VR-CAD Framework for Parametric Data Modification with a 3D Shape-based Interaction

In this poster, we present a new VR-CAD framework, allowing user to modify parametric CAD data with 3D interaction in an immersive environment. With this framework, users can implicitly modify parameter values of CAD data with co-localized 3D shape-based interaction. This poster describes the system architecture and the interaction technique based on it

Enabling Collaboration between Heterogeneous 3D Viewers through a PAC-C3D Modeling of the Shared Virtual Environment

International audienceWe propose to illustrate how the PAC-C3D software model makes it possible to share networked 3D Virtual Environments (VE) between heterogeneous 3D viewers written in Java3D and jReality

PAC-C3D: A New Software Architectural Model for Designing 3D Collaborative Virtual Environments

International audienceWe propose PAC-C3D as a new software model for 3D Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVE). This model merges the results from two research fields: distribution models for CVE and HCI design for computer-supported cooperative work. PAC-C3D proposes to describe each part of a shared virtual object through explicit interfaces to ensure a strong separation between the core functions of a virtual environment, its (visual) representations, and its collaborative features such as synchronization and consistency maintenance between remote users. PAC-C3D makes it possible to design a CVE with low dependency between the core functions, the distribution mode and the 3D graphics API used. It explicitly deals with the main distribution modes encountered in CVE. It makes it easy to use different 3D graphics API for different nodes involved in the same collaborative session, providing interoperability between these 3D graphics API. It also makes it possible to integrate other kinds of 3D representations such as physics engines into the CVE

Guiding Techniques for Collaborative Exploration in Multi-Scale Shared Virtual Environments

International audienceExploration of large-scale 3D Virtual Environments (VEs) is difficult because of lack of familiarity with complex virtual worlds, lack of spatial information that can be offered to users and lack of sensory (visual, auditory, locomotive) details compared to exploration of real environments. To address this problem, we present a set of metaphors for assisting users in collaborative navigation to perform common exploration tasks in shared collaborative virtual environments. Our propositions consist in three guiding techniques in the form of navigation aids to enable one or several users (called helping user(s)) to help one main user (called exploring user) to explore the VE efficiently. These three techniques consist in drawing directional arrows, lighting up path to follow, and orienting a compass to show a direction to the exploring user. All the three techniques are generic so they can be used for any kind of 3D VE, and they do not affect the main structure of the VE so its integrity is guaranteed. To compare the efficiency of these three guiding techniques, we have conducted an experimental study of a collaborative task whose aim was to find hidden target objects in a complex and multi-scale shared 3D VE. Our results show that although the directional arrows and compass surpassed the light source for the navigation task, these three techniques are completely appropriate for guiding a user in 3D complex VEs

Collaborative Exploration of 3D Scientific Data

International audienceThis demonstration introduces new ways for exploring Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVE) that contain 3D scientific data sets obtained by simulation. In order to make decisions accordingly to their collective knowledge and understanding of the simulation, the users must collaborate and share experiences and comments. We provide tools to enable a good coordination between the users, and to make each user aware of the activity of others. Each user can navigate within the CVE: change her own position, orientation and scale. Each user can also add annotations within the virtual universe. We propose several 3D layouts for the presentation of the data, associated with different 3D navigation tools. Consequently, the user can explore the data accoording to various parameters such as time or temperature. Last we propose a new 3D interaction tool, called 2D Cursor / 3D Pointer, dedicated to selection and manipulation of 3D objects, and application control. This 2D cursor is associated with a 3D geometry in order to make people aware of the activity of the users who are using this tool

CamRay: Camera Arrays Support Remote Collaboration on Wall-Sized Displays

International audienceRemote collaboration across wall-sized displays creates a key challenge: how to support audio-video communication among users as they move in front of the display. We present CamRay, a platform that uses camera arrays embedded in wall-sized displays to capture video of users and present it on remote displays according to the users’ positions. We investigate two settings: in Follow-Remote, the position of the video window follows the position of the remote user; in Follow-Local, the video window always appears in front of the local user. We report the results of a controlled experiment showing that with Follow-Remote, participants are faster, use more deictic instructions, interpret them more accurately, and use fewer words. However, some participants preferred the virtual face-to-face created by Follow-Local when checking for their partners’ understanding. We conclude with design recommendations to support remote collaboration across wall-sized displays

Remote Collaboration across Heterogeneous Large Interactive Spaces

International audienceImmersive virtual reality systems or high resolution wall-sized displays become more common for analyzing the increasing among of data from science, industry, business and society. These large interactive spaces are powerful tools to enable remote users to work together on shared data. However, we cannot imagine that remote collaboration in such systems becomes widespread if it requires that all users have the exact same physical devices, and we need to make remote collaboration across different systems possible. The asymmetric interaction capabilities of each user are also an interesting opportunity to develop new collaboration strategies. In this short position paper, we present our past work about collaborative virtual environments and, in particular, how to represent the physical environments of each user in a virtual environment. We also introduce an ongoing project which aims to support remote collab-orative interaction across heterogeneous large interactive spaces

Merging Live and pre-Captured Data to support Full 3D Head Reconstruction for Telepresence

International audienceThis paper proposes a 3D head reconstruction method for low cost 3D telepresence systems that uses only a single consumer level hybrid sensor (color+depth) located in front of the users. Our method fuses the real-time, noisy and incomplete output of a hybrid sensor with a set of static, high-resolution textured models acquired in a calibration phase. A complete and fully textured 3D model of the users' head can thus be reconstructed in real-time, accurately preserving the facial expression of the user. The main features of our method are a mesh interpolation and a fusion of a static and a dynamic textures to combine respectively a better resolution and the dynamic features of the face

Electronic Sensors for Assessing Interactions between Healthcare Workers and Patients under Airborne Precautions

International audienceBackground: Direct observation has been widely used to assess interactions between healthcare workers (HCWs) and patients but is time-consuming and feasible only over short periods. We used a Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) system to automatically measure HCW-patient interactions. Methods: We equipped 50 patient rooms with fixed sensors and 111 HCW volunteers with mobile sensors in two clinical wards of two hospitals. For 3 months, we recorded all interactions between HCWs and 54 patients under airborne precautions for suspected (n=40) or confirmed (n=14) tuberculosis. Number and duration of HCW entries into patient rooms were collected daily. Concomitantly, we directly observed room entries and interviewed HCWs to evaluate their self- perception of the number and duration of contacts with tuberculosis patients. Results: After signal reconstruction, 5490 interactions were recorded between 82 HCWs and 54 tuberculosis patients during 404 days of airborne isolation. Median (interquartile range) interaction duration was 2.1 (0.8-4.4) min overall, 2.3 (0.8-5.0) in the mornings, 1.8 (0.8-3.7) in the afternoons, and 2.0 (0.7-4.3) at night (P,1024). Number of interactions/day/HCW was 3.0 (1.0-6.0) and total daily duration was 7.6 (2.4-22.5) min. Durations estimated from 28 direct observations and 26 interviews were not significantly different from those recorded by the network. Conclusions: The RFID was well accepted by HCWs. This original technique holds promise for accurately and continuously measuring interactions between HCWs and patients, as a less resource-consuming substitute for direct observation. The results could be used to model the transmission of significant pathogens. HCW perceptions of interactions with patients accurately reflected reality

Altimetry for the future: Building on 25 years of progress

In 2018 we celebrated 25 years of development of radar altimetry, and the progress achieved by this methodology in the fields of global and coastal oceanography, hydrology, geodesy and cryospheric sciences. Many symbolic major events have celebrated these developments, e.g., in Venice, Italy, the 15th (2006) and 20th (2012) years of progress and more recently, in 2018, in Ponta Delgada, Portugal, 25 Years of Progress in Radar Altimetry. On this latter occasion it was decided to collect contributions of scientists, engineers and managers involved in the worldwide altimetry community to depict the state of altimetry and propose recommendations for the altimetry of the future. This paper summarizes contributions and recommendations that were collected and provides guidance for future mission design, research activities, and sustainable operational radar altimetry data exploitation. Recommendations provided are fundamental for optimizing further scientific and operational advances of oceanographic observations by altimetry, including requirements for spatial and temporal resolution of altimetric measurements, their accuracy and continuity. There are also new challenges and new openings mentioned in the paper that are particularly crucial for observations at higher latitudes, for coastal oceanography, for cryospheric studies and for hydrology. The paper starts with a general introduction followed by a section on Earth System Science including Ocean Dynamics, Sea Level, the Coastal Ocean, Hydrology, the Cryosphere and Polar Oceans and the ‘‘Green” Ocean, extending the frontier from biogeochemistry to marine ecology. Applications are described in a subsequent section, which covers Operational Oceanography, Weather, Hurricane Wave and Wind Forecasting, Climate projection. Instruments’ development and satellite missions’ evolutions are described in a fourth section. A fifth section covers the key observations that altimeters provide and their potential complements, from other Earth observation measurements to in situ data. Section 6 identifies the data and methods and provides some accuracy and resolution requirements for the wet tropospheric correction, the orbit and other geodetic requirements, the Mean Sea Surface, Geoid and Mean Dynamic Topography, Calibration and Validation, data accuracy, data access and handling (including the DUACS system). Section 7 brings a transversal view on scales, integration, artificial intelligence, and capacity building (education and training). Section 8 reviews the programmatic issues followed by a conclusion