A method to control LED blinking for position detection of devices on conductive clothes

Various wearable computing devices face problems with their power supplies, communication channels, and placement. Conductive clothes can resolve these problems, but it is still difficult to know the positions of devices on the conductive fabric. Therefore, we have devised a method to detect the positions of such devices by using a camera. To detect the positions our method blinks the LEDs on the devices according to their ID. Additionally, we propose several methods to shorten the time for detection. An experimental evaluation confirmed that compared with conventional method our methods reduce the time to detect the positions of the devices. © 2011 ACM

The Effects of Speed-Modulated Visual Stimuli Seen through Smart Glasses on Work Efficiency after Viewing

It is known that subjective time and work efficiency are affected by visual stimuli. However, existing studies only consider the effects of visual information on the user during viewing and ignore the after effects. Using smart glasses lets users see visual information while moving until just before arriving at the office or school. We hypothesize that the user’s effects from the visual information they were looking at just before working or studying affects the subsequent work. Through two user studies, we investigated whether information presented on smart glasses affected subsequent work efficiency. In the first experiment, participants were presented with avatars running at two levels of speed, or no avatars, through simulated smart glasses in a virtual environment. They then solved a dot-clicking task on a desktop monitor. In the second experiment, we investigated whether the same effect could be shown while walking in the real environment, with a running and a fast-walking avatar both at the same speed in order to see the difference in the effects of the different movements. In the first experiment, we confirmed that the speed of later work tended to improve when presenting the running human-shaped avatar. From the results of the second experiment, which was conducted in the real environment, we did not confirm that the subsequent work speed varied depending on the type of avatar being displayed. As a reason for the trend of improvement in the task efficiency in the first experiment, observation of fast human motion may have unconsciously accelerated the observers’ body movement speed due to the mirror neuron mechanism. As a reason for why the work speed did not improve in the second experiment, the participants may be affected by other pedestrians and running cars. Additionally, it was difficult to see the images on the smart glasses while walking in the real environment

I'm Transforming! Effects of Visual Transitions to Change of Avatar on the Sense of Embodiment in AR

International audienceVirtual avatars are more and more often featured in Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) applications. When embodying a virtual avatar, one may desire to change of appearance over the course of the embodiment. However, switching suddenly from one appearance to another can break the continuity of the user experience and potentially impact the sense of embodiment (SoE), especially when the new appearance is very different. In this paper, we explore how applying smooth visual transitions at the moment of the change can help to maintain the SoE and benefit the general user experience. To address this, we implemented an AR system allowing users to embody a regular-shaped avatar that can be transformed into a muscular one through a visual effect. The avatar’s transformation can be triggered either by the user through physical action (“active” transition), or automatically launched by the system (“passive” transition). We conducted a user study to evaluate the effects of these two types of transformations on the SoE by comparing them to control conditions where there was no visual feedback of the transformation. Our results show that changing the appearance of one’s avatar with an active transition (with visual feedback), compared to a passive transition, helps to maintain the user’s sense of agency, a component of the SoE. They also partially suggest that the Proteus effects experienced during the embodiment were enhanced by these transitions. Therefore, we conclude that visual effects controlled by the user when changing their avatar’s appearance can benefit their experience by preserving the SoE and intensifying the Proteus effects

Method to Grasp a Feeling of Being There by Turning a Head Forcibly while Watching a Tourism Video using a VR Headset

In virtual reality (VR) tourism, when watching a video of a tourist location, the feeling of presence improves the experience. Furthermore, it is desirable to be able to give a feeling of having been there before to the users visiting the site afterward. In this study, we aimed to reveal the factors that provide these feelings. We hypothesized that one of the factors is the perception of self-motion. Therefore, we proposed a method wherein the users were induced to turn their heads to the left and right when watching the video of a tourist site via a VR head-mounted display. We conducted two experiments and found that the proposed method conveyed the greatest sense of presence. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in giving the feeling of having been there between the proposed method and watching the video of the site on a P

Effects of Augmented Reality Object and Texture Presentation on Walking Behavior

Wearable devices that display visual augmented reality (AR) are now on the market, and we are becoming able to see AR displays on a daily basis. By being able to use AR displays in everyday environments, we can benefit from the ability to display AR objects in places where it has been difficult to place signs, to change the content of the display according to the user or time of day, and to display video. However, there has not been sufficient research on AR displays’ effect on users in everyday environments. In this study, we investigate how users are affected by AR displays. In this paper, we report our research results on the AR displays’ effect on the user’s walking behavior. We conducted two types of experiments—one on the effects of displaying AR objects on the user’s walking path, and the other on the effects of changing the floor texture by AR on the user’s walking behavior. As a result of the experiments, we found that the AR objects/textures affected the user’s walking behavior