A Smart Phone Tool to Create Photo Collages

AbstractThis paper presents the application PhotoPieces, a software tool which allows people to create photo collages on the fly in a camera-equipped handheld device using predefined or custom templates. Users can also create their own templates on-the- fly taking a photo and transforming it into a multi-region image template. A preliminary study with different types of users has been conducted to evaluate its value as a creative tool

Levitation Simulator: Prototyping Ultrasonic Levitation Interfaces in Virtual Reality

We present the Levitation Simulator, a system that enables researchers and designers to iteratively develop and prototype levitation interface ideas in Virtual Reality. This includes user tests and formal experiments. We derive a model of the movement of a levitating particle in such an interface. Based on this, we develop an interactive simulation of the levitation interface in VR, which exhibits the dynamical properties of the real interface. The results of a Fitts' Law pointing study show that the Levitation Simulator enables performance, comparable to the real prototype. We developed the first two interactive games, dedicated for levitation interfaces: LeviShooter and BeadBounce, in the Levitation Simulator, and then implemented them on the real interface. Our results indicate that participants experienced similar levels of user engagement when playing the games, in the two environments. We share our Levitation Simulator as Open Source, thereby democratizing levitation research, without the need for a levitation apparatus.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures, CHI'2

LeviSense: a platform for the multisensory integration in levitating food and insights into its effect on flavour perception

Eating is one of the most multisensory experiences in everyday life. All of our five senses (i.e. taste, smell, vision, hearing and touch) are involved, even if we are not aware of it. However, while multisensory integration has been well studied in psychology, there is not a single platform for testing systematically the effects of different stimuli. This lack of platform results in unresolved design challenges for the design of taste-based immersive experiences. Here, we present LeviSense: the first system designed for multisensory integration in gustatory experiences based on levitated food. Our system enables the systematic exploration of different sensory effects on eating experiences. It also opens up new opportunities for other professionals (e.g., molecular gastronomy chefs) looking for innovative taste-delivery platforms. We describe the design process behind LeviSense and conduct two experiments to test a subset of the crossmodal combinations (i.e., taste and vision, taste and smell). Our results show how different lighting and smell conditions affect the perceived taste intensity, pleasantness, and satisfaction. We discuss how LeviSense creates a new technical, creative, and expressive possibilities in a series of emerging design spaces within Human-Food Interaction

Numerical and experimental investigation of the stability of a drop in a single-axis acoustic levitator

Acoustic levitation can be employed to hold liquid drops in midair, enabling novel applications in X-ray scattering of proteins, amorphous crystallization of solutions, or contactless mixing. Multiple studies have characterized the physical behavior of a levitated drop inside an acoustic field. Here, we present a numerical and experimental study on the acoustic levitation of water drops in a single-Axis acoustic levitator consisting of an ultrasonic transducer and an opposing reflector. Instead of modeling an abstract incident acoustic field, our model considers the shape of the drop as well as the real geometry of the levitator. We also use a high-speed camera to observe the disintegration and the undesired oscillations of the drops. Our results show that the insertion of a drop in the levitator provokes a shift in its resonant frequency that depends on the shape of the drop. Second, the levitation behavior depends on whether the levitator operates slightly below or above the resonance. Third, if the levitator is driven above the resonant frequency, it is possible to levitate with more strength and avoid disintegration of the drop. This research provides an insight on how to achieve more stable experiments that avoid the bursting and undesired oscillations of the levitated sample. We hope that it will facilitate numerous experiments involving acoustically levitated liquid drops.This work was supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation—FAPESP (Grant No. 2017/27078-0)

Acoustic levitation in mid-air: recent advances, challenges, and future perspectives

Mid-air acoustic levitation is becoming a powerful tool to suspend and manipulate millimetric objects. Because of its unique characteristics, acoustic levitation is suitable to trap a wide variety of materials such as liquids, solids, soap bubbles, and even living creatures. Acoustic levitation can also be combined with noncontact measurement systems, allowing contactless analysis and characterization of levitating samples. In this article, we review some of the advances that have been made over the last decade. We also present the technical challenges that must be overcome in order to extend the capability of current acoustic levitation devices and, finally, we point out future directions for acoustic levitation.This work was supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation–FAPESP (Grant No. 2017/27078-0) and by the Government of Navarre through Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) Project No. 0011-1365-2019-000086