The role of play

Play is seen as an activity that is fun, voluntary, offers escape, and is fundamentally exciting. Play is however, more than that; it is a working model of flexibility! There is a vital link between play, psychological development and learning. Moreover, the importance of play has gained importance by modern gaming, social networks and digital culture. Huizinga pointed out that play is of profound value to our culture. In his book Homo Ludens, play is restricted to a specific time and place. In the chair Design of Playful Interactions, we focus on new forms of play, which are integrated in daily activities (work, education) or other practices, e.g. art or citizenship, and share several qualities: exploration, communication, personalization and expression. In my lecture I will "play the ball", highlighting our educational and research efforts to design interactive toys, games, playgrounds, interactive art and (entertainment) applications. I will sketch future developments and relate these to examples in digital culture

The role of play

Play is seen as an activity that is fun, voluntary, offers escape, and is fundamentally exciting. Play is however, more than that; it is a working model of flexibility! There is a vital link between play, psychological development and learning. Moreover, the importance of play has gained importance by modern gaming, social networks and digital culture. Huizinga pointed out that play is of profound value to our culture. In his book Homo Ludens, play is restricted to a specific time and place. In the chair Design of Playful Interactions, we focus on new forms of play, which are integrated in daily activities (work, education) or other practices, e.g. art or citizenship, and share several qualities: exploration, communication, personalization and expression. In my lecture I will "play the ball", highlighting our educational and research efforts to design interactive toys, games, playgrounds, interactive art and (entertainment) applications. I will sketch future developments and relate these to examples in digital culture

Giving eyes to ICT!, or How does a computer recognize a cow?

Het door Schouten en andere onderzoekers op het CWI ontwikkelde systeem berust op het beschrijven van beelden met behulp van fractale meetkunde. De menselijke waarneming blijkt mede daardoor zo efficiënt omdat zij sterk werkt met gelijkenissen. Het ligt dus voor de hand het te zoeken in wiskundige methoden die dat ook doen. Schouten heeft daarom beeldcodering met behulp van 'fractals' onderzocht. Fractals zijn zelfgelijkende meetkundige figuren, opgebouwd door herhaalde transformatie (iteratie) van een eenvoudig basispatroon, dat zich daardoor op steeds kleinere schalen vertakt. Op elk niveau van detaillering lijkt een fractal op zichzelf (Droste-effect). Met fractals kan men vrij eenvoudig bedrieglijk echte natuurvoorstellingen maken. Fractale beeldcodering gaat ervan uit dat het omgekeerde ook geldt: een beeld effectief opslaan in de vorm van de basispatronen van een klein aantal fractals, samen met het voorschrift hoe het oorspronkelijke beeld daaruit te reconstrueren. Het op het CWI in samenwerking met onderzoekers uit Leuven ontwikkelde systeem is mede gebaseerd op deze methode. ISBN 906196502

Fractal transforms and feature invariance

In this paper, fractal transforms are employed with the aim of image recognition. It is known that such transforms are highly sensitive to distortions like a small shift of an image. However, by using features based on statistics kept during the actual decomposition we can derive features from fractal transforms, which are invariant to perturbations like rotation, translation, folding or contrast scaling. Further, we introduce a feature invariance measure, which reveals the degree of invariance of a feature with respect to a database. The features and the way their invariance is measured, appear well suited for the application to images of textures

Feature Extraction Using Fractal Codes

Fast and successful searching for an object in a multimedia database is a highly desirable functionality. Several approaches to content based retrieval for multimedia databases can be found in the literature [9,10,12,14,17]. The approach we consider is feature extraction. A feature can be seen as a way to present simple information like the texture, color and spatial information of an image, or the pitch, frequency of a sound etc. In this paper we present a method for feature extraction on texture and spatial similarity, using fractal coding techniques. Our method is based upon the observation that the coefficients describing the fractal code of an image, contain very useful information about the structural content of the image. We apply simple statistics on information produced by fractal image coding. The statistics reveal features and require a small amount of storage. Several invariances are a consequence of the used methods: size, global contrast, orientation

The introduction of IMO, an integrated model for designing for open-­ended play

Designing for open-ended play poses specific new challenges to designers. Designing for closed games includes defining rules and goals to balanced the game properly. A design for open-ended play has no predefined rules and goals. The design needs to provide users with more freedom to continually change goals and rules of play, which distinguishes the field from designs of closed games. Gaining knowledge on the design process of creating this freedom is essential. For this purpose, an integrated model for open-ended play is proposed. This model is based on a combination of two existing models: Hunicke’s Mechanics Dynamics and Aesthetics (MDA) model and Grünvogel’s formal models for game design. Both of the above mentioned existing models are generalized to make them applicable for analyzing open-ended play. In the proposed combined model we distinguish between the perspectives of the design, and the perspective of play. It addresses how to handle changing rules and goals, instead of the assumptions that rules and goals do not change. Furthermore, the model was used to improve our understanding on progression and emergence, two key concepts that are commonly used in game design. The integrated model for open-ended play (IMO) was used in a preliminary case study with a digital play application, an interactive environment for open-ended play named the GlowSteps, to evaluate the model and to underline our insights on emergence and progression.Designing for open-ended play poses specific new challenges to designers. Designing for closed games includes defining rules and goals to balanced the game properly. A design for open-ended play has no predefined rules and goals. The design needs to provide users with more freedom to continually change goals and rules of play, which distinguishes the field from designs of closed games. Gaining knowledge on the design process of creating this freedom is essential. For this purpose, an integrated model for open-ended play is proposed. This model is based on a combination of two existing models: Hunicke’s Mechanics Dynamics and Aesthetics (MDA) model and Grünvogel’s formal models for game design. Both of the above mentioned existing models are generalized to make them applicable for analyzing open-ended play. In the proposed combined model we distinguish between the perspectives of the design, and the perspective of play. It addresses how to handle changing rules and goals, instead of the assumptions that rules and goals do not change. Furthermore, the model was used to improve our understanding on progression and emergence, two key concepts that are commonly used in game design. The integrated model for open-ended play (IMO) was used in a preliminary case study with a digital play application, an interactive environment for open-ended play named the GlowSteps, to evaluate the model and to underline our insights on emergence and progression

To a better risk analysis and validation of E-health applications in health care and prevention

Bestaande methodieken voor risico-inschatting van medische hulpmiddelen worden ingehaald door de snelle opkomst en beschibaarheid van apps, serious games en online e-health applicaties. Er is gebrek aan transparantie voor eindgebruikers (consumenten, patienten, zorgprofessionals en –bemiddelaars en zorgverzekeraars) over de status, werking en effectiviteit van deze nieuwe middelen. Tegelijkertijd leiden bestaande filters voor risico-inschatting van medische hulpmiddelen voor vaak onterecht tot (te) zware validatie-eisen aan deze nieuwe middelen, wat hun mogelijke bijdrage aan betere en betaalbare zorg voor de patiënt belemmert. Ook werpt het barrières op voor nieuwe ondernemende toetreders tot de zorgmarkt en hun innovatieve ideeën. Van groot belang bij een verbeterd systeem is een zo kort mogelijke doorlooptijd van deze vorm van kwaliteitszorg gezien de snelheid van technologische ontwikkelingen in zowel de technische platformen als de daarop draaiende applicaties (critical time-to-market) zodat producten niet hun waarde verliezen voor ze op de markt hebben kunnen komen

BioSecure: white paper for research in biometrics beyond BioSecure

This report is the output of a consultation process of various major stakeholders in the biometric community to identify the future biometrical research issues, an activity which employed not only researchers but representatives from the entire biometrical community, consisting of governments, industry, citizens and academia. It is one of the main efforts of the BioSecure Network of Excellence to define the agenda for future biometrical research, including systems and applications scenarios