CoVR: A Large-Scale Force-Feedback Robotic Interface for Non-Deterministic Scenarios in VR

We present CoVR, a novel robotic interface providing strong kinesthetic feedback (100 N) in a room-scale VR arena. It consists of a physical column mounted on a 2D Cartesian ceiling robot (XY displacements) with the capacity of (1) resisting to body-scaled users' actions such as pushing or leaning; (2) acting on the users by pulling or transporting them as well as (3) carrying multiple potentially heavy objects (up to 80kg) that users can freely manipulate or make interact with each other. We describe its implementation and define a trajectory generation algorithm based on a novel user intention model to support non-deterministic scenarios, where the users are free to interact with any virtual object of interest with no regards to the scenarios' progress. A technical evaluation and a user study demonstrate the feasibility and usability of CoVR, as well as the relevance of whole-body interactions involving strong forces, such as being pulled through or transported.Comment: 10 pages (without references), 14 pages tota

Evaluation of the effects of subgingival injection of Simvastatin on space re-opening after orthodontic space closure in adults

Background. This clinical trial evaluated the effect of Simvastatin on space re-opening after orthodontic space closure and its effect on the gingival index (GI) and clinical attachment loss (CAL). Methods. 16 females, 25‒40 years old, with spaces between anterior mandibular teeth due to chronic periodontitis were participated in this study. The patients were randomly divided into control and experimental groups. In the experimental group, 1.2% Simvastatin gel and in the control group, 0.9% sodium chloride as a placebo was injected into the pocket depth of the six anterior teeth. The amount of space reopening, GI and CAL were measured. Results. No serious complications were observed during interventions and follow-up periods. Space re-opening was significantly reduced in patients receiving Simvastatin (P < 0.001). Moreover, GI reduction was significantly greater in Sim-vastatin group compared to the control group (P < 0.001). However, CAL did not demonstrate a significant difference between the groups. Conclusion. Simvastatin may decrease space re-opening after orthodontic space closure in human anterior teeth

Narrow-Band Ultraviolet B versus Oral Minocycline in Treatment of Unstable Vitiligo: A Prospective Comparative Trial

Background. We have compared NB-UVB and oral minocycline in stabilizing vitiligo for the first time. Subjects and Methods. 42 patients were divided equally into two groups: the NB-UVB and minocycline groups. Phototherapy was administered twice a week on nonconsecutive days. In the minocycline group, patients were advised to take minocycline 100 mg once daily. The treatment period was 3 months. Vitiligo disease activity (VIDA) score was noted every 4 weeks for 12 months. Digital photographs were taken at baseline and monthly intervals. Results. Before the therapy, disease activity was present in 100% of the patients, which was reduced to 23.8% and 66.1% by the end of therapy in the NB-UVB and minocycline groups retrospectively (P<0.05). 16 of the 21 (76/1%) patients with unstable disease in the NB-UVB group achieved stability, whereas this was the case for only 7 of the 21 (33.3%) in the minocycline group (P<0.001). The diameter changes were statistically significant at the end of treatment in the NB-UVB group compared to the minocycline group (P=0.031). Side effects in both groups were mild. Conclusion. NB-UVB was statistically more advantageous than oral minocycline in unstable vitiligo in terms of efficacy and the resulting stability

Domestic drones : context of use in research literature

Domestic robotic entities are on the rise, out of which, domestic drones are taking place in our society as one of the upcoming interactive technologies that we will see in our daily lives. In this paper, we scope for research literature that addresses the use of domestic drones within our environments to understand the current usage as well as identifying future research directions. After performing a search based collection of relevant papers in the ACM digital library (N=61 papers), we analysed the drone's application areas, their interaction modalities, the target users, and the level of autonomy of the proposed systems. The results show interesting trends in the modalities of interaction (visual projection combined with hand/foot gestures) as well as important research gaps such as child-drone interaction, and the use of drones for healthcare or education, given that currently most use cases for domestic drones are generic in nature

FaceHaptics: Robot Arm based Versatile Facial Haptics for Immersive Environments

This paper introduces FaceHaptics, a novel haptic display based on a robot arm attached to a head-mounted virtual reality display. It provides localized, multi-directional and movable haptic cues in the form of wind, warmth, moving and single-point touch events and water spray to dedicated parts of the face not covered by the head-mounted display.The easily extensible system, however, can principally mount any type of compact haptic actuator or object. User study 1 showed that users appreciate the directional resolution of cues, and can judge wind direction well, especially when they move their head and wind direction is adjusted dynamically to compensate for head rotations. Study 2 showed that adding FaceHaptics cues to a VR walkthrough can significantly improve user experience, presence, and emotional responses