The Walking Talking Stick: Understanding Automated Note-Taking in Walking Meetings

While walking meetings offer a healthy alternative to sit-down meetings, they also pose practical challenges. Taking notes is difficult while walking, which limits the potential of walking meetings. To address this, we designed the Walking Talking Stick -- a tangible device with integrated voice recording, transcription, and a physical highlighting button to facilitate note-taking during walking meetings. We investigated our system in a three-condition between-subjects user study with thirty pairs of participants ($N$=60) who conducted 15-minute outdoor walking meetings. Participants either used clip-on microphones, the prototype without the button, or the prototype with the highlighting button. We found that the tangible device increased task focus, and the physical highlighting button facilitated turn-taking and resulted in more useful notes. Our work demonstrates how interactive artifacts can incentivize users to hold meetings in motion and enhance conversation dynamics. We contribute insights for future systems which support conducting work tasks in mobile environments.Comment: In CHI 202

Feeling the Temperature of the Room: Unobtrusive Thermal Display of Engagement during Group Communication

Thermal signals have been explored in HCI for emotion-elicitation and enhancing two-person communication, showing that temperature invokes social and emotional signals in individuals. Yet, extending these findings to group communication is missing. We investigated how thermal signals can be used to communicate group affective states in a hybrid meeting scenario to help people feel connected over a distance. We conducted a lab study (N=20 participants) and explored wrist-worn thermal feedback to communicate audience emotions. Our results show that thermal feedback is an effective method of conveying audience engagement without increasing workload and can help a presenter feel more in tune with the audience. We outline design implications for real-world wearable social thermal feedback systems for both virtual and in-person communication that support group affect communication and social connectedness. Thermal feedback has the potential to connect people across distances and facilitate more effective and dynamic communication in multiple contexts.Comment: In IMWUT 202

VR-Hiking: Physical Exertion Benefits Mindfulness and Positive Emotions in Virtual Reality

Exploring the great outdoors offers physical and mental health benefits. Hiking is healthy, provides a sense of accomplishment, and offers an opportunity to relax. However, a nature trip is not always possible, and there is a lack of evidence showing how these beneficial experiences can be replicated in Virtual Reality (VR). In response, we recruited (N=24) participants to explore a virtual mountain landscape in a within-subjects study with different levels of exertion: walking, using a chairlift, and teleporting. We found that physical exertion when walking produced significantly more positive emotions and mindfulness than other conditions. Our research shows that physically demanding outdoor activities in VR can be beneficial for the user and that the achievement of hiking up a virtual mountain on a treadmill positively impacts wellbeing. We demonstrate how physical exertion can be used to add mindfulness and positive affect to VR experiences and discuss consequences for VR designers

A clinical C-arm base-tracking system using computer vision for intraoperative guidance

Mobile C-arm X-ray machines are commonly used for imaging during orthopaedic surgeries to visualize internal anatomy during procedures. However, there is evidence indicating that excess operating time and radiation exposure result from the use of scouting images to aid C-arm positioning during surgery. Additionally, C-arms are currently used primarily as a qualitative tool. Several techniques have been proposed to improve positioning, reduce radiation exposure, and increase quantitative utility, but they require accurate C-arm position tracking. There have been attempts by other research groups to develop C-arm tracking systems, but there are currently no solutions suitable for use in an operating room. The objective of this thesis is therefore to present the development and verification of a real-time C-arm base-tracking system called OPTIX (On-board Position Tracking for Intraoperative X-rays). The proposed tracking system uses a single floor-facing camera mounted to the base of a C-arm. A computer vision algorithm was developed that tracks motion relative to the operating room floor. This system is capable of relative motion tracking as well as absolute position recovery for previous positions. The accuracy of the system was evaluated on a real C-arm in a simulated operating room. The experimental results demonstrated that the relative tracking algorithm can measure C-arm translation with errors of less than 0.75% of the total distance travelled, and orientation with errors better than 5% of the cumulative rotation. With the incorporated loop closure step, OPTIX can be used to achieve C-arm repositioning with translation errors of less than 1.10±0.07 mm and rotation errors of less than 0.17 ±0.02°. These results are well within the desired system requirements of 5 mm and 3.1°. The system has shown promising results for use as a C-arm base-tracking system. The system has clinically acceptable accuracies and should lead to a reduced need for scouting images when re-obtaining a previous position. The base-tracking system can be integrated with a C-arm joint tracking system, or implemented on its own for steering guidance. When implemented in an operating room, OPTIX has the potential to lead to a reduction in operating time and harmful radiation exposure to surgical staff.Applied Science, Faculty ofBiomedical Engineering, School ofGraduat

Charting the Path: Requirements and Constraints for Technology-Supported Walking Meetings

Traditional meetings involve extensive sitting, which negatively impacts the health of attendees. Understanding how technology can facilitate integrating physical activity into the workplace, such as in walking meetings, is vital to improving workplace wellbeing. To that end, we applied a mixed-method approach to explore requirements and opportunities for walking meetings. We conducted an online questionnaire and a series of interviews with early adopters of walking meetings and created design fictions based on their feedback. We evaluated the design fictions with a second questionnaire and garnered additional feedback from the original early adopters. Based on our findings, we derived four dimensions associated with walking meetings: practical, environmental, social, and cognitive facets. We define attributes, challenges, and opportunities within these dimensions which are important for designing systems that support walking meetings. Our work identifies key considerations for developing systems that integrate physical activity into communication activities

MaDrone: Using drones to facilitate connectedness across geographic boundaries

The emergence of affordable consumer drones promises new perspectives for interacting with the physical world around us. Affordable, accessible, and easy to operate drones have the potential to overcome geographic boundaries between users living in different locations and subsequently foster connectedness. Yet, the design space of using drones to facilitate social interactions beyond geographic boundaries is still underexplored. In this position paper, we envision principles derived from the concept of lucid engagement and the psychological need for connectedness to explore how drones can mediate social interactions. We introduce our design concept and discuss it based on a specific application scenario. We discuss the opportunities and challenges related to our interaction concept. Finally, we outline next steps for future research

MaDrone: Using drones to facilitate connectedness across geographic boundaries

The emergence of affordable consumer drones promises new perspectives for interacting with the physical world around us. Affordable, accessible, and easy to operate drones have the potential to overcome geographic boundaries between users living in different locations and subsequently foster connectedness. Yet, the design space of using drones to facilitate social interactions beyond geographic boundaries is still underexplored. In this position paper, we envision principles derived from the concept of lucid engagement and the psychological need for connectedness to explore how drones can mediate social interactions. We introduce our design concept and discuss it based on a specific application scenario. We discuss the opportunities and challenges related to our interaction concept. Finally, we outline next steps for future research