Augmented Reality Interfaces for Efficient and Safe Applications in Industry and Services

Lo scopo della ricerca ha riguardato la concezione, l'implementazione ed il test di nuovi concetti di interfaccia basati sulla Realta' Aumentata (AR) per applicazioni nei campi dell'industria e dei servizi, tenendo conto della rapida evoluzione dei sistemi e dei dispositivi inerenti a tale tecnologia in continuo sviluppo. Il risultato finale dello studio e' principalmente rappresentato da un “Video-Based Adaptive and Collaborative AR System”, in cui (a) la tecnologia AR ottica (see-through) è abilitata alla ricezione di stream video multipli in tempo reale da differenti videocamere e/o display (“Video-Based”), (b) gli utenti condividono lo stesso ambiente ma sperimentano differenti visualizzazioni AR ("Adaptive"), (c) lo scambio di informazioni avviene fra tutte le componenti e fra tutti i livelli – fra gli operatori, nonché fra gli stessi ed i loro supervisori, quest’ultimi aventi il compito di ottimizzare le strategie di teamwork in tempo reale ("Collaborative"). Tale Sistema AR ha valore generale e può essere esteso a numerosi campi di applicazione del mondo dell’industria e dei servizi. Come casi di studio particolari, sono stati considerati i contesti "safety-critical" delle torri di controllo aeroportuali e degli elicotteri. In questo modo, la trattazione ha riguardato rispettivamente sia gli impianti di gestione/controllo che i mezzi di trasporto, oovero le due macro-aree in cui ricadono non solo tutte le applicazioni AR relative al campo aeronautico, bensì all’intero settore dei trasporti (terrestri, marittimi, aerei), sia di carattere civile che militare. Integrando stream video multipli in tempo reale all’interno dei layers virtuali della tecnologia AR ottica (see-through), la caratteristica “Video-Based” del Sistema AR implementato offre la possibilita' di colmare il gap di ricerca rappresentato dall’assenza di soluzioni ibride derivanti dalla fusione delle differenti funzionalità che caratterizzano entrambe le categorie distinte (rispettivamente tecnologia AR ottica e video) in cui vengono suddivisi tutti i dispositivi AR.The overall aim of the research was to conceive, develop and test new interface concepts based on Augmented Reality (AR) for applications in industry and services, taking into account the fast evolution of systems and devices dedicated to this quickly maturing technology. The final result of the PhD study is mainly represented by a “Video-Based Adaptive and Collaborative AR System”, where optical AR technology is enabled to receive multiple live video streams from different cameras and/or displays (“Video-Based”), users share the same environment but experience different AR visualizations (Adaptive) and where information exchange happens among all components and all levels (Collaborative) - among users and between users and team supervisors, with the latter having the role of optimizing team strategies in real-time. This AR System has a flexible character and can be generalized and easily extended to many application fields in industry and services. The case studies here considered, namely related to the airport control towers and helicopters, have been developed in order to support in understanding the impact that the implementation of this kind of AR concept would bring to such safety-critical operations in the aeronautical sector. The “Video-Based” feature offers the possibility of integrating multiple live video streams in the virtual layer of an optical AR system and tackles the research gap represented by the lack of hybrid solutions deriving from the fusion of the different functionalities characterizing both the distinctive categories the whole AR technology is divided into, namely optical and video AR technology

Brain–Computer Interface-Based Adaptive Automation to Prevent Out-Of-The-Loop Phenomenon in Air Traffic Controllers Dealing With Highly Automated Systems

International audienceIncreasing the level of automation in air traffic management is seen as a measure to increase the performance of the service to satisfy the predicted future demand. This is expected to result in new roles for the human operator: he will mainly monitor highly automated systems and seldom intervene. Therefore, air traffic controllers (ATCos) would often work in a supervisory or control mode rather than in a direct operating mode. However, it has been demonstrated how human operators in such a role are affected by human performance issues, known as Out-Of-The-Loop (OOTL) phenomenon, consisting in lack of attention, loss of situational awareness and de-skilling. A countermeasure to this phenomenon has been identified in the adaptive automation (AA), i.e., a system able to allocate the operative tasks to the machine or to the operator depending on their needs. In this context, psychophysiological measures have been highlighted as powerful tool to provide a reliable, unobtrusive and real-time assessment of the ATCo’s mental state to be used as control logic for AA-based systems. In this paper, it is presented the so-called “Vigilance and Attention Controller”, a system based on electroencephalography (EEG) and eye-tracking (ET) techniques, aimed to assess in real time the vigilance level of an ATCo dealing with a highly automated human–machine interface and to use this measure to adapt the level of automation of the interface itself. The system has been tested on 14 professional ATCos performing two highly realistic scenarios, one with the system disabled and one with the system enabled. The results confirmed that (i) long high automated tasks induce vigilance decreasing and OOTL-related phenomena; (ii) EEG measures are sensitive to these kinds of mental impairments; and (iii) AA was able to counteract this negative effect by keeping the ATCo more involved within the operative task. The results were confirmed by EEG and ET measures as well as by performance and subjective ones, providing a clear example of potential applications and related benefits of AA

The use of synthetic vision tools in the control tower environment : the RETINA concept

The Resilient Synthetic Vision for Advanced Control Tower Air Navigation Service Provision (RETINA) project is one of the selected Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) exploratory research projects on High Performing Airport Operations and it investigates the potential and applicability of Virtual/Augmented Reality (V/AR) technologies for the provision of Air Traffic Control (ATC) service by the airport control tower. The project assesses whether those concepts that stand behind tools such as Head-Mounted Displays (HUDs), Enhanced Vision Systems (EVSs) and Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) can be transferred to ATC with relatively low effort and substantial benefits for controllers' Situational Awareness (SA). In doing so, two different augmented reality systems are investigated: Spatial Displays (SD) that, potentially, can be made to coincide with the tower windows and See-Through Head-Mounted Displays (ST-HMD). In this context the RETINA concept will enable the Air Traffic Controller to have a head-up view of the airport traffic even in low visibility conditions, similar to the vision currently provided in the cockpit with Head-Up displays. In the two-year project, the RETINA concept was developed, implemented and validated by means of human-in-the-loop simulations where the external view is provided to the user through a high fidelity 3D digital model in an immersive environment

Laurea Magistrale in Didattica e Comunicazione delle Scienze Naturali

Nell’anno accademico 2020-2021 partirà presso l’Università degli Studi di Bologna la Laurea Magistrale “Didattica e Comunicazione delle Scienze Naturali (DiCoSN)”. L’attivazione di questa LM risponde a diverse sollecitazioni del modo culturale e sociale: la spinta all’innovazione scientifica e tecnologica che sta coinvolgendo la didattica negli Atenei italiani; la necessità di dare ai docenti una formazione di qualità, inclusiva e adatta ad ambienti di apprendimento diversificati, l’importanza di diffondere l’informazione sulle scienze naturali a tutta la collettività; l’esigenza di multidisciplinarietà nella vita culturale e sociale. L’obiettivo formativo di DiCoSN è fornire strumenti culturali e competenze necessarie per inserirsi nella ramificata filiera della formazione e dell’educazione nell’ambito delle Scienze Naturali. Verranno, infatti, formati professionisti capaci di innovare meccanismi e modalità di insegnamento/apprendimento dei contenuti scientifici. In particolare, i laureati DiCoSN matureranno i 24 CFU richiesti per accedere a concorsi per l’insegnamento delle Scienze Naturali nelle scuole secondarie di secondo grado

Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), Far Detector Technical Design Report, Volume I Introduction to DUNE

International audienceThe preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, the dynamics of the supernovae that produced the heavy elements necessary for life, and whether protons eventually decay—these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our universe, its current state, and its eventual fate. The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an international world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions as it searches for leptonic charge-parity symmetry violation, stands ready to capture supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. The DUNE far detector technical design report (TDR) describes the DUNE physics program and the technical designs of the single- and dual-phase DUNE liquid argon TPC far detector modules. This TDR is intended to justify the technical choices for the far detector that flow down from the high-level physics goals through requirements at all levels of the Project. Volume I contains an executive summary that introduces the DUNE science program, the far detector and the strategy for its modular designs, and the organization and management of the Project. The remainder of Volume I provides more detail on the science program that drives the choice of detector technologies and on the technologies themselves. It also introduces the designs for the DUNE near detector and the DUNE computing model, for which DUNE is planning design reports. Volume II of this TDR describes DUNE's physics program in detail. Volume III describes the technical coordination required for the far detector design, construction, installation, and integration, and its organizational structure. Volume IV describes the single-phase far detector technology. A planned Volume V will describe the dual-phase technology

Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), Far Detector Technical Design Report, Volume II: DUNE Physics

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, the dynamics of the supernovae that produced the heavy elements necessary for life, and whether protons eventually decay -- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our universe, its current state, and its eventual fate. DUNE is an international world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions as it searches for leptonic charge-parity symmetry violation, stands ready to capture supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. The DUNE far detector technical design report (TDR) describes the DUNE physics program and the technical designs of the single- and dual-phase DUNE liquid argon TPC far detector modules. Volume II of this TDR, DUNE Physics, describes the array of identified scientific opportunities and key goals. Crucially, we also report our best current understanding of the capability of DUNE to realize these goals, along with the detailed arguments and investigations on which this understanding is based. This TDR volume documents the scientific basis underlying the conception and design of the LBNF/DUNE experimental configurations. As a result, the description of DUNE's experimental capabilities constitutes the bulk of the document. Key linkages between requirements for successful execution of the physics program and primary specifications of the experimental configurations are drawn and summarized. This document also serves a wider purpose as a statement on the scientific potential of DUNE as a central component within a global program of frontier theoretical and experimental particle physics research. Thus, the presentation also aims to serve as a resource for the particle physics community at large

Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) Near Detector Conceptual Design Report

International audienceThe Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an international, world-class experiment aimed at exploring fundamental questions about the universe that are at the forefront of astrophysics and particle physics research. DUNE will study questions pertaining to the preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, the dynamics of supernovae, the subtleties of neutrino interaction physics, and a number of beyond the Standard Model topics accessible in a powerful neutrino beam. A critical component of the DUNE physics program involves the study of changes in a powerful beam of neutrinos, i.e., neutrino oscillations, as the neutrinos propagate a long distance. The experiment consists of a near detector, sited close to the source of the beam, and a far detector, sited along the beam at a large distance. This document, the DUNE Near Detector Conceptual Design Report (CDR), describes the design of the DUNE near detector and the science program that drives the design and technology choices. The goals and requirements underlying the design, along with projected performance are given. It serves as a starting point for a more detailed design that will be described in future documents

Scintillation light detection in the 6-m drift-length ProtoDUNE Dual Phase liquid argon TPC

DUNE is a dual-site experiment for long-baseline neutrino oscillation studies, neutrino astrophysics and nucleon decay searches. ProtoDUNE Dual Phase (DP) is a 6 $\times$ 6 $\times$ 6 m$^3$ liquid argon time-projection-chamber (LArTPC) that recorded cosmic-muon data at the CERN Neutrino Platform in 2019–2020 as a prototype of the DUNE Far Detector. Charged particles propagating through the LArTPC produce ionization and scintillation light. The scintillation light signal in these detectors can provide the trigger for non-beam events. In addition, it adds precise timing capabilities and improves the calorimetry measurements. In ProtoDUNE-DP, scintillation and electroluminescence light produced by cosmic muons in the LArTPC is collected by photomultiplier tubes placed up to 7 m away from the ionizing track. In this paper, the ProtoDUNE-DP photon detection system performance is evaluated with a particular focus on the different wavelength shifters, such as PEN and TPB, and the use of Xe-doped LAr, considering its future use in giant LArTPCs. The scintillation light production and propagation processes are analyzed and a comparison of simulation to data is performed, improving understanding of the liquid argon properties.DUNE is a dual-site experiment for long-baseline neutrino oscillation studies, neutrino astrophysics and nucleon decay searches. ProtoDUNE Dual Phase (DP) is a 6x6x6m3 liquid argon time-projection-chamber (LArTPC) that recorded cosmic-muon data at the CERN Neutrino Platform in 2019-2020 as a prototype of the DUNE Far Detector. Charged particles propagating through the LArTPC produce ionization and scintillation light. The scintillation light signal in these detectors can provide the trigger for non-beam events. In addition, it adds precise timing capabilities and improves the calorimetry measurements. In ProtoDUNE-DP, scintillation and electroluminescence light produced by cosmic muons in the LArTPC is collected by photomultiplier tubes placed up to 7 m away from the ionizing track. In this paper, the ProtoDUNE-DP photon detection system performance is evaluated with a particular focus on the different wavelength shifters, such as PEN and TPB, and the use of Xe-doped LAr, considering its future use in giant LArTPCs. The scintillation light production and propagation processes are analyzed and a comparison of simulation to data is performed, improving understanding of the liquid argon properties

Reconstruction of interactions in the ProtoDUNE-SP detector with Pandora

International audienceThe Pandora Software Development Kit and algorithm libraries provide pattern-recognition logic essential to the reconstruction of particle interactions in liquid argon time projection chamber detectors. Pandora is the primary event reconstruction software used at ProtoDUNE-SP, a prototype for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment far detector. ProtoDUNE-SP, located at CERN, is exposed to a charged-particle test beam. This paper gives an overview of the Pandora reconstruction algorithms and how they have been tailored for use at ProtoDUNE-SP. In complex events with numerous cosmic-ray and beam background particles, the simulated reconstruction and identification efficiency for triggered test-beam particles is above 80% for the majority of particle type and beam momentum combinations. Specifically, simulated 1 GeV/$c$ charged pions and protons are correctly reconstructed and identified with efficiencies of 86.1$\pm0.6$% and 84.1$\pm0.6$%, respectively. The efficiencies measured for test-beam data are shown to be within 5% of those predicted by the simulation