Numerably Contractible Spaces

Numerably contractible spaces play an important role in the theory of homotopy pushouts and pullbacks. The corresponding results imply that a number of well known weak homotopy equivalences are genuine ones if numerably contractible spaces are involved. In this paper we give a first systematic investigation of numerably contractible spaces. We list the elementary properties of the category of these spaces. We then study simplicial objects in this category. In particular, we show that the topological realization functor preserves fibration sequences if the base is path-connected and numerably contractible in each dimension. Consequently, the loop space functor commutes with realization up to homotopy. We give simple conditions which assure that free algebras over a topological operad are numerably contractible.Comment: 24 page

A Theoretical Model of Augmented Reality Acceptance

Recent tourism research increasingly explored the opportunities of using Augmented Reality (AR) in order to boost tourism and increase the value for tourists while travelling within a destination. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been applied to a number of research disciplines, lately also AR however, studies focusing on the tourism context are still scarce. As this field is expected to increase in importance rapidly due to technological advancements and research into functionality, acceptance and usefulness, it is important to identify what the basic requirements are for AR to be accepted by users. Furthermore, the provision of a conceptual model provides researchers with a starting point on which they can base their future research. Therefore, this paper proposes an AR acceptance model including five external variables that might be included in future AR acceptance research

Mapping Requirements for the Wearable Smart Glasses Augmented Reality Museum Application

Purpose: Recent advancements in wearable computing offer opportunities for art galleries to provide a unique experience. However, in order to ensure successful implementation of this new technology in the visitor industry, it is essential to understand user requirements from a visitor's point of view. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to investigate visitors' requirements for the development of a wearable smart glasses Augmented Reality (AR) application in the museum and art gallery context. Design/Methodology/Approach: Interviews with 28 art gallery visitors were conducted and an affinity diagram technique was used to analyze the interviews. Findings: The findings reveal that wearable AR is in its infancy and that technical and design issues have to be overcome for a full adoption. It reveals that content requirement, functional requirement, comfort, experience and resistance are important when developing and implementing the wearable AR application in the museum and art gallery context. Originality/Value: Mapping user requirements in the wearable smart glasses AR context using an affinity diagram is a new approach and therefore contributes to the creation of knowledge in the tourism domain. Practically, the area of wearable technologies and AR within the tourism and visitor industry context is still relatively unexplored and the present paper provides a first foundation for the implementation of wearable smart glasses AR applications in the museum and art gallery context

A Theoretical Model of Augmented Reality Acceptance

Recent tourism research increasingly explored the opportunities of using Augmented Reality (AR) in order to boost tourism and increase the value for tourists while travelling within a destination. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been applied to a number of research disciplines, lately also AR however, studies focusing on the tourism context are still scarce. As this field is expected to increase in importance rapidly due to technological advancements and research into functionality, acceptance and usefulness, it is important to identify what the basic requirements are for AR to be accepted by users. Furthermore, the provision of a conceptual model provides researchers with a starting point on which they can base their future research. Therefore, this paper proposes an AR acceptance model including five external variables that might be included in future AR acceptance research

User Experience Model for Augmented Reality Applications in Urban Heritage Tourism

While Augmented Reality (AR) is increasingly being implemented across a number of industry sectors, an open issue remains over the emotional as well as experiential impacts of this new technology within urban cultural heritage tourism. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to create a tourist experience model for AR tourism applications in the context of urban heritage tourism. The data were collected through five focus groups with a total of 49 participants. A theoretical tourist experience model was generated using Hassenzahl’s (2003) model of user experience. Hassenzahl’s (2003) model relies on the basic idea that product characteristics and features have an effect on the actual consequences. The data were analysed using thematic analysis in order to examine the alignment of themes according to previously identified themes from the literature as well as investigate new emergent themes from the focus groups. This study extends the theoretical aspect of the user experience model by Hassenzahl (2003) through empirical confirmation. The findings reveal that the user experience is formed by the correlation of product features and the perceptions and experiences of tourists. Due to the fact that successful implementation use cases of mobile AR applications is still limited, particularly within the tourism industry, the establishment of a comprehensive set of factors has been considered to be crucial for successful implementation

Augmented Reality to enhance the Learning Experience in Cultural Heritage Tourism: An Experiential Learning Cycle Perspective

Augmented reality (AR) applications are a powerful, modernized tool with the potential to engage students to develop skills for the future, and enhance the overall learning experience. Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle has been widely adopted in education studies to develop more appropriate learning opportunities. However, the adoption of the specific model in the context of AR as a learning tool for school children in cultural heritage tourism remains scarce. Hence, this study aims to address the gap in the literature, with an aim to assess how utilizing new and innovative technologies can enhance the overall learning experience in the cultural heritage tourism context. Experiments and three focus groups were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis, and findings demonstrate a positive response from participants, revealing that new knowledge was gained as a result of the AR experience, thus, supporting the potential of AR in education, and in cultural heritage tourism

Acceptance of GPS-based Augmented Reality Tourism Applications

The rapid development of Augmented Reality (AR) has resulted in an increased interest by the tourism industry to implement this cutting edge technology into the visitor experience at destinations. However, tourism research focusing on augmented reality is still relatively limited with only few studies focusing on augmented reality acceptance. This study uses an extended technology acceptance model to test tourists’ acceptance of GPS-based Augmented Reality application at a themepark in Jeju Island, South Korea. A total of 186 usable data were collected and analysed using a structural equation modelling. The findings show that personal innovation, trust and relative benefits influence tourists’ adoption of GPS-based AR applications

Quantum symmetric pairs and representations of double affine Hecke algebras of type C∨CnC^\vee C_n

We build representations of the affine and double affine braid groups and Hecke algebras of type $C^\vee C_n$, based upon the theory of quantum symmetric pairs $(U,B)$. In the case $U=U_q(gl_N)$, our constructions provide a quantization of the representations constructed by Etingof, Freund and Ma in arXiv:0801.1530, and also a type $BC$ generalization of the results in arXiv:0805.2766.Comment: Final version, to appear in Selecta Mathematic

Relationships among beliefs, attitudes, time resources, subjective norms, and intentions to use wearable augmented reality in art galleries

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. As a result of interactive and immersive technologies such as augmented reality, almost every service business has changed their ways of engaging with consumers. However, there has been little research on acceptance and use of wearable augmented reality (AR) in interactive services in museums and art galleries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the causal relationships among customers’ beliefs, evaluation, attitudes, perceived behavior control (time resources), subjective norms, and intentions to use wearable AR and visit a tourist attraction (an art gallery) using the theory of planned behavior. The results showed that time resources affected intention to visit an art gallery, while attitude toward wearable AR had an impact on intention to use wearable AR. Subjective norms were found to predict intentions, and the intention to use wearable AR was found to influence the intention to visit an art gallery