ABSTRACT Augmented Reality Approaches to Sensory Rehabilitation

The potential for augmented reality (AR) technologies to impact work habits and collaborative work is perhaps most striking for individuals with sensory or perceptual impairments. Commercial display and sensing technologies, in combination with on-board computation capabilities (either in the form of specialized hardware or general-purpose wearable computers), are introducing a new generation of adaptive aids. Spectacles and traditional hearing aids are being replaced by customized and context-sensitive conditional display systems. These technologies will enable much broader access, both to day-to-day interaction and to our increasingly information-based workspace. Two specific examples illustrate many of the technological and human factors challenges presented in the development of these new AR sensory aids. The lessons and technological advances gained from these efforts may have much broader implications for the design and implementation of generic AR systems. 1

The Use of Sketch Maps to Measure Cognitive Maps of Virtual Environments

Cognitive maps are mental models of the relative locations and attributes of phenomena in spatial environments. Understanding how people form cognitive maps of virtual environments is vital to effective virtual world design. Unfortunately, such an understanding is hampered by the difficulty of cognitive map measurement. The present study tests the validity of using sketch maps to examine aspects of virtual world cognitive maps. We predict that subjects who report feeling oriented within the virtual world will produce better sketch maps and so sketch map accuracy can be used as an external measure of subject orientation and world knowledge. Results show a high positive correlation between subjective ratings of orientation, world knowledge and sketch map accuracy, supporting our hypothesis that sketch maps provide a valid measure of internal cognitive maps of virtual environments. Results across different worlds also suggest that sketch maps can be used to find an absolute measure for go..

Wearable Computers for Three Dimensional CSCW

Using established principles from the field of Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW), we describe how wearable computers are ideal platforms for three dimensional CSCW. To illustrate this, we present two pilot studies which imply that wearables may be able to support three dimensional collaboration and that users will perform better with these interfaces than immersive collaborative environments

Virtual Notepad: Handwriting in Immersive VR

We present Virtual Notepad, a collection of interface tools that allows the user to take notes, annotate documents and input text using a pen, while still immersed in virtual environments (VEs). Using a spatially-tracked, pressure-sensitive graphics tablet, pen and handwriting recognition software, Virtual Notepad explores handwriting as a new modality for interaction in immersive VEs. This paper reports details of the Virtual Notepad interface and interaction techniques, discusses implementation and design issues, reports the results of initial evaluation and overviews possible applications of virtual handwriting. 1. Introduction Writing is a ubiquitous everyday activity. We jot down ideas and memos, scribble comments in the margins of a book or an article, annotate blueprints and design plans. Using computers, we type documents, complete forms and enter database queries. However, writing, taking notes or entering text in immersive VEs is almost impossible. Cut off from conventional..

A Framework and Testbed for Studying Manipulation Techniques for Immersive VR

Developing virtual reality (VR) applications which enable actual work over a period of time requires optimization of the most basic interactions, such as object manipulation, so that the immersed participant can concentrate on higher-level tasks rather than on lowlevel motor activities. This paper presents a framework and experimental testbed for studies of VR object manipulation techniques. The framework provides a systematic task analysis of immersive manipulation and suggests a user-specific non-Euclidean system for the measurement of VR spatial relationships. The Virtual Reality Manipulation Assessment Testbed (VRMAT) is a practical implementation of the framework and is a flexible tool allowing in-depth experimental studies of immersive manipulation. Pilot studies have been conducted to evaluate this framework and testbed and to establish a baseline for further development