Exploring MARS: developing indoor and outdoor user interfaces to a mobile augmented reality system

We describe an experimental mobile augmented reality system (MARS) testbed that employs different user interfaces to allow outdoor and indoor users to access and manage information that is spatially registered with the real world. Outdoor users can experience spatialized multimedia presentations that are presented on a head-tracked, see-through, head-worn display used in conjunction with a hand-held pen-based computer. Indoor users can get an overview of the outdoor scene and communicate with outdoor users through a desktop user interface or a head- and hand-tracked immersive augmented reality user interface.     

Affectively intelligent and adaptive car interfaces

In this article, we describe a new approach to enhance driving safety via multi-media technologies by recognizing and adapting to drivers’ emotions with multi-modal intelligent car interfaces. The primary objective of this research was to build an affectively intelligent and adaptive car interface that could facilitate a natural communication with its user (i.e., the driver). This objective was achieved by recognizing drivers’ affective states (i.e., emotions experienced by the drivers) and by responding to those emotions by adapting to the current situation via an affective user model created for each individual driver. A controlled experiment was designed and conducted in a virtual reality environment to collect physiological data signals (galvanic skin response, heart rate, and temperature) from participants who experienced driving-related emotions and states (neutrality, panic/fear, frustration/anger, and boredom/sleepiness). k-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Marquardt-Backpropagation (MBP), and Resilient Backpropagation (RBP) Algorithms were implemented to analyze the collected data signals and to find unique physiological patterns of emotions. RBP was the best classifier of these three emotions with 82.6% accuracy, followed by MBP with 73.26% and by KNN with 65.33%. Adaptation of the interface was designed to provide multi-modal feedback to the users about their current affective state and to respond to users’ negative emotional states in order to decrease the possible negative impacts of those emotions. Bayesian Belief Networks formalization was employed to develop the user model to enable the intelligent system to appropriately adapt to the current context and situation by considering user-dependent factors, such as personality traits and preferences.     

虚拟现实中的传感器技术

介绍了虚拟现实的概念，着重阐述了传感器技术在虚拟现实中的应用及要求，并指出目前传感器存在的问题和今后研究发展的方向．     

虚拟现实技术在航天工效学中的应用进展

该文根据虚拟现实技术的基本概念、基本特征及其组成的体系结构,探讨了虚拟现实技术在航天工效学研究中的应用领域和需要解决的主要技术问题,最后,结合两者的发展方向,提出自己的观点以供讨论。     

Java3D扩展鼠标交互功能的研究与实现

介绍了Java3D本身提供的鼠标交互功能,针对三维仿真环境中暴露出的操作性、交互性不足的问题,提出了扩展鼠标点取功能的需求,即可以对场景中任意目标物体进行操作和控制.详细论述了Java3D扩展鼠标交互功能的实现方案:首先判断鼠标点击动作,然后在获取点击范围内所有目标的列表后选择目标对象进行操作.结合具体实现的代码阐述了扩展鼠标交互功能的一般性方法,继承、重载和改写了Java3D中相关的鼠标操作类,重点讲解了实现过程中技术难点的解决方案,最后阐明了此研究工作的价值.     

Touch and design: novel haptic interfaces for the generation of high quality surfaces for industrial design

This paper presents the results of a research project aimed at developing haptic tools for virtual shape modelling resembling real tools like rakes and sandpaper used by modelers and designers in the real workshop. The developed system consists of a CAD (computer aided design) system enhanced with intuitive designer-oriented interaction tools and modalities. The system requirements have been defined on the basis of the observation of designers during their daily work, and translating the way they model shapes using hands and craft tools into specifications for the modelling system based on haptic tools.     

A hypermedia authoring tool for augmented and virtual reality

Most existing hypermedia authoring systems are intended for use on desktop computers. These systems are typically designed for the creation of 2D documents and therefore employ 2D authoring mechanisms. In contrast, authoring systems for nontraditional multimedia/hypermedia experiences for 3D virtual or augmented worlds focus mainly on creating separate media objects and embedding them within the user's surroundings. As a result, linking these media objects to create 3D hypermedia is a tedious manual task. To address this issue, we present an authoring tool for creating and editing linked 3D hypermedia narratives that are interwoven with a wearable computer user's surrounding environment. Our system is designed for use by authors who are not programmers, and allows them to preview their results on a desktop workstation, as well as with an augmented or virtual reality system.     

A mobile pet wearable computer and mixed reality system for human–poultry interaction through the internet

Poultry are one of the most badly treated animals in the modern world. It has been shown that they have high levels of both cognition and feelings and as a result there has been a recent trend of promoting poultry welfare. There is also a tradition of keeping poultry as pets in some parts of the world. However, in modern cities and societies, it is often difficult to maintain contact with pets, particularly for office workers. We propose and describe a novel cybernetics system to use mobile and Internet technology to improve human–pet interaction. It can also be used for people who are allergic to touching animals and thus cannot stroke them directly. This interaction encompasses both visualization and tactile sensation of real objects.     

WalkMap: Developing an augmented reality map application for wearable computers

We have designed, implemented, and evaluated a map application for wearable computer users. Our application, called WalkMap, is targeted at a walking user in an urban environment, offering the user both navigational aids as well as contextual information. WalkMap uses augmented reality techniques to display a map on the surrounding area on the user's head-worn display. WalkMap is constructed by the means of software development, user interface design and evaluations, and existing knowledge on how humans use maps and navigate. The key design driver in our approach is intuitivity of use. In this paper, we present the design and implementation process of our application, considering human-map interfaces, technical implementation, and human-computer interfaces. We identify some of the key issues in these areas, and present the way they have been solved. We also present some usability evaluation results.     

基于虚拟现实的临场感遥控作业系统的研究动向

本文阐述了虚拟现实技术在临场感遥控作业系统中的研究和应用背景、状况和 内容．综述了临场感遥控作业虚拟现实系统的最近进展．重点介绍了它在监控和协作控制、 劣质视觉反馈的遥作及具有通信时延的遥作方面的研究动向．指出临场感遥控作业虚拟现实 系统是今后临场感技术研究和发展的主潮流,并对我国今后在这方面的研究应遵循的基本原 则提出了建议．     

Transfer of training from virtual reality

This experiment compared the value of real-world training, virtual reality training, and no training in the transfer of learning to the same task performed in real-world conditions. Results provide no evidence of transfer from a virtual reality training environment to a real-world task. There was no significant difference between the virtual reality training group and the group that received no training on the task. The group that received real-world training performed significantly better than both of the other two groups. The results question the utility of virtual training and suggest that in the present configuration, individuals learn performance characteristics specific only to the virtual reality context. Needed improvements to virtual reality for the purpose of enabling the transfer of training are indicated.     

Glove Based User Interaction Techniques for Augmented Reality in an Outdoor Environment

This paper presents a set of pinch glove-based user interface tools for an outdoor wearable augmented reality computer system. The main form of user interaction is the use of hand and head gestures. We have developed a set of augmented reality information presentation techniques. To support direct manipulation, the following three selection techniques have been implemented: two-handed framing, line of sight and laser beam. A new glove-based text entry mechanism has been developed to support symbolic manipulation. A scenario for a military logistics task is described to illustrate the functionality of this form of interaction.     

Two-handed assembly with immersive task planning in virtual reality

Assembly modelling is the process of capturing entities and activity information related to assembling and assembly. Currently, most CAD systems have been developed to ease the design of individual components, but are limited in their support for assembly designs and planning capability, which are crucial for reducing the cost and processing time in complex design, constraint analysis and assembly task planning. This paper presents a framework of a two-handed virtual assembly (VA) planner for assembly tasks, which coordinates two hands jointly for feature-based manipulation, assembly analysis and constraint-based task planning. Feature-based manipulation highlights the important assembling features (e.g. dynamic reference frames, moving arrow, mating features) to guide users for the ease of assembly and in an efficient and fluid manner. The users can freely navigate and move the mating pair along the collision-free path. The free motion of two-handed input in assembly is further restricted to the allowable motion guided by the constraints recognised on-line. The allowable motion in assembly is planned by the logic steps derived from the analysis of constraints and their translation in the progress of assembly. No preprocessing or predefined assembly sequence is necessary since the planning is produced in real-time upon the two-handed interactions. Mating features and constraints in databases are automatically updated after each assembly to simplify the planning process. The two-handed task planner has been developed and experimented for several assembly examples including a drill (12-parts) and a robot (17-parts). The system can be generally applied for the interactive task planning of assembly-type applications.     

基于HTC VIVE的虚拟针灸教学软件设计研究

随着计算机技术的不断发展,虚拟现实技术在传统教学中有了越来越多的应用。为提高学生对中医针灸的学习兴趣和对人体穴位基本理论知识的理解与记忆,研究基于虚拟现实技术的中医虚拟针灸教学软件开发中的关键技术。采用3d Max软件对人体模型建模,注重人体关键部位轮廓的绘制;并结合虚拟现实设备HTC VIVE,利用Unity3D软件中建立虚拟场景;最后,重点使用JSON语言实现穴位信息存储管理,完成人机交互模式设计,为辅助中医针灸教学提供了一种新方法。     

Creating natural language interfaces to VR systems

Two research projects are described that explore the use of spoken natural language interfaces to virtual reality (VR) systems. Both projects combine off-the-shelf speech recognition and synthesis technology with in-house command interpreters that interface to the VR applications. Details about the interpreters and other technical aspects of the projects are provided, together with a discussion of some of the design decisions involved in the creation of speech interfaces. Questions and issues raised by the projects are presented as inspiration for future work. These issues include: requirements for object and information representation in VR models to support natural language interfaces; use of the visual context to establish the interaction context; difficulties with referencing events in the virtual world; and problems related to the usability of speech and natural language interfaces in general.     

User experimentation: an evaluation of velocity control techniques in immersive virtual environments

While many of the existing velocity control techniques are well designed, the techniques are often application-specific, making it difficult to compare their effectiveness. In this paper, we evaluate five known velocity control techniques using the same experimental settings. We compare the techniques based on the assumption that a good travel technique should be easy to learn and easy to use, should cause the user to have few collisions with the VE, should allow the user to complete tasks faster, and should promote better recollection of the environment afterwards. In our experiments, we ask twenty users to use each velocity control technique to navigate through virtual corridors while performing information-gathering tasks. In all cases, the users use pointing to indicate the direction of travel. We then measure the users’ ability to recollect the information they see in the VE, as well as how much time they spend in the VE and how often they collide with the virtual walls. After each test, we use questionnaires to evaluate the ease of learning and ease of use of the velocity control technique, and the users’ sense of presence in the environment. Each of the travel techniques is then evaluated based on the users’ performances in the VE and the results of their questionnaires.