Augmented Environment Research Articles

Integrating BIM and Panorama to Create a Semi-Augmented-Reality Experience of a Construction Site

ABSTRACTA panorama is a continuous wide view of a real or virtual environment that provides the viewer with a natural feeling of being in such an environment. Panoramas can provide the visual backdrops and contexts for any augmented information such as audio, text, video, or 3D objects. This augmented panoramic environment can create an interactive space to provide information and bring the panorama to life. Having a panorama of a construction jobsite, and superimposing the building information models on it, would provide construction personnel with a simple way to access their required information in a natural and interactive environment. In this research, a workflow was developed to access building information augmented over the panoramic view of the real-world physical environment of the construction jobsite. A prototype was developed based on the created process and a user participation case study was conducted to test this system on a building renovation project. The results show that, an augmented panorama can provide a location-independent virtual reality experience, which is not significantly different from a pure-augmented-reality setting.

Impact of Visual-Haptic Spatial Discrepancy on Targeting Performance

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the impact of visual-haptic spatial discrepancies on human performance in a targeting task conducted in a visual-haptic virtual and augmented environment. Moreover, it explores whether the impact of this effect varies with two additional variables: 1) haptic wall stiffness and 2) visual cursor diameter. Finally, we discuss the relative dominance of visual and haptic cues during a targeting task. The results indicate that while the spatial discrepancies studied exerted a small effect on the time required to perform targeting, they impacted the absolute errors considerably. Additionally, we report that haptic wall stiffness has a significant effect on absolute errors while the visual cursor diameter has a significant effect on movement time. Finally, we conclude that while both visual and haptic cues are important during targeting tasks, haptic cues played a more dominant role than visual cues. The results of this paper can be used to predict how human targeting performance will vary between systems, such as those using haptically enabled virtual reality or augmented reality technologies that feature visual-haptic spatial discrepancies.

Development of a flexible language for disturbance description for multi-robot missions

This paper introduces the Disturbance Description Language (DDL), an XML dialect intended to describe a number of anomalous elements that can occur in a given scenario (including people, vehicles, fire or focus of pollution) and their respective properties, such as temporal availability, location, motion pattern and details for individual components, such as growth pattern and detectability. This dialect is part of a framework to support the execution of cooperative missions by a group of vehicles, in a simulated, augmented or real environment. An interface was incorporated into the framework, for creating and editing XML files following the defined schema. Once the information is correctly specified, it can be used in the framework, thus facilitating the process of environment disturbances specification and deployment. A survey answered by both practitioners and researchers shows that the degree of satisfaction with DDL is elevated (the overall evaluation of DDL achieved a 4.14 score (out of 5), with 81.1% of the answers being equal to or above 4); also, the usability of the interface was evaluated, having achieved a score of 83.6 in the SUS scale. These results imply that DDL is flexible enough to represent several types of disturbances, through a user-friendly interface.

Stereotactic navigation for TAMIS-TME

Stereotactic navigation allows for real-time, image-guided surgery, thus providing an augmented working environment for the operator. This technique can be applied to complex minimally invasive surgery for fixed anatomic targets. Transanal minimally invasive surgery represents a new approach to rectal cancer surgery that is technically demanding and introduces the potential for procedure-specific morbidity. Feasibility of stereotactic navigation for TAMIS-TME has been demonstrated, and this could theoretically translate into improved resection quality by improving the surgeon’s spatial awareness. The future of minimally invasive surgery as it relates to augmented reality and image-guided surgery is discussed.

SYSTEMATIC CALIBRATION FOR A BACKPACKED SPHERICAL PHOTOGRAMMETRY IMAGING SYSTEM

A spherical camera can observe the environment for almost 720 degrees’ field of view in one shoot, which is useful for augmented reality, environment documentation, or mobile mapping applications. This paper aims to develop a spherical photogrammetry imaging system for the purpose of 3D measurement through a backpacked mobile mapping system (MMS). The used equipment contains a Ladybug-5 spherical camera, a tactical grade positioning and orientation system (POS), i.e. SPAN-CPT, and an odometer, etc. This research aims to directly apply photogrammetric space intersection technique for 3D mapping from a spherical image stereo-pair. For this purpose, several systematic calibration procedures are required, including lens distortion calibration, relative orientation calibration, boresight calibration for direct georeferencing, and spherical image calibration. The lens distortion is serious on the ladybug-5 camera’s original 6 images. Meanwhile, for spherical image mosaicking from these original 6 images, we propose the use of their relative orientation and correct their lens distortion at the same time. However, the constructed spherical image still contains systematic error, which will reduce the 3D measurement accuracy. Later for direct georeferencing purpose, we need to establish a ground control field for boresight/lever-arm calibration. Then, we can apply the calibrated parameters to obtain the exterior orientation parameters (EOPs) of all spherical images. In the end, the 3D positioning accuracy after space intersection will be evaluated, including EOPs obtained by structure from motion method.

Development of flexible languages for scenario and team description in multirobot missions

AbstractThe work described in this paper is part of the development of a framework to support the joint execution of cooperative missions by a group of vehicles, in a simulated, augmented, or real environment. Such a framework brings forward the need for formal languages in which to specify the vehicles that compose a team, the scenario in which they will operate, and the mission to be performed. This paper introduces the Scenario Description Language (SDL) and the Team Description Language (TDL), two Extensible Markup Language based dialects that compose the static components necessary for representing scenario and mission knowledge. SDL provides a specification of physical scenario and global operational constraints, while TDL defines the team of vehicles, as well as team-specific operational restrictions. The dialects were defined using Extensible Markup Language schemas, with all required information being integrated in the definitions. An interface was developed and incorporated into the framework, allowing for the creation and edition of SDL and TDL files. Once the information is specified, it can be used in the framework, thus facilitating environment and team specification and deployment. A survey answered by practitioners and researchers shows that the satisfaction with SDL+TDL is elevated (the overall evaluation of SDL+TDL achieved a score of 4 out of 5, with 81%/78.6% of the answers ≥4); in addition, the usability of the interface was evaluated, achieving a score of 86.7 in the System Usability Scale survey. These results imply that SDL+TDL is flexible enough to represent scenarios and teams, through a user-friendly interface.

A virtual aged care system: when health informatics and spatial science intersect.

Healthcare systems are increasingly adapting to address the issues associated with population ageing. The shift to chronic diseases and a rise in neuroepidemiological conditions, associated with rising life expectancies, means that continued change and accommodation will be required of our health and social support systems. Current social policy environments developed out of early approaches to state-supported health and welfare service provision, most now a century or more old. A feature of these systems has often been a formal separation between them, into silos, that does not and cannot effectively address the issues raised by a growing population of older people. This is especially true in the context of community-based care where the majority of older people currently live and where governments hope to keep more elderly people living into the future. This objective will require a far more sophisticated and responsive approach to the health information environment than is currently the case. One strategy for improving this scenario is the development of augmented and virtual environments that collect and analyse real-time data on which health professionals and support staff can act in a timely manner. In this paper we explore some aspects of a virtualised aged care system and provide some examples of how this would enhance our current strategies for aged care.

Augmented environments for minimally invasive therapy: implementation barriers from technology to practice.

Augmented environments for medical applications have been explored and developed in an effort to enhance the clinician's view of anatomy and facilitate the performance of minimally invasive procedures. These environments must faithfully represent the real surgical field and require seamless integration of pre- and intra-operative imaging, surgical instrument tracking and display technology into a common framework centered around the patient. However, few image guidance environments have been successfully translated into clinical use. Several challenges that contribute to the slow progress of integrating such environments into clinical practice are discussed here in terms of both technical and clinical limitations.

Arquitectónica de la Ciudad Aumentada. Distensión, extensión, sintonización

The emergence of the augmented environment , where the digital layer overlaps the physical environment, procures deep changes in the city and in its inhabitants. The insertion of this digital dimension varies the dichotomous boundaries in which the urban structure has been traditionally segregated. The user tunes the Augmented City fitting the topological structure of the new electronic extension. This process of reality symbiosis produces new landscapes, whose architectonic cartography demands a new language to name and to categorize those concepts generated by the Augmented City.

Issues on visual representation of hybrid home environments: survey of strategies and models

This survey paper addresses the representation of complex networks in an augmented home environment. The internal and external connections made by wirelessly connected devices, remain unseen, undermining the ability to perceive home in its totality. In order to help reveal the structure, form and perplexity of an augmented home environment, we elaborate on appropriate ways to represent visually those complex relations by making a survey of existing practices and models of complex spatial, territorial and networking visualisations. The survey examines the typologies and functionalities of complex network visualisations, currently available, as a source for basing hybrid home-network maps. It also considers that established mapping and visualisation practices which territorialise information and adjust to cognitive mapping provide equally useful references. Factors like projection, orientation, scale and graphic language have to be adjusted to 'home use/rs'. Finally, the immersive viewpoint is analysed as a complementary visualisation tool for augmented home environments.

Everything Augmented: On the Real in Augmented Reality

What is augmented in Augmented Reality (AR)? In this paper, we review existing opinions and show how little consensus exists on this matter. Subsequently, we approach the question from a theoretical and technology-independent perspective. We identify spatial and content-based relationships between the virtual and the real as being decisive for AR and come to the conclusion that virtual content augments that to which it relates. Subsequently, we categorize different forms of AR based on what is augmented. We distinguish between augmented environments, augmented objects, augmented humans and augmented content and consider the possibility of augmented perception. The categories are illustrated with AR (art) works and conceptual differences between them are pointed out. Moreover, we discuss what the real contributes to AR and how it can shape (future) AR experiences. A summary of our findings and suggestions for future research and practice, such as research into multimodal and crossmodal AR, conclude the paper.

Augmented Reality Environments in Learning, Communicational and Professional Contexts in Higher Education.

This paper explores educational and professional uses of augmented learning environment concerned with issues of training and entertainment.We analyze the state-of-art research of some scenarios based on augmented reality. Some examples for the purpose of education and simulation are described. These applications show that augmented reality can be means of enhancing, motivating and stimulating learners’ understanding of certain events, especially those for which the traditional notion of instructional learning have proven inappropriate or difficult. Furthermore, the students can learn in a quick mode by interacting on the augmented environments.

Augmented Reality Game Based Multi-Usage Rehabilitation Therapist For Stroke Patients

abstract For the surviving stroke patients that are affected physically and mentally, they are required rehabilitation after the stroke. Rehabilitation can be quite expensive on the patient and their families. The augmented reality rehabilitation gaming system aims to decrease the dependency on supervised therapy. This paper presents two augmented reality games. The games focus on rehabilitating stroke patients affected with upper limb disabilities. The games simulate current physical therapy techniques in an interactive augmented environment. The benefits of using a gaming platform are to provide the user with increased motivation, as well as a cost effective rehabilitation solution. The games can be used with or without a hand held roller-ball device, which can change the movement and focus of the exercise.

Exploiting spatio-temporal patterns using partial-state reinforcement learning in a synthetically augmented environment

Responding to or anticipating a sequence of events caused by adversarial human actors, such as crimes, can be a difficult task. Reinforcement learning has not been highly utilized as a method for positioning agents to respond to such events. In our earlier work, which was applied to positioning naval vessel agents to respond to Somali maritime piracy attacks, we developed a method to synthetically augment the information in the events’ environment with digital pheromones and other information augmenters, used the resulting augmenter signatures as states that agents could react to, and applied reinforcement learning to exploit regularities in the timing and location of events to position agents in spatio-temporal proximity of anticipated events. This work extends that methodology with a new learning boosting method wherein learning is improved as partial augmenter signatures are reinforced, which is not possible when learning is based only on the aggregated state. The enhanced methodology is applied to positioning police patrols in response to a sequence of business robberies in Denver, Colorado and its effectiveness is analyzed.

Multi-scale 3D Panor ama Content Augmented System using Depth-map

With the development and spread of 3D display, users can easily experience an augmented reality with 3D features. Therefore, the demand for content of an augmented reality is exponentially growing in various fields. A traditional augmented reality environment was generally created by CG(Computer Graphics) modelling production tools. However, this method takes too much time and efforts to create an augmented environment. To create an augmented environment similar to the real world, everything in the real world should be measured, gone through modeling, and located in an augmented environment. But the time and efforts spent in the creation don't produce the same environment as the real world, making it hard for users to feel the sense of reality. In this study, multi-scale 3D panorama content augmented system is suggested by using a depth-map. By finding matching features from images to add 3D features to an augmented environment, a depth-map is derived and embodied as panorama, producing high-quality augmented content system with a sense of reality. With this study, limits of 2D panorama technologies will be overcome and a sense of reality and immersion will be provided to users with a natural navigation.

SEMERGY: Performance-Guided Building Design and Refurbishment within a Semantically Augmented Optimization Environment

This contribution illustrates recent efforts in the research project SEMERGY, a computational environment, which incorporates semantic web technologies to support building design and refurbishment optimization. A major part of the necessary information for energy efficient building planning is implicitly available in the World Wide Web. However, this theoretically valuable repository of information cannot be practically used, given its ill-structured nature. SEMERGY addresses this very problem through a number of developments. Specifically, SEMERGY: 1) embeds a comprehensive building data model, 2) incorporates an Ontology for building product data, 3) deploys a rule-based logic for identification of valid building construction alternatives, 4) provides an easy-to-use optimization procedure evaluating energy demand, environmental impact, and investment costs of alternatives, and 5) offers a web-based Graphical User Interface. The present contribution provides a general overview of the whole project and documents the state of its development.

Manipulating the Experience of Reality for Rehabilitation Applications

Augmented reality (AR) has the potential to change the way therapy and rehabilitation is understood and administered. It can be used to manipulate the experience of reality, resulting in novel rehabilitative applications including but not limited to augmented mirror box (AMB) manipulations. We present a conceptual framework for the effective use of AR in a therapeutic context developed around the aspects of belief, interactivity, predictability, and decoupling. This framework is based on previous work in perception and emotion manipulation and is derived from and illustrated with a number of empirical studies. In particular, we describe how our augmented reflection technology (ART) system is able to manipulate the experience of reality in an effective way and how this demonstrates the potential of augmented environments to improve health and wellbeing.

Mechanisms of Augmentation in Proprioceptive Media Art

In this paper, I explore the phenomenon of augmentation by questioning its representational nature and analyzing aesthetic modes of our interrelationship with the environment. How can senses be augmented and how do they serve as mechanisms of enhancing the feeling of presence? Media art practices offer particularly valuable scenarios of activating such mechanisms, as the employment of digital technology allows them to operate on a more subtle level of perception. Given that these practices are continuously evolving, this analysis cannot claim to be a comprehensive one, but rather aims to introduce aspects of the specific relations between augmentation, sense of proprioception, technology, and art. Proprioception is one of the least detectable and track-able human senses because it involves our intuitive sense of positionality, which suggests a subtle equilibrium between a center (our individual bodies) and the periphery (our immediate environments). Yet, as any sense, proprioception implies a communicational chain, a network of signals traveling and exchanging information within the body-mind complex. The technological augmentation of this dynamic process produces an interference in our understanding of the structure and elements, the information sent/received. One way to understand the operations of the senses is to think about them as images that the mind creates for itself. Artistic intervention (usually) builds upon exactly this logic: representation of images generated in mind, supplementing or even supplanting the existing collection of inner images with new, created ones. Yet, in case of proprioception the only means to interfere with and augment these inner images is on bodily level. Hence, the question of communication through images (or representations) should be extended towards a more complex theory of embodied perception. Drawing on phenomenology, cognitive science, and techno-cultural studies, I focus on the potential of biofeedback technologies to challenge and transform our self-perception by conditioning new pathways of apprehension (sometimes by creating mechanisms of direct stimulation of neural activity). I am particularly interested in how the awareness of the self (grounded in the felt relationality of our body parts) is most significantly activated at the moments of disturbance of balance, in situations of perplexity and disorientation. Projects by Marco Donnarumma, Sean Montgomery, and other artists working with biofeedback aesthetically validate and instantiate current research about neuroplasticity, with technologically mediated sensory augmentation as one catalyst of this process.

Human Stigmergy in Augmented Environments

The potential of human computation may be stymied by a curious phenomenon that as the size of a group of collaborators increases, the efficiency of the group typically decreases. The study described in this paper tests our hypothesis that communication mechanisms are key to unlocking collaborative potential. In particular, we sought to evaluate whether a group taking on a complex task can increase its efficacy by communicating through a shared environment.

Graphics, Audio-visuals and Interaction (GAI) based Handheld Augmented Reality System

Augmented Reality is considered as one of the highly sophisticated technologies in research field of virtual reality. It generates the virtual information to the real world to the user's perception and interaction to perform the tasks. Graphics, Audio-visual and Interaction (GAI) based mobile Augmented Reality is a Human Computer Interaction technology where user can view the multimedia content (like video, 2D, 3D, text, animation) with audio visuals in augmented environment. GAI based mobile AR system allows user to develop their own Augmented Reality applications and games. This system based on Symbian and Android Smartphone where the users can use their Smartphone's camera for real time video capturing and rendering virtual object augmented environments. Users can interact and control the virtual objects by touch in touch enable phone or by button in non touch phone. The general purpose of this technology is to introduce multimedia base Mobile Augmented Reality to user. This paper describes the potential of AR in mobiles and how the various useful features like 2D/3D object, audio, video can be implemented in Mobile AR.