Shared Physical Spaces Research Articles

Congestion-Aware Policy Synthesis for Multirobot Systems

Multirobot systems must be able to maintain performance when robots get delayed during execution. For mobile robots, one source of delays is <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">congestion</i> . Congestion occurs when robots deployed in shared physical spaces interact, as robots present in the same area simultaneously must maneuver to avoid each other. Congestion can adversely affect navigation performance and increase the duration of navigation actions. In this article, we present a multirobot planning framework that utilizes learnt probabilistic models of how congestion affects navigation duration. Central to our framework is a <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">probabilistic reservation table</i> , which summarizes robot plans, capturing the effects of congestion. To plan, we solve a sequence of single-robot <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">time-varying Markov automata</i> , where transition probabilities and rates are obtained from the probabilistic reservation table. We also present an iterative model refinement procedure for accurately predicting execution-time robot performance. We evaluate our framework with extensive experiments on synthetic data and simulated robot behavior.

Dramatherapy online: Here, there, and Black everywhere

This article highlights the necessary narratives and voice of a Black male dramatherapist working with unaccompanied/separated children and adolescents accessing dramatherapy online as a viable extension of dramatherapy practice. It explores the metaphor of a cyborg in relation to the dramatherapist, examining how feelings of distance may be magnified through the screen, yet offer the opportunity to co-create new connections and relationships. Holding dramatherapy sessions online challenges boundaries and space-holding, as online therapy does not include a shared physical room or container in the same way as traditional place-based dramatherapy. Remote access to therapy is enabled by technology when access to shared physical spaces is compromised. This research uses a phenomenological and naturalist retrospective analysis of voice, language and agency and aims to cultivate a philosophical repertoire to conceptualise and identify themes present in my experience of online dramatherapy.

The ANEMONE: Theoretical Foundations for UX Evaluation of Action and Intention Recognition in Human-Robot Interaction

The coexistence of robots and humans in shared physical and social spaces is expected to increase. A key enabler of high-quality interaction is a mutual understanding of each other’s actions and intentions. In this paper, we motivate and present a systematic user experience (UX) evaluation framework of action and intention recognition between humans and robots from a UX perspective, because there is an identified lack of this kind of evaluation methodology. The evaluation framework is packaged into a methodological approach called ANEMONE (action and intention recognition in human robot interaction). ANEMONE has its foundation in cultural-historical activity theory (AT) as the theoretical lens, the seven stages of action model, and user experience (UX) evaluation methodology, which together are useful in motivating and framing the work presented in this paper. The proposed methodological approach of ANEMONE provides guidance on how to measure, assess, and evaluate the mutual recognition of actions and intentions between humans and robots for investigators of UX evaluation. The paper ends with a discussion, addresses future work, and some concluding remarks.

Artful Sustainability in Transdisciplinary Spaces of Possibilities

Following up on my previous article on “Artful Sustainability” in the Transdisciplinary Journal of Engineering and Science, this article discusses artful approaches to the conduct of transdisciplinary research, to living a queer-convivialist art of life, and to the development of spaces of possibilities in society. The article is divided in four movements: First, seven plagues hindering transdisciplinary learning are discussed. Second, the qualities of artistic &nbsp;and &nbsp;arts-based &nbsp;research are reviewed, with a focus on the development of aesthetics of qualitative complexity. Third, a question is posed: What are the implications of aesthetics of qualitative complexity at the personal level? Moving my focus onwards to the personal lifeworld experiences of human beings, I advocate for a turn to a queer-convivialist life-art, encouraging a complex experience of the world where harmony through contradictions is embraced and played with. Fourth, I articulate the ”real-world” relevance of artful approaches with the discussion of societal spaces of possibilities: shared &nbsp;physical, &nbsp;social and mental spaces where the search process of sustainability &nbsp;is &nbsp;activated &nbsp;through &nbsp;imagination, experimentation, challenging experiences, creative and participative learning, and prefigurative doing. Artful sustainability mobilizes art as a verb - a transformative force in society and a source of complex questioning that sharpens our ability to engage, through transdisciplinarity, with the world’s compounding challenges.

Real-time pixel luminance optimization for dynamic multi-projection mapping

Using projection mapping enables us to bring virtual worlds into shared physical spaces. In this paper, we present a novel, adaptable and real-time projection mapping system, which supports multiple projectors and high quality rendering of dynamic content on surfaces of complex geometrical shape. Our system allows for smooth blending across multiple projectors using a new optimization framework that simulates the diffuse direct light transport of the physical world to continuously adapt the color output of each projector pixel. We present a real-time solution to this optimization problem using off-the-shelf graphics hardware, depth cameras and projectors. Our approach enables us to move projectors, depth camera or objects while maintaining the correct illumination, in realtime, without the need for markers on the object. It also allows for projectors to be removed or dynamically added, and provides compelling results with only commodity hardware.