In this paper, we provide the finalized definition of Cognitive Infocommunications (CogInfoCom). Following the definition, we briefly describe the scope and goals of CogInfoCom, and discuss the common interests between CogInfoCom and the various research disciplines which contribute to this new field in a synergistic way.

/pdf/definition-and-synergies-of-cognitive-infocommunications-45r76dhea5.pdf

Definition and synergies of cognitive infocommunications

In the last decade, we have witnessed a drastic change in the form factor of audio and vision technologies, from heavy and grounded machines to lightweight devices that naturally fit our bodies. However, only recently, haptic systems have started to be designed with wearability in mind. The wearability of haptic systems enables novel forms of communication, cooperation, and integration between humans and machines. Wearable haptic interfaces are capable of communicating with the human wearers during their interaction with the environment they share, in a natural and yet private way. This paper presents a taxonomy and review of wearable haptic systems for the fingertip and the hand, focusing on those systems directly addressing wearability challenges. The paper also discusses the main technological and design challenges for the development of wearable haptic interfaces, and it reports on the future perspectives of the field. Finally, the paper includes two tables summarizing the characteristics and features of the most representative wearable haptic systems for the fingertip and the hand.

/pdf/wearable-haptic-systems-for-the-fingertip-and-the-hand-17lqq0lw0j.pdf

Wearable Haptic Systems for the Fingertip and the Hand: Taxonomy, Review, and Perspectives

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jsprs1975/37/6/37_6_39/_pdf

1998 IEEE International Conference on SMCに参加して

Virtual reality has existed in the realm of education for over half a century. However, its widespread adoption is still yet to occur. This is a result of a myriad of limitations to both the technologies themselves, and the costs and logistics required to deploy them. In order to gain a better understanding of what these issues are, and what it is that educators hope to gain by using these technologies in the first place, we have performed both a systematic review of the use of virtual reality in education, as well as two distinct thematic analyses. The first analysis investigated the applications and reported motivations provided by educators in academic literature for developing virtual reality educational systems, while the second investigated the reported problems associated with doing so. These analyses indicate that the majority of researchers use virtual reality to increase the intrinsic motivation of students, and refer to a narrow range of factors such as constructivist pedagogy, collaboration, and gamification in the design of their experiences. Similarly, a small number of educational areas account for the vast majority of educational virtual reality implementations identified in our analyses. Next, we introduced and compared a multitude of recent virtual reality technologies, discussing their potential to overcome several of the problems identified in our analyses, including cost, user experience and interactivity. However, these technologies are not without their own issues, thus we conclude this paper by providing several novel techniques to potentially address them, as well as potential directions for future researchers wishing to apply these emerging technologies to education.

/pdf/a-systematic-review-of-virtual-reality-in-education-1hdathp306.pdf

A systematic review of Virtual Reality in education

A learning curve.

In this paper, VirCA 1 (Virtual Collaboration Arena) is introduced as a Virtual Intelligent Space that is organically connected to the RT-Middleware framework. The paper presents the conceptual background of the VirCA system and its relation to RT-Middleware. The scope of possible applications are discussed via working examples.

VirCA as Virtual Intelligent Space for RT-Middleware

The ever-increasing complexity of robot applications induces the need for methods to approach problems with no (viable) analytical solution. Deep learning (DL) provides a set of tools to address this kind of problems. This survey presents a categorization of the major challenges in robotics that leverage DL technologies and introduces representative examples of successful solutions for the described problems. We also consider the question when and whether to use modular, monolithic models or end-to-end DL, in order to provide a guideline for the selection of the correct model structure and training strategy. By doing so, the current role and adaptability of different techniques at different hierarchical levels of a robot-application can be highlighted, thus providing a well-structured basis to assist future approaches.

/pdf/deep-learning-in-robotics-survey-on-model-structures-and-1ovctigzw1.pdf

Deep Learning in Robotics: Survey on Model Structures and Training Strategies

This paper investigates the unique potential of VR environments to serve as a comprehensive tool for communication and memory management. The paper uncovers intricate – and in some sense holistic – links between certain kinds of VR spaces and existing frameworks for the design and analysis of conceptual mappings, and shows how VR spaces can do more than just provide appealing visual experiences, by capturing the psychology of how new memories are formed. The paper provides multiple examples from the MaxWhere VR platform to support its main arguments, and concludes with a discussion on what these arguments, if accepted as correct, will mean for AI-enhanced CogInfoCom systems in the future.

VR as a Medium of Communication: from Memory Palaces to Comprehensive Memory Management

Modern manufacturing systems are often composed of a variety of highly customized units and specifically designed manufacturing cells. Optimization of assembly and training of staff requires a series of demo installations and excessive use of costly operational resources. In some cases, components are located at different sites, making the orchestration of the whole system even more difficult.Virtual Reality (VR) collaboration environments offer a solution by enabling high fidelity testing and training of complex manufacturing systems. On the other hand, such platforms are difficult to implement in an engineering perspective, as they are required to provide reliable, standard interfaces towards both robotic components and human operators.The VirCA (Virtual Collaboration Arena) platform is a software framework that supports various means of collaboration through the use of 3D augmented/virtual reality as a communication medium. VirCA offers functions for the high-level interoperability of heterogeneous components in a wide range of domains, spanning from research & development, through remote education to orchestration and management of industrial processes in manufacturing applications. This paper provides an overview of the industrial requirements behind high-fidelity virtual collaboration and demonstrates how the VirCA platform meets these requirements. Use cases are provided to illustrate the usability of the platform. HighlightsThe paper identifies the synergies of recent advances in Future Internet and ICT.Surveys the need of high-fidelity virtual collaboration for industrial robotics.Introduces the VirCA platform as a remote collaboration and orchestration framework.Shows the integration of ontologies and CogInfoCom methods into industrial setups.Presents use case examples of knowledge-driven automation scenarios based on VirCA.

Design, programming and orchestration of heterogeneous manufacturing systems through VR-powered remote collaboration

In telemanipulation and 3D virtual interactions it is important to transmit force sen- sation from the remote or virtual environment to the operator. Due to the weak points (control issues, robustness, cost) of real force feedback devices, methods where force is rendered on non-native sensory channels have grounds. In this paper, a survey of the related literature is presented and the concept of sensor-bridging type cognitive infocommunications based force reflecting schemes is discussed. A complete experimental infrastructure with hardware and soft- ware components is built providing a background for the investigation of the proposed methods from practical usability aspects. This environment is utilized in a pilot experiment with human participants providing substantial observations on the usability of sensor-bridging type vibro- tactile force feedback methods. The test confirms that vibrotactile glove equipped with shaftless vibration motors can be successfully applied as tactile/haptic feedback device in immersive vir- tual reality applications.

Peter Galambos

Papers

VirCA as Virtual Intelligent Space for RT-Middleware

Deep Learning in Robotics: Survey on Model Structures and Training Strategies

VR as a Medium of Communication: from Memory Palaces to Comprehensive Memory Management

Design, programming and orchestration of heterogeneous manufacturing systems through VR-powered remote collaboration

Vibrotactile Feedback for Haptics and Telemanipulation: Survey, Concept and Experiment