Showing papers on "Mixed reality published in 2006"

Is This My Hand I See Before Me? The Rubber Hand Illusion in Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality

Abstract: This paper presents a first study in which a recently reported intermodal perceptual illusion known as the rubber hand illusion is experimentally investigated under mediated conditions. When one's own hand is placed out of view and a visible fake hand is repeatedly stroked and tapped in synchrony with the unseen hand, subjects report a strong sense in which the fake hand is experienced as part of their own body. In our experiment, we investigated this illusion under three conditions: (i) unmediated condition, replicating the original paradigm, (ii) virtual reality (VR) condition, where both the fake hand and its stimulation were projected on the table in front of the participant, and (iii) mixed reality (MR) condition, where the fake hand was projected, but its stimulation was unmediated. Dependent measures included self-report (open-ended and questionnaire-based) and drift, that is, the offset between the felt position of the hidden hand and its actual position. As expected, the unmediated condition produced the strongest illusion, as indicated both by self-report and drift towards the rubber hand. The VR condition produced a more convincing subjective illusion than the MR condition, although no difference in drift was found between the mediated conditions. Results are discussed in terms of perceptual mechanisms underlying the rubber hand illusion, and the illusion's relevance to understanding telepresence.

Emerging Technologies of Augmented Reality: Interfaces and Design

Abstract: Although the field of mixed reality has grown significantly over the last decade, there have been few published books about augmented reality, particularly the interface design aspects. "Emerging Technologies of Augmented Reality: Interfaces and Design" provides a foundation of the main concepts of augmented reality (AR), with a particular emphasis on user interfaces, design, and practical AR techniques, from tracking algorithms to design principles for AR interfaces. "Emerging Technologies of Augmented Reality: Interfaces and Design" contains comprehensive information focusing on the following topics: technologies that support AR, development environments, interface design and evaluation of applications, and case studies of AR applications.

Augmented reality navigation systems

Abstract: The augmented reality (AR) research community has been developing a manifold of ideas and concepts to improve the depiction of virtual objects in a real scene. In contrast, current AR applications require the use of unwieldy equipment which discourages their use. In order to essentially ease the perception of digital information and to naturally interact with the pervasive computing landscape, the required AR equipment has to be seamlessly integrated into the user’s natural environment. Considering this basic principle, this paper proposes the car as an AR apparatus and presents an innovative visualization paradigm for navigation systems that is anticipated to enhance user interaction.

Classification of Illumination Methods for Mixed Reality

Abstract: A mixed reality (MR) represents an environment composed both by real and virtual objects. MR applications are used more and more, for instance in surgery, architecture, cultural heritage, entertainment, etc. For some of these applications it is important to merge the real and virtual elements using consistent illumination. This paper proposes a classification of illumination methods for MR applications that aim at generating a merged environment in which illumination and shadows are consistent. Three different illumination methods can be identified: common illumination, relighting and methods based on inverse illumination. In this paper a classification of the illumination methods for MR is given based on their input requirements: the amount of geometry and radiance known of the real environment. This led us to define four categories of methods that vary depending on the type of geometric model used for representing the real scene, and the sdifferent radiance information available for each point of the real scene. Various methods are described within their category. The classification points out that in general the quality of the illumination interactions increases with the amount of input information available. On the other hand, the accessibility of the method decreases since its pre-processing time increases to gather the extra information. Recent developed techniques managed to compensate unknown data with clever techniques using an iterative algorithm, hardware illumination or recent progress in stereovision. Finally, a review of illumination techniques for MR is given with a discussion on important properties such as the possibility of interactivity or the amount of complexity in the simulated illumination.

Hybrid Reality Games Reframed Potential Uses in Educational Contexts

Abstract: Hybrid reality games (HRGs) employ mobile technologies and GPS devices as tools for transforming physical spaces into interactive game boards. Rather than situating participants in simulated enviro...

The benefits of third-person perspective in virtual and augmented reality?

Abstract: Instead of the reality in which you can see your own limbs, in virtual reality simulations it is sometimes disturbing not to be able to see your own body. It seems to create an issue in the proprio-perception of the user who does not completely feel integrated in the environment. This perspective should be beneficial for the users. We propose to give the possibility to the people to use the first and the third-person perspective like in video games (e.g. GTA). As the gamers prefer to use the third-person perspective for moving actions and the first-person view for the thin operations, we will verify this comportment is extendable to simulations in augmented and virtual reality.

Place, sense of place, and presence

Abstract: Recreating real places--as distinct from virtual spaces or environments--using virtual reality technology raises a series of significant challenges. Fortunately there is a large body of existing research into the experience of place which might reasonably contribute to our understanding of the task. This paper reviews key aspects of the place literature, relates them to the concept of presence, and then illustrates their application in the context of virtual reality. We conclude that some modification of existing theories of sense of place is necessary for this context and outline proposals for further work.

PAC-LAN: mixed-reality gaming with RFID-enabled mobile phones

Abstract: RFID (Radio frequency identification) is often seen as an enabling technology for mixed-reality experiences where all kinds of objects, even the most mundane and inanimate, can be equipped to provide interaction between the real and virtual worlds. These mixed-reality experiences could occur in all aspects of our lives, but one of the most easily envisaged is that of computer games. As the mobile phone has become the computer carried in the pockets of a third of the population of the planet, it would seem a natural platform for these mixed-reality games. Further, the emergence of mobile phones that incorporate RFID readers gives the opportunity for creating games in which players interact with real physical objects, in real locations, and provides enhanced gameplay and experience. In this article we present details of a novel location- and object-enhanced mixed-reality version of the Namco arcade classic, Pacman. In particular, the article presents a comparison of the game to other mixed-reality versions of Pacman; the rationale behind specific design choices made during game design and its subsequent implementation; and an analysis of the experiences of people who have played the game. Our system highlights the possibilities via use of physical objects and the combination of mobile phones and RFID of yielding new mixed-reality entertainment experiences.

Capture the flag: mixed-reality social gaming with smart phones

Abstract: The author developed a mobile, mixed-reality version of capture the flag, a popular genre of computer game. Our CTF game is novel in three ways. First, the smart phone is the main interface. Using the smart phone, players physically role-play virtual characters who try to capture enemy flags by traversing different landscapes. This approach creates a direct, real-time linkage between the real and virtual worlds. Second, players can move freely in the real world over a wide area while maintaining seamless real-time networked contact with other players in both the real and virtual worlds. Third, CTF explores novel tangible aspects of human physical movement and perception, both in the real-world playing environment and in interaction with the virtual world.

Meeting technology challenges of pervasive augmented reality games

Abstract: Pervasive games provide a new type of game combining new technologies with the real environment of the players. While this already poses new challenges to the game developer, requirements are even higher for pervasive Augmented Reality games, where the real environment is additionally enhanced by virtual game items.In this paper we will review the technological challenges to be met in order to realize pervasive AR games, show how they go beyond those of other pervasive games, and present how our AR framework copes with them. We will further show how these approaches are applied to three pervasive AR games and draw conclusions regarding the future requirements regarding the support of this type of games.

Augmented coliseum: an augmented game environment with small vehicles

Abstract: We propose a novel display based game environment using augmented reality technology with small robots. In this environment, the small robots can be augmented by a display image according to their positions and postures. The augmentation activity reinforces the fun of playing with such small robots in the real world.

The Sacred and the Virtual: Religion in Multi-User Virtual Reality

Abstract: This paper explores the social interaction among participants in a church service in an online multi-user virtual reality (VR) environment. It examines some of the main features of prayer meetings in a religiously-oriented virtual world and also what sets this world apart from other virtual worlds. Next, it examines some of the issues of research ethics and methods that are raised in the study of online behavior in virtual worlds. The paper then analyzes the text exchanges between participants in a virtual church service and some of the ways in which these compare with the content of a conventional church service. Finally, the paper draws out some implications for our understanding of the relation between interaction in the virtual and in the “real” world.

Mixed reality: a model of mixed interaction

Abstract: Mixed reality systems seek to smoothly link the physical and data processing (digital) environments. Although mixed reality systems are becoming more prevalent, we still do not have a clear understanding of this interaction paradigm. Addressing this problem, this article introduces a new interaction model called Mixed Interaction model. It adopts a unified point of view on mixed reality systems by considering the interaction modalities and forms of multimodality that are involved for defining mixed environments. This article presents the model and its foundations. We then study its unifying and descriptive power by comparing it with existing classification schemes. We finally focus on the generative and evaluative power of the Mixed Interaction model by applying it to design and compare alternative interaction techniques in the context of RAZZLE, a mobile mixed reality game for which the goal of the mobile player is to collect digital jigsaw pieces localized in space.

OSGART - A Pragmatic Approach to MR

Abstract: We are presenting a software development framework called OSGART for Rapid Application Developement (RAD) in the domain of Mixed Reality (MR). This toolkit is being developed as an extension to OpenSceneGraph [3]. It implements a hierarchical, scenegraph based approach to marker based AR using the AR Toolkit [4]. Due to its’ tight integration with OpenSceneGraph it provides a valuable test environment for bi-directional transition between immersive Virtual Environments (IVE) and Augmented Reality (AR). CR Categories: H.5.1 [Information Interfaces and Presentation]: Multimedia Information Systems—Artificial, augmented, and virtual realities; D.2.2 [Software Engineering]: Design Tools and Techniques—Software libraries

New Media and the Permanent Crisis of Aura

Abstract: Walter Benjamin is best known for his essay ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’, (Benjamin, 1968b) in which he argues that film and other mechanical technologies are destroying the aura that had belonged to traditional art. In this article we apply Benjamin’s concept of aura to new (digital) media, and in particular to ‘mixed reality’, a group of technologies that blend computer-generated visual, aural, and textual information into the user’s physical environment. We argue that mixed reality increases the options for designer-artists and apparently allows the invocation of aura in new ways. Our culture’s pursuit of auratic experience remains problematic in mixed reality as it was for Benjamin in the case of film. New media maintain aura in a permanent state of oscillation or crisis, and this crisis is a key to understanding new media.

The Effects of Fully Immersive Virtual Reality on the Learning of Physical Tasks

Abstract: Fully immersive virtual settings are different from traditional virtual reality settings in that they are able to capture full body motion. This ability allows people to use their full range of physical motion to interact with other avatars, computer controlled agents, and objects in the virtual environment. As such, fully immersive virtual reality presents a novel mediated learning environment in which people can learn physical activities. Capturing human motion for virtual settings has traditionally been a model-based approach where a few degrees (on the order of tens) of freedom are mapped to virtual model. In contrast, we use an image-based solution that sacrifices visual fidelity for motion fidelity and increased degrees of freedom (on the order of hundreds). Due to the difficulties involved with building such an image-based immersive system, very little work has been done to assess the effectiveness of this form of mediated learning. In the current work, participants were taught several tai chi moves in either a 2D video system or a 3D immersive system equipped with features not possible to implement in traditional video systems. We demonstrated via blind coder ratings that people learned more in the immersive virtual reality system than in the 2D video system, and via self-report ratings the social presence was higher as well. We discuss these findings and the resulting implications for designing and testing fully immersive systems.

How real should virtual characters be

Abstract: In recent years 3D virtual characters have become more common in desktop interfaces, particularly in gaming and entertainment applications. In this paper we describe how augmented reality (AR) technology can be used to bring virtual characters into the real world and compare AR characters to other types of virtual characters. We have developed a handheld AR educational application in which a virtual character teaches users about art history. We present results from a user study that explores how realistic the character needs to be for it to be an effective and engaging educational tool and if augmented reality offers benefits for this type of application.

Moving office: inhabiting a dynamic building

Abstract: Mixed Reality Architecture (MRA) supports distributed teams in their everyday work activities by linking multiple physical spaces across a shared three-dimensional virtual world. User configurable audio-visual connections give the inhabitants of MRA full control over whom they want to be in contact with and when they make themselves available, as well as over the overall configuration. We report on the design of MRA, its deployment in an office environment and results from a long-term observational study. The study shows that MRA supports the management of awareness, social interaction and privacy well, that the architectural design features are crucial for this process and that the dynamic architectural topology of MRA and social interaction within it are linked in a fundamental way.

Mobile augmented reality interaction techniques for authoring situated media on-site

Abstract: We present a set of mobile augmented reality interaction techniques for authoring situated media: multimedia and hypermedia that are embedded within the physical environment. Our techniques are designed for use with a tracked hand-held tablet display with an attached camera, and rely on "freezing" the frame for later editing.

Age Invaders: Inter-generational Mixed Reality Family Game

Abstract: This paper introduces Age Invaders (AI), a novel interactive inter-generation social-physical game which allows the elderly to play harmoniously together with children in physical space while parents can participate in the game play in real time remotely through the internet

Dynamic interactive VR network services for education

Abstract: Global information society and knowledge-based economy will generate a need for life-long learning on a mass scale. To deal with this challenge, traditional education should be extended with new forms of learning and teaching by employing advanced technologies such as virtual and mixed reality. In order to provide learners with these forms of education, a wide range of VR-based interactive educational network services should be developed. Technologies for delivering such network services are already available. Currently, a challenge is to develop methods and tools for efficient creation of vast amounts of VR-based learning material.In this paper, a method of dynamic content creation is described, which enables flexible authoring and manipulation of VR-based educational contents in interactive network environments. Application of this method to several architectural variants of educational systems is discussed.

The GrImage Platform: A Mixed Reality Environment for Interactions

Abstract: In this paper, we present a scalable architecture to compute, visualize and interact with 3D dynamic models of real scenes. This architecture is designed for mixed reality applications requiring such dynamic models, tele-immersion for instance. Our system consists in 3 main parts: the acquisition, based on standard firewire cameras; the computation, based on a distribution scheme over a cluster of PC and using a recent shape-from-silhouette algorithm which leads to optimally precise 3D models; the visualization, which is achieved on a multiple display wall. The proposed distribution scheme ensures scalability of the system and hereby allows control over the number of cameras used for acquisition, the frame-rate, or the number of projectors used for high resolution visualization. To our knowledge this is the first completely scalable vision architecture for real time 3D modeling, from acquisition to visualization through computation. Experimental results show that this framework is very promising for real time 3D interactions.

Initial lessons from AR Façade, an interactive augmented reality drama

Abstract: In this paper, we describe an augmented reality version of the acclaimed desktop-based interactive drama, Facade [18]. Few entertainment experiences combine interactive virtual characters, non-linear narrative, and unconstrained embodied interaction. In AR Facade players move through a physical apartment and use gestures and speech to interact with two autonomous characters, Trip and Grace. Our experience converting a desktop based game to augmented reality sheds light on the design challenges of developing mixed physical/virtual AI-based drama. We share our initial observations of players from a live demonstration and talk about our work moving forward.

Augmented reality authoring: generic context from programmer to designer

Abstract: Developing an Augmented Reality (AR) application is usually a long and non-intuitive task Few methodologies address this problem and tools implementing these are limited or non-existent To date there is no efficient and easy development tool tailored to the needs of Mixed Reality (MR) We are presenting an initial taxonomy of MR applications, addressing the different levels of abstraction for defining the relation between real and virtual world We then demonstrate some development approaches and describe tools and libraries that we implemented in order to illustrate aspects of our authoring taxonomy Finally, we provide a definition addressing the requirements for new generation of AR rapid application development (RAD) tools based on actual implementations

Age invaders: social and physical inter-generational family entertainment

Abstract: This paper introduces Age Invaders (AI), a novel interactive intergeneration social-physical game which allows the elderly to play harmoniously together with children in physical space while parents can participate in the game play in real time remotely through the internet.

A 2D-3D integrated interface for mobile robot control using omnidirectional images and 3D geometric models

Abstract: This paper proposes a novel visualization and interaction technique for remote surveillance using both 2D and 3D scene data acquired by a mobile robot equipped with an omnidirectional camera and an omnidirectional laser range sensor. In a normal situation, telepresence with an egocentric-view is provided using high resolution omnidirectional live video on a hemispherical screen. As depth information of the remote environment is acquired, additional 3D information can be overlaid onto the 2D video image such as passable area and roughness of the terrain in a manner of video see-through augmented reality. A few functions to interact with the 3D environment through the 2D live video are provided, such as path-drawing and path-preview. Path-drawing function allows to plan a robot's path by simply specifying 3D points on the path on screen. Path- preview function provides a realistic image sequence seen from the planned path using a texture-mapped 3D geometric model in a manner of virtualized reality. In addition, a miniaturized 3D model is overlaid on the screen providing an exocentric view, which is a common technique in virtual reality. In this way, our technique allows an operator to recognize the remote place and navigate the robot intuitively by seamlessly using a variety of mixed reality techniques on a spectrum of Milgram's real-virtual continuum.

Virtual Worlds, Virtual Economies, Virtual Institutions

Abstract: Virtual worlds are now a reality. Virtual worlds such as the growing Second Life and Entropia Universe, allow everyone to create a digital character representing themselves and interact with other computer-generated individuals, landscapes, and even virtually-run global businesses in real-time. Fascinatingly, both endogenously produced economies and social orders are emerging in these virtual worlds.

Transitional interface: concept, issues and framework

Abstract: Transitional Interfaces have emerged as a new way to interact and collaborate between different interactive spaces such as reality, virtual reality and augmented reality environments In this paper we explore this concept further We introduce a descriptive model of the concept, its collaborative aspect and how it can be generalized to describe natural and continuous transitions between contexts (eg across space, scale, viewpoints, and representation)