Loading...
10 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 10
- Online-Gym : multiuser virtual gymnasium using RINIONS and multiple kinect devicesPublication . Cassola, Fernando; Ala, Silvia; Carvalho, Fausto de; Paredes, Hugo; Fonseca, Benjamim; Martins, Paulo; Cardoso, Francisco; Morgado, LeonelTo enhance older citizen’s practice of physical exercise, we present the architecture, development, and pilot testing of a multiuser online gymnasium based on Kinect motion capture and OpenSimulator, which aims to enable socialization and supervision of exercise practice without travel requirements. The prototype was tested simultaneously with 4 elders at different locations, providing data on the feasibility of the approach and informing subsequent development and research.
- Immersive authoring of virtual reality trainingPublication . Cassola, Fernando; Pinto, Manuel; Mendes, Daniel; Morgado, Leonel; Coelho, António; Paredes, HugoThe use of VR in industrial training contributes to reduce costs and risks, supporting more frequent and diversified use of experiential learning activities, an approach with proven results. In this work, we present an innovative immersive authoring tool for experiential learning in VR-based training. It enables a trainer to structure an entire VR training course in an immersive environment, defining its sub-components, models, tools, and settings, as well as specifying by demonstration the actions to be performed by trainees. The trainees performing the immersive training course have their actions recorded and matched to the ones specified by the trainer.
- A novel tool for immersive authoring of experiential learning in virtual realityPublication . Cassola, Fernando; Pinto, Manuel; Mendes, Daniel; Morgado, Leonel; Coelho, António; Paredes, HugoTraining in VR can reduce risks and costs while allowing frequent and diversified experiential learning activities. We present a novel VR immersive authoring tool for experiential learning courses with industrial machinery. A trainer can create a course from scratch, defining all its components (structure, models, tools, and settings). The actions which trainees should perform can be specified by demonstration. After completing the course, trainees’ actions will be matched against the trainer’s.
- Online Gym : um ginásio virtual 3D integrando a kinect : análise comparativa de bibliotecas de suportePublication . Cassola, Fernando; Morgado, Leonel; Paredes, Hugo; Fonseca, Benjamim; Martins, Paulo; Carvalho, Fausto deA sincronização online de ginástica potencia novas possibilidades para melhorar o bem-estar físico e social das pessoas com restrições de deslocação. A nossa proposta passa pela criação de uma plataforma 3D - Online Gym - que permita que os utilizadores interajam e participem em sessões online de ginástica em grupo através do Microsoft Kinect. No presente artigo, com vista à concretização desta proposta, analisamos três alternativas tecnológicas para a implementação de serviços de deteção de movimentos que possam ser integrados em plataformas gráficas multiutilizador. Nos resultados, expõem-se as características de cada uma e o impacte respetivo para sua utilização na concretização desta proposta ou outras iniciativas similares.
- Activity providers for Inven!RAPublication . Morgado, Leonel; Cassola, FernandoThis report details the operation of Web services for platforms implementing the Inven!RA architecture and the data formats for parameter passing and responses.
- Inven!RA Architecture for sustainable deployment of immersive learning environmentsPublication . Morgado, Leonel; Coelho, António; Beck, Dennis; Gütl, Christian; Cassola, Fernando; Baptista, Ricardo; Van Zeller, Maria; Pedrosa, Daniela; Cruzeiro, Tiago; Cota, Duarte; Grilo, Ricardo; Schlemmer, ElianeThe objective of this work was to support the sustainable deployment of immersive learning environments, which face varied obstacles, including the lack of support infrastructures for active learning pedagogies. Sustainability from the perspective of the integration of these environments in educational practice entails situational awareness, workload, and the informed assessment ability of participants, which must be supported for such activities to be employed in a widespread manner. We have approached this wicked problem using the Design Science Research paradigm and produced the Inven!RA software architecture. This novel result constitutes a solution for developing software platforms to enable the sustainable deployment of immersive learning environments. The Inven!RA architecture is presented alongside four demonstration scenarios employed in its evaluation, providing a means for the situational awareness of immersive learning activities in support of pedagogic decision making.
- Exploring the usage of 3D virtual worlds and kinect interaction in exergames with elderlyPublication . Paredes, Hugo; Cassola, Fernando; Morgado, Leonel; Carvalho, Fausto de; Ala, Silvia; Cardoso, Francisco; Fonseca, Benjamim; Martins, PauloThe combination of the potentialities of the interactive technologies, like exergames and the emerging motion capture devices with the ability of 3D virtual worlds for socialisation and context, can produce a platform to promote the physical activity of its users, which leverages its potential. The OnlineGym is an exploratory project based on an online 3D virtual worlds platform that allows users to interact with the system through the use of a motion capture device. This paper discusses the chosen technological approaches and the preliminary results of the experiments performed with users.
- Using virtual choreographies to identify office users' behaviors to target behavior change based on their potential to impact energy consumptionPublication . Cassola, Fernando; Morgado, Leonel; Coelho, António; Paredes, Hugo; Barbosa, Antonio; Tavares, Helga; Soares, F. J.Reducing office buildings’ energy consumption can contribute significantly towards carbon reduction commitments since it represents ∼40% of total energy consumption. Major components of this are lighting, electrical equipment, heating, and central cooling systems. Solid evidence demonstrates that individual occupants’ behaviors impact these energy consumption components. In this work, we propose the methodology of using virtual choreographies to identify and prioritize behavior-change interventions for office users based on the potential impact of specific behaviors on energy consumption. We studied the energy-related office behaviors of individuals by combining three sources of data: direct observations, electricity meters, and computer logs. Data show that there are behaviors with significant consumption impact but with little potential for behavioral change, while other behaviors have substantial potential for lowering energy consumption via behavioral change.
- Design and evaluation of a choreography-based virtual reality authoring tool for experiential learning in industrial trainingPublication . Cassola, Fernando; Mendes, Daniel; Pinto, Manuel; Morgado, Leonel; Costa, Sara; Anjos, Luis; Marques, David; Rosa, Filipe; Maia, Ana Margarida; Tavares, Helga; Coelho, António; Paredes, HugoThe use of virtual reality (VR) for industrial training helps minimize risks and costs by allowing more frequent and varied use of experiential learning activities, leading to active and improved learning. However, creating VR training experiences is costly and time-consuming, requiring software development experts. Additionally, current authoring tools lack integration with existing data and are desktop-oriented, which detach the pedagogic process of creating the immersive experience from experiencing it in a situated context. In this article, we present a novel interactive approach for immersive authoring of VR-based experiential training by the trainers themselves, from inside the virtual environment and without the support of development experts. The design includes identifying interactable elements, such as 3-D models, equipment, tools, settings, and environment. The trainer also specifies by demonstration the actions to be performed by trainees, as a virtual choreography. During course execution, trainees’ activities are also registered as virtual choreographies and matched to those specified by the trainer. Thus, trainer and trainee are culturally situated within their area semantics and social discourse, rather than adopting concepts of the VR system for the learning content. We conducted a usability case study with professionals from an international wind energy company, using detailed models of wind turbines and real-world procedures. Trainers set up a training course using the immersive authoring tool, and trainees executed the course. The learning experience and usability were analyzed, and the training was certified by comparing real-world task completion between a user who had undergone virtual training and a user who did not.
- Using choreographies to support the gamification process on the development of an application to reduce electricity costsPublication . Cassola, Fernando; Iria, José; Paredes, Hugo; Morgado, Leonel; Coelho, António; Soares, F. J.Building automation systems contribute to reduce electricity costs by managing distributed energy resources in an efficient way. However, a large share of consumption cannot be optimized through automation alone, since it mainly depends on human interactions. Gamification can be used as one form of changing users’ behaviours [1], but its implementation does require assumptions on the behaviour patterns that need to be identified, encouraged, or discouraged. To tackle this problem, we propose a framework that joins building automation solutions with gamification techniques to enable behavioural demand response.