Alaeddin Nassani

Tag it!: AR annotation using wearable sensors

In this paper we describe a wearable system that allows people to place and interact with 3D virtual tags placed around them. This uses two wearable technologies: a head-worn wearable computer (Google Glass) and a chest-worn depth sensor (Tango). The Google Glass is used to generate and display virtual information to the user, while the Tango is used to provide robust indoor position tracking for the Glass. The Tango enables spatial awareness of the surrounding world using various motion sensors including 3D depth sensing, an accelerometer and a motion tracking camera. Using these systems together allows users to create a virtual tag via voice input and then register this tag to a physical object or position in 3D space as an augmented annotation. We describe the design and implementation of the system, user feedback, research implications, and directions for future work.

AntarcticAR: An outdoor AR experience of a virtual tour to Antarctica

In this paper we introduce AntarcticAR, a mobile outdoor Augmented Reality (AR) application that provides a virtual tour of Antarctica. Outdoor AR interfaces have often been used as a navigational tool, providing information related to the real world environment where the user is located in. In contrast, this research explores using outdoor AR to provide a virtual tour that has little relationship with the users real environment. The AntarcticAR application allows people to virtually visit places of interest in Antarctica or follow historic expeditions to the South Pole. The paper describes the design and implementation of the application, and reports on a user study with members of the public. Users felt that the application provided a compelling virtual tour, and that the outdoor AR technology especially enriched the experience.

Social panoramas: using wearable computers to share experiences

Camera equipped mobile devices provide a quick way of capturing and sharing social experiences and spaces. Wearable computers that combine head mounted displays and cameras provide new opportunities for collaboration. We are interested in how wearable computer users could rapidly capture and share their surroundings using panorama imagery and live video.

[Poster] Social panoramas using wearable computers

In this paper we describe the concept of Social Panoramas that combine panorama images, Mixed Reality, and wearable computers to support remote collaboration. We have developed a prototype that allows panorama images to be explored in real time between a Google Glass user and a remote tablet user. This uses a variety of cues for supporting awareness, and enabling pointing and drawing. We conducted a study to explore if these cues can increase Social Presence. The results suggest that increased interaction does not increase Social Presence, but tools with a higher perceived usability show an improved sense of presence.

[POSTER] The Social AR Continuum: Concept and User Study

In this poster, we describe The Social AR Continuum, a space that encompasses different dimensions of Augmented Reality (AR) for sharing social experiences. We explore various dimensions, discuss options for each dimension, and brainstorm possible scenarios where these options might be useful. We describe a prototype interface using the contact placement dimension, and report on feedback from potential users which supports its usefulness for visualising social contacts. Based on this concept work, we suggest user studies in the social AR space, and give insights into future directions.

Using visual and spatial cues to represent social contacts in AR

One of the key problems with representing social networks in Augmented Reality (AR) is how to differentiate between contacts. In this paper we explore how visual and spatial cues based on social relationships can be used to represent contacts in social AR applications, making it easier to distinguish between them. Previous implementations of social AR have been mostly focusing on location based visualization with no focus on the social relationship to the user. In contrast, we explore how to visualise social relationships in mobile AR environments using proximity and visual fidelity filters. We ran a focus group to explore different options for representing social contacts in a mobile an AR application. We also conducted a user study to test a head-worn AR prototype using proximity and visual fidelity filters. We found out that filtering social contacts on wearable AR is preferred and useful. We discuss the results of focus group and the user study, and provide insights into directions for future work.

Augmented reality annotation for social video sharing

This paper explores different visual interfaces for sharing comments on a social live video streaming platforms. So far, comments are displayed separately from the video making it hard to relate the comments to event in the video. In this work we investigate an Augmented Reality (AR) interface displaying comments directly on the streamed live video. Our described prototype allows remote spectators to perceive the streamed live video with different interfaces for displaying the comments. We conducted a user study to compare different ways of visualising comments and found that users prefer having comments in the AR view rather than on a separate list. We discuss the implications of this research and directions for future work.

Filtering Shared Social Data in AR

We describe a method and a prototype implementation for filtering shared social data (e.g., 360 video) in a wearable Augmented Reality (e.g., HoloLens) application. The data filtering is based on user-viewer relationships. For example, when sharing a 360 video, if the user has an intimate relationship with the viewer, then full fidelity (i.e. the 360 video) of the users environment is visible. But if the two are strangers then only a snapshot image is shared. By varying the fidelity of the shared content, the viewer is able to focus more on the data shared by their close relations and differentiate this from other content. Also, the approach enables the sharing-user to have more control over the fidelity of the content shared with their contacts for privacy.

AR social continuum: representing social contacts

One of the key problems with representing social networks in Augmented Reality (AR) is how to differentiate between contacts. In this paper we explore how visual and spatial cues based on social relationships can be used to represent contacts in social AR applications, making it easier to distinguish between them. Previous implementations of social AR have been mostly focusing on location based visualization with no focus on the social relationship to the user. In contrast, we explore how to visualise social relationships in mobile AR environments using proximity and visual fidelity filters. We ran a focus group to explore different options for representing social contacts in a mobile an AR application. We also conducted a user study to test a head-worn AR prototype using proximity and visual fidelity filters. We found out that filtering social contacts on wearable AR is preferred and useful. We discuss the results of focus group and the user study, and provide insights into directions for future work.