Andrei Popleteev

Device-free indoor localization using ambient radio signals

This paper investigates feasibility of device-free indoor localization using single passive receiver. Instead of local wireless nodes sharing one frequency channel, this work leverages multiple ambient FM radio stations. Experimental results demonstrate feasibility of the proposed approach and highlight the role of frequency diversity for passive localization.

Comparison of active proximity radars for the wearable devices

Two methods of object position and movement estimation in relation to the user of smart glasses were investigated. An active infrared and ultrasonic methods of the obstacle detection were presented and compared. Application of these methods depend on active transducers type (physical medium used), geometry and surface properties of detected objects and their movement direction and speed. In the article properties of both detectors were compared and applicability of both methods in mobile, battery operated environment such as eGlasses platform were compared.

HIPS: Human-based indoor positioning system

Homo sapiens is a common, even if often uncredited, component of indoor positioning research. Despite the increasing number of automatic benchmarking platforms, performance of a positioning system is still typically evaluated by a graduate student with a smartphone in their hand. Powered by the varying levels of motivation, attention and spatial awareness, research assistants gather data while walking along predefined paths or visiting predefined locations. More importantly, however, these people are in charge of establishing the ground truth which has a direct impact on the final evaluation results. In this paper, we look into the widespread tacit assumption that human-based ground truth errors are negligibly small. Using a custom laser-based positioning method with centimeter-level accuracy, we experimentally invalidate the hypothesis of human localization infallibility in a series of 378 measurements with 7 volunteers. In static tests with three types of visual references, we observed human localization errors reaching values of 22 cm (with floor and ceiling markers) and up to 36 cm (with environmental landmarks). Such displacements can easily be the difference between the line-of-sight and radio-shadow locations and thus strongly affect the measured performance of a wireless positioning system. The results of this work outline the limits of human-based indoor positioning performance and highlight the importance of correct implementation and reporting of ground truth methodology in indoor localization research.

Text entry on smart glasses

This paper presents a comparative pilot usability study of Dasher and an on-screen keyboard on a head-mounted display. Interaction logging data was captured along with subjective responses (via the SUS questionnaire). The results indicate that there is a strong need to develop text entry systems for smart glasses rather to simply adopt those that are already available. However, both approaches are useful when there is a need to enter private or sensitive data.

Device-Free Indoor Localization Based on Ambient FM Radio Signals

This paper presents the concept of device-free indoor localization using only a passive receiver and ambient FM radio signals. Experimental results based on empirical measurements demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach. The authors also evaluate fine-grained localization performance of the system, its temporal stability, and highlight the role of frequency diversity for passive localization.

Colorizer: Smart Glasses Aid for the Colorblind

We present a smart glasses application for helping colorblind people to distinguish problematic colors in daily life. The prototype processes a live video stream from the mobile camera, remaps colors according to the user needs, and displays the augmented result. Color transformation ensures high contrast between colors which are otherwise indistinguishable for the user.

Poster: Impact of Ground Truth Errors on Wi-Fi Localization Accuracy

This study investigates the impact of small ground truth (GT) errors on indoor positioning systems based on Wi-Fi fingerprinting. The results demonstrate that even centimeter-scale GT deviations cause severe degradation of measured localization accuracy.

Indoor positioning using ambient radio signals: Data acquisition platform for a long-term study

This paper presents an ongoing long-term study exploring indoor positioning systems based on ambient radio signals (such as FM, TV and GSM). We introduce an open-source platform designed to facilitate data acquisition in indoor localization experiments. The platform is currently employed for the creation of a public dataset of geo referenced ambient radio signal samples. The paper discusses the system design as well as the challenges and current lessons of the year-long experiment.

Activity tracking and indoor positioning with a wearable magnet

This paper presents an unconventional application of digital compass sensors for localization and activity monitoring in ambient assisted living scenarios. Benefits and limitations of the proposed approach are reviewed and compared to these of traditional tracking methods, such as wearable devices, surveillance cameras and device-free localization.

Magnetic interaction with devices: a pilot study on mobile gaming

This work-in-progress paper presents a study of interaction techniques for mobile devices, with a focus on gaming scenarios. We introduce and explore usability and performance aspects of a novel compass-based control for tangible around-device interaction, and compare it with traditional mobile gaming controls, such as touchscreen thumbstick, swiping and tilt-based approaches.