Eva Lindh Waterworth

The Layers of Presence: A Bio-cultural Approach to Understanding Presence in Natural and Mediated Environments

This paper proposes a bio-cultural theory of presence based on four different positions related to the role and structure of presence, as follows. First, presence is a defining feature of self and it is related to the evolution of a key feature of any central nervous system: the embedding of sensory-referred properties into an internal functional space. Without the emergence of the sense of presence it is impossible for the nervous system to experience distal attribution: the referencing of our perception to an external space beyond the limits of the sensory organs themselves. Second, even if the experience of the sense of presence is a unitary feeling, conceptually it can be divided in three different layers, phylogenetically different and strictly related to the three levels of self identified by Damasio. In particular we can make conceptual distinctions between proto presence (self vs. non self), core presence (self vs. present external world), and extended presence (self relative to present external world). Third, given that each layer of presence solves a particular facet of the internal/external world separation, it is characterized by specific properties. Finally, in humans the sense of presence is a direct function of these three layers: the more they are integrated, the more we are present. In the experience of optimal presence, biologically and culturally determined cognitive processes are working in harmony--to focus all levels of the self on a significant situation in the external world, whether this is real or virtual.

Using motion interactive games to promote physical activity and enhance motor performance in children with cerebral palsy

Objective: To explore the feasibility of using low-cost motion interactive games as a home-based intervention for children with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods: Fourteen children with CP, 6–16 years old, practiced with the EyeToy for PlayStation2® in their homes during 4 weeks. Outcome measures were physical activity monitors, Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (mABC-2), Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (sub-test 5 : 6), 1 Minute Walk Test and gaming diaries. Results: Motivation for practice and compliance of training were high. The childrens physical activity increased during the intervention and activity monitors were feasible to use, although data loss may be a concern. According to mABC-2 the childrens motor performance improved, but there were both floor and ceiling effects. The two additional motor tests showed only non-significant progress. Conclusion: It is highly feasible to use motion interactive games in home rehabilitation for children with CP. Specific motor effects need to be further explored.

Being and time: judged presence and duration as a function of media form

We briefly describe a novel immersive environmentthe interactive tentand an artistic production within it, the Illusion of Being. In this production, immersants experience a vivid cycle of the elements in a way that depends on their bodily movements. This elemental story has four versions in all, with each created to have differential effects on sense of presence and of subjective duration, according to a theoretical model. The model proposes three orthogonal dimensions of experience: focus, the level of abstraction;locus, real versus virtual; andsensus, the overall level of attention of the observer. An experiment, conducted to assess the effects of the different versions, is reported. The results confirmed the models prediction that rated presence is relatively high when experienced media is of a form that elicits predominantly concrete (perceptual) processing, and relatively low when the emphasis is on more-abstract (conceptual) processing. But the concrete-abstract dimension had no direct effect on judged duration, contrary to our predictions. However, some evidence suggests that judged presence and estimated duration were positively correlated for media categorized as virtual, but not for content captured from the real world.

AGNES: Connecting people in a multimodal way

Western societies are confronted with a number of challenges caused by the increasing number of older citizens. One important aspect is the need and wish of older people to live as long as possible in their own home and maintain an independent life. As people grew older, their social networks disperse, with friends and families moving to other parts of town, other cities or even countries. Additionally, people become less mobile with age, leading to less active participation in societal life. Combined, this normal, age-related development leads to increased loneliness and social isolation of older people, with negative effects on mental and physical health of those people. In the AGNES project, a home-based system has been developed that allows connecting elderly with their families, friends and other significant people over the Internet. As most older people have limited experience with computers and often special requirements on technology, one focus of AGNES was to develop with the users novel technological means for interacting with their social network. The resulting system uses ambient displays, tangible interfaces and wearable devices providing ubiquitous options for interaction with the network, and secondary sensors for additionally generating carefully chosen information on the person to be relayed to significant persons. Evaluations show that the chosen modalities for interaction are well adopted by the users. Further it was found that use of the AGNES system had positive effects on the mental state of the users, compared to the control group without the technology.

Transnational Comparison: A Retrospective Study on e-Health in Sparsely Populated Areas of the Northern Periphery

Healthcare delivery in the northern periphery of Europe is challenged by dispersed populations, geographical complexities (including mountainous terrain and inhabited islands), ageing populations, and rising patient expectations. It is challenged further by variations in transport networks and information communication technology infrastructure. This article provides an overview of e-health development across the northern periphery areas of four northern European countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Scotland) by summarizing the outcomes of a mixed methods e-health mapping exercise and subsequently identifying service needs and gaps. A total of 148 applications, with a range of applied e-health solutions, were identified and the findings have promoted the sharing and transfer of e-health innovation across the four countries. The supporting telecommunications infrastructure and development of innovative telemedicine appear slower in sparsely populated areas of Scotland in comparison to its northern peripheral counterparts. All four countries have, however, demonstrated a clear commitment to the development of e-health within their remote and rural regions.

A conceptual framework for design of interactive computer play in rehabilitation of children with sensorimotor disorders

Abstract Background: Interactive computer play is a promising tool in rehabilitation of children. There is still little research presented in this field, and thus sparse evidence for its effectiveness. It is however evident that children, parents and therapists are in favour of this form of training and that modern motor learning theories fit very well with the concept of practising in interactive computer-based environments. There is nevertheless a need for development of new systems purposely designed for rehabilitation and this work faces substantial challenges. Objectives: In this paper we briefly present our ongoing research regarding interactive training for children with sensorimotor disorders, and reflections about challenges in the development of new interactive systems for motor rehabilitation. Methods: Interactive training using low-cost motion interactive games was evaluated with three-dimensional kinematic motion analysis, clinical motor tests, physical activity monitors, interviews and gaming diaries. Conclusions: To make interactive computer play feasible in rehabilitation of children, we believe that the technique should be easily accessible in the homes of the children. Games made for the rehabilitation of children should also be flexible, partly to match the various needs of children with different disabilities, but also to enable challenging stimulation to match progress and provide variation that stimulates motivation for practice. Appropriate feedback is crucial for motivation and in order to provide this, it is important to establish optimal solutions for assessing motor control progress. Our experiences from three-dimensional motion analysis suggest that incorporating instruments for kinematic measurements into interactive games would be valuable.

Tools, perspectives and avatars in blended reality space.

Blended Reality Space is our term for an interactive mixed-reality environment where the physical and the virtual are intimately combined in the service of interaction goals and communication environments aimed at health support and rehabilitation. The present study examines the effect on rated presence and self-presence of three key factors in the way blended realities may be implemented for these purposes. Our findings emphasize the importance of tangibility for presence, but suggest that presence and self-presence are unrelated phenomena. These findings will be incorporated into design principles for our planned work to develop free movement-based interactions for motor rehabilitation as well as blended-reality spaces for collaboration between hospitals, care organizations, and the home.

In tent, in touch: beings in seclusion and in transit

We describe The Tent, an immersive environment designed to stimulate creativity and to support non-symbolic communication. In a tent we are secluded but also in touch, with nature and with ourselves. We are experimenting with the Tent as a meditative, relaxing environment, but also as a stimulating one, and as a medium for non-symbolic communication.

Altered, expanded and distributed embodiment : the three stages of interactive presence

This conceptual chapter outlines three stages in the development of interactive presence, and outlines some possibilities and challenges raised by each, and by their combination. The first stage, presence via altered embodiment, refers to the way technology allows us to experience the world with modified or enhanced senses. The second stage, via expanded embodiment, refers to technology pushing the envelope of the mental body in which one feels present, out beyond the physical body. Finally, distributed embodiment refers to how the sense of being present in the world can be separated from that of ownership of a particular body, through the development of new approaches to deploying the technologies of virtual realization. We suggest that presence is the yardstick of embodiment from an experiential perspective. If you cannot feel presence, you are not embodied in the world.

Intention, Action, Self and Other: An Evolutionary Model of Presence

The term “presence” entered in the wide scientific debate in 1992 when Sheridan and Furness used it in the title of a new journal dedicated to the study of virtual reality systems and teleoperations: Presence, Teleoperators and Virtual Environments. Following this approach, the term “presence” has been used to describe a widely re-ported sensation experienced during the use of virtual reality. The main limitation of this vision is what is not said. What is presence for? Is it a specific cognitive process? To answer to these questions, a second group of researchers considers presence as a broad psychological phenomenon, not necessarily linked to the experience of a medium, whose goal is the control of the individual and social activity. In this chapter we support this second vision, starting from the following broad statements: (a) the psychology of presence is related to human action and its organization in the environment; (b) the psychology of presence is related to the body and to the embodiment process; (c) presence is an evolved process related to the understanding and management of the causal texture of both the physical and social worlds. In the following paragraphs we will justify these claims and underline their relevance for the design and usage of interactive technologies.