Kazuhiro Koshi

Pedestrian tracking system using digital portable telephones

This paper presents a novel system to track a moving human in living environment. The tracking technique is based on dead reckoning navigation in which the location of the traveler is estimated from measurements of moving distance and direction. The proposed system consists of a portable instrument of the pedestrian and a monitoring instrument in a base station. In the pedestrian portable instrument, the present position is detected at every step from the number of walking steps from the pedometer and the direction from the terrestrial magnetic sensor. In the base station, the map matching process is applied to the positional data transmitted by the portable telephone, and the walking trajectory is depicted on the display of a PC. From the experiments for tracking the walking of a healthy person in an urban area, a residential area, and a mountain path, it is confirmed that the proposed system can track the movement. Also, by transmitting the environmental sound around the pedestrian such as announcement of bus stops through a portable telephone, the possibility is shown for pedestrian tracking including movement by public transport.

Implementation and Evaluation of the Gesture Interface for Object Based e-Learning System

The basis of the e-learning system used in most educational institutions is a character representation by a web browser. This has caused a decrease in usability. Its user interface is not easy for beginners. Therefore, the user comes to have to study the manner of operation of the system before original study. This paper proposes the GI (Gesture Interface) as an operation method for e-learning system. Users can operate e-learning system viscerally by using GI. We have implemented and evaluated some gestures for object based e-learning system that has made on Adobe Flash. This system recognizes two positions and motions of users fingers from an USB web camera. This allows users to give the system several gestures.

Design of Comfortable Working Environment on Bed for Bedridden People

This paper proposes a bed environment where user can actively work in bedridden posture. The proposed bed environment is using a nursing bed as the base, and has an overhead lighting, a screen, and a projector. The environmental conditions, such as bed angle, table angle, and screen distance and angle, and the number of electric bulbs of lightings and its angle, were evaluated by performing questionnaire. As a result, the proposed environment is well suited for watching movies, using personal computer, and conversation with person in distant place.

Moving Picture Creation Based on Physical and Kansei Information of Music

This paper proposes a novel system to create the moving picture based on music physical parameters and its Kansei factors. The moving picture is created to have equivalent Kansei with the music. The Kansei factors we derived are as follows: rhythmical sensation, mellow sensation, brilliant sensation, and powerful sensation. The system was evaluated by using fireworks picture. As a result, the proposed system can improve the Kansei compared with the reference picture except for the mellow factor.

Characteristics of Human Speed Sensation for Flying-Ball Pictures

This paper describes characteristics of human speed sensation for flying-ball pictures. Flying-ball is arranged with a certain density, and its velocity is constant. First, we arranged flying-ball regularly and measured a relationship between density, velocity, and sensation of speed. As a result, we clarified that sensation of speed relates to the number offlying-balls which pass through on display. Next, we also measured characteristics of a speed sensation when arranged flying-ball irregularly. The result is the same as the regular case.

Effect of Image-size Differences on 3D Giant Stereo Image Screen and of 2-Projector Images on Visual Fatigue

A 3D stereo image makes a more powerful and realistic impression than a 2D image. We want to clarify the optimal projection conditions for educational facilities and amusement arcades that use 3D stereo images. First, we clarified the degree of impression due to screen for 2D and 3D stereo images. The impressions of 3D stereo images became more powerful and realistic than those of 2D images as the screen size was widened. We statistically examined the opinions of viewers of 2D and 3D stereo images, which were obtained from questionnaires. Visual fatigue sometimes appeared after they watched 3D stereo images, specially when a projection method using two projectors (one for the right-eye and the other for the left-eye) was used. This fatigue appears to be partially related to the projection-size difference. Visual fatigue became more serious when the difference extended beyond 1% of the original size. Using these results, we designed an assembly rack for two projectors (3D stereo projectors) to keep the size difference below 1%.