Luca Greci

Virtual reality as a support tool in the shoe life cycle

The life cycle of an industrial product goes through several stages, from the initial idea to the finished product, and on to the purchase and recycling. Virtual reality environments (VRE) allow the user to interact with a digital representation of a product, and so can be used to perform aesthetical, ergonomic, functional tests as well to support customer decisions in the selling process; mainly for customized products. In this contribution, ITIA-CNR presents two important applications in the shoes context: VRShoe and MagicMirror. VRShoe is a VRE for designing shoe aesthetics. MagicMirror, currently under development, is an augmented reality (AR) system for supporting the decision-making processes of customer customized shoes.

New challenges in collaborative virtual factory design

The present paper describes the results of recent and ongoing major European projects about the virtual factory design topic, highlighting in particular new challenges related to the networked collaborative design of factories layout and configuration. A pilot factory for the production of customized shoes is referred to throughout the paper as application example of the proposed methods and tools.

Virtual Environments for Cognitive and Physical Training in Elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Pilot Study

This work aims at providing an evaluation of the acceptability and the usability of a virtual reality-based intervention developed for the physical and cognitive training of mild cognitive impaired elderlies. To perform this evaluation, participants enrolled in the intervention group (n = 4) of a randomized controlled trial to test the system were interviewed, and their adherence and their performances in the virtual environments for cognitive training were evaluated. In spite of the small sample, the active participation and the unanimous positive judgement of all the participants led to the conclusion that the training program was well accepted and enjoyable. Participants also claimed reduced level of anxiety in their ADL. On the basis of these encouraging results, a second trial, with enlarged sample and with a system implementing the improvements required to overcome the limitations and the problems highlighted with this pilot study, will be performed in the next future.

GOJI an Advanced Virtual Environment Supporting Training of Physical and Cognitive Activities to Prevent Dementia Occurrence in Elderly with Minor Cognitive Disorders

Dementia incidence in populations of 65 years or over is about 9 % and doubles every 5 years of age and might be higher than 50 % at the older ages of human life, international epidemic studies foreseen dementia cases up to 48 million in 2020. Cognitive deficits affecting the person’s independence are main manifestations of dementia. The pathological process of disease precedes of decades the clinical manifestations and it suggests the possibility of early interventions in asymptomatic or early mild symptomatic individuals. This work presents the Goji project and its design phase of preventive program composed by a Virtual Environment for visuospatial (VSP) training and physiological evaluation of its efficacy.

FootGlove: a haptic device supporting the customer in the choice of the best fitting shoes

The core issues of mass customization (MC) are to provide more and more conveniences to meet customers customized requirements and to ensure near mass production efficiency and quality in manufacturing processes. Since the MC provides to the customer, in the footwear sector, the possibility to choose shoes with different materials, colours, sizes and performances, the shops need big stocks in order to give the possibility to the customer to try the different solutions available. The FootGlove is a haptic device simulating the internal volume of the shoe, through a set of mechatronics mechanism, allowing the customer to try the shoes that are not yet manufactured. One of the advantages is permitting to the shop to have small stock. This paper will discuss how the FootGlove simulates the fitting of the shoes with different sizes and typologies to support the customer in the choice of his best fitting shoe.

Characteristics, Usability, and Users Experience of a System Combining Cognitive and Physical Therapy in a Virtual Environment: Positive Bike

We present the architecture and usability evaluation of virtual reality system—“Positive Bike”—designed for improving cognitive and motor conditions in frail elderly patients. The system consists of a cycle-ergometer integrated in an immersive virtual reality system (CAVE) which allows combining motor and cognitive exercises according to a “dual-task” paradigm. We tested the usability and user’s experience of the prototype in a pilot evaluation study that involved five elderly patients. The prototype was tested in one-session training to understand the limitations and areas for improvement of our system. The evaluation consisted in (i) usability assessment using the system usability scale; (ii) evaluation of user’s engagement using the flow state scale; and (iii) expert evaluation involving interviews with domain experts. Results showed a good usability, both for system usability scale and the semi-structured interview. The level of flow (i.e., enjoyment with the task at hand) measured using the short flow state scale, was also high. Analysis of semi-structured interview carried out with domain experts provided further indications to improve the system. Overall, these findings show that, despite some limitations, the system is usable and provides an enjoyable user’s experience.

Giok the Alien: An AR-Based Integrated System for the Empowerment of Problem-Solving, Pragmatic, and Social Skills in Pre-School Children

The use of technology for educational purposes is a consolidated reality, and many new tools are constantly being devised and offered for use with both normally developing children and children with special needs. Nonetheless, a detailed analysis of the processes being stimulated and of the goals being pursued is often lacking or absent. In this work we describe the design, development and preliminary testing of an integrated system which combines the use of smart devices, a physical cube, augmented reality (AR) technology, a smart TV, and a software application especially designed to stimulate cognitive and social functions in pre-school children. The system was tested with three groups of children (25 children in total) during kindergarten activities. The results show that the system is easy to understand, elicits high levels of participation and social interaction, favors strategic behaviors, and can be used by the children with limited need of instruction and support by the adult. The implications for empowerment in typically developing children and the possibilities for use with children who have specific impairments in social communication are discussed.

VirtualCruiseTour: An AR/VR Application to Promote Shore Excursions on Cruise Ships

This work presents VirtualCruiseTour, an AR/VR-based application dedicated to ship cruises’ guests for the promotion of organized shore excursions. It can be exploited also in travel agencies to showcase future customers the sites of interest that can be visited during the cruise. The AR module allows augmenting a map showing the cruise route, the ship current position and the ports in which the liner will stop. Tapping one of the port (or the ship), the user is shown more details about the shore excursions organized for that stop (or the ship facilities) and has the chance to experience the site of interests watching 360° pictures or videos either in an immersive (VR) or non-immersive mode. A pilot study to validate the application as a marketing tool is foreseen. The experiment evaluates the customers’ purchase intentions and their knowledge of the product in comparison to traditional marketing media (web sites and brochures). Preliminary results of the study conducted enrolling nine participants are presented and discussed.

Sense of Presence and Cybersickness While Cycling in Virtual Environments: Their Contribution to Subjective Experience

Head mounted displays (HMDs) are visualization devices that provide high levels of immersion in virtual environments (VEs), which have been recently used to enhance the experience of subjects performing a physical exercise. However, the use of these devices in rehabilitation is discussed as it could cause cybersickness and other physical drawbacks. In this context, we conducted a preliminary study investigating the experiences of navigating in the same VEs using a cycle-ergometer and either a projected screen (PS) or a HMD, considering whether the “the Sense of Presence” influenced the device’s preference. Thirty-three healthy young adults were enrolled and randomized in four groups to counterbalance the two conditions and to investigate the effects of 5-days washout. Most of the subjects (n = 26) preferred the HMD with respect to PS; sense of presence was higher using HMD than using projector (t = −11.47, p < 0.001), but the difference between conditions was higher for those who preferred the HMD (t = −14.64, p < 0.001), compared to those who chose projector (t = −2.70, p < 0.05). The correlation of presence with cybersickness revealed that, despite higher levels of sickness, sense of presence probably counts more in choosing the HMD as the preferred device.

Effects of Combined Physical and Cognitive Virtual Reality-Based Training on Cognitive Impairment and Oxidative Stress in MCI Patients: A Pilot Study

The growing elderly population and the increased incidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) call for the improvement of the quality and the efficacy of the healthcare and social support services. Exercise and cognitive stimulation have been demonstrated to mitigate cognitive impairment and oxidative stress (OxS) has been recognized as a factor that contributes to the advancement of neurodegenerative diseases. Taking these aspects into account, the impact of a novel virtual reality (VR)-based program combining aerobic exercise and cognitive training has been evaluated in the pilot study proposed here. Ten patients (aged 73.3 ± 5.7 years) with MCI (Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE: 23.0 ± 3.4) were randomly assigned to either 6 weeks physical and cognitive training (EXP) or control (CTR) group. Evaluations of cognitive profile, by a neuropsychological tests battery, and OxS, by collection of blood and urine samples, were performed before and at the end of the experimental period. The assessment of the patients’ opinions toward the intervention was investigated through questionnaires. EXP group showed a tendency towards improvements in the MMSE, in visual-constructive test and visuo-spatial tests of attention, while CTR worsened. EXP group showed a greater improvement than CTR in the executive test, memory functions and verbal fluency. No statistical significance was obtained when comparing within and between both the groups, probably due to small number of subjects examined, which amplifies the effect of the slight heterogeneity in scores recorded. Despite a greater worsening of Daily Living Activities tests, all participants reported a better performance in real life, thanks to the elicited self-perceived improvement. After training intervention OxS (i.e., reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, oxidative damage of lipids and DNA) decreased resulting in significantly (range p < 0.05–0.001) lower in EXP vs. CTR group. Although not conclusive, the recorded effects in the present study are promising and suggest that this proposal would be a useful tool in support of cognitive training reducing OxS too. However, further studies on larger scale samples of patients are needed.