Lucía Vera

Augmented mirror: interactive augmented reality system based on kinect

In this paper we present a virtual character controlled by an actor in real time, who talks with an audience through an augmented mirror. The application, which integrates video images, the avatar and other virtual objects within an Augmented Reality system, has been implemented using a mixture of technologies: two kinect systems for motion capture, depth map and real images, a gyroscope to detect head movements, and control algorithms to manage avatar emotions.

Agency and presence: a common dependence on subjectivity?

This paper argues that presence, as shown in virtual environments, can usefully be seen as comprising various subtypes and that these in turn may have common conceptual and ontological features with a sense of agency as defined by Russell (1996, Agency: Its Role in Mental Development, Erlbaum.). Furthermore, an analysis of Russells characterization of the concept of agency may be useful for acquiring insight into the sense of presence itself and the variables affecting it. Empirical evidence from cognitive developmental research and the positive results of attempts to develop symbolic understanding in people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in virtual environments suggest that presence may be more about experiencing agency than either pretending to be there or constructing and reconstructing mental models in real time. This analysis is used to shed some light on the current issues of presence research and to open up new philosophical and psychological aspects, in relation to both presence and ASD.

Virtual reality school for children with learning difficulties

This paper describes the process starting from the identification of educational needs of children with learning difficulties to the design of a fully interactive virtual school, where it is possible to learn about the physical and social world. The fundamentals of this design are the exclusive advantages that Real Time Graphics offer for developing tools in which children can learn while playing. This development has been done in the framework of a strongly-funded project by the Spanish Government. This ongoing project is in its final stage of development and will produce tools which are valid both for special and mainstream education, ready to be used and tested over final users.

Computer graphics applications in the education process of people with learning difficulties

This paper describes the use of Real Time graphic applications as educational tools, specifically oriented to working with people who have certain learning difficulties. We first focus on identifying the most relevant traits (from a psychological point of view) of those disorders, then we continue by analysing the advantages of graphics in Real Time in this context, and how they can be used to complement the conventional teaching methods. Finally, we review the main characteristics of two applications belonging to this category, which serve as a practical example of this encounter between education and technology.

A Hybrid Virtual-Augmented Serious Game to Improve Driving Safety Awareness.

The use of 3D virtual content and Augmented Reality (AR) in certain applications allows designing tools and serious games that are more attractive to the potential users. Focusing on the area of learning and education, these technologies can be adapted to the requirements of the application that needs to be developed, to the available devices on which they are expected to run and also to the learning content. However, in most applications only a single interaction paradigm and a single visualization mode is used, restricting the potential benefits of the system. In this paper, we propose a software application designed to improve driving safety awareness and learning for both adults and children, in which we combine different interaction and visualization modes. The application is shaped as a hybrid virtual-augmented “Game of the Goose” in which AR, tactile interaction and 3D virtual content are brought to the user in a combined but meaningful way. The combination of these different interaction paradigms creates an educational tool which is much more intuitive and engaging. In this serious game, multiple players/users can participate simultaneously and players obtain, on the one hand, an intuitive interaction, simple and realistic based on AR and, on the other hand, an increase in the sense of immersion by means of virtual content, for a given set of driving-related situations. This provides a much more tailored learning system, making the users focus in the given driving situations. The paper describes the objectives set in the development of the application, the design and implementation decisions taken and a comprehensive but preliminary assessment performed with 285 users which provides satisfactory and promising results.

Towards a Guidance System to Aid in the Dosimetry Calculation of Intraoperative Electron Radiation Therapy

In Intraoperative Electron Radiation Therapy (IOERT), the lack of specific planning tools limits its applicability, the need for accurate dosimetry estimation and application during the therapy being the most critical. Recently, some works have been presented that try to overcome some of the limitations for establishing planning tools, though still an accurate guidance system that tracks, in real-time, the applicator and the patient is needed. In these surgical environments, the acquisition of an accurate 3D shape of the patient’s tumor bed in real-time is of high interest, as current systems make use of a 3D model acquired before the treatment. In this paper, an optical-based system is presented that is able to register, in real-time, the different objects (rigid objects) taking part in such a treatment. The presented guidance system and the related methodology are highly interactive, where a usability design has also been provided for non-expert users. Additionally, four different approaches are explored and evaluated to acquire the 3D model of the patient (non-rigid object) in real-time, where accuracies in the range of 1 mm can be achieved without the need of using expensive devices.