Massimiliano Margarone

Using 3D Sound to Improve the Effectiveness of the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems

Abstract: Future generation cars will be characterized by a wide range of Information Technology (IT) services providing safety and infotainment. This makes the car an information intensive environment where the visual channel is overloaded, putting the safety of drivers and passengers in jeopardy. We propose the use of a 3D auditory display to provide information from the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. This reduces the eye-off-road time, exploiting the human capability to associate sounds with positions in space. Preliminary lab tests reveal the suitability of this approach. The system still has to be carefully tuned and personalized to achieve usability and reliability, but we think that it provides a complementary channel that is specially useful in low visibility conditions.

Supporting efficient design of mobile HCI

Recent advances in mobile computing and communication technologies have spurred nomadic use of computers. In order to support HCI design for new mobile services, we have developed the MADE (Mobile Applications Development Environment) software development kit. MADE includes M3P (MicroMultiMedia Player), a network-enabled multimedia player easily programmable through the Micromultimedia Services Language (MSL). MSL provides high-level components encapsulating advanced services (e.g. positioning, database query, path search, games, etc.), that can be easily integrated in multimedia presentations. This allows building modular applications that provide information-rich services to the general public through a coherent and homogeneous multimedia HCI, that can be learned with low mental workload. On the other hand, MADE hides the low-level aspects of multimedia and service management, allowing designers to focus on the modalities of presentation of information and on user interaction. The paper describes MADE and briefly sketches some tour guide applications we developed using the tool.

Designing Mobile Games for a Challenging Experience of the Urban Heritage

Ubiquitous gaming is a new emerging research area, that is gaining focus from industry and academy as smart wireless devices are becoming ever more widespread. We have explored this field implementing a treasure hunt game aimed at enhancing the visitor’s experience of the heritage in a city area, such as Venice. The game relies on standard, commercially available hardware and middleware systems. The paper describes the pedagogical principles that inspire the game and the corresponding structure of VeGame. We also discuss how combining mobile gaming and an educational focus may deliver to the player a challenging and engaging experience of the heritage, as shown by early user tests. Extensive qualitative and quantitative evaluation will start in June 2003.