Roseli de Deus Lopes

Computer Assisted Music Therapy: A Case Study of an Augmented Reality Musical System for Children with Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation

This article presents an experiment conducted with an Augmented Reality musical system for music therapy. In this system, colored cards with graphic symbols replace the music keyboard. Unlike the keyboard, composed of unchangeable and fixed keys, in this system the therapist can print cards of different sizes and place them in various ways, according to the desired motor exercise. Each card represents a different musical note in the timbre of a given musical instrument. A colored virtual cube is attached to each card. A music therapist initially evaluated the system and later an experiment was conducted with a child with cerebral palsy. Results showed the potential of this software in the rehabilitation process.

Accessible display design to control home area networks

Recently, the social inclusion and technical aid to assure autonomy to people with disabilities are getting attention all over the world. We present a display design for accessible interaction in home area networks. Based on a research on the accessible interfaces state of the art, an interface design was proposed. This interface was implemented over a Tablet that controls the domestic devices through a home network controller prototype. In order to evaluate the design, a research was conducted, interviewing people with disabilities in Brazil. This research consolidated a feasible accessible interface to control home area networks pointing out the main requirements for home area networks considering a diversified group of impairments.

The Brazilian digital television system access device architecture

In early 2003, the Brazilian government accelerated the decision process on analog to digital transition of terrestrial TV broadcast infrastructure, naming this initiative The Brazilian Digital Television System (SBTVD). This paper describes the access device architecture we have proposed for the SBTVD, as well as related issues. We focused on several requirements among which: flexibility to support the social economical diversity enabling market implementations that can vary on cost, complexity and applications; digital inclusion targeting a minimal cost architecture providing a simple access device to information and services by convergent broadcast and point-to-point telecommunication means; and scalability targets incorporating state-of-the-art technology, considering emerging services and the current legacy analog TV infrastructure available in Brazil. We cover the following specific topics: an architecture overview considering scalability, interoperability and regional and international requirements, operating system and middleware interfaces, audio and video coding formats and associate standards, technical and economical analysis, usability and user interface consistency. Finally two prototypes for the outlined access device architecture are reported.

An augmented reality system for upper-limb post-stroke motor rehabilitation: a feasibility study

Abstract Purpose: To determine the clinical feasibility of a system based on augmented reality for upper-limb (UL) motor rehabilitation of stroke participants. Method: A physiotherapist instructed the participants to accomplish tasks in augmented reality environment, where they could see themselves and their surroundings, as in a mirror. Two case studies were conducted. Participants were evaluated pre- and post-intervention. The first study evaluated the UL motor function using Fugl-Meyer scale. Data were compared using non-parametric sign tests and effect size. The second study used the gain of motion range of shoulder flexion and abduction assessed by computerized biophotogrammetry. Results: At a significance level of 5%, Fugl-Meyer scores suggested a trend for greater UL motor improvement in the augmented reality group than in the other. Moreover, effect size value 0.86 suggested high practical significance for UL motor rehabilitation using the augmented reality system. Conclusion: System provided promising results for UL motor rehabilitation, since enhancements have been observed in the shoulder range of motion and speed. Implications for Rehabilitation Gain of range of motion of flexion and abduction of the shoulder of post-stroke patients can be achieved through an augmented reality system containing exercises to promote the mental practice. NeuroR system provides a mental practice method combined with visual feedback for motor rehabilitation of chronic stroke patients, giving the illusion of injured upper-limb (UL) movements while the affected UL is resting. Its application is feasible and safe. This system can be used to improve UL rehabilitation, an additional treatment past the traditional period of the stroke patient hospitalization and rehabilitation

Establishment of the Brazilian telehealth network for paediatric oncology.

A telemedicine network has been established in Brazil to support distance medical practice in paediatric oncology. ONCONET comprises a national network of universities, research institutes and medical institutions. The system is Web-based and hosted on a high-performance computing infrastructure based on clusters of computers. It is based on open-source software, designed to provide high performance, fault tolerance and high availability. The ONCONET began operation in 2004. Currently, 30 hospitals affiliated to the Brazilian Society for Paediatric Oncology are users of the ONCONET. Six hospitals are connected by broadband access through the National Education and Research Network and 24 by conventional Internet access. The Multimedia Patients Registry also became operational in 2004, and its database contains information on 3200 patients from the 30 hospitals. The technological platform was notable for its low production cost. It thus appears to be a sustainable solution to the problem of delivering continuing medical education in a large country with widely dispersed health professionals.

Cloud computing applied to the development of global hybrid services and applications for interactive TV

This paper aims to present a model for an interactive and hybrid digital TV focused on global services and applications framework. The model proposed aims to improve the hybrid broadcast-broadband model with features which run worldwide using a PaaS cloud service, browser applications in a global compliance and second screen scenarios involving pervasive computing. The proposed architecture and a development baseline analysis indicate the feasibility to develop a global interactive TV scenario.

Bi-manual gesture interaction for 3D cloud point selection and annotation using COTS

This paper presents our solution to the 3DUI 2014 Contest which is about selection and annotation of 3D point cloud data. This challenge is a classic problem that, if solved and implemented correctly, can be conveniently useful in a wide range of 3D virtual reality applications and environments. Our approach considers a robust, simple and intuitive solution based on bi-manual interaction gestures. We provide a first-person navigation mode for data exploration, point selection and annotation offering a straightforward and intuitive approach for navigation using ones hands. Using a bi-manual gesture interface, the user is able to perform simple but powerful gestures to navigate through the 3D point cloud data within a 3D modelling tool to explore, select and/or annotate points. The implementation is based on COTS (Commercial OFF the Shelf Systems). For modelling and annotation purposes we adopted a widely available open-source tool for 3D editing called Blender. For gesture recognition we adopted the low cost Leap Motion desktop system. We also performed an informal user study that showed the intuitiveness of our solution: users were able to use our system fairly easily, with a fast learning curve.

Effectiveness analysis of audio watermark tags for IPTV second screen applications and synchronization

Recently, the industry and the research community have been exploring the use of more than one screen for the experience of interactivity with media content, primarily involving the TV. The techniques directly related with audio for second screen synchronization - the sound detection using the audio fingerprint technique - are well established. Experiments using audio watermark might reveal good solutions but are not fully explored in the literature. The aim of this paper is to evaluate and compare the transmission and receiving effectiveness of audio in the IPTV context. An analysis is carried out from laboratory trials using a second screen application with the function of detecting audio watermarks through different audio transmission and reception equipments. The results show that audio watermark can be transmitted over IPTV networks and also improve the interactive media usage scenarios.

Spheree: An interactive perspective-corrected spherical 3D display

We describe Spheree, a novel, interactive spherical, perspective-corrected 3D display useful for 3D animations and 3D image-based content. We use an array of pico projectors mounted under the spherical display that are calibrated and blended using an image-fusion library to achieve a single continuous image on the spherical screen area without the use of special lenses or mirrors. By tracking the users viewpoint, we render the correct perspective to achieve a 3D view. This approach enables the viewer to look around the entire sphere and receive both horizontal and vertical motion parallax for a full 3D view. Spheree can be used to show graphics-based contents such as 3D computer graphics animation and 3D image-based rendering applications. By providing a 3D plugin library, Spheree can easily be a second screen to computer animation and modelling software. Spheree is scalable from small, handheld display to large, walk-around experiences. Spheree supports direct interaction techniques for an exciting participant experience. The advancees of our 3D display are the fidelity of the experience and robustness of the displays.

Accessibility in Digital Television: Designing remote controls

Free to air television is still an important tool to provide information and communication in many countries. Therefore, the universal access to the television system is very important. This paper presents a set of Digital Television accessible remote control devices designed for the Brazilian Digital Television. A research was conducted, interviewing people with disabilities in Brazil. Three remote control models were proposed, consolidating the main identified requirements, being accessible for a diverse group of impairments.