Takuji Narumi

Augmented perception of satiety: controlling food consumption by changing apparent size of food with augmented reality

The main contribution of this paper is to realize a method for modifying perception of satiety and controlling nutritional intake by changing the apparent size of food with augmented reality. As a possible method for decreasing rates of obesity, we focused on controlling food intake implicitly without any effort. We hypothesized that ambiguous perception of satiety can be applied to control our food intake. Recent psychological studies have revealed that the amount of food consumed is influenced by both its actual volume and external factors during eating. Based on this knowledge, we sought to control perception of satiety gained from the same amount of food by changing its apparent size. We also proposed a method for food-volume augmentation using real-time shape deformation. Our results suggest that this augmentation can control the perception of satiety and food intake.

Modifying an identified curved surface shape using pseudo-haptic effect

In our research, we aim to construct a visuo-haptic system that can provide users with the sensation of touching virtual objects of varying shapes, using pseudo-haptic effects. In this paper, we focus on modifying the identification of a shape of a curved surface when touching it with a pointing finger, by displacing the visual representation of the users hand. We compose a video see-through system through which we can change the shapes of objects the user is visually touching, and displace the visual representation of the users hand as if he were touching the visual shape although in actuality he is touching another shape. Using this system we perform an experiment to investigate the effects of visuo-haptic interaction and we evaluate its effectiveness. The results show that over 80% of the participants answered that they perceived the virtual objects shape to be different from the actual shape they touched, which proves the possibility for constructing a novel visuo-haptic system.

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So far, gustatory information has rarely been studied in relation to computers, even though there are lots of studies on visual, auditory, haptic and olfactory information. This scarcity of research on gustatory information has several reasons. One reason is that gustatory sensation is based on chemical signals, whose functions have not been fully understood yet. Another reason is that perception of gustatory sensation is affected by other factors, such as vision, olfaction, thermal sensation, and memories. Thus, complexity of cognition mechanism for gustatory sensation as described above makes it difficult to build up a gustatory display.

Modifying an identified angle of edged shapes using pseudo-haptic effects

In this paper, we focus on modifying the identification of an angle of edges when touching it with a pointing finger, by displacing the visual representation of the users hand in order to construct a novel visuo-haptic system. We compose a video see-through system, which enables us to change the perception of the shape of an object a user is visually touching, by displacing the visual representation of the users hand as if s/he was touching the visual shape, when in actuality s/he is touching another shape. We had experiments and showed participants perceived angles of edges that was the same as the one they were visually touching, even though the angles of edges they were actually touching was different. These results prove that the perceived angles of edges could be modified if the difference of angles between edges is in the range of −35° to 30°.

Evaluating cross-sensory perception of superimposing virtual color onto real drink: toward realization of pseudo-gustatory displays

In this research, we aim to realize a gustatory display that enhances our experience of enjoying food. However, generating a sense of taste is very difficult because the human gustatory system is quite complicated and is not yet fully understood. This is so because gustatory sensation is based on chemical signals whereas visual and auditory sensations are based on physical signals. In addition, the brain perceives flavor by combining the senses of gustation, smell, sight, warmth, memory, etc. The aim of our research is to apply the complexity of the gustatory system in order to realize a pseudo-gustatory display that presents flavors by means of visual feedback. This paper reports on the prototype system of such a display that enables us to experience various tastes without changing their chemical composition through the superimposition of virtual color. The fundamental thrust of our experiment is to evaluate the influence of cross-sensory effects by superimposing virtual color onto actual drinks and recording the responses of subjects who drink them. On the basis of experimental results, we concluded that visual feedback sufficiently affects our perception of flavor to justify the construction of pseudo-gustatory displays.

Manipulation of an emotional experience by real-time deformed facial feedback

The main goals of this paper involved assessing the efficacy of computer-generated emotion and establishing a method for integrating emotional experience. Human internal processing mechanisms for evoking an emotion by a relevant stimulus have not been clarified. Therefore, there are few reliable techniques for evoking an intended emotion in order to reproduce this process. However, in the field of cognitive science, the ability to alter a bodily response has been shown to unconsciously generate emotions. We therefore hypothesized emotional experience could be manipulated by having people recognize pseudo-generated facial expressions as changes to their own facial expressions. Our results suggest that this system was able to manipulate an emotional state via visual feedback from artificial facial expressions. We proposed the Emotion Evoking system based on the facial feedback hypothesis.

Digital Display Case: Museum exhibition system to convey background information about exhibits

In our research, we aim to construct the Digital Display Case system which we can introduce into exhibition rooms in museums like conventional display cases, to tell visitors the background information about the exhibit more effectively. We categorize the background information into diachronicity and synchronicity, and decide specifications of the system to convey these information. Then we construct the prototype of the system based on them. With this prototype, we make sample exhibitions to tell the background information about the exhibits, and get review from museum over it.

Augmented endurance: controlling fatigue while handling objects by affecting weight perception using augmented reality

The main contribution of this paper is to develop a method for alleviating fatigue during handling medium-weight objects and augmenting our endurance by affecting our weight perception with augmented reality technology. To assist people to lift medium-weight objects without a complex structure or various costs, we focus on the phenomenon that our weight perception during handling objects is affected by visual properties. Our hypothesis is that this illusionary effect in weight perception can be applied to reduce fatigue while handling medium-weight objects without mechatronics-based physical assistance. In this paper, we propose an augmented reality system that changes the brightness value of an object in order to reduce fatigue while handling the object. We conducted two fundamental experiments to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed system. Our results suggested that the system eliminates the need to use excess energy for handling objects and reduces fatigue during the handling task.

Unlimited corridor: redirected walking techniques using visuo haptic interaction

The main contribution is to realize an efficient redirected working (RDW) technique by utilizing haptic cues for strongly modifying our spatial perception. Some research has shown that users can be redirected on a circular arc with a radius of at least 22 m without being able to detect the inconsistency by showing a straight path in the virtual world. However, this is still too large to enable the presentation of a demonstration in a restricted space. Although most of RDW techniques only used visual stimuli, we recognize space with multi-modalities. Therefore, we propose an RDW method using the visuo-haptic interaction, and develop the system, which displays a visual representation of a flat wall and users virtually walk straight along it, although, in reality, users walk along a convex surface wall with touching it. For the demonstration, we develop the algorithm, with which we can modify the amount of distortion dynamically to make a user walk straight infinity and turn a branch freely. With this system, multiple users can walk an endless corridor in a virtual environment at the same time.

Illusion cup: interactive controlling of beverage consumption based on an illusion of volume perception

This paper proposes a system and an interaction design for implicitly influencing the satisfaction we experience while drinking a beverage and for controlling beverage consumption by creating a volume perception illusion using augmented reality. Recent studies have revealed consumption of food and beverage is influenced by both its actual volume and external factors during eating/drinking. We focus on the fact that the shape of the beverage container influences beverage consumption. Based on this fact, we constructed a system that changes the apparent size of the cup. We investigated how the beverage consumption would change by using the proposed system. The results showed subjects consumed significantly greater amounts when they drank from a visually lengthened cup and consumed significantly smaller amounts when they drank from a visually shortened cup. This technique can be used for daily health-care applications with wearable computers.