Tomohiro Tanikawa

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.

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. n nWe 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°.

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.n 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.

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.

Smart Face: enhancing creativity during video conferences using real-time facial deformation

This study develops a method for improving creativity by changing the facial appearance of people during video conferences. We focus on enhancing creativity during human interactions, especially cooperative work situations such as video conferences. Psychological studies have revealed that the facial appearance of people can affect creativity, i.e., emotion can affect creativity and the appearance of others can affect the emotions. Based on the knowledge, we hypothesized that the media technology which modifies the facial appearance of people appropriately can enhance our creativity during cooperative work. Therefore, we develop a method to affect creativity by changing the facial appearance in real-time, such as facial expressions and facial resemblance. We test the effectiveness of this method by building a system for collaborative video conferences. The user study show that the proposed method could enhance creativity.

Affecting tumbler: affecting our flavor perception with thermal feedback

The main objective of this study is to create a method that can affect flavor perception, without changing the food itself, by applying thermal sensations to the skin around the nose to simulate skin temperature changes associated with pleasant and unpleasant feelings. Recent physiological research has demonstrated that skin temperature changes affect flavor perception. Based on the James--Lange theory, which claims that changes in bodily responses unconsciously evoke emotions and change our perception related to an emotional state, we hypothesized that flavor perception can be modified by affecting the skin temperature properly. To test this theory, we developed an Affecting Tumbler, which presents thermal sensations to the skin around the nose for simulating the skins temperature response during drinking. Our user study suggested that flavor richness and aftertaste strength were significantly improved by heating up the skin in the nasal region. These results indicate that flavor perception can be controlled with the proposed method.

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.

Displaying shapes with various types of surfaces using visuo-haptic interaction

In this paper, we proposed a visuo-haptic system for displaying various shapes which have curve, edge, and inclined surfaces, using a simple transmutative physical device and the effect of visuo-haptic interaction. We aim to construct a perception-based shape display system to provide users with the sensation of touching virtual objects of varying shapes using only a simple mechanism. We have confirmed that the perception of each primitive shape such as curvature and angle could be modified by displacing a users hand image on the monitor as if s/he were touching the visual shape while actually touching another shape. In this study, we constructed the method to merge these findings for displaying more various shapes, including angular ones. We built a transmutative device, which the user touches. The device does not undergo significant transformation, but its surface can be slightly bumped in and out, and displayed various shapes with various angles, length and curvature. The results of experimental trials confirmed that our method for displaying each primitive shape can also worked as designed when we combine these findings to display more complex objects using this device which transforms slightly.