Yoann Lebrun

Simulation in Contexts Involving an Interactive Table and Tangible Objects

By using an interactive table, it is possible to interact with several people (decision-makers) in a simultaneous and collaborative way, around the table, during a simulation session. Thanks to the RFID technology with which the table is fitted, it is possible to give tangible objects a unique identity to include and to consider them in the simulation. The paper describes a context model, which takes into consideration the specificities related to interactive tables. The TangiSense interactive table is presented; it is connected to a multi-agent system making it possible to give the table a certain level of adaptation: each tangible object can be associated to an agent which can bring roles to the object (i.e., the roles are the equivalent of a set of behaviors). The multi-agent system proposed in this paper is modeled according to an architecture adapted to the exploitation of tangible and virtual objects during simulation on an interactive table. A case study is presented; it concerns a simulation of road traffic management. The illustrations give an outline of the potentialities of the simulation system as regards the context-awareness aspect, following both the actions of the decision-makers implied in simulation, and the agents composing the road traffic simulation.

A Multi-Agent System Approach for Interactive Table Using RFID

This paper presents a model of Multi-Agent System dedicated to the management of a tabletop that detects traceable objects using RFID technology, which are moved on the table by a set of users during application. In addition, virtual objects can interact with tangible objects. We propose a new model (MAM4IT) to manage this kind of object with situated agents (that we call tangible agents) based on the notion of dynamic roles. The roles will be able to evolve during the application and adapt their behaviors according to the environment and the unpredictable actions of users. In this situation the agents are able to compose new roles. A first concrete case study based on road traffic shows the interaction between tangible and virtual agents.

A model for managing interactions between tangible and virtual agents on an RFID interactive tabletop

Interactive tables are more frequently being suggested to support collaborative and co-localized applications. They can be tactile, tangible or mixed. New sensory entries enable users to manipulate different types of tangible objects. The purpose of this article is to propose a global interaction model that associates multiagent system concepts with interactive table entities. The model incorporates simultaneously usable entities: virtual and tangible entities. The virtual entities can be seen through video projection or the use of a screen integrated into the interactive table. The tangible entities are physical objects that can be manipulated by one or more users around the table. These objects are detected through dedicated sensors. A case study illustrates the proposal. The study incorporates the management of a road traffic simulator using the TangiSense interactive table; this table is equipped with RFID technology. The illustrations mainly show communication between the different agents involved in the simulation.

From Screens to Devices and Tangible Objects: A Framework Applied to Serious Games Characterization

The accelerated progress being made with interactive devices (such as screens, cameras, joysticks and tangible objects) has triggered the development of new interaction methods for applications (e.g., body language, haptic feedback, etc.). Video games and Serious Games are being played on increasingly innovative peripherals (e.g., Kinect, Wii Balance Board). These devices have generated new, intuitive forms of Human-Computer Interaction that are completely changing our usages. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of gaming technologies and suggest a framework for characterizing the role that screens play in these devices. This framework differentiates between the various gaming elements (the gamers, the interactive devices and the entertaining and gamified applications). This framework is a tool to analyze the effects of device choice and configuration. This paper presents an evaluation of the characterization of 15 serious games. This evaluation will provide a glimpse of the potentialities of the framework with respect to suggested criteria as well as of the trends and potential developments in interactive media.

Design and Evaluation of a Self Adaptive Architecture for Upper-Limb Rehabilitation

This chapter presents an intuitive user interface based on a self-adaptive architecture. It uses a consumer-range 3D hand capture device that allows its users to interactively edit objects in 3D space. While running, the system monitors the user’s behaviors and performance in order to maintain an up-to-date user model. This model then drives the re-arrangement and reparameterization of a rule-based system that controls the interaction. A user study let us define the initial parameters of this self-adaptive system. This preliminary study was conducted in a 3D infographics and animation school on 15 students. The study was both qualitative and quantitative: the qualitative evaluation consisted of a SUMI evaluation questionnaire while the quantitative evaluation consisted of analysing manually annotated recordings of the subjects together with a fine-grained log of the interaction mechanics. We believe that the self-adaptive aspects of the system is well suited to the problematics of rehabilitation. This system could, from the beginning, adapt to both the user’s impairments and needs, then follow and adapt its interaction logic according to the user’s progress. Such a system would, for instance, enable a clinician or a therapist to design tailored rehabilitation activities accounting for the patient’s exact physical and physiological condition.