Youichi Horry

Transpost: a novel approach to the display and transmission of 360 degrees-viewable 3D solid images

Three-dimensional displays are drawing attention as next-generation devices. Some techniques which can reproduce three-dimensional images prepared in advance have already been developed. However, technology for the transmission of 3D moving pictures in real-time is yet to be achieved. In this paper, we present a novel method for 360-degrees viewable 3D displays and the Transpost system in which we implement the method. The basic concept of our system is to project multiple images of the object, taken from different angles, onto a spinning screen. The key to the method is projection of the images onto a directionally reflective screen with a limited viewing angle. The images are reconstructed to give the viewer a three-dimensional image of the object displayed on the screen. The display system can present images of computer-graphics pictures, live pictures, and movies. Furthermore, the reverse optical process of that in the display system can be used to record images of the subject from multiple directions. The images can then be transmitted to the display in real-time. We have developed prototypes of a 3D display and a 3D human-image transmission system. Our preliminary working prototypes demonstrate new possibilities of expression and forms of communication.

Predicting flow state in daily work through continuous sensing of motion rhythm

We have constructed a new application of continuous sensing of human physiological data during daily a business setting. By capturing the subtle changes and differences in motion rhythm detected through an accelerator rather than trying to identify the context of human activities, we are envisioning the prediction of a persons psychological flow state, i.e., the engagement in ones task. A badge-shaped wearable sensor device called “Business Microscope” was developed and deployed in a real organization, an office supply firm, for one month to study how effectively flow states could be measured during daily work. We found that even though each subject behaved at different motion rhythms when they were in flow, the consistency of motion rhythm around 2 to 3 Hz was correlated with the richness of flow during work (r=0.47, p<0.01).

Beam-scan sensor node: Reliable sensing of human interactions in organization

We have developed a wearable sensor node with a low power and high detection rate by using sequential control of multiple infrared (IR) modules. Conventional sensor nodes are not practical in terms of size, sensing performance, and working hours. Therefore, we devised a name-tag-size (73 × 98 × 9 mm) sensor node, which captures face-to-face interactions within 2 meters and within an angle of 60°. The sensor node weighs 62 grams and works for more than twenty hours with a small 5-gram Li-ion battery. The sensor uses the beam-scan technique, in which four infrared modules, placed horizontally on the node, are controlled to be on and off sequentially, and this operation is done synchronously with other nodes. The beam-scan technique enables low-power operation with a consumption current of 7.2 mA and 21 hours of operation. We had tested the sensor node in a field trial that collected sensor data for six months from 20 people and had demonstrated that this technique is practical. Feedback from sensing data reminded us of the importance of meeting frequency and this improved our work habits.

Information-accessing furniture to make our everyday lives more comfortable

We present a concept for information equipment called information-accessing furniture. We have developed an embedded module to be assembled into tables, mirrors, and walls. It can be easily assembled into furniture or other interior components because it is a package of information processing units, input/output units, and other optional units. This concept enables building information equipment designed to match a surrounding environment, and offers an intuitive interface to users, thus helping them to obtain information easily while doing routine activities. We developed several different prototypes with embedded modules and studied their applications. Some comments we received during interviews with end-users and interior designers are also presented 1 .

Touchless input device and gesture commands

We introduce a touchless input device and gesture commands for operating a PC that negates the need to touch it or wear input devices to use it. We use a distance sensor to capture gestures, making the device very simple. This system is practical enough to use for viewer operation, so it is applicable for not only PCs, but also audiovisual devices like TVs and HDD recorders.

Transpost: 360 deg-Viewable Three-Dimensional Display System

Three-dimensional (3-D) displays are drawing attention as next-generation devices. Some techniques which can reproduce 3-D images prepared in advance have already been developed. However, technology for the transmission of 3-D moving pictures in real time is yet to be achieved. In this paper, we present a novel method for 360/spl deg/ viewable 3-D displays and the Transpost system in which we implement the method. The basic concept of our system is to project multiple images of the object, taken from different angles, onto a spinning screen. The key to the method is projection of the images onto a directionally reflective screen with a limited viewing angle. The images are reconstructed to give the viewer a 3-D image of the object displayed on the screen. The display system can present images of computer-graphics pictures, live pictures, and movies. Furthermore, the reverse optical process of that in the display system can be used to record images of the subject from multiple directions; the images can then be transmitted to the display in real-time. We have developed prototypes of a 3-D display and a 3-D human-image transmission system. Our preliminary working prototypes demonstrate new possibilities of expression and forms of communication.

Visualization of knowledge-creation process using face-to-face communication data

No firm can survive without building a mechanism to create knowledge in the 21st century. The knowledge-creation theory by Nonaka has successfully generalized a knowledge-creation process in an organization. However, nobody has found a quantitative method for evaluating the process. This paper proposes a technique of visualizing the knowledge-creation process by plotting graphs of face-to-face contact time and number of people contacted. We applied the data of face-to-face communication of an organization to our proposed technique and confirmed that it represented dynamics of the knowledge-creation process. This technique will provide a new method of corporate management.

Information-accessing furniture to our everyday lives more comfortable

A concept for information equipment called information-accessing furniture is presented. We developed an embedded module to be assembled into tables, mirrors, walls, etc. It can be easily assembled into furniture or interior material because it is a package of information processing units, input/output units, and other optional units. It enables building information equipment that is designed to match the surrounding environment, and it offers an intuitive interface to users, thus helping them to obtain information easily while doing routine activities. We developed several types of prototypes with embedded modules and studied their applications. Some comments we received during interviews with end-users and interior designers are also presented

Modeling of decision-making process for moving straight using inverse Bayesian inference

Humans sometimes make unreasonable decisions when viewed in objective terms. Even in the real world, we may lose sense of direction by turning around the corner several times or mistaking the estimation of travel distance. We experimented in virtual space how we lose sense of direction under what circumstances. In the experiment, subjects viewed a three-dimensional space displayed on a computer display in the first persons perspective and were instructed to go straight from the start to the goal position. Results showed that unreasonable selections that strayed from the centerline connecting the start and goal positions were frequently made. The change in the direction is more influential than the change in the distance, and the angle of turning also affects. Furthermore, the subjects decision - making process was modeled using Bayesian inference and inverse Bayesian inference. Comparing the two models, when the decision-making pattern suddenly changed, the model by inverse Bayesian inference could follow up faster than the Bayesian inference.

Financial information description language and visualization/analysis tools

Abstract It has been known for some time that understanding the content of spreadsheet software used by many enterprises and organizations and discovering errors in that content is a difficult task. In particular, it is known that it takes time to create a spreadsheet, and many errors are included in the spreadsheet due to mistakes of the creator. In response to this problem, we have developed a financial information description language and associated visualization and analysis tools to facilitate the understanding of inter-element structure and simplify various types of analyses. A key feature of this development is clear separation between the input of formulas and numerical values and the output of calculation results and between operators and operands in formulas. The financial information description language describes input information such as item values and relationships in a simple format that enumerates the name, operators, and operands of each item. The visualization and analysis tools, meanwhile, perform calculations and output results in table or graph form. In a comparison experiment performed with conventional spreadsheet software, the proposed method can efficiently create a calculation sheet in a short time and has the effect of reducing errors.