In online learning, little is known about the impact of mixed reality and its underlying socio-technological factors on social space perceived by learners. The term social space refers to a group's socio-emotional dynamics that structure the social relationships among its members. Drawing upon extant literature on mixed reality, interaction and social presence, this research proposes and validates a theoretical model that elucidates the influence of immersion on users’ social space experiences within digital environments across different mixed realities (i.e., augmented and virtual realities, and video conferencing). Interaction and social presence are identified as two key factors mediating this relationship. To test the proposed model, a survey involving 488 participants in higher education was conducted, and the effects were examined under three conditions: video conferencing, augmented-reality, and virtual-reality. The findings show that 1) an immersion perspective plays a significant role in educational technology, particularly for its role in facilitating social space among learners in higher education; 2) the impact of immersion on social space is entirely mediated by learners’ assessment of interactions and their perception of social presence in digitally facilitated learning environments; and 3) the influences of immersion on learners to experience a prosocial space vary across virtual reality, augmented reality, and video conferencing. VR environments offer the most pronounced sensation of social presence, while AR environments prove to be optimal for interacting in digitally facilitated learning environments. Out of these three conditions, VC environments were perceived the lowest for interaction, sensation of social presence, and the establishment of a communal atmosphere of collaboration in digitally mediated learning environments. These findings make valuable contributions to theory by providing insights into the influence of immersion and variability in mixed reality on learners’ perception of social space experiences. In this respect, this research expands the body of knowledge and research in both the information systems and education fields. Furthermore, this research offers valuable insights for educators to make informed decisions regarding the selection and adoption of augmented and virtual reality technologies, as well as devising digital strategies in higher education. It contributes to our understanding of effective implementation of mixed reality in this context. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Augmented reality is a fairly young research field, still in an infancy stage at Stellenbosch University. Since this is one of the first augmented reality projects, one goal is to present a theoretical study of augmented reality. This study is given in the literature study, along with a review of the available development solutions. While there are various tools available with which one can create markerbased augmented reality applications, these tools are not meant for testing new techniques and algorithms in an augmented or mixed reality. The remaining goals of this project is to create a platform for the rapid design of augmented reality applications, and to expand the capabilities of this platform beyond marker-based augmented reality. In this project we present the design and implementation of a pragmatic mixed-reality framework capable of a wider variety of applications. A design is shown where marker tracking can be used alongside other computer vision techniques to design new applications. The framework utilises stereo cameras to find the position of real world objects, and a 3D display to make the mixed reality environment as immersive as possible. Proof of concept test applications built with the framework are presented. Colour based techniques are used to find a user’s hand and create a virtual representation of it. This allows the user to interact with a virtual object in an augmented reality scene by ‘touching’ it with her hand. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Toegevoegde realiteit is ’n jong navorsingsveld by Universiteit Stellenbosch. Aangesien hierdie een van die eerste projekte is wat fokus op toegevoegde realiteit, is ’n teoretiese studie van toegevoegde realiteit as ’n doel gestel. Dit word verskaf in die literatuurstudie, tesame met ’n oorsig oor bestaande oplossings vir die ontwikkeling van toegevoegde realiteit sagteware. Bestaande oplossings is gefokus op die ontwikkeling van merker-gebaseerde toegevoegde realiteit, maar los min ruimte vir die toets van nuwe tegnieke toepasbaar op die veld. Dit lei tot die oorblywende doelwitte van die projek: om ’n platform te ontwerp vir die ontwikkeling van merker-gebaseerde toegevoegde realiteit programme, asook om die platform uit te brei. Ons lewer ’n pragmatiese ontwikkelingsraamwerk wat dit moontlik maak om ’n verskeidenheid nuwe toegevoegde realiteit programme te ontwikkel. Die raamwerk is ontwerp sodat die ontwikkelaar merkers saam met ander rekenaarvisie tegnieke kan gebruik om sagteware te skep. Stereo kameras word gebruik om die posisie van werklike voorwerpe te vind. Die raamwerk maak ook gebruik van ’n 3D skerm om virtuele objekte te vertoon. Toetsprogramme gebou as ’n bewys van die konsep, word vertoon en bespreek. ’n Kleur-gebaseerde tegniek word gebruik om ’n gebruiker se hand te vind, en ’n virtuele voorstelling van die hand word geskep. Die gebruiker kan virtuele voorwerpe laat reageer deur dit met haar hand aan te raak.

Mobile learning has significant potential to be very influential in further and higher education. In this research a new definition for Mobile Educational Mixed Reality Games (MEMRG) is proposed based on a mobile learning environment. A questionnaire and a quantifying scale are utilised to assist the game developers in designing a MEMRG. A 'Conversational Framework' is proposed as an appropriate psycho-pedagogical approach to teaching and learning for MEMRG. This methodology is based on the theme of a 'conversation' between different actors of the learning community with the objective of building the architectural framework for MEMRG. Various elements responsible for instructing and motivating learners in educational games are utilised in an instructional-motivational model. User interface design for the games incorporates an efficient navigation system that uses contextual information, and allows the players to move seamlessly between real and virtual worlds. The implementation of MEMRG using the Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) platform iii is presented. The hardware and software specification for the MEMRG implementation and deployment are also discussed. MEMRG has produced improvements in the different cognitive processes of the learner, and also produced a deeper level of learning through enculturation, externalising ideas, and socialising. Learners' enjoyment, involvement, motivation, autonomy and metacognition skills have improved. This research will assist developers and teachers to gain an insight into learning paradigms which utilise mobile game environments that are formed by mixing real and virtual spaces, and provide them with a vision for effectively incorporating these games into formal and informal classroom sessions.

Context: In recent years, everyone is completely relying on using computers and smartphones in our daily activities. Augmented Reality will superimpose virtual and computer-generated information on top of the real world. Volvo Construction Equipment (VCE) team is planning to use Augmented Reality applications on a real construction site to track the details of the vehicles without going to the laboratory. An Augmented reality application is developed for Microsoft HoloLensand Mobile device and the user experience is evaluated. This research has been conducted at PDRL-BTH, in collaboration with VCE. Objectives: In this research, the key attributes are collected, which should be displayed in both the devices and compare the user experience using the user satisfaction score. Furthermore, this research involves exploring and evaluating the difference in the user experience between both the devices. Methods: In this study first an interview is carried out with the design engineers of the VCE team. Some open-ended questions were asked to the VCE team. The information required from the VCE team is collected and documented and further an experiment on the user experience has been conducted to calculate the User Satisfaction Score between the Microsoft HoloLens and Mobile device. After the experiment, the significant difference has been measured using statistical techniques among the two devices. To measure the size of the difference Cohen’s D effect size is used. Results: The significant difference between the User Satisfaction Score of the two devices has been done using T-test. The results state that the significant value is less than 0.05 and hence the null hypothesis is rejected. The measurable difference states that Microsoft HoloLens has a better user interface than the Mobile device with respect to the user satisfaction Score. Conclusions: After obtaining the results and analyzing the data, we conclude that there is a significant difference in the user experience of Microsoft HoloLens when compared to Mobile device. We also conclude that Microsoft HoloLens has better user experience when compared to the Mobile device.

Off-highway vehicle, such as excavators and forklifts, are heavy machines that are capable of causing harm to humans or damage property. Therefore, it is necessary to be able to develop interfaces for these kind of vehicles that can aid the operator to maintain a high level of situational awareness. How the interface affects the operators’ situational awareness is consequently an important metric to measure when evaluating the interface. Mixed reality simulators can be used to both develop and evaluate such interfaces in an immersive and safe environment. In this thesis we investigated how to measure situational awareness in a mixed-reality off-highway vehicle simulation scenario, without having to pause the scenario, by cross-referencing logs from the virtual environment and logs from the users' gaze position. Our method for investigating this research question was to perform a literature study and a user test. Each participant in the user test filled out a SART post-simulation questionnaire which we then compared with our measurement system.

<p>This thesis describes a six-month project based on stroke rehabilitation and involves designing with medical doctors, a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist, prototyping and evaluating with both stroke patients and other users. Our project involves the construction of a rehabilitation exercise system, based on virtual environments (VE) and haptics, designed for stroke patients. Our system uses a commercially available haptic device called the PHANTOM Omni, which has the possibility of being used as a rehabilitation tool to interact with virtual environments. The PHANTOM Omni is used in combination with our own developed software based on the platform H3D API. Our goal is to construct an application which will motivate the stroke patient to start using their arm again.</p><p>We give a review of the different aspects of stroke, rehabilitation, VE and haptics and how these have previously been combined. We describe our findings from our literature studies and from informal interviews with medical personnel. From these conclusions we attempt to take the research area further by suggesting and evaluating designs of different games/genres that can be used with the PHANTOM Omni as possible haptic exercises for post-stroke arm rehabilitation. We then present two different implementations to show how haptic games can be constructed. We mainly focus on an application we built, a game, using an iterative design process based on studies conducted during the project, called "The Labyrinth". The game is used to show many of the different aspects that have to be taken into account when designing haptic games for stroke patients. From a study with three stroke patients we have seen that "The Labyrinth" has the potential of being a stimulating, encouraging and fun exercise complement to the traditional rehabilitation. Through the design process and knowledge we acquired during this thesis we have created a set of general design guidelines that we believe can help in the future software development of haptic games for post-stroke arm rehabilitation.</p>

Ambient intelligence refers to the vision of computationally augmented everyday environments that are sensitive, adaptive and responsive to humans and intelligently support their daily lives. Ambient ecologies are the infrastructures of ambient intelligence. To enable system developers to frame and manage the dynamic and complex interaction of humans with ambient ecologies consisting of a mixture of physical (real) and virtual (digital) objects, novel interaction paradigms are needed. Traditional interaction paradigms like the WIMP (windows, icon, menus, and pointing devices) paradigm for desktop computing operate in a closed world, unaware of the physical, social and cultural context. They restrict human perception and action to screen, mouse and keyboard with the assumption that human attention will be fully devoted to interaction with the computer. Emerging interaction paradigms for ambient intelligence are typically centered on specific devices, specific computing environments or specific human capabilities. Also, many of them are driven by technological advancements rather than viewing the human agent as their starting point. A principled, theoretical approach centered in the individual human agent, their situation and activities that are comprehensive and integrated while at the same time instrumental in the design of ambient ecologies has been lacking. This thesis introduces egocentric interaction as an approach towards the modeling of ambient ecologies with the distinguishing feature of taking the human agent’s body, situation and activities as center of reference, as opposed to the more common device-centric approaches in facilitating human-environment interaction. Egocentric interaction is encapsulated in a number of assumptions and principles such as situatedness, the proximity principle, the physical-virtual equity principle, perception and action instead of “input” and “output,” and activity-centeredness. A situative space model is proposed based on some of these principles. It is intended to capture what a specific human agent can perceive and not perceive, reach and not reach at any given moment in time. The situative space model is for the egocentric interaction paradigm what the virtual desktop is for the WIMP interaction paradigm: more or less everything of interest to a specific human agent is assumed and supposed to happen here. In addition, the conception and implementation of the easy ADL ecology based on egocentric interaction, comprising of smart objects, a personal activity-centric middleware, ambient intelligence applications aimed at everyday activity support, and a human agent literally in the middle of it all is described. The middleware was developed to address important challenges in ambient intelligence: (1) tracking and managing smart objects; (2) tracking a human agent’s situative spaces; (3) recognizing human activities and actions; (4) managing and facilitating human-environment interaction; and (5) to ease up the development of ambient intelligence applications. The easy ADL ecology was first simulated in immersive virtual reality, and then set up physically as a living laboratory to evaluate: (1) the technological and technical performance of individual middleware components, (2) to perform a user experience evaluation assessing various aspects of user satisfaction in relation to the support offered by the easy ADL ecology, and (3) to use it as a research test bed for addressing challenges in ambient intelligence. While it is problematic to directly compare the “proof-of-concept” easy ADL ecology with related research efforts, it is clear from the user experience evaluation that the subjects were positive with the services it offered. / easy ADL project

Motion capture is the process to record the movement of a human. To accomplish this, a hybrid tracking system is used. It combines an optic tracking system with a magnetic one to compensate shortcomings and effectively use their advantages. Another part of this work copes with the conversion of the tracking data into skeletal information and related topics like skeleton definition, skeleton fitting or parameterization of joint rotations. / Mittels Motion Capture werden die Bewegungen eines Menschen in computerlesbare Form überführt. Dazu wird ein hybrides Trackingsystem verwendet, das durch Kombination eines optischen mit einem magnetischen System entsteht und die Schwächen der Einzelsysteme kompensiert. Neben der Realisierung dieses Hybridsystems steht die Übertragung der gewonnenen Bewegungsdaten auf ein Skelettmodell und damit verbundene Fragen, wie Skelettdefinition, Skelettanpassung oder Beschränkung der Gelenkrotationen im Vordergrund.

Techn. Universiẗat, Diss., 2006--Darmstadt.

Techn. Universiẗat, Diss., 2003--Darmstadt. / Dateien in unterschiedlichen Formaten.-Enth.: Textteil. CD-Daten.