Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-05-10T13:16:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 renatagomes.pdf: 7256445 bytes, checksum: 5f1b4290c3a2ac4e463c66a7b9cb7c54 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-06-15T13:11:55Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 renatagomes.pdf: 7256445 bytes, checksum: 5f1b4290c3a2ac4e463c66a7b9cb7c54 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-15T13:11:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 renatagomes.pdf: 7256445 bytes, checksum: 5f1b4290c3a2ac4e463c66a7b9cb7c54 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-11 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Este trabalho tem como objetivo central o uso de recursos tecnológicos para a implementação das aulas de matemática e também realizar atividades de cunho investigativo, onde haja uma maior interação do aluno com a ferramenta matemática a ser estudada. O software GeoGebra foi escolhido para a realização das tarefas propostas ao longo do texto por ser uma ferramenta dinâmica e acessível. Mais duas plataformas tecnológicas são usadas: o Google Sites e o Google Docs, sendo que ambas foram escolhidas por serem também gratuitas e de manuseio simples. Os recursos tecnológicos apresentados visam atender a realidade escolar por serem gratuitos e proporcionarem a realização das atividades de forma individual e/ou conjunta. As atividades elaboradas buscam dar subsídio aos professores da educação básica para a inserção da tecnologia em suas aulas. São tarefas, às vezes, muito simples mas com grande potencial didático-matemático. Muitas das vezes a geometria é colocada em segundo plano nas aulas de matemática e assim grande parte das atividades propostas aqui giram em torno de conceitos geométricos estudados ao longo das séries finais do Ensino Fundamental e de todo o Ensino Médio. / This work has as main objective the use of technological resources for the implementation of math classes and also perform activities with investigative purpose, in which has a greater interaction of students with the mathematical tool to be studied. GeoGebra software was chosen to carry out the tasks proposed in the text because it is a dynamic, accessible and friendly tool. Two more technology platforms are used: Google Sites and Google Docs, and both were chosen because they are also free and simple to handle. The presented technological resources aim to meet all kinds of school reality because they are free and provide the achievement of individual and/or group activities. The developed activities seek to give allowance to teachers of basic education to insert technology in their classes. Those tasks are, sometimes, very simple but with great didactic and mathematical potential. Very often the geometry is placed in the background in math classes, and therefore much of the activity proposed here surround geometric concepts studied during the final years of primary school and throughout high school.

Tendo em vista a importância da disciplina Estatística Aplicada à Administração no exercício da função do futuro administrador, pretendeu-se com este trabalho elaborar e desenvolver a estrutura do LaViE Laboratório Virtual de Estatística Aplicada à Administração um ambiente virtual de aprendizado destinado a alunos de Graduação e Pós-Graduação em Administração, e que tem por objetivo facilitar a compreensão da matéria e conciliar a motivação e a facilidade no aprendizado. O trabalho consistiu na criação da estrutura de um ambiente virtual (web page) por meio do qual os estudantes têm acesso desde a conceitos básicos da Estatística até a aplicação prática da matéria em situações modelo encontradas no cotidiano do administrador, aliando, dessa forma, a teoria à prática. Utiliza-se, portanto, da internet, a rede mundial de computadores, cujo recente crescimento no número de usuários proporcionou, juntamente com o avanço computacional e eletrônico, a revalorização da educação a distância, revelando-se um agente facilitador do processo de distribuição do conhecimento, uma vez que permite ao estudante aprender no seu contexto imediato, planejar no tempo e no espaço suas atividades de estudo, seguindo seu próprio ritmo de aprendizagem. O desenvolvimento da estrutura desse ambiente virtual de ensino-aprendizagem abrangeu as seguintes etapas: levantamento bibliográfico, análise, planejamento e desenvolvimento, implementação, utilização e avaliação. / Having in mind the importance of the discipline Statistical Applied to the Administration in the exercise of the function of the future manager, intended with this work to study and develop the LaViE structure Virtual Laboratory of Statistical Applied to the Administration a virtual environment of learning for graduation and post graduation administration students, with the purpose to facilitate the comprehension of the subject and to conciliate motivation and easiness in learning. This work consisted in the creation of the structure of a virtual environment (web Page) that promote for the students accessing since basic concepts of the Statistics until the practice application of the subject in model situations observed in manager routine, it allying the theory to the practice. It use, therefore, internet, the world network of computers, whose recent growth in the number of users provided, together with the computational and electronic advance, the revaluation of the distance learning, and revealed a facilitative agent of the knowledge distribution process, once that it allows for the students to learning in their immediate context, to planning in the time and in their space study activities according to their learning rhythm. The development of the structure of this virtual environment of teaching-learning embraced the next stages: bibliographic rising, analysis, planning and development, implementation, utilization and evaluation.

Orientador: José Mario De Martino / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Elétrica e de Computação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-23T00:16:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ramos_RafaelGuimaraes_M.pdf: 8228877 bytes, checksum: 7b943d579b89dd9cb856e7bc292a1c33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Este trabalho apresenta um ambiente de visualização interativo em tempo-real para a simulação do comportamento de risers rígidos verticais. O riser é um duto cilíndrico essencial na extração de óleo em águas profundas e ultra-profundas, uma tarefa desafiadora que impõe diversas cargas sobre a estrutura. Ondas, correntes e movimentos da plataforma são algumas dessas fontes de tensão, que podem levar a danos por fadiga ou mesmo rupturas. Simulações computacionais é uma ferramenta de grande valia para prevenir e diagnosticar tais problemas, mas em geral apresentam a desvantagem de produzir um grande volume de dados numéricos de difícil interpretação. Técnicas de visualização científica podem ser utilizadas para representar os dados de uma maneira mais intuitiva e realista. Entretanto, os sistemas identificados na literatura apresentam limitações quanto à interação em tempo-real. A visualização é realizada como um playback, após a simulação ter sido completado, e sempre que os parâmetros de simulação são alterados o usuário deve esperar um tempo considerável enquanto os resultados são recalculados. Neste trabalho, o ambiente desenvolvido permite a visualização do comportamento do riser com interação em tempo-real, em que o novo comportamento do riser é obtido imediatamente após os parâmetros de simulação ser alterado pelo usuário / Abstract: This work presents a visualization environment with real-time interaction for the simulation of vertical rigid risers. The riser is a cylindrical pipe essential for the extraction of oil in deep and ultra-deep waters, a challenging task that imposes several loads over the structure. Waves, currents and platform movements are some of these stress sources that may lead to fatigue damage or even rupture. Computer simulations are a tool of great value for preventing and diagnosing such problems, but have usually the drawback of producing a large volume of numerical data difficult of being interpreted by the user. Scientific visualization techniques can be used to represent data in a more intuitive and realistic way. However, projects identified in the literature present limitations regarding real-time interaction. The visualization is performed as a playback, after the simulation has been completed, and whenever simulation parameters are changed, the user has to wait a considerable time for the results to be recalculated. In this work, the developed simulation environment allows visualization of riser behavior with real-time interaction, where the new riser behavior is obtained immediately after simulation parameters are changed by the user / Mestrado / Engenharia de Computação / Mestre em Engenharia Elétrica

La navigation en environnement virtuel est susceptible d’induire le mal du simulateur selon les conditions et le profil des utilisateurs. Le caractère potentiellement multimodal de la réalité virtuelle est susceptible d’apporter des solutions à ces problèmes tout en améliorant le sentiment de présence. Dans ce contexte, l’objectif de ce travail de recherche est de déterminer quel est l’impact sur la simulation de l’apport des modalités vibratoires pour l’aide à la navigation dans un environnement virtuel.Pour cela une taxonomie des méthodes de navigation est proposée. Il en résulte 4 types, concrète égo-centrée, concrète exo-centrée, abstraite égo-centrée et abstraite exo-centrée. Dans un premier temps, des vibrations utilisées pour simuler des bandes rugueuses lors d’une simulation de conduite sont étudiées. L’expérimentation permet de conclure que ces vibrations rendent le conducteur plus attentif à l’environnement et donc sa conduite plus sûre. Par la suite nous avons développé les 3 modalités vibratoires suivantes, vibrations proprioceptives, vibrations synchronisées sur le pas et vibrations continues. L’évaluation de ces vibrations combinées avec différents types de méthode de navigation ont permis de montrer que les vibrations permettent de diminuer le mal du simulateur et d’augmenter le sentiment de présence. Ces travaux ont mis en évidence l’importance du choix de la modalité vibratoire à utiliser suivant l’effet souhaité en fonction de la méthode de navigation utilisée dans la simulation. Enfin, deux langages vibratoires ont été développés et évalués, le « Pushing Pattern » et le « Compass Pattern ». L’évaluation de ces langages a montré que le « Compass Pattern » était plus performant pour guider l’utilisateur dans un environnement virtuel. / The virtual environment navigation may induces the simulator sickness depending on conditions and user’s profile. The potential virtual reality multimodality may provide solutions to these problems while improving the sense of presence. In this context, the objective of this research is to determine what is the impact of vibrational modalities for navigation in virtual environments on the simulation.A taxonomy of navigation methods is proposed. It results in 4 types, specific egocentric, specific exocentric, abstract egocentric and abstract exocentric. First we simulate rumble strip vibrations during a driving simulation. The experimentation exposed that these vibrations make driver more aware about the environment and his driving safer. We also develop 3 vibratory modalities, proprioceptive vibrations, footstep vibrations and continuous vibrations. Experimentations show that vibrations help to reduce simulator sickness and to increase the sense of presence depending on the used navigation method in the simulation. Last we develop and evaluate 2 vibration languages for guidance, Pushing pattern and Compas pattern. The evaluation exposes that Compass pattern is better in guiding the user.

Au cours de nos travaux, nous nous sommes intéressés à l’apprentissage de gestes techniques en environnement virtuel. Ces environnements permettent en effet de se former à un geste réalisable dans un environnement réel, en ayant des aides qui ne seraient quant à elle pas disponibles, comme la trace en trois dimensions du geste par exemple, ou la possibilité de voir son geste d’un point de vue différent. Toutefois dans le cadre du guidage de geste, il s’avère que la plupart des métaphores visuelles usuelles ne tiennent pas ou peu compte du problème de dépendance qu’elles génèrent. L’hypothèse de guidage issue des théories sur l’apprentissage moteur, stipule en effet que l’utilisation continue d’aides pendant l’apprentissage génère une dépendance de l’apprenant vis-à-vis de ces aides. Ce dernier n’est alors plus capable de reproduire correctement le geste ou la tâche demandée sans l’aide de ces aides. Néanmoins, en réalité virtuelle l’utilisation d’aides d’apprentissage reste nécessaire pour la formation. Pour répondre à cette problématique nous proposons une nouvelle métaphore dynamique d’interaction 3D en environnement virtuel, basée sur la modalité visuelle. Notre approche consiste à axer l’apprentissage sur le ressenti de l’utilisateur, en nous basant sur une pédagogie essai-erreur dans le cadre théorique du paradigme de l’énaction. Notre métaphore indique à l’apprenant ses erreurs de trajectoire en temps réel, l’incitant implicitement à se corriger. Notre hypothèse est que lorsque l’aide n’est plus affichée, l’apprenant est capable de reproduire le geste convenablement en se basant sur ses sensations passées. Nous avons conduit une première expérimentation afin de vérifier que notre métaphore permet bien de reproduire un geste présenté au préalable tout en corrigeant les erreurs de trajectoire. Puis, dans un second temps une deuxième expérimentation a démontré que la métaphore permettait d’obtenir de meilleures performances et qu’elle réduisait davantage la dépendance que des métaphores usuelles de guidage. / In the light of our work, we were interested in precise gesture learning in virtual environment. In these environments, learners can train in safer and longer training sessions than in real environments, using augmented feedback that wouldn’t be available otherwise—such as a 3D trace of canonical movements or the opportunity to see your gesture from a different point of view. However, in the context of gesture guidance, most of the usual visual metaphors do not tackle the dependency they generate. The guidance hypothesis, from motor learning theories, states that the continuous use of feedback during early phases of learning leads to a dependency on the feedback. Learners are no longer able to properly reproduce the requested gesture or task without the help of this feedback. However, in virtual environments the use of augmented feedback remains necessary for training. To deal with this issue, we propose a new dynamic metaphor for 3D interaction in virtual environments, based on the visual modality. Our approach is focus users’ training on their intrinsic feedback, by using a trial-and-error strategy. Our metaphor shows users’ trajectory errors in real time, implicitly spurring them to correct these errors. We assume that when the metaphor is no longer visible, learners are able to properly reproduce the gesture using their past experiences. We conducted a first experiment to evaluate the capacity of our metaphor to properly guide learners during gesture training. Then, a second experiment showed that the metaphor allowed learners to improve their performance and that it further reduced the dependency than usual guiding metaphors.

L’objectif de cette thèse était d’analyser les difficultés de wayfinding de personnes présentant une déficience intellectuelle (DI) sous l’angle de l’autorégulation et de l’hétérorégulation. Pour cela, trois études utilisant une situation d’apprentissage d’itinéraires en environnement virtuel ont été menées. La première montre que les personnes présentant une DI ont un niveau d’autorégulation globale et de certaines stratégies autorégulatrices plus faible que les personnes au développement typique de même âge chronologique. Elles acquièrent la connaissance d’itinéraires après un apprentissage plus long et sont peu nombreuses à développer une connaissance de la configuration de l’environnement. La seconde étude, portant sur 19 dyades éducateurs-jeunes présentant une DI, révèle un ajustement entre l’hétérorégulation des éducateurs et l’autorégulation des jeunes. En outre, l’analyse des aides verbales données par les éducateurs montre qu’ils utilisent principalement des prescriptions d’actions associées ou non aux points de repère. L’impact de ces deux types d’aides a été testé dans la troisième étude montrant que les prescriptions d’actions associées aux points de repère favorisent l’apprentissage d’itinéraires chez les personnes présentant une DI et chez des enfants au développement typique de même niveau de développement intellectuel. Nos résultats semblent montrer que l’autorégulation, l’hétérorégulation et le wayfinding ne sont pas des processus indépendants. Toutefois, d’autres recherches sont nécessaires pour mieux définir la nature de leur relation. Enfin, plusieurs implications pratiques sont envisagées concernant l’autorégulation, les méthodes d’apprentissage des déplacements et les aides à la navigation. / The aim of this thesis was to analyse the wayfinding difficulties in individuals with intellectual disability (ID) from the angle of self-regulation and other-regulation. For this purpose, three experiments were conducted using route learning in virtual environments. The first study showed that people with ID had a lower level of global self-regulation and of some self-regulatory strategies than typically developing people of the same chronological age. They acquired route knowledge after a longer learning time and had difficulties in developing configurational knowledge of the environment. The second study, including 19 educators-teenagers with ID dyads, revealed an adjustment between educators’ regulation and teenagers’ self-regulation. Moreover, the analysis of the verbal aids given by the educators showed that they mainly used prescriptions of actions with or without reference to landmarks. The impact of these two types of aids was tested in the third study showing that prescriptions of actions with reference to landmarks promoted route learning in people with ID and typically developing children with the same level of intellectual development. Our results suggested that self-regulation, other-regulation and wayfinding are not independent processes. However, further research is needed to better define the nature of their relation. Several practical implications are envisaged concerning self-regulation, methods of teaching independent travel and navigational aids.

Abstract Traditional telepresence systems are comprised of a person remotely controlling a robot in a hostile environment while receiving visual feedback from a camera mounted on the robot. While useful for a number of applications, this model is not particularly useful for everyday work applications. The size of the robot is intrusive, the robot needs to be designed for specific interactions and only one person can use the robot at any one time. This work seeks to address this problem by replacing the physical proxy with a virtual proxy. The purpose of this virtual proxy is to enhance the system by providing improved support for multiple users, interaction and navigation in the remote environment. This enhanced, or improved, version of telepresence is termed TeleReality as it combines elements of virtual reality with traditional telepresence technologies. To achieve this goal, the basic building blocks, or constructs, of traditional telepresence systems need to be changed. This thesis identifies and evaluates the base constructs needed to build any TeleReality system. These constructs include the need to support navigation of the remote environment and this is achieved by using a network of cameras and image processing software to calculate the various perspective viewpoints of the users. These constructs govern the means in which this collection of cameras are organised and connected. Each user receives a common set of video images from which they calculate their own perspective viewpoints, and consequently supporting a multi-user system. Interaction within the remote environment is promoted using ad-hoc networks and augmented reality technologies. Constructs also cover security and privacy issues that arise from using multiple cameras by adopting both an organisational and technological viewpoint. The focus is on establishing trust within the system by divesting control to the user. An example of these constructs is given by the implementation of a TeleReality model called a 'Visual Cell' system. The conclusion of this work identifies the constructs that are needed to support a telepresence system using a virtual proxy where the primary interaction framework is informational exchange, although physical interaction can also be supported depending upon the environmental support. This work also identifies the technical issues that require additional research for the implementation of a TeleReality system, from the need for improved image processing, video codec's, broadcast and ad-hoc security protocols, software architecture, registration and the availability of suitable head mounted displays.

Abstract Visual world is naturally correlated both spatially and temporally. The correlations are used in vision to enhance performance of neurons. For gaining maximal neural performance of the visual neurons, the experiments, from stimulus to the analysis, should be designed to take advantage of the correlations. In this thesis methods for generating and analyzing natural stimuli were examined by using computations and algorithms. For analyzing responses to natural stimuli in visual neurons, a method with only a few assumptions was developed for estimating information rate in long responses. The novel method gave a good agreement with Shannon information rate with linear system and Gaussian input but was able to handle also nonlinear processing and non-Gaussian data. Secondly, a computer controlled 3D virtual environment with a spherical screen was developed, with a large visual field. The image of the world was projected to the screen with a DLP projector, giving good enough temporal performance for insect vision research. A track-ball was used in closed loop experiments. Thirdly, properties of single photon (“bump”) information transfer at various light levels were investigated in cockroach photoreceptor with a coarse computational model. At dim light (< 10 ph/s), where single bump responses were visible, shot noise was dominant. At higher light levels latency distribution of the bump decreased the information rate, but amplitude distribution of bump did not have an effect. Fourthly, the contribution of K⁺ channels to information rate and energy consumption was investigated by creating a database of computation models with varying channel compositions. The information rate has a maximum as a function of mean conductance, which was a sum of the average K⁺ conductance and the leak conductance. This maximum was fine-tuned by the K⁺ channel composition, which had high so-called novel contribution and relatively low amount of other conductances.

The purpose of this study was to develop an intuitive software that aids in the field of prosthetic training and rehabilitation by creating an individualized visualization of joint angles. This software is titled “the prosthetic training software (PTS) for individualized joint angle representation”, and it enables the individualized portrayal of predicted or pre-recorded joint angles. The PTS is an intuitive program for clinicians and prosthesis users that produces an animation of a virtual avatar reflecting the user’s segment lengths and amputation for rehabilitation and training purposes. The PTS consists of a graphical user interface (GUI) and a 3D visualization of the information input into the GUI. This software was developed in Microsoft Visual Studio (Microsoft, Redmond, Washington) as well as the Unity game engine (Unity Technologies, San Francisco, California) in the programming language C#. Four GUI tabs were created consisting of a patient input tab, a patient measurements tab, a prosthesis view and search tab, and a tab dedicated to editing a list of prostheses. Code was developed to take information input into these tabs to create an individualized 3D human model for the visualization. Twenty-four models were created in order to allow for unique portrayal of that input data. The models consisted of small, medium and large sizes, both male and female genders, and able-bodied, transradial left side, and transradial right side amputation variations. A generic transradial prosthesis was created for the use in the variations of these models. An additional six stick figure models were generated in order to give additional perspective of the portrayed joint angles. Code was also developed in order to animate these models accurately to the joint angles that are sent to them. Playback speed, viewing orientation, and perspective control functionalities were developed in order to assist in the comprehensiveness of the displayed joint angles. The PTS is not meant to be standalone software, however, the functionalities that it needed to encapsulate in order to work in conjunction with research currently being conducted at USF were tested. The intuitiveness of the GUI and visualization was evaluated by ease of use surveys, as well as volunteer commentary, in order to find how easily the interface that can be operated in a home setting without the oversight of an experienced operator. On average, subjects agreed that the PTS was intuitive to use, both for inputting information and utilizing the visualization. Feedback from these surveys will be used to further improve the PTS in the future. The feasibility of learning from the visualization output from the PTS was tested by comparing motions from five able-bodied subjects before and after having been taught three motions comprising pre-recorded joint angles animated by the PTS. Joint angles were calculated from recorded marker positions. It was found that after viewing the animation, the joint angles were markedly closer to the joint angles portrayed to them. This shows that the PTS is fully capable of showing joint angles in a comprehensive way. Future work will include additional testing of these functionalities, including the testing of prosthesis users, as well as the introduction and testing of new features of prosthesis recommendation and predictive joint angle production when later combined with future research.

Several researchers have successfully developed realistic models of real world objects/ phenomena and then have simulated them in the virtual world. In this thesis, we propose the opposite: instantiating virtual world events in the real world. The interactive 3D virtual environment provides a useful, realistic 3D world that resembles objects/phenomena of a real world, but it has limited capability to communicate with the physical environment. We argue that new and intuitive 3D user interfaces, such as 3D virtual environment interfaces, may provide an alternative form of media for communicating with the real environment. We propose a 3D virtual world-based add-on architecture that achieves a synchronized virtual-real communication. In this framework, we explored the possibilities of integrating haptic and real world object interactions with Linden Lab's multiuser online 3D virtual world, Second Life. We enhanced the open source Second Life viewer client in order to facilitate communications between the real and virtual world. Moreover, we analyzed the suitability of such an approach in terms of user perception, intuition and other common parameters. Our experiments suggest that the proposed approach not only demonstrates a more intuitive mode of communication system, but also is appealing and useful to the user. Some of the potential applications of the proposed approach include remote child-care, communication between distant lovers, stress recovery, and home automation.