In this study, the researchers illuminated the positive advantages of incorporating augmented reality (AR) technology into the daily practices of service engineers working in an advanced manufacturing environment. AR technology improved the user’s communication with colleagues and content experts through real-time video conferencing and brought valuable information directly to the user on a mobile platform. This effective communication had the potential to reduce the time it takes to complete a work task, even when the user is in a remote location. However, it could not be assumed that people would be willing to use this new technology just because it was available. In order to promote the positive advantages of incorporating AR technology into the daily practices of service engineers, more research was needed to assess the user’s perceived value of AR technology and their willingness to accept AR technology into their daily tasks. The purpose of this research was to demonstrate the advantages of using augmented reality technology to improve communication and access to information as well as to assess the acceptance and use of this technology based on the behavioral intentions of a trained engineer. Using that information and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology including its extensions (UTAUT and UTAUT2) (Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, & Davis, 2003; Venkatesh, 2012) this research determined if AR technology is viable for larger scale adoption.

The main aim of this thesis was to evaluate the performance of the contrast sensitivity clock (CSC), a new screening device for measuring contrast sensitivity (CS) and glare. This device allows CS without glare, with glare and disability glare scores to be recorded. After initial data collection the design of the CSC was slightly amended improving the performance of the device. The amended design of the CSC was shown to be a valid, discriminative and repeatable measure for purpose. The CSC is also a quick test to perform and is relatively cheap to produce. If all these factors are considered it shows potential to become the test of choice for the assessment of visual glare. A head-mounted display system was also evaluated in terms of the glare effects it may cause. The monocular display screen of the device significantly reduced the CS of the eye directly exposed but also had an effect on binocular performance, reducing amounts of binocular summation. Electronic devices, including head-mounted displays and satellite navigation systems can seriously affect CS at low luminance levels, similar to those found when driving at night.

3D human face reconstruction has been an extensive research for decades due to its wide applications, such as animation, recognition and 3D-driven appearance synthesis. Although commodity depth sensors are widely available in recent years, image based face reconstruction are significantly valuable as images are much easier to access and store. In this dissertation, we first propose three image-based face reconstruction approaches according to different assumption of inputs. In the first approach, face geometry is extracted from multiple key frames of a video sequence with different head poses. The camera should be calibrated under this assumption. As the first approach is limited to videos, we propose the second approach then focus on single image. This approach also improves the geometry by adding fine grains using shading cue. We proposed a novel albedo estimation and linear optimization algorithm in this approach. In the third approach, we further loose the constraint of the input image to arbitrary in the wild images. Our proposed approach can robustly reconstruct high quality model even with extreme expressions and large poses. We then explore the applicability of our face reconstructions on four interesting applications: video face beautification, generating personalized facial blendshape from image sequences, face video stylizing and video face replacement. We demonstrate great potentials of our reconstruction approaches on these real-world applications. In particular, with the recent surge of interests in VR/AR, it is increasingly common to see people wearing head-mounted displays. However, the large occlusion on face is a big obstacle for people to communicate in a face-to-face manner. Our another application is that we explore hardware/software solutions for synthesizing the face image with presence of HMDs. We design two setups (experimental and mobile) which integrate two near IR cameras and one color camera to solve this problem. With our algorithm and prototype, we can achieve photo-realistic results. We further propose a deep neutral network to solve the HMD removal problem considering it as a face inpainting problem. This approach doesn't need special hardware and run in real-time with satisfying results.

Collecting load tickets is an example of an antiquated practice that puts inspectors in harm’s way either adjacent to traffic, in close proximity to moving or backing equipment, or at times requires climbing onto trucks to reach tickets. Technology exists to collect this information electronically allowing for safer, efficient inspection methods. Departments of Transportation are charged with inspecting an increasing work load with a diminishing number of inspection staff. Recently, doing more with less has led to the prioritization of inspection activities and resulted in less collection of data and visual inspection on projects. Technology advancements are available to improve data collection and provide for more efficient inspection. Using GPS and GIS technology tied into electronic scale report-out systems, a fleet tracking system traces haul routes, reports travel time and tonnage, and even assists contractors with equipment matching and balancing. Data from this system coupled with other technologies remote monitoring of temperature, intelligent compaction, and network enabled cameras provide an opportunity to enhance inspection and increase construction inspection productivity all the while enriching detail of project records. The contribution of this paper is to provide a framework in which to combine these technologies into a multi-faceted, enhanced inspection approach.

Over recent years, organizations such as the Federal Highway Administration and Departments of Transportation across the United States have showed interest in automating highway construction processes. The addition of e-Construction and other advanced technologies can significantly improve the efficiency and safety of highway paving operations, specifically paving inspections. Activities such as collecting load tickets, tracking pavement lay-down temperatures, and monitoring roller movement are antiquated practices that DOT inspectors perform during paving operations. E-Ticketing, Paver Mounted Thermal Profiling, and Intelligent Compaction were proposed to automate paving inspections and were recently tested in two resurfacing pilot projects in the state of Kentucky. Findings from the projects indicate that the three technologies display great potential in improving safety and efficiency of paving inspections. The contribution of this thesis is to document the research effort, evaluate the effectiveness of the technologies compared to the traditional practices, and discuss the lessons learned for industry practitioners.

In this thesis, high performance torque and speed control for a surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) is designed, simulated and implemented. A three-phase two-level pulse width modulation voltage-source inverter (PWM-VSI) with power MOSFETs is used to feed the PMSM. The study has three objectives. The first is to compensate the voltage disturbance caused by nonideal characteristics of the voltage-source inverter (VSI). The second is to decouple the coupled variables in the synchronous reference frame model of the PMSM. The last is to design a load torque estimator in order to increase the disturbance rejection capability of the speed control. The angular acceleration required for load torque estimation is extracted through a Kalman filter from noisy velocity measurements. Proposed methods for improved torque and speed control performance are verified through simulations and experimental tests. The drive system is modeled in Matlab/Simulink, and control algorithms are developed based on this model. The experimental drive system comprises a three-phase VSI and a 385 W surface-mounted PMSM. Control algorithms developed in the study have been implemented in a digital signal processor (DSP) board and tested comprehensively. With the use of the proposed methods, a considerable improvement of torque and speed control performance has been achieved.

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During monitoring of rear-mounted equipment, frequent rearward turning of tractor drivers in awkward postures can cause musculoskeletal disorders related to the back, neck, and shoulders. A camera-based monitoring system, consisting of one or more cameras placed on the implement and a monitor placed inside the tractor cab, has potential ergonomic benefits compared with traditional implement monitoring strategies by reducing the rearward turning and twisting movements of tractor drivers. A camera-based monitoring system was compared with two traditional monitoring strategies (direct looking and using rear-view mirrors) in a lab environment using a Tractor Air-Seeder Driving Simulator. The operator’s reaction time and response errors, head/neck movement (acceleration), and neck muscle temperature were compared for the three monitoring strategies. The camera-based monitoring system yielded significantly (α=0.05) better outcomes in terms of acceleration and muscle temperature values. No significant difference was observed for response errors.

In this thesis research, we investigate the usability of hand-held display (Tablet PC) and wearable head-mounted display (Google Glass) interfaces and their effect on doctor-patient interaction during clinical ward round in the hospital. We looked at existing literature to identify existing research about our topic. Using a User Centered Interaction Design process we developed a prototype hybrid system that used both a hand-held and head-mounted display. An evaluation of this prototype with a hand-held system and a paper based interface was performed in a simulated patient room with 20 doctors and 5 patients. The participants were observed, surveyed, and interviewed about their experiences. Generally, the patients had a high satisfaction rate and felt the interfaces were not causing the doctors to lose focus on them. The doctors found the hand-held display by itself and existing paper-based interface to be the most usable and least distracting interfaces for accessing patient information during clinical ward rounds.

During monitoring of rear-mounted equipment, frequent rearward turning of tractor drivers in awkward postures can cause musculoskeletal disorders related to the back, neck, and shoulders. A camera-based monitoring system, consisting of one or more cameras placed on the implement and a monitor placed inside the tractor cab, has potential ergonomic benefits compared with traditional implement monitoring strategies by reducing the rearward turning and twisting movements of tractor drivers. A camera-based monitoring system was compared with two traditional monitoring strategies (direct looking and using rear-view mirrors) in a lab environment using a Tractor Air-Seeder Driving Simulator. The operator’s reaction time and response errors, head/neck movement (acceleration), and neck muscle temperature were compared for the three monitoring strategies. The camera-based monitoring system yielded significantly (α=0.05) better outcomes in terms of acceleration and muscle temperature values. No significant difference was observed for response errors.