420 research outputs found
UFF Contra o Coronavírus: #OrgulhoDeSerUFF - Esteban Clua - Prof. do Instituto de Computação - UFF
No full textVídeo com tradução e interpretação em Língua Brasileira de Sinais (Libras)Como será que as Unidades da #UFF tem funcionado durante esse período de isolamento? Embora o início do ano letivo tenha sido adiado, a UFF continua a todo vapor, por isso convidamos alguns diretores de Unidade, Pro-reitores e pesquisadores para falar sobre como tem trabalhado durante esse período e o que tem feito nessa quarentena. Na luta contra o Covid-19, a Universidade Federal Fluminense está organizando múltiplas frentes de trabalho que contam com a participação da comunidade acadêmica. Neste período de isolamento social, diversos setores seguem atuantes na pesquisa, extensão e inovação mesmo diante da quarentena. O professor do Instituto de Computação da UFF, Esteban Walter Gonzalez Clua que atua na área de jogos, realidade virtual, e computação gráfica, fala sobre os cursos online gratuitos que estão sendo oferecidos pelo instituto
Learning How to Play Bomberman with Deep Reinforcement and Imitation Learning
No full textPart 3: Entertainment AlgorithmsInternational audienceMaking artificial agents that learn how to play is a long-standing goal in the area of Game AI. Recently, several successful cases have emerged driven by Reinforcement Learning (RL) and neural network-based approaches. However, in most of the cases, the results have been achieved by training directly from pixel frames with valuable computational resources. In this paper, we devise agents that learn how to play the popular game of Bomberman by relying on state representations and RL-based algorithms without looking at the pixel level. To that, we designed five vector-based state representations and implemented Bomberman on the top of the Unity game engine through the ML-agents toolkit. We enhance the ML-agents algorithms by developing an Imitation-based learner (IL) that improves its model with the Actor-Critic Proximal-Policy Optimization (PPO) method. We compared this approach with a PPO-only learner that uses either a Multi-Layer Perceptron or a Long-Short Term-Memory network (LSTM). We conducted several pieces of training and tournament experiments by making the agents play against each other. The hybrid state representation and our IL followed by PPO learning algorithm achieve the best overall quantitative results, and we also observed that their agents learn a correct Bomberman behavior
Virtual and Real Body Representation in Mixed Reality: An Analysis of Self-presence and Immersive Environments
No full textPart 1: Mixed RealityInternational audienceOver the last decade, most of studies were focused on assessments of presence, degrees of immersion and user involvement with virtual reality, few works, however, addressed the mixed reality environments. In virtual reality, mostly through an egocentric point of view, the user is usually represented by a virtual body. In this work, we present an approach where the user can see himself instead of a virtual character. Different than augmented reality approaches, we only detach the user’s body and his/her proxies interfaces. We conducted four experiments to measure and evaluate quantitatively and qualitatively the feeling of presence. We measure and compare the degree of presence in different modes and techniques of representation of the user’s body through virtually integrated questionnaires. We also analyzed what factors influence to a greater or lesser feeling of presence. For this study, we adapted a real bike with an haptic interface. Results show that there is not necessarily a better or worse type of avatar, but their appearance must match the scenarios and others elements in the virtual environment to greatly increase the participant sense of presence
Virtual and Real Body Experience Comparison Using Mixed Reality Cycling Environment
No full textPart 1: Full PapersInternational audienceDifferent solutions present the usage of bicycles with Head Mounted Display (HMD) in which virtual scenarios are visualized as background for athletes training or as cardiac patient rehabilitation systems. However, assessments on presence, degrees of immersion and user involvement with real bicycles in those virtual scenarios still are rare. In this paper we present a haptic interface of a real bicycle using HMDs as a mixed reality display using a procedural city as a background scenario. To measure and evaluate presence, two experiments had been conducted. One that simulates a virtual reality mode and a second that corresponds to a mixed reality mode. By think aloud method, it was possible to analyze the degree of presence, through control, focus, immersion and involvement factors. Six of the seven participants described that immersion is augmented as well as the feeling of presence in the mixed reality interface, feeling a better experience with the improvement of movements. Issues related to comfort and the visual graphic were also evaluated with some results on the stimulus that also opens new possibilities for future works in different areas
El archipiélago urbano de Quito: claves para la autosuficiencia integrada
No full textDesde su fundación, Quito ha experimentado una constante tensión entre el crecimiento urbano y la complejidad de los accidentes naturales circundantes. Esto ha llevado a la creación de numerosos entornos urbanos marcadamente aislados, a menudo informales y altamente vulnerables a desastres naturales. A pesar de asociarse con el modelo de ciudad dormitorio, factores como las actividades agrícolas, la identidad indígena y los recursos naturales han dotado a estas “islas urbanas” de una “autosuficiencia integrada”. Esta condición ha sido puesta a prueba exitosamente en los últimos años frente a crisis sanitarias, socioeconómicas y de seguridad, gracias a su interacción con unidades urbanas cercanas y su capacidad de autoproducción. Este estudio ofrece un análisis cuantitativo y comparativo de un archipiélago urbano formado por 39 enclaves, basado en su accesibilidad, forma urbana y datos estadísticos y cartográficos recopilados in situ. Identifica factores clave que permiten la autosuficiencia, como la producción de alimentos, la gestión ambiental responsable, la economía circular, la identidad comunitaria, el reciclaje, el empleo local y la protección del entorno natural. El concepto de “Archipiélago Urbano” ilustra la tensión entre geometría y geografía, destacando áreas aisladas que, paradójicamente, interactúan, creando territorios propicios para un desarrollo resiliente y autosuficiente.Esta investigación sintetiza algunos de los resultados del Trabajo Fin de Máster elaborado en el MBArch Urbanismo, ETSABarcelona, tutorizado por el prof. Álvaro Clua (2023). El trabajo ha contado también con la colaboración del Colectivo Social Habitar y el Cabildo de la comuna de San José de Cocotog.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version
FPVRGame: Deep Learning for Hand Pose Recognition in Real-Time Using Low-End HMD
No full textPart 2: Virtual RealityInternational audienceHead Mounted Display (HMD) became a popular device, drastically increasing the usage of Virtual, Mixed, and Augmented Reality. While the systems’ visual resources are accurate and immersive, precise interfaces require depth cameras or special joysticks, requiring either complex devices or not following the natural body expression. This work presents an approach for the usage of bare hands to control an immersive game from an egocentric perspective and built from a proposed case study methodology. We used a DenseNet Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architecture to perform the recognition in real-time, from both indoor and outdoor environments, not requiring any image segmentation process. Our research also generated a vocabulary, considering users’ preferences, seeking a set of natural and comfortable hand poses and evaluated users’ satisfaction and performance for an entertainment setup. Our recognition model achieved an accuracy of 97.89%. The user’s studies show that our method outperforms the classical controllers in regards to natural interactions. We demonstrate our results using commercial low-end HMD’s and compare our solution with state-of-the-art methods
Book review: Antropología, género, salud y atención
No full textRecensión del libro de Mari Luz Esteban, Josep M. Comelles y Carmen Díez Mintegui (editores): Antropología, género, salud y atención. Barcelona, Bellaterra, 2010.Book review of Mari Luz Esteban, Josep M. Comelles y Carmen Díez Mintegui (editores): Antropología, género, salud y atención. Barcelona, Bellaterra, 2010.Grupo de Investigación Antropología y Filosofía (SEJ-126). Universidad de Granad
Applying Design Thinking for Prototyping a Game Controller
No full textPart 1: Full PapersInternational audienceGame controllers design is undergoing a major shift due to the disruptive forces of new paradigms of interaction and a wide set of game genres. With so many approaches involving this device, in this work we want to address the challenge of generating ideas for a totally new and innovative game controller that pleases its players. In order to achieve this objective, we applied a set of Design Thinking techiques such as one day in life, empathy map, persona, ideation workshop, paper prototyping and experimental tests. The results have shown that the techniques were useful in informing and guiding idea generation and were perceived as appealing. Drawing on observations and participants feedbacks, we reflect on the strengths of using this methodology to develop games controllers and discuss some of the needs that they still have
Applying Design Thinking for Prototyping a Game Controller
No full textPart 1: Full PapersInternational audienceGame controllers design is undergoing a major shift due to the disruptive forces of new paradigms of interaction and a wide set of game genres. With so many approaches involving this device, in this work we want to address the challenge of generating ideas for a totally new and innovative game controller that pleases its players. In order to achieve this objective, we applied a set of Design Thinking techiques such as one day in life, empathy map, persona, ideation workshop, paper prototyping and experimental tests. The results have shown that the techniques were useful in informing and guiding idea generation and were perceived as appealing. Drawing on observations and participants feedbacks, we reflect on the strengths of using this methodology to develop games controllers and discuss some of the needs that they still have
Natural urbanity on the urban edge : design considerations for Torre-Negra, Collserola
Get PDFPòster (subtítol): Notes on the Final Degree Project, developed by Alvaro Clua at the Barcelona School of Architecture (UPC-2012), under the supervision of prf. A. LinaresIn the shade of the Collserola range, near the old road that links the Roman Barcino with the hinterland of the Valle`s, the natural environment of Torre Negra has for almost thirty years now been one of the most endangered and fragile spaces. Here we can see the con uence of ravines and the Sant Crist and Riera de Sant Medir rivers, one of the last areas of farmland near Collserola Park, the historical, symbolic presence of the Torre Negra old country house (which originally served as a watchtower of the Monastery of Sant Cugat del Valle's), the ruins of a ceramic brickyard, modern-day equestrian centres, international schools and tennis clubs. All this under the shadow of the Pi d’en Xandri, a much-loved pine tree measuring some 23 metres tall. This unique local icon, increasingly present in the collective imagination, clearly re ects the contradiction between human pressure for property and the widely shared desire to promote ecological preservation. But while on the one hand the 1987 PEPco (Special Ordinance and Protection Plan for Collserola) de ned the area as “agricultural area with landscape value”, the last sentence by the Spanish Supreme Court in 2016 and the Catalan Supreme Court determined that it “does not meet” the conditions laid out in the Law on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity of Natural Spaces, and therefore the area remains subject to property speculation. In reality, though, this burning controversy has served only to leave the superb Collserola area on standby, while positions on either side harden. This article aims to shed some light onto this di icult issue through an exploratory project carried out by the author of this article with the aim of answering the following questions: What design criteria should be taken into account to solidify an area as uncertain as Torre Negra, where there is insu icient strength in terms of ecological or heritage value, but where there is an underlying interest? What design programmes, guidelines and arguments can be used to reactivate the peri-urban city edges? How can we integrate urban and natural spaces?Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version
- …
