264 research outputs found
Modelling Complex User Experiences in Distributed Interaction Environments
No full textThe focus of this work is that of the so-called mixed reality domain, where interaction is increasingly becoming a complex matter in which the user navigates the different locations of a 3D virtual or real world, manipulates objects and accesses content with different degrees of heterogeneity and synchronization. In order to control such complexity we specify the 3D environment by a multilevel control finite state machine using the state-charts notation and we model the interaction with the environment and the multimedia content communicated to the user through the concepts of experience process and experience pattern. A set of distributed software agents log and process data related to the user experience for controlling interaction and data presentation at run-time
NSIFs estimation based on the averaged strain energy density under in-plane mixed mode loading
No full textAbstractIn this work three methods for the rapid calculation of the NSIFs, based on the averaged strain energy density (SED), are compared. The first method was proposed by Lazzarin et al. and it is based on the calculation of the SED averaged in two different control volumes centred at the notch tip. The second one instead was recently presented by Treifi and Oyadiji and it takes advantage of the strain energy density averaged within two control volumes (semi-circular sector) centred at the notch tip. Then a new method based on the evaluation of the total and deviatoric strain energy density averaged over a control volume has been proposed.Finally, the described methods have been applied to plates weakened by different V-notch geometries: diamond-shaped notch, square hole and central crack in plates of finite and infinite extension. The values of the NSIFs derived according to Gross and Mendelson have been compared with those obtained by means of the approximate methods, by using coarse FE meshes
A Simple Story: Using an Agents' Based Context-Aware Architecture for Storytelling
No full textContext-aware systems are conceived for diminishing the cognitive load of users that perform tasks such as retrieving information or accessing services. A wide range of applications is available, with emphasis on tourism, cultural heritage and e-commerce. This work explores the possibility of using an agents based context-aware architecture for controlling the evolution of a story on the basis of different types of context, including the user profile, the location, the user history and time. In order to prove the suitability of such architecture to the domain of storytelling, a real novel by a famous Italian writer was rewritten in the form of an interactive 3D world where users play the roles of the different characters of the story
Context-based Management of Multimedia Documents in 3D Navigational Environments
No full textThis work proposes an approach for managing multimedia information associated to 3D environments navigated by the user. The influence of context (location, user profile, user history, time, device and network) on such management is considered in different stages of the multimedia information lifecycle, with a particular reference to the authoring and presentation phases. The different types of contexts will be modeled (i.e., with a particular emphasis on location and user history) and analyzed in relation to content creation, leading both to the definition of a hierarchy of contexts and to a data structure modeled on authoring needs. Such formalizations will be then used as key components of an implementation architecture for controlling and proactively managing multimedia information in the presentation phase. Application examples related to cultural heritage are presented, showing how such architecture can manage complex user experiences on the basis of changes of context
The Time-Pillars World. A 3D Paradigm for the New Enlarged TV Information Domain
No full textThis study discusses a paradigm for exploring the digital TV information domain, characterized by a large number of channels. The proposal is based on the introduction of ambiguous schemes for organizing information related to the TV domain; these schemes, already popular and successful for seeking information on the web, are here introduced for helping people who appreciate iterative and interactive search, involving mechanisms of associative learning. Serendipity is here used as an approach complementary to exact organization schemes and useful especially for zappers who browse the TV domain without knowing, in advance, what they are looking for. The TV domain is here presented as a fully navigable 3D world populated by visual counterparts of TV channels, called time-pillars. These artifacts are composite objects that offer simplified access to TV information and a number of related functions. The paradigm introduced in this study supports users who prefer the explorative approach for navigating TV streams, and in particular the part of the TV domain that is not supported by any Electronic Program Guide (EPG) or other complementary information services. The 3D metaphor can be used also as an interface for EPGs, in order to obtain a less fragmented view of the whole TV domain. The impact on users has been validated with an iterative procedure, i.e., a pilot study and a subsequent more detailed experiment, which have confirmed the usefulness of the approach and given useful hints for future development
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