Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Immersives technologies'

L’objet de cette recherche porte sur l’évolution des dispositifs de formation avec l’introduction de technologies de réalité virtuelle dans des contextes industrialisés. Cette thèse Cifre s’appuie sur une intégration au sein du département « training » d’Airbus Helicopters. La démarche de recherche-action mise en œuvre permet d’observer et de participer à l’élaboration d’une technologie immersive pour la formation de pilotes. Cet outil est mis en situation avec des clients en formation et plusieurs démonstrations sont faites auprès d’acteurs de différents métiers. Nous mettons en avant des configurations hybrides dans le sens ou les situations de formation révèlent des aspects de la pratique et de la théorie telles qu’elles sont pensées dans la « langue de l’organisation ». Nous montrons alors que la mise en œuvre de telles technologies pourrait remettre en question les modèles rationalisés dans l’organisation. Ces éléments nous permettent d’envisager qu’une « approche par l’hybridation des dispositifs » amène l’organisation à interroger à chaque étape du projet ses propres modèles (objets structurés de partage d’information, organigramme, compétences et métiers des acteurs). C’est alors une remise en question en « profondeur » du projet de l’organisation apprenante qui est rendue possible, à partir de l’expérience des sujets
The purpose of this research is to better understand how training devices evolve, with the introduction of virtual reality technology, in industrialized training situations. This work I based on an immersion in the "training" department of Airbus Helicopters. The research-action approach allows us to observe and participate in the emergence of a technology of reality for pilot’s training. The tool is put in situation with customers as part of their training and several demonstrations are made to actors of different trades around the training. We identify hybrid configurations in the sense that training situations are both practical and at the same time theoretical in the language of the organization. Then we show that the implementation of these technologies requires to rethink a traditional rationalization. These elements allow to suggest an "approach by the hybridization of systems" gives the organization the ability to reconsider its own project (structured objects of information, organization chart, skills and trades of actors). It is a depth questioning of the learning organization that is possible, from the experience of subjects

De nos jours, le prototypage est largement utilisé dans l'industrie pour explorer des alternatives de conception en impliquant toutes les parties prenantes du projet. Cela est particulièrement vrai au stade antérieur du processus de conception lors des activités de Co-création et d'exploration. Cependant, les prototypes ont différentes formes, telles que : des formes physiques comme des maquettes, souvent basées sur l'impression 3D, ou des formes virtuelles basées sur des technologies immersives comme la réalité virtuelle (VR), la réalité augmentée (AR) ou même la réalité mixte (MR). Le principal avantage du prototypage a été synthétisé dans une phrase simple, exprimée par John Meada, un ancien professeur du MIT : « Si une image vaut mille mots, un prototype vaut mille réunions », cité par Banfield et al. (2017). Plus récemment, le secteur des services a également commencé à adopter le prototypage pour explorer des alternatives de conception de services (Blomkvist, 2014). Cela implique différents niveaux de complexité de service, tels que : conseil en ligne, configurateurs de machines et simulateurs pour la formation des opérateurs de machines ou plus simplement des conseils de montage et de démontage. Néanmoins, le corpus actuel de connaissances sur le prototypage de services manque de comparaison entre les formes de prototype de service (SP) - conventionnelles et immersives - qui aideraient les entreprises du secteur des services à sélectionner la forme de SP la plus appropriée. Dans ce contexte du secteur des services, notre enquête vise à apporter de nouvelles connaissances sur l'impact potentiel des technologies immersives sur la SP. Dans l'ensemble, cela aiderait les organisations de services à expérimenter une idée de service avant même que ce service existe réellement ou à prévoir la forme de SP la plus appropriée en fonction de leur contexte spécifique et du degré de complexité du service.Une revue de la littérature a été réalisée afin d'identifier les facteurs d'impact objectifs et subjectifs potentiels. Notre modèle théorique d'adoption de SP créé permet de comparer différentes formes de prototypes de services en fonction de leurs performances respectives en termes d'achèvement, d'erreurs et de perception de l'utilisation. Ce modèle a été utilisé pour concevoir une expérience, qui implique des méthodes mixtes, permettant de collecter une quantité suffisante de données quantitatives pour exécuter une approche formative d'analyse statistique pour valider notre modèle d'adoption de SP. Tout d'abord, notre étude empirique a permis de valider notre modèle d'adoption de SP. Deuxièmement, il a dévoilé l'impact positif des technologies immersives sur le prototypage de services pour obtenir une expérience anticipée avant la mise en œuvre d'un service. Troisièmement, il a révélé les performances supérieures des formes AR et MR-SP par rapport aux formes VR et SP conventionnelles. Enfin, outre le fait évident que seules les formes AR et MR-SP permettent d'apprendre simultanément une opération de service, la forme VR-SP est celle qui présente le score d'immersion et d'adoption le plus élevé, notamment parce qu'elle permet d'explorer un service avant qu'il n'existe réellement
Nowadays, prototyping is widely used in the industry for exploring design alternatives by engaging all project stakeholders. This is especially true at the earlier stage of the design process during both co-creation and exploration activities. However, prototypes have different forms, such as: physical forms like mock-ups, often based on 3D-printing, or virtual forms based on immersive technologies like Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) or even Mixed Reality (MR). The main advantage of prototyping has been synthesized in a simple sentence, expressed by John Meada, a former MIT professor: “If a picture is worth a thousand words, a prototype is worth a thousand meetings”, cited by Banfield et al. (2017). More recently, the service sector has started to also adopt prototyping for exploring service design alternatives (Blomkvist, 2014). This involves different levels of service complexity, such as: online consultancy, machine configurators, and simulators for the training of machine operators or more simply assembly and disassembly guidance. Nevertheless, the current body of knowledge on Service Prototyping is lacking comparison among Service Prototype (SP) forms - conventional versus immersive - that would help businesses in the service sector to select the most appropriate SP form. In this context of the service sector, our investigation aims to bring new knowledge about the potential impact of immersive technologies on SP. Overall, it would help service organizations to experience a service idea even before this service really exists or to foresee which SP form is the most appropriate according to their specific context and degree of service complexity.A literature review was carried out in order to identify potential objective and subjective impact factors. Our created theoretical SP adoption model allows comparing different forms of Service Prototypes according to their respective performance in terms of completion, errors, and usage perception. This model was used to design an experiment, which involves mixed methods, allowing collecting a sufficient amount of quantitative data for running a statistical analysis formative approach for validating our SP adoption model. First of all, our empirical study has allowed validating our SP adoption model. Secondly, it has unveiled the positive impact of immersive technologies on service prototyping for getting an anticipated experience before a service is implemented. Thirdly, it has revealed the higher performance of AR- and MR-SP forms compared to VR and conventional SP forms. Finally, besides the obvious fact that only AR- and MR-SP forms allow to simultaneously learn a service operation, the VR-SP form is the one exhibiting the highest immersiveness and adoption score, especially because it allows exploring a service before it really exists

Aujourd’hui, de plus en plus d’industriels ont passé le pas des technologies immersives (TI). Ces technologies innovantes sont utilisées notamment dans le cadre de la formation professionnelle pour améliorer l’apprentissage des opérateurs. De nombreux travaux académiques et industriels démontrent l’intérêt d’utiliser ces nouvelles modalités aussi bien sur la qualité d’apprentissage que sur le déploiement de nouvelles situations d’apprentissage inaccessibles jusqu’alors. Cependant, il apparait encore un manque de prise en compte des utilisateurs dans la conception de ces nouveaux supports de formation qui limite leur gain potentiel. C’est cette problématique que la société Stäubli, fournisseur mondial de solutions industrielles et mécatroniques (Raccords Electriques, Raccords Fluides, Robots et Textile), a décidé de traiter dans le contexte d’une thèse CIFRE en partenariat avec le pôle ERCOS du laboratoire ELLIADD (UR 4661).La prise en compte des utilisateurs dans la conception de produits, et plus particulièrement de systèmes de formations immersifs, est difficile à mener car elle s’intègre dans une démarche multidisciplinaire et fortement collaborative. Ainsi, l’objectif de notre travail de recherche est de proposer un cadre méthodologique pour la conception collaborative centrée sur les utilisateurs de formations professionnelles immersives (FPI).Une première contribution de nos travaux réside dans (i) un état des pratiques de formation au sein de la société Stäubli couplée à (ii) une analyse qualitative des freins et opportunités liées aux TI. Sur cette base et un état de l’art du domaine, une deuxième contribution porte sur la proposition d’un modèle original de processus de conception collaborative centrée sur les utilisateur de FPI. Il a été expérimenté dans de nombreux cas de projets de formations. Nous avons fait varier les types projets (conception initiale, reconception, à distance…) dans des contextes d’exécution eux aussi divers (TI imposée, absence de plan de formation, contraintes temporelles fortes…). D’une part, notre processus de conception a été validé via l’évaluation des résultats obtenus par sa mise en œuvre, à savoir les applications développées. L’utilisabilité, l’acceptabilité, l’intérêt pédagogique de ces dernières ont pu être évalués par des approches qualitatives et quantitatives. D’autre part, la validation du modèle proposé a été faite en confrontant le processus prescrit avec la réalité du terrain. Des axes d’améliorations ont ainsi été proposés de manière itérative jusqu’à obtention d’un modèle de processus de conception de FPI qui soit adapté aux pratiques de la société Stäubli.Une troisième contribution de nos travaux a consisté à analyser des phases de collaboration et plus particulièrement des phases de convergence dans le cadre du processus proposé. Nous avons notamment étudié, par une approche basée sur le Objets intermédiaires de Conception (OIC), les phases de co-conception des scénarios pédagogiques. Les résultats préliminaires obtenus par des analyses qualitatives de la qualité de collaboration ont montré tout l’intérêt de spécifier correctement ces OIC.Sur la base de ces résultats, une quatrième et dernière contribution de nos travaux a consisté à rendre notre modèle opérationnel au contexte de l’entreprise. Pour cela, nous l’avons traduit en une roadmap. Cette dernière comporte les éléments importants pour permettre une bonne prise en main de nos travaux par les équipes de l’entreprise Stäubli dans le cadre de futurs projets. Notre roadmap a été expérimentée via une mise à l’épreuve simulée sur 3 scénarios de besoin de formation proposés à un panel interne à l’entreprise. Les résultats obtenus via des entretiens semi-directifs sont positifs et vont dans le sens d’une appropriation aisée de la roadmap
Today, an increasing number of industrial companies are embracing immersive technologies (IT). These innovative technologies are primarily used in professional training to enhance operator learning. Numerous academic and industrial studies have demonstrated the benefits of using these new methods, both in terms of learning quality and the deployment of new learning situations that were previously inaccessible. However, there still exists a notable lack of user-centric consideration in designing these new training tools, which limits their full potential. However, there is still a lack of consideration for users in the design of these new training materials, which limits their potential benefits. Stäubli, a global supplier of industrial and mechatronic solutions (electrical fittings, fluid fittings, robots, and textiles), has decided to address this issue in the context of a CIFRE thesis in partnership with the ERCOS unit of the ELLIADD laboratory (UR 4661).Incorporating user perspectives into the design of products, especially immersive training systems, is challenging due to its multidisciplinary and highly collaborative nature. Therefore, the objective of our research is to propose a methodological framework for collaborative user-centered design of immersive professional training (IPT).Our research makes several contributions. Firstly, we conducted (i) an analysis of training practices within the Stäubli company, coupled with (ii) a qualitative analysis of the barriers and opportunities associated with IT. Based on this and a review of the field, our second contribution is the proposal of an original model of the user-centered collaborative design process for IPT. This model was tested in various training project cases, including initial design, redesign, and remote scenarios, in diverse execution contexts (mandatory IT use, absence of training plans, tight time constraints, etc.). On one hand, the design process was validated by evaluating the outcomes, namely the developed applications. Their usability, acceptability, and pedagogical value were assessed using qualitative and quantitative approaches. On the other hand, the model's validation was done by comparing the prescribed process with real-world practices. Iterative improvements were proposed until a design process model for FPI was aligned with Stäubli's practices.A third contribution of our work involved analyzing collaboration phases, particularly convergence phases within the proposed process. We specifically studied the co-design phases of pedagogical scenarios using Intermediate Objects (IO) as an approach. Preliminary results from qualitative analyses of collaboration quality highlighted the importance of properly specifying these IDOs.Building on these results, our fourth and final contribution was to operationalize our model within the company's context. We translated it into a roadmap that contains essential elements for the seamless integration of our work into Stäubli's teams for future projects. Our roadmap was tested through a simulated trial involving three training needs scenarios presented to an internal panel within the company. The results from semi-structured interviews were positive, indicating an easy adoption of the roadmap

Today innovative technologies allow to develop new performing systems; therefore, also complex in terms of interactions among components and emerging behaviors. Usually, in these systems it is necessary not only to properly design and engineer the single component, but even the whole system, as well as the interactions with humans devoted to operate or to supervise with it; from this point of view digital technologies and simulation models are crucial and they allow to identify new and high performing configurations as well as requirements for man machine interface, innovative strategies and training programs. Indeed, in many cases the humans represent a critical element of the system itself as it is evident when we address the crew of a vessel or of a plane. Consequently, the human factors and digital technologies that enable people to develop new use cases and improve decision making are an essential component to drive innovation and design new systems; in this Thesis different cases have been investigated by using innovative simulation models and studying the application of digital technologies. The first case is about an innovative immersive simulation system for training the crew of NH90 aircraft; the simulator is based on virtual reality technologies (e.g. head mounted display) integrated with an electromechanical motion platform, this layout creates an interactive and immersive training equipment, able to guarantee high quality training as well as compact and transportable quite low-cost solution. Furthermore, it has been developed an automated system to collect data about the user’s response time to visual stimuli and it has been analyzed the possible negative training risk related to adopt these technologies in terms of impacts on human factors as well as on the simulation sickness phenomenon. Furthermore, the application of Internet of Things and Cloud technologies will be analyzed to highlight relevant aspects of real use cases in the industrial sector.Indeed, a functional study of the application of IoT to optimize resources in the industrial sector is presented with the proposition of a cloud architecture to automate the recognition of technical documentation.

La conception du documentaire a changé et, avec cela, les possibilités de créer des histoires non-fictives et les formes associées aux techniques. Dans ce contexte, nous nous intéressons à la pratique documentaire et à l'influence d'outils et de dispositifs tels que la réalité virtuelle et la réalité augmentée, l'utilisation d'applications mobiles et le développement de travaux web.Nous défendons la thèse selon laquelle la technologie influence les formes de représentation du documentaire et a provoqué l'évolution des formes narratives qui doivent être repensées dans leur contexte de création. Cela signifie que la recherche de productions documentaires reposant sur des supports numériques a besoin d'un cadre ouvert et interdisciplinaire pouvant couvrir leur complexité. Grâce au caractère international que l'accord de cotutelle contribue à ce travail, des méthodes visuelles sont insérées dans une enquête dans le cadre d'études visuelles. Tout cela façonne l'approche épistémologique du présent travail.Afin d'analyser l'apport des techniques numériques aux qualités communicatives du documentaire et de connaître l'évolution des formes de représentation, nous avons choisi une méthodologie visuelle. Nous nous appuyons sur trois études de cas dans lesquelles nous appliquons notre propre méthodologie, qui inclut la création d’une pièce audiovisuelle interactive. Tout cela est finalement complété par l'analyse d'un échantillon de documentaires sélectionnés.Les résultats du travail nous montrent en quoi l'évolution du documentaire, parallèlement à l'évolution de la technologie, place le spectateur au centre de l'histoire. Le documentaire devient une expérience multisensorielle créée pour une consommation individuelle dans laquelle l'utilisateur acquiert un rôle central
The conception of the documentary has changed, as well as the possibilities of creating fiction narratives and the forms associated with the techniques. In this context, we are interested in documentary practice and the influence of tools and devices such as virtual reality and augmented reality, the use of mobile applications and the development of web works on the web.We defend the thesis that technology influences the forms of representation of the documentary and has led to the evolution of narrative forms that must be rethought in their context of creation. This means that research on non-fiction productions based on the digital medium needs an open and interdisciplinary framework that can encompass its complexity.Thanks to the international character that the co-tutelage agreement contributes to this work, visual methods are inserted in in a research within the framework of visual studies. All this shapes the epistemological approach of this work.We have opted for a visual methodology with the objective of analyzing the contribution of digital technologies to the communicative qualities of the documentary and of knowing the evolution of the forms of representation. We rely on three case studies in which we apply our own method. It is a composite method in which we include the creation of an interactive audiovisual piece. All this is complemented finally with the analysis of a sample of selected documentaries.The results of the work tell us how the evolution of the documentary, in parallel with the advancement of technology, puts the viewer at the center of the story. The documentary becomes a multisensory experience created for an individual consumption in which the user acquires a central role

The overall purpose of this project is to develop an immersive storytelling experience that connects with both physical and social environment. To be specific, it focuses on the old prison in Umeå which was closed in 1981 and nowadays serves as a hotel. There are abundant historical materials related to the old prison preserved, and how might we transform such textual, historical information into relatively interactive experience. By collaborating with Hotell Gamla Fängelset ( Umeå’s Prison Hotel ), the result turns out to be an application in combination with augmented reality (AR), to build a guided tour that brings history to life at Umeå’s Prison Hotel. The tour not only demonstrates the plight of the prisoners, but also showcases the reform to humanized treatment over time, at the end linking back to the cozy hotel where the guests are staying. After users experience the tour application, it stimulates people’s imagination of the prisoners’ story and raises their awareness towards the cultural heritage that has always been forgotten.

This study investigated how teachers interpret their own pedagogy as a result of teaching within and through an immersive educational simulation. It explored Australian secondary teachers' beliefs about the role of technology within Economics and Business education, together with the challenges and disruptions faced when teaching in this unique learning environment. This qualitative study adopted a Grounded Theory approach to reveal the pedagogical complexities of teaching with such disruptive technologies. A new signature pedagogy, titled emergence pedagogy, was offered as a theoretical model to describe the transformation of pedagogical practice when teaching within an "in-world" and "out-world" environment.

Tato práce se zabývá konceptem imerze ve videohrách a analyzuje možné implikace, které mohou videohry mít pro kinematografii. Imerze je zkoumána jakožto kvantifikovatelná zkušenost prostřednictvím hry ?Heavy Rain? (2010 PS3 titul). Tato práce taky prozkoumává negativní aspekty imerze a současné argumenty pro a proti prosazování prostorových a kinestetických imerzních technologií. Nakonec se práce věnuje vývoji těchto dvou médií a pokouší se predikovat budoucí podobu vyprávění příběhu.

The article provides an overview of different types educational technologies used for learning and teaching in Art and Design higher education of Great Britain. In particular, special attention is paid to the use of 3D visualization technology for educational purposes.

Detta arbete undersöker hur User Experience Design-utvärderingsmetoden heuristisk utvärdering kunde anpassas till utvärderingen av TV-spel inom kontexten av immersive Virtual Reality. Rapporten börjar med att redogöra för TV-spel, Virtual Reality och User Experience som fält, med särskild fokus på utvärderingsmetoder. En genomgång av tidigare, relevant litteratur och utförandet av heuristiska utvärderingar ledde till skapandet av en lista med heuristiker utformade för immersive Virtual Reality-spel. En manual med riktlinjer för utförandet av utvärderingar inom en Virtual Reality-kontext skapades också. Både heuristikerna och manualen validerades och reviderades utefter resultaten av de heuristiska utvärderingar som utfördes under arbetets gång. Resultaten visade på att heuristisk utvärdering går att använda inom en VR-spelskontext, men att det kräver vissa modifikationer. Detta har implikationer för användandet av andra utvärderingsmetoder i samma kontext.

Avec l'avènement de l'internet et du processus de digitalisation, le monde du commerce de détail a connu de nombreux changements. En fait, ce processus a incité tous les secteurs à intégrer la technologie dans leurs processus de vente. Dans le commerce de détail en particulier, ce processus a permis aux mondes physique et digital de commencer à se rencontrer. Dans ce scénario, on est passé de la vente multicanale, comprise comme un ensemble d'activités où les biens sont vendus par différents canaux (en ligne et hors ligne), à une omnicanale, où les deux canaux (en ligne et hors ligne) sont intégrés au cours du processus de vente. De cette manière, les barrières géographiques et physiques existantes ont été supprimées, laissant la place à une expérience complète pour le consommateur. Dans ce scénario se situe le travail de cette thèse de doctorat, qui découle de l'intérêt d'étudier la perception des consommateurs et des distributeurs dans l'utilisation des technologies immersives, avec un accent particulier sur ce qui est prédit par les rapports comme la technologie immersive la plus utilisée dans les cinq prochaines années : la réalité augmentée.A travers trois études exploratoires (deux études qualitatives -un côté des consommateurs et l’autre côté des détaillants- et la dernière quantitative), le présent travail de thèse vise à étendre les connaissances sur le comportement des consommateurs et des distributeurs inhérents à cette technologie. Au chapitre 2, la perception qu'ont les consommateurs de la réalité augmentée pendant les phases d'un processus d'achat est analysée au moyen de 20 entretiens semi-structurés, qui décrivent les principaux avantages et inconvénients perçus. Le chapitre 3 analyse le côté des distributeurs à travers 4 études de cas, dans le but d'étudier leur perception de la préparation à l'adoption de cette technologie immersive. Enfin, le chapitre 5 vise à mesurer la relation entre l'implication d'un produit et son comportement de consommation, médiatisé par l'immersion dans l'expérience d'achat en réalité augmentée de 254 consommateurs italiens.Les résultats mettent en évidence le rôle de la technologie immersive lorsqu'elle est associée à une implication émotionnelle avec un produit, sans laquelle elle reste un simple instrument hédonique. En fait, d'une part, les consommateurs perçoivent la technologie comme un outil supplémentaire et autonome, si elle n'est pas combinée avec des produits particuliers qui les intéressent. D'autre part, les distributeurs sont conscients des principaux avantages apportés par l'introduction de nouvelles technologies, mais sont réticents à les inclure. Cela est principalement dû à deux facteurs : la petite et moyenne taille des entreprises en Italie et une faible propension à éviter le risque et l'incertitude donnés par toutes les innovations non testées par leur secteur. Les implications de la relation entre l'implication du produit et les intentions comportementales médiatisées par l'expérience immersive avec la réalité augmentée décrite dans le modèle développé dans cette thèse de doctorat ouvrent de nouveaux horizons managériaux pour toutes les entreprises qui sont conscientes des avantages de ces technologies et souhaitent les mettre en œuvre pour améliorer leurs performances
With the advent of the internet and the digitisation process, the retail world has undergone numerous changes. As a matter of fact, this process has prompted all sectors to integrate technology into their sales processes. Particularly in retail, this process has meant that the physical and digital worlds have begun to find a meeting point. In this scenario there has been a shift from multi-channel, understood as a set of activities where goods are sold through different channels (online and offline), to a omnichannel retailing, where the two channels (online and offline) are integrated during the sales process. In this way, existing geographical and physical barriers are removed, leaving room for an all-round experience for the consumer. In this scenario is placed the work of this doctoral thesis, which stems from the interest of investigating the perception of consumers and sellers in the use of immersive technologies, with a particular focus on what is predicted by the reports as the most used immersive technology in the next five years: augmented reality.Through three exploratory studies (two qualitative studies on the consumer and retailer side and the last quantitative one), the present work aims to extend knowledge on the consumers’ and retailers’ perception on this technology. In chapter 2 consumers’ perception on augmented reality during the phases of a purchasing process is analysed through 20 semi-structured interviews, outlining the main perceived benefits and disadvantages. Chapter 3 analyses retailers’ side through 4 case studies, with the aim of studying their perception and readiness to adopt this immersive technology. Finally, chapter 5 aims to measure the relationship between the involvement of a product and its consumption behaviour, mediated through the immersion in the augmented reality shopping experience by 254 Italian consumers.Results highlight the role of immersive technology when combined with emotional product involvement, without which it remains a mere hedonic instrument. In fact, on the one hand consumers perceive technology as an additional, stand-alone tool, if not combined with specific products of their interest. On the other, retailers are aware of the main benefits brought by the introduction of a new technology, but they are reluctant to adopt it into their business. This is mainly due to two factors: the small and medium size of companies in Italy and a high uncertainty avoidance given by all the innovations not tested by their sector. The relationship between product involvement and behavioural intentions mediated by the immersive experience with augmented reality described in the model of this PhD thesis opens new managerial horizons for all those companies, which are aware of the benefits of these technologies and that would like to improve their performance using immersive tools
Con l’avvento di internet e il processo di digitalizzazione, il mondo della vendita al dettaglio ha subito numerosi cambiamenti. Infatti, questo processo ha spinto tutti i settori a integrare la tecnologia nei propri processi di vendita. In particolar modo, nella vendita al dettaglio questo processo ha fatto sì che il mondo fisico e quello digitale iniziassero a trovare un punto di incontro. In questo scenario sì è assistito infatti al passaggio dalla vendita multicanale, intesa come un insieme di attività dove le merci vengono vendute attraverso diversi canali (online e offline), ad una vendita omnicanale, dove i due canali (online e offline) sono integrati durante il processo di vendita. In questo modo, le barriere geografiche e fisiche esistenti vengono eliminate, lasciando spazio ad un’esperienza a tutto tondo per il consumatore. In questo scenario si colloca il lavoro di questa tesi di dottorato, che nasce dall’interesse di investigare la percezione dei consumatori e dei venditori nell’utilizzo delle tecnologie immersive, con un particolare focus a quella che viene predetta dai report come la tecnologia immersiva più utilizzata nei prossimi cinque anni: la realtà aumentata.Attraverso tre studi esplorativi (due qualitativi lato consumer e retailer e l’ultimo quantitativo), il presente lavoro ha l’obiettivo di estendere la conoscenza sul comportamento dei consumatori e dei venditori inerente a questa tecnologia. Nel capitolo 2 viene infatti analizzata attraverso 20 interviste semi-strutturate la percezione che hanno i consumatori della realtà aumentata durante le fasi di un processo di acquisto, delineando i principali benefici e svantaggi percepiti. Il capitolo 3 analizza il lato dei venditori attraverso 4 casi studio, con l’obiettivo di studiare la loro percezione di preparazione a adottare questa tecnologia immersiva. Infine, il capitolo 5 si pone l’obiettivo di misurare la relazione esistente tra il coinvolgimento di un prodotto e il relativo comportamento di consumo, mediato attraverso l’immersione nell’esperienza di acquisto con realtà aumentata da parte di 254 consumatori italiani.I risultati mettono in evidenza il ruolo della tecnologia immersiva se affiancata da un coinvolgimento emotivo ad un prodotto, senza il quale resta un mero strumento edonico. Infatti, da un lato i consumatori percepiscono la tecnologia come uno strumento aggiuntivo, stand alone, se non abbinato a particolari prodotti di loro interesse. Dall’altro i venditori conoscono i principali benefici apportati dall’introduzione delle nuove tecnologie, ma sono poco propensi ad inserirle. Questo è dovuto principalmente da due fattori: le piccole e medie dimensioni delle imprese in Italia e da una bassa propensione ad evitare il rischio e l’incertezza dato da tutte le innovazioni non testate dal loro settore. Le implicazioni della relazione tra coinvolgimento del prodotto e intenzioni di comportamento mediate dall’esperienza immersiva con realtà aumentata descritte nel modello sviluppato nella presente tesi di dottorato apre nuovi orizzonti manageriali per tutte quelle imprese che consce dei benefici di queste tecnologie, desiderano implementare per migliorare le loro performance

Year after year, technologies are evolving in an incredible rapid pace, becoming faster, more complex, more accurate and more immersive. Looking back just a decade, especially interaction technologies have made a major leap. Just two years ago in 2013, after being researched for quite some time, the hype around virtual reality (VR) arouse renewed enthusiasm, finally reaching mainstream attention as the so called head-mounted displays (HMD), devices worn on the head  to grant a visual peek into the virtual world, gain more and more acceptance with the end-user. Currently, humans interact with computers in a very counter-intuitive two dimensional way. The ability to experience digital content in the humans most natural manner, by simply looking around and perceiving information from their surroundings, has the potential to be a major game changer in how we perceive and eventually interact with digital information. However, this confronts designers and developers with new challenges of how to apply these exciting technologies, supporting interaction mechanisms to naturally explore digital information in the virtual world, ultimately overcoming real world boundaries. Within the virtual world, the only limit is our imagination. This thesis investigates an approach of how to naturally interact and explore information based on open data within an immersive virtual reality environment using a head-mounted display and vision-based motion controls. For this purpose, an immersive VR application visualizing information as a network of European capital cities has been implemented, offering interaction through gesture input. The application lays a major focus on the exploration of the generated network and the consumption of the displayed information. While the conducted user interaction study with eleven participants investigated their acceptance of the developed prototype, estimating their workload and examining their explorative behaviour, the additional dialog with five experts in the form of explorative discussions provided further feedback towards the prototype’s design and concept. The results indicate the participants’ enthusiasm and excitement towards the novelty and intuitiveness of exploring information in a less traditional way than before, while challenging them with the applied interface and interaction design in a positive manner. The design and concept were also accepted through the experts, valuing the idea and implementation. They provided constructive feedback towards the visualization of the information as well as emphasising and encouraging to be even bolder, making more usage of the available 3D environment. Finally, the thesis discusses these findings and proposes recommendations for future work.

Le concept de « motivation » se distingue par une multitude d’approches et d’études déterminant ses aspects et ses impacts dans le champ des sciences humaines et sociales. Il se présente comme un élément important pour mobiliser le facteur humain et stimuler son niveau de performance. En référence aux sciences de l’information et de la communication et aux sciences de l’éducation, la motivation, de type intrinsèque ou extrinsèque, se manifeste dans un environnement qui favorise, parmi d’autres, l’expression, l’interaction et l’engagement. Dans une vision d’apprentissage, les pratiques de formation évoluent introduisant de nouvelles techniques sophistiquées, plus efficaces, telles que l’usage de dispositifs immersifs de formation à distance. Dès lors, notre thèse se penche sur l’étude du phénomène de la motivation au sein d’un dispositif sociotechnique animé par des avatars. Ceci va montrer la force de l’immersion dans le monde virtuel et son impact sur la motivation de l’usager de ce système de communication. Il s’agit donc de traiter une problématique traduisant les ambitions de l’apprenant de réussir son concours de Ma thèse en 180 secondes en combinant les pratiques et l’environnement qui stimulent son comportement au cours de sa formation. Un apprentissage favorisant la motivation par l’usage des personnages virtuels reproduisant les mouvements et les émotions de l’usager est un nouveau modèle de médiation porteur dans les sciences de l’information et de la communication.Notre thèse est d’avancer un outil de formation à distance qui optimise la communication entre les apprenants et leurs enseignants et développe un cercle d’apprentissage basé sur la motivation. Notre choix méthodologique est fondé sur une approche compréhensive permettant d’élucider la nature des liens conçus entre le monde réel et le monde virtuel mettant en interaction un sujet et son avatar. Pour ce faire, une expérimentation est engagée sur notre terrain de recherche, balisée par des techniques d’observations et d’entretiens qualitatifs afin de comprendre la nature des liens forgés entre les acteurs du système immersif et de saisir les stimuli de la motivation de l’apprenant dans une mise en situation de formation à distance
The concept of “motivation” can be characterized by several approaches and studies that determine its aspects and its impacts in the fields of human and social science. It constitutes an important element that mobilizes human factors and stimulates performance level. In reference to information, communication and education science, intrinsic or extrinsic types of motivation can manifest in an environment that promotes expression, interaction and engagement. In a learning outlook, learning practices evolve introducing new and more efficient sophisticated techniques, such as the usage of immersive e-learning systems. Our research studies motivation phenomena through a sociotechnical protocol, animated by avatars. This will show immersion strength in the virtual environment and its impact on the motivation of the user of that communication system. The main point is to analyze a problematic that determines the ambitions of the trainee associated with winning the competition “My thesis in three minutes”, by combining practices and an environment that stimulates his behavior during the course. A learning process favoring motivation by the usage of virtual characters who reproduce the user’s movements and emotions is a new promising model of mediation in information and communication science.Our thesis is to present an e-learning tool that optimizes communication between teachers and learners and develops a learning circle based on motivation. Our methodology choice is based on a comprehensive approach that allows clarifying the nature of the actual links between the real and the virtual worlds, which creates an interaction between an individual and his avatar. To accomplish this, an experiment was set up and performed in our research field using observation techniques and qualitative interviews in order to understand the nature of the links existing between actors of the immersive system and to unravel the stimuli of the trainee’s motivation in an e-leaning situation

Развој  проширене  и  виртуелне  реалности  у  последњих неколико година створио је могућности за укључивање и примену ових технологија на свим нивоима образовања. Бројна истраживања истичу да  имерзивне  технологије  могу  позитивно  утицати  на исходе  учења  и  мотивисаност  ученика.  Такође, географија  се  често  издваја  као  предмет  који посебно  може  да  искористи  те  потенцијале  за унапређење  и  осавремењавање  наставне  праксе. Међутим,  поставља  се  питање  спремности наставника  и  студената  географије  (наставног усмерења)  да  организују  наставу  са  мобилним  и имерзивним  технологијама.  Притом,  неопходно  је свеобухватно  сагледати  позитивне  и  негативне факторе који утичу или могу утицати на интеграцију ових технологија у географско образовање. Сходнонаведеном,  ова  дисертација  разматра  како,  када  и зашто користити проширену и виртуелну реалност у настави и учењу географије.
Razvoj  proširene  i  virtuelne  realnosti  u  poslednjih nekoliko godina stvorio je mogućnosti za uključivanje i primenu ovih tehnologija na svim nivoima obrazovanja. Brojna istraživanja ističu da  imerzivne  tehnologije  mogu  pozitivno  uticati  na ishode  učenja  i  motivisanost  učenika.  Takođe, geografija  se  često  izdvaja  kao  predmet  koji posebno  može  da  iskoristi  te  potencijale  za unapređenje  i  osavremenjavanje  nastavne  prakse. Međutim,  postavlja  se  pitanje  spremnosti nastavnika  i  studenata  geografije  (nastavnog usmerenja)  da  organizuju  nastavu  sa  mobilnim  i imerzivnim  tehnologijama.  Pritom,  neophodno  je sveobuhvatno  sagledati  pozitivne  i  negativne faktore koji utiču ili mogu uticati na integraciju ovih tehnologija u geografsko obrazovanje. Shodnonavedenom,  ova  disertacija  razmatra  kako,  kada  i zašto koristiti proširenu i virtuelnu realnost u nastavi i učenju geografije.
In  recent  years,  the  development  of  augmented  and  virtual  reality  has  created  opportunities  for  integration and use of these technologies at all levels of  education.Numerous  studies  showed  that  immersive  technologies have the potential to improve student learning outcomes and  motivation.  Geography  is  also  often  indicated  as  a subject  that  can  utilize  these  potentials  to  improve  and modernize  teaching  practice.  However,  the  integration raises the question of the readiness of geography pre- and in-service  teachers  to  organize  classes  with  mobile  and immersive technologies. Also, a comprehensive overlook regarding the positive and negative factors that influence or  may influence the integration of these technologies in geographic  education  is  necessary.  Accordingly,  this dissertation  examines  how,  when,  and  why  to  use augmented and virtual reality in geography teaching and  learning.

Dissertação de mestrado
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As Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação são elementos importantes para o acesso à informação, a produção de novos conhecimentos e o desenvolvimento científico, estando presentes também no contexto do ensino superior e no ambiente das bibliotecas universitárias, tanto como recursos de informatização dos serviços técnicos e da gestão destas Unidades, quanto no desenvolvimento de produtos e serviços baseados em conteúdos digitais de informação. Nesse sentido, este estudo tem por objetivo investigar as características dos leitores e dos tipos de leitura desenvolvidos na Biblioteca Central da Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, considerando que, atualmente, os recursos de leitura e pesquisa tradicionais dividem espaço com novos produtos e serviços, influenciados pelas Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação. Para tanto, envolve uma pesquisa exploratória baseada em uma abordagem qualitativa, tendo como instrumentos de coleta de dados, a observação, o questionário, a entrevista estruturada e a observação participante. A pesquisa de campo foi dividida em duas etapas principais, sendo a primeira, a elaboração de um perfil socioeconômico e cultural, e a segunda etapa, a realização de entrevistas e observações dos processos de navegação dos usuários/leitores da biblioteca. Na primeira etapa, entre outros aspectos, observamos que os leitores da Biblioteca Central correspondem a um público diversificado e dinâmico, composto, em sua maioria por alunos de cursos de graduação que se encontram cadastrados no Sistema Pergamum. A maioria dos usuários/leitores utiliza a biblioteca frequentemente, sendo constatada também uma quantidade significativa de visitantes que utilizam o ambiente de estudo para concursos e similares. A pesquisa acadêmica corresponde à maior razão de uso da biblioteca e, quanto aos produtos e serviços, observou-se que os livros, a consulta local, o serviço de circulação de materiais bibliográficos e a utilização do ambiente para estudo são os recursos mais utilizados pelos leitores, havendo um baixo índice de uso das Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação no ambiente da biblioteca, bem como dos serviços informatizados. A segunda fase da investigação compreendeu três momentos: abordagem dos sujeitos (quando ocorreu o agendamento das entrevistas e observações), entrevista estruturada e observação participante. As entrevistas envolveram questões referentes às características dos leitores, suas relações com as tecnologias, com o ciberespaço, produtos e serviços da Biblioteca Central. A observação participante explorou a solução de três problemas de navegação propostos aos pesquisados, qual seja, a realização de uma pesquisa genérica, a realização de uma pesquisa acadêmica e a exploração dos serviços on-line da Biblioteca Central (pesquisas no catálogo eletrônico, reservas, renovações etc.). Concluiu-se que todos os usuários pesquisados nesta etapa do estudo apresentaram características de leitores imersivos, mas alguns também se destacaram como leitores meditativos, sendo que estes perfis são influenciados pelo ambiente, situação e objetivos de pesquisa, bem como pela cultura dos leitores. Além disso, se por um lado, o fato de serem leitores imersivos não significa que prefiram utilizar apenas o ciberespaço, em detrimento dos livros e demais materiais impressos, esta mesma prerrogativa também não significa que estes leitores conhecem, dominam e utilizam amplamente os serviços eletrônicos da Biblioteca Central da UFMT.

This thesis is an investigation of the complex processes and relationships between the physical human performer and the technologically manufactured cyber-human counterpart. I acted as both researcher and the physical human performer, deeply engaged in the moment-to-moment creation of events unfolding within a shared virtual reality environment. As the primary instigator and activator of the cyber-human partner, I maintained a balance between the live and technological performance elements, prioritizing the production of content and meaning. By way of using practice as research, this thesis argues that in considering interactions between cyber-human and human performers, it is crucial to move beyond discussions of technology when considering interactions between cyber-humans and human performers to an analysis of emotional content, the powers of poetic imagery, the trust that is developed through sensory perception and the evocation of complex relationships. A theoretical model is constructed to describe the relationship between a cyber-human and a human performer in the five works created specifically for this thesis, which is not substantially different from that between human performers. Technological exploration allows for the observation and analysis of various relationships, furthering an expanded understanding of ‘movement as content’ beyond the electronic connection. Each of the works created for this research used new and innovative technologies, including virtual reality, multiple interactive systems, six generations of wearable computers, motion capture technology, high-end digital lighting projectors, various projection screens, smart electronically charged fabrics, multiple sensory sensitive devices and intelligent sensory charged alternative performance spaces. They were most often collaboratively created in order to augment all aspects of the performance and create the sense of community found in digital live dance performances/events. These works are identified as one continuous line of energy and discovery, each representing a slight variation on the premise that a working, caring, visceral and poetic content occurs beyond the technological tools. Consequently, a shift in the physical human’s psyche overwhelms the act of performance. Scholarship and reflection on the works have been integral to my creative process throughout. The goals of this thesis, the works created and the resulting methodologies are to investigate performance to heighten the multiple ways we experience and interact with the world. This maximizes connection and results in a highly interactive, improvisational, dynamic, non-linear, immediate, accessible, agential, reciprocal, emotional, visceral and transformative experience without boundaries between the virtual and physical for physical humans, cyborgs and cyber-humans alike.

Master of Landscape Architecture
Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning
Timothy D. Keane
Visual Resource Management practices are relatively new, dating back to the late 1960’s and early 1970’s (Litton, 1984; USDA Forest Service, 2010). At the conception of visual resource management practices, computers were not prominent in everyday life. As computing tools advanced along with easier access to technology, a perceived surge of research emerged within the VRM field in the 1990’s. Since that time, it appears that few landscape architects have continued to research how modern technological advancements, specifically the recent expansion of virtual reality, could be used in predicting the visual impacts of proposed development. This report aims to compare virtual environments to existing methods for assessing the visual impacts of development in the Texas prairie ecoregion. New reliable tools at the hands of experts could lead to more accurate and more understood consequences of development on the visual landscape. Following precedents set forth in similar research studies, participants will view photographic and rendered images of scenes before and after development projected through a digital display. Potential development will be analyzed through a comparison analysis in which multiple visualization methods (Google Earth and photo sphere images) are compared to industry standards of two-dimensional images and renderings. The comparison analysis will survey experts and ask them to rate certain views before and after development through multiple visualization methods. Results from the study show a high similarity in perceived impacts between 2D images and Google Earth assessments. However, photo sphere images were rated consistently lower than their counterparts. Image resolution and detail could have led to the lower ratings in photo sphere images. Overall, participants felt that immersive visualization media will soon replace the use of 2D images for conducting visual impact assessments.

Sem TID
In the world of today, immersive reality such as virtual and mixed reality, is one of the most attractive research fields. Virtual Reality, also called VR, has a huge potential to be used in in scientific and educational domains by providing users with real-time interaction or manipulation. The key concept in immersive technologies to provide a high level of immersive sensation to the user, which is one of the main challenges in this field. Wearable technologies play a key role to enhance the immersive sensation and the degree of embodiment in virtual and mixed reality interaction tasks. This project report presents an application study where the user interacts with virtual objects, such as grabbing objects, open or close doors and drawers while wearing a sensory cyberglove developed in our lab (Cyberglove-HT). Furthermore, it presents the development of a methodology that provides inertial measurement unit(IMU)-based gesture recognition. The interaction tasks and 3D immersive scenarios were designed in Unity 3D. Additionally, we developed an inertial sensor-based gesture recognition by employing an Long short-term memory (LSTM) network. In order to distinguish the effect of wearable technologies in the user experience in immersive environments, we made an experimental study comparing the Cyberglove-HT to standard VR controllers (HTC Vive Controller). The quantitive and subjective results indicate that we were able to enhance the immersive sensation and self embodiment with the Cyberglove-HT. A publication resulted from this work [1] which has been developed in the framework of the R&D project Human Tracking and Perception in Dynamic Immersive Rooms (HTPDIR).

In the world of today, immersive reality such as virtual and mixed reality, is one of the most attractive research fields. Virtual Reality, also called VR, has a huge potential to be used in in scientific and educational domains by providing users with real-time interaction or manipulation. The key concept in immersive technologies to provide a high level of immersive sensation to the user, which is one of the main challenges in this field. Wearable technologies play a key role to enhance the immersive sensation and the degree of embodiment in virtual and mixed reality interaction tasks. This project report presents an application study where the user interacts with virtual objects, such as grabbing objects, open or close doors and drawers while wearing a sensory cyberglove developed in our lab (Cyberglove-HT). Furthermore, it presents the development of a methodology that provides inertial measurement unit(IMU)-based gesture recognition. The interaction tasks and 3D immersive scenarios were designed in Unity 3D. Additionally, we developed an inertial sensor-based gesture recognition by employing an Long short-term memory (LSTM) network. In order to distinguish the effect of wearable technologies in the user experience in immersive environments, we made an experimental study comparing the Cyberglove-HT to standard VR controllers (HTC Vive Controller). The quantitive and subjective results indicate that we were able to enhance the immersive sensation and self embodiment with the Cyberglove-HT. A publication resulted from this work [1] which has been developed in the framework of the R&D project Human Tracking and Perception in Dynamic Immersive Rooms (HTPDIR

Decisions about resource allocation for invasive species management are usually made by multiple land managers who lack full knowledge of, or access to, information about the landscape beyond their area of interest. Although a vast number of modelling tools exist to aid pest management they are often too difficult for the majority of pest managers or are too time consuming to run. Advances in interactive technologies have opened new opportunities for the development of engaging decision support tools. The combination of these technologies with pest management planning will allow multiple stakeholders to engage and assess interactions simultaneously, so management decisions can be based on a larger ecological and financial vision. This thesis explores the value interactive technologies have for improving the pest management decision making process. To investigate the potential of interactive technologies applied to pest management planning an interactive tool was designed, developed and evaluated. Far North Queensland (FNQ) was selected as the study location due to its rich biodiversity and ideal climate for pest weeds. The research was divided into three phases: 1) Understanding the existing pest management process, both from relevant literature and from the perspectives of individual pest managers as well as identifying areas where interactive technologies could be applied; 2) Implementation of the tool; 3) Refinement of the tool with end users and evaluation with real pest managers. Phase One explored the existing pest management process, expanding on the literature and methodologies used for pest management in FNQ. Analysis of the existing pest management process was conducted using Activity Theory (AT) and the Activity- Oriented-Design Methodology (AODM). Contradictions and limitations in the existing process were identified along with a series of pertinent research questions, the answers for which would help develop a deeper understanding of pest management. These questions were answered using a series of interviews with six pest management planners from different backgrounds. An observational study was also conducted with a group of expert ecologists using an interactive tool with a new type of distribution model to collect feedback on its potential in pest management. Phase Two developed an implementation based on the findings of the first phase. A new type of interactive pest management decision support tool was built around the MigClim dispersal model. A number of optimisations were made to improve its runtime. A web service was developed that could run the MigClim model and render dispersal outputs. An interactive user interface was built around the web service that allows users to add pest populations and define management objectives to interact with the model. The user could press the run button at any time to see a visualisation of the impact their objectives had on the pest species over time along with the cost and amount of work required. Phase Three incorporated potential end users to refine the interaction process and conceptual design of the tool. Two usability testing sessions were run with groups of three participants. A number of issues were found where the tool did not provide the information the participants needed or behaved unexpectedly. These concerns were addressed in new iterations of the prototype tool. A final case study was conducted with six experienced pest managers. They were trained in using the tool and asked to develop a plan around a quasi-real pest species. An evaluation was conducted after the focus group to explore how this interactive tool compared to traditional pest management planning. There were a number of key findings about interactive technologies and pest management. Both experienced planners and first time planners, with limited training, ran the MigClim dispersal model to inform their decision making processes. The tool allowed them to refine their plans over a period of time using the model to evaluate different strategies. The planners highlighted the ability for interactive tools like this to be used in other applications such as: educating communities, engaging uninterested stakeholders, preparing budgets, and building consensus with other planners.

Des études soutiennent que l’entraînement cognitif est une méthode efficace pour ralentirle déclin cognitif chez les personnes âgées. Les jeux sérieux basés sur la réalité virtuelle(RV) ont trouvé une application dans ce domaine en raison du haut niveau d’immersionet d’interactivité offert par les environnements virtuels (EV). Ce projet implémente unjeu d’orientation 3D en réalité virtuelle entièrement immersif avec un système pour guiderl’utilisateur en temps réel. Le jeu d’orientation 3D est utilisé comme exercice pour entraînerles capacités cognitives des utilisateurs. Les effets immédiats du jeu d’orientation sur lescapacités de mémoire et d’attention ont été étudiés sur quinze personnes âgées présentant undéclin cognitif subjectif (DCS). Il a été observé que bien qu’il n’y ait pas eu d’améliorationsignificative des résultats pour les exercices d’attention, les participants ont obtenu demeilleurs résultats aux exercices de mémoire spécifiques après avoir joué au jeu d’orientation. Le manque de succès dans la réalisation de l’objectif requis peut parfois augmenter lesémotions négatives chez les êtres humains, et plus particulièrement chez les personnes quisouffrent de déclin cognitif. C’est pourquoi le jeu a été équipé d’un système de guidageavec indices de localisation en temps réel pour contrôler les émotions négatives et aiderles participants à accomplir leurs tâches. Le système de guidage est basé sur des règleslogiques; chaque indice est délivré si une condition spécifique est remplie. Le changement desémotions des participants a montré que les indices sont efficaces pour réduire la frustration,étant donné qu’ils sont facilement compréhensibles et conçus pour donner un retour positif. La dernière partie du projet se concentre sur le système de guidage et met en oeuvre unmoyen pour l’activer entièrement selon les émotions d’une personne. Le problème consisteà identifier l’état des émotions qui devraient déclencher l’activation du système de guidage.Ce problème prend la forme d’un processus de décision markovien (PDM), qui peut êtrerésolu via l’apprentissage par renforcement (AR). Le réseau profond Q (RPQ) avec relectured’expérience (ER), qui est l’un des algorithmes d’apprentissage par renforcement les plusavancés pour la prédiction d’actions dans un espace d’action discret, a été utilisé dans cecontexte. L’algorithme a été formé sur des données d’émotions simulées, et testé sur les données de quinze personnes âgées acquises lors d’expériences menées dans la première partiedu projet. On observe que la méthode basée sur l’AR est plus performante que la méthodebasée sur les règles pour identifier l’état mental d’une personne afin de lui fournir des indices.
Studies support cognitive training as an efficient method to slow the cognitive declinein older adults. Virtual reality (VR) based serious games have found application in thisfield due to the high level of immersion and interactivity offered by virtual environments(VE). This project implements a fully immersive 3D virtual reality orientation game with areal-time guidance system to be used as an exercise for cognitive training. The immediateaftereffects of playing the orientation game on memory and attention abilities were studiedon fifteen older adults with subjective cognitive decline (SCD). It was observed that whilethere was no significant improvement in attention exercises, the participants performedbetter in specific memory exercises after playing the orientation game. Sometimes lack of success in achieving the required objective may increase the negativeemotions in humans and more so in people who suffer from cognitive decline. Hence, thegame was equipped with a real-time guidance system with location hints to control negativeemotions and help participants to complete the tasks. The guidance system is based onlogical rules; each hint is delivered if a specific condition is met. Change in emotions ofparticipants showed that hints are effective in reducing frustration, given that the hints areeasily comprehensible and designed to give positive feedback. The final part of the project focuses on the guidance system and implements a way toactivate it entirely based on a person’s emotions. The problem calls for identifying the stateof the emotions that should trigger the guidance system’s activation. This problem takes theform of a Markov decision process (MDP), which can be solved by setting it in a reinforcementlearning framework. Deep Q-Learning network (DQN) with experience replay (ER),which is one of the state-of-the-art reinforcement learning algorithms for predicting actionsin discrete action space, was used in this context. The algorithm was trained on simulateddata of emotions and tested on the data of fifteen older adults acquired in experimentsconducted in the first part of the project. It is observed that the RL based method performsbetter than the rule-based method in identifying the mental state of a person to provide hints.

Cameras generally have a field of view only large enough to capture a portion of their surroundings. The goal of immersion is to replace many of your senses with virtual ones, so that the virtual environment will feel as real as possible. Panoramic cameras are used to capture the entire 360°view, also known as panoramic images.Virtual reality makes use of these panoramic images to provide a more immersive experience compared to seeing images on a 2D screen. This thesis, which is in the field of Computer vision, focuses on establishing a multi-camera geometry to generate a cylindrical panorama image and successfully implementing it with the cheapest cameras possible. The specific goal of this project is to propose the cameras geometry which will decrease artifact problems related to parallax in the panorama image. We present a new approach of cylindrical panoramic images from multiple cameras which its setup has cameras placed evenly around a circle. Instead of looking outward, which is the traditional ”radial” configuration, we propose to make the optical axes tangent to the camera circle, a ”tangential” configuration. Beside an analysis and comparison of radial and tangential geometries, we provide an experimental setup with real panoramas obtained in realistic conditions
Les caméras ont généralement un champ de vision à peine assez grand pour capturer partie de leur environnement. L’objectif de l’immersion est de remplacer virtuellement un grand nombre de sens, de sorte que l’environnement virtuel soit perçu comme le plus réel possible. Une caméra panoramique est utilisée pour capturer l’ensemble d’une vue 360°, également connue sous le nom d’image panoramique. La réalité virtuelle fait usage de ces images panoramiques pour fournir une expérience plus immersive par rapport aux images sur un écran 2D. Cette thèse, qui est dans le domaine de la vision par ordinateur, s’intéresse à la création d’une géométrie multi-caméras pour générer une image cylindrique panoramique et vise une mise en œuvre avec les caméras moins chères possibles. L’objectif spécifique de ce projet est de proposer une géométrie de caméra qui va diminuer au maximum les problèmes d’artefacts liés au parallaxe présent dans l’image panoramique. Nous présentons une nouvelle approche de capture des images panoramiques cylindriques à partir de plusieurs caméras disposées uniformément autour d’un cercle. Au lieu de regarder vers l’extérieur, ce qui est la configuration traditionnelle ”radiale”, nous proposons de rendre les axes optiques tangents au cercle des caméras, une configuration ”tangentielle”. Outre une analyse et la comparaison des géométries radiales et tangentielles, nous fournissons un montage expérimental avec de vrais panoramas obtenus dans des conditions réalistes

The purposes of this study are to assess the effects of immersive technologies on tweens’ perceptions (children of age 7-11); and to explore the value, uses and adaptations of immersive technologies in marketing. To achieve these objectives, a mixed methodology research approach was adopted to collect information from tweens, the segment chosen as the focus of this research. Information was gathered from tweens through observation of an experiment where a purposive sample of the segment studied interacted with Virtual Reality, subsequently semi-structured interviews were conducted to the children who participated in the experience with the usage of immersive technologies in order to grasp the differences of behaviour and perspectives regarding this technology after the experiment, from this segment’s point of view. From the findings of this study, it was concluded that immersive technologies have the ability to create stimuli that will, therefore, generate perceptions that can alter perceptions of reality. The literature review presented in the theoretical framework pointed to this result, and it has been pointed out that children are more susceptible to such effects due to the fact that their perceptions of self and reality are not yet fully developed (Segovia & Bailenson, 2009). In addition, this study has concluded that tweens are receptive to the use of immersive technologies in marketing strategies. It is hoped that the findings and the implications of this study will contribute towards a better understanding as to how immersive technologies affect tweens’ perceptions. It is also expected that these findings will improve the development of new strategic marketing plans for this segment, with immersive technologies as the key instrument.
Os objetivos deste estudo são avaliar os efeitos de tecnologias imersivas nas perceções do segmento Tween (crianças de 7 a 11 anos); outro intento desta investigação é também de explorar os valores, usos e adaptações de Tecnologias Imersivas em marketing. Para alcançar esses objetivos, foi adotada uma abordagem de pesquisa de estilo metodológico misto de modo a obter informações sobre Tweens, o segmento escolhido para análise. As informações foram conseguidas através da observação de uma experiência onde uma amostra intencional do segmento estudado interagiu com Realidade Virtual. Posteriormente foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas para as crianças sobre a experiência com o uso de tecnologias imersivas de modo a compreender as perspetivas, tidas por este segmento, desta tecnologia durante a experiência. A partir dos resultados deste estudo concluiu-se que as tecnologias imersivas têm a capacidade de criar estímulos que irão, portanto, gerar perceções que podem alterar as perceções da realidade. A revisão da literatura apresentada no enquadramento teórico também apontava para este resultado, tendo sido salientado que as crianças são mais suscetíveis a tais efeitos, devido ao fato de as suas perceções do “Eu” e da realidade ainda não se encontrarem completamente desenvolvidas (Segovia & Bailenson, 2009). Os resultados concluíram que os Tweens são recetivos ao uso de tecnologias imersivas em estratégias de marketing. Espera-se que as descobertas e as implicações deste estudo contribuam para uma melhor compreensão de como as tecnologias imersivas afetam as perceções deste segmento bem como da população num todo. Espera-se também que essas descobertas melhorem o desenvolvimento de novos planos estratégicos de marketing para este segmento, com tecnologias imersivas como instrumento-chave.

La Realtà Aumentata (AR) promette di creare collegamenti diretti, automatici e azionabili tra il mondo fisico e le informazioni elettroniche. Fornisce un'interfaccia utente immediata e diretta ad un mondo fisico potenziato elettronicamente. In particolare, la AR industriale permette l'integrazione tra le informazioni basate sulla conoscenza, tradizionalmente utilizzate dagli operatori e fornite principalmente sotto forma di documentazione cartacea e di dati disponibili dai sensori sulle attrezzature. Questo approccio è suggerito dalle aziende, soprattutto dalle piccole e medie imprese, che desiderano un'introduzione graduale delle tecnologie di Industria 4.0 all'interno delle loro pratiche consolidate. Lo scopo di questo lavoro è quello di sviluppare un sistema avanzato di documentazione tecnica in AR per un impianto di macinazione di farina. Il lavoro discusso in questa tesi mira a portare un valore aggiunto alla letteratura esistente nel campo dell'AR industriale e della documentazione tecnica avanzata. Inoltre, si cercherà di far luce sul ruolo dell'AR come tecnologia abilitante per l'industria del futuro. In primo luogo, ci siamo concentrati su diverse interfacce AR industriali al fine di comprendere le pratiche consolidate per guidare la progettazione dell'interfaccia IAR. Poi, indaghiamo la tecnologia chiave AR con un nuovo approccio basato sulla ricerca sui brevetti. Infine, il risultato principale di questo lavoro è la progettazione e lo sviluppo di due sistemi AR per un impianto di macinazione della farina che seguono due diversi approcci di progettazione.
Augmented Reality (AR) promises to create direct, automatic, and actionable links between the physical world and electronic information. It provides an immediate and straightforward user interface to an electronically enhanced physical world. In particular, Industrial AR allows the integration between knowledge-based information, traditionally used by operators and provided mainly in paper documentation and data available from sensors on equipment. This approach is suggested by companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, who want a gradual introduction of Industry 4.0 technologies within their established practices. The scope of this work is to develop an advanced technical documentation system in AR for a flour milling plant. The work discussed in this dissertation aims to bring added value to the existing literature in the field of industrial AR and advanced technical documentation. Besides, an attempt will be made to shed light on the role of AR as an enabling technology for the industry of the future. First, we focused on different industrial AR interfaces in order to understand established practices to guide IAR interface design. Then, we investigate the AR key technology with a novel approach based on patent research. Finally, the main result of this work is the design and development of two AR systems for a flour milling plant that following two different design approaches.