Teses / dissertações sobre o tema "Multisensory environments"

From my beginnings as an artist, my work has always been created with the goal of evoking strong emotional responses from those who experience it. I wanted to wrap my work around the viewers have it encompass them completely. When virtual reality came along, 1 knew I had found my true medium. I could design the space, bring people inside and see what they did there. I was always excited to see what the work would mean to them, what they brought to it, what I added, and what they took away.

Background: Dementia is a degenerative neurological disorder that afflicts a growing proportion of the global population. Complementary alternative medicine (CAM) modalities are under investigation for their therapeutic value in the management of dementia. Purpose: Nursing care of dementia sufferers can include managing agitation and negative behaviors; this study investigates staff appraisal of the Multi-Sensory Stimulation Environment (MSSE) as an intervention for these nursing challenges. Methods: A purposive sample of nursing staff employed in residential care for dementia patients were recruited 10 weeks after the initiation of an open-access MSSE at the facility to complete a confidential self-administered questionnaire. Results: 79% of potential participants returned completed surveys for a total sample of n = 23. 70% of survey respondents felt that residents were utilizing the MSSE "Somewhat Frequently" or "Very Frequently." 77% of the staff felt the MSSE should continue in use at the facility or continue with some alterations. The sample suggested that the MSSE is helpful for mood, specifically anger, sadness, anxiety, and restlessness, but not for boredom. Higher-scoring items in favor of the MSSE intervention included confusion, perseverating, wandering, and interpersonal conflict. Conclusion: Several components of agitation and negative behavior in the dementia population appear to be improved with the use of an MSSE according to this sample. Further research is needed to support the results of this sample and to explore more detailed recommendations regarding the use of MSSE in dementia care.

The use of virtual reality in academic and industrial research has been rapidly expanding in recent years therefore evaluations of the quality and effectiveness of virtual environments are required. The assessment process is usually done through user evaluation that is being measured whilst the user engages with the system. The limitations of this method in terms of its variability and user bias of pre and post-experience have been recognised in the research literature. Therefore, there is a need to design more objective measures of system effectiveness that could complement subjective measures and provide a conceptual framework for the fidelity assessment in VR. There are many technological and perceptual factors that can influence the overall experience in virtual environments. The focus of this thesis was to investigate how multisensory feedback, provided during VR exposure, can modulate a user’s qualitative and quantitative experience in the virtual environment. In a series of experimental studies, the role of visual, audio, haptic and motion cues on objective and subjective evaluations of fidelity in VR was investigated. In all studies, objective measures of performance were collected and compared to the subjective measures of user perception. The results showed that the explicit evaluation of environmental and perceptual factors available within VR environments modulated user experience. In particular, the results shown that a user’s postural responses can be used as a basis for the objective measure of fidelity. Additionally, the role of augmented sensory cues was investigated during a manual assembly task. By recording and analysing the objective and subjective measures it was shown that augmented multisensory feedback modulated the user’s acceptability of the virtual environment in a positive manner and increased overall task performance. Furthermore, the presence of augmented cues mitigated the negative effects of inaccurate motion tracking and simulation sickness. In the follow up study, the beneficial effects of virtual training with augmented sensory cues were observed in the transfer of learning when the same task was performed in a real environment. Similarly, when the effects of 6 degrees of freedom motion cuing on user experience were investigated in a high fidelity flight simulator, the consistent findings between objective and subjective data were recorded. By measuring the pilot’s accuracy to follow the desired path during a slalom manoeuvre while perceived task demand was increased, it was shown that motion cuing is related to effective task performance and modulates the levels of workload, sickness and presence. The overall findings revealed that multisensory feedback plays an important role in the overall perception and fidelity evaluations of VR systems and as such user experience needs to be included when investigating the effectiveness of sensory feedback signals. Throughout this thesis it was consistently shown that subjective measures of user perception in VR are directly comparable to the objective measures of performance and therefore both should be used in order to obtain a robust results when investigating the effectiveness of VR systems. This conceptual framework can provide an effective method to study human perception, which can in turn provide a deeper understanding of the environmental and cognitive factors that can influence the overall user experience, in terms of fidelity requirements, in virtual reality environments.

The aims of this research are threefold. They are: to examine the use of interactive technology by teachers working with a low incidence population within the defined context of multisensory environments; to identify case studies illustrating good practice in the use of interactive technology; to develop guidance materials for further dissemination. Two approaches are used in the collection of research data for this study: focus group interviews and illustrative multi-case studies (filmed using digital technology). This research highlights the use of interactive technology amongst a very low incidence population by teachers who are often practitioners working in isolation. The rationale for the choice of methodology therefore rests on the need to canvass views nationally and ethically within a relatively short and cost-effective timeframe. The use of digitally filmed illustrative case studies provides the additional advantage of dissemination through the Web. Outcomes: A framework has been developed which brings together good practice within both mainstream and specialist provision. Case study material is set against this framework and illustrates its key components.

Previous studies investigating how humans build reliable spatial knowledge representations allowing them to find their way from one point to another in complex environments have been focused on comparing the relative importance of the two-dimensional visual geometry of routes and intersections, multi-dimensional data from direct exposure with the real world, or verbal symbols and/or instructions. This thesis sheds further light on the multi-dimensional and multi-sensorial aspects by investigating how the cognitive processing of spatial information derived from different sources of sensory and higher order input influences the performance of human observers who have to find their way from memory through complex and non-familiar real-world environments. Three experiments in large-scale urban environments of the real world, and in computer generated representations of these latter (Google Street View), were run to investigate the influence of prior exposure to 2D visual or tactile maps of an itinerary, compared with a single direct experience or verbal instructions, on navigation performances in sighted and/or visually deficient individuals, and in individuals temporarily deprived of vision. Performances were analyzed in terms of time from departure to destination, number of stops, number of wrong turns, and success rates. Potential strategies employed by individuals during navigation and mental mapping abilities were screened on the basis of questionnaires and drawing tests. Subjective levels of psychological stress (experiment 2) were measured to bring to the fore possible differences between men and women in this respect. The results of these experiments show that 2D visual maps, briefly explored prior to navigation, generate better navigation performances compared with poorly scaled virtual representations of a complex real-world environment (experiment 1), the best performances being produced by a single prior exposure to the real-world itinerary. However, brief familiarization with a reliably scaled virtual representation of a non-familiar real-world environment (Google Street View) not only generates optimal navigation in computer generated testing (virtual reality), but also produces better navigation performances when tested in the real-world environment and compared with prior exposure to 2D visual maps (experiment 2). Congenitally blind observers (experiment 3) who have to find their way from memory through a complex non-familiar urban environment perform swiftly and with considerable accuracy after exposure to a 2D tactile map of their itinerary. They are also able to draw a visual image of their itinerary on the basis of the 2D tactile map exposure. Other visually deficient or sighted but blindfolded individuals seem to have greater difficulty in finding their way again than congenitally blind people, regardless of the type of prior exposure to their test itinerary. The findings of this work here are discussed in the light of current hypotheses regarding the presumed intrinsic nature of human spatial representations, replaced herein within a context of working memory models. It is suggested that multi-dimensional temporary storage systems, capable of processing a multitude of sensory input in parallel and with a much larger general capacity than previously considered in terms of working memory limits, need to be taken into account for future research.

Vi har i vår studie valt att undersöka hur modebutiker kan påverka kundernas köpbeteende för att öka försäljningen med hjälp av sinnesmarknadsföring.  Syftet med vår studie är att ta reda på hur sinnesmarknadsföring används och kan användas av butiker för att öka försäljningen. I vår slutsatts fann vi att sinnesmarknadsföring har en betydande roll för kundernas köpbeteende och försäljningen i butiken.
We have in our study chose to examine how fashion stores can influence customer buying behavior to increase sales through sensory marketing. The aim of our study is to find out how sensory marketing is used and can be used by stores to increase sales. In our final set, we found that sensory marketing has a significant role in customer behavior and sales in the store.

The following qualitative study sought to answer three questions: (1) What are the high priority design values used by expert exhibit developers to create meaningful exhibits at children's museums? (2) How do exhibit developers prioritize these design values? (3) What are the desirable outcomes that exhibit developers seek to achieve with the guests who interact with the exhibits? These questions were answered through interviews with children's museum exhibit developers, personal observations, and artifact analysis. The data collected was organized into four cases, each representing a different children's museum and corresponding exhibit developer. The cases were then compared against each other using multiple case study analysis as described by Stake (2006). The data revealed that most of the developers designed exhibits which promoted family learning by encouraging meaningful interactions between parents and children. Other high priority design values used by exhibit developers included physical engagement, multiple entry points, simplicity, durability, multisensory engagement, staff and volunteer facilitation, safety, and immersive environments. Successful museum exhibits empowered guests and were always created using multiple design values. This thesis may be downloaded for free at http://etd.byu.edu.

Information about a user's context is crucial in obtaining the goal of ubiquitous computing. This thesis introduces a new approach in for looking at a special case of context; location information. Making devices location-aware is the first step of providing context-based services. Existing technologies for position determination are ill suited in terms of interoperability and heterogeneity. Furthermore, they rely either on vast and often expensive infrastructures to perform the position estimation or alternatively the mobile device is burdened with the responsibility of localising itself. Both of the current approaches have their trade-offs. The basis of this work is to maximise the availability of positioning services allowing mobility between different environments and surroundings while minimising the vulnerabilities of existing approaches. The work presents a managed positioning environment for indoor and outdoor surroundings, in which accuracy and precision can be improved by using a mix of fixed sensors and the sensing capabilities of mobile devices in a way that it allows the transformation of proximity data into absolute coordinates. It is believed that this also improves the availability of the positioning service as partial, imprecise or incomplete data is utilised rather than discarded. The usage of wireless local area networks along with PDAs, mobile phones and similar devices, as opposed to custom sensors ensures that maintenance and administrative costs are kept to a minimum. Furthermore, a dynamic feedback system is proposed in order minimise deployment and initialisation effort by allowing refining of location information in fixed sensors.

The advent of technology has brought to the field of engineering many tools that were once considered impractical. For example, the increased processing speed of microprocessors now allows measurements from image sensors to be used for target tracking or target identification in real time--a task once thought unachievable. Of late the advances made in artificial intelligence (AI), specifically the artificial neural network, have sprung many different applications among which the implementation of AI controllers being the most popular. However, these advances have been slow in their implementation in the field of target tracking for several reasons. First, there seems to be a lack of sound tracking architectures that can exploit the use of artificial intelligent agents. Second, there is some difficulty in fusing the different forms of information that can be measured from the various available sensors such as the image sensor, millimeter wave radar, Doppler radar, etc. Third, the increased computational complexity due to the employment of the various sensors could limit the practical usefulness of such a tracking system. This dissertation presents a novel framework in which various dissimilar sensors can be used simultaneously to track a highly agile and non-cooperative target. The proposed framework not only allows the usage of multiple sensors to yield a robust and accurate tracker but also maintain a reasonable computational requirement. Unlike the methods proposed in the literature for the design of multi-sensor tracking systems, this dissertation presents an AI-based system that can accept, process, and fuse measurements from any number of sensors of dissimilar forms. The principal contributions of this dissertation are the following: (i) a novel architecture of a three-layer feedforward neural-network-based tracking system with the ability to fuse measurements from dissimilar sensors; (ii) a powerful optimization algorithm for training the neural network; (iii) a novel mathematical target motion model to simplify the training and implementation of the proposed tracking system.

Ecouter de la musique en travaillant, et diffuser des odeurs pour favoriser l'immersion dans une ambiance studieuse sont des comportements fréquents. Pourtant, l'influence de ces stimuli sur les ressentis de performances et les performances cognitives est encore en discussion dans la communauté scientifique. Cette absence de consensus pourrait être expliquée par l'aspect plurifactoriel des environnements multisensoriels, mais également par une méconnaissance des habitudes sensorielles d'adultes d'âges différents. Cette thèse tente de répondre à ces objectifs par le biais de 5 études expérimentales. Les habitudes musicales et olfactives pour se concentrer des adultes jeunes et âgé·e·s ont été caractérisées dans les 2 premières études, avec des différences (fréquence de diffusion, matériel utilisé, etc.) et des similitudes observées (genres musicaux et types d'odeurs préférés, etc.). Une 3ème étude a mis en avant des correspondances affectives entre des stimuli sensoriels olfactifs et musicaux par les adultes jeunes et âgé·e·s. Ainsi, des listes de musiques et d'odorants catégorisés en fonction de l'agréabilité, de l'intensité, de la familiarité, et de la favorabilité à se concentrer ont été obtenues. Une 4ème étude a permis de valider 6 formes alternatives de la PGNG (une tâche évaluant les fonctions exécutives) mobilisant les fonctions exécutives et la vitesse de traitement de l'information, et utilisées dans l'étude 5. Enfin, la 5ème étude montre que la favorabilité perçue et la personnalisation des environnements sensoriels amélioraient les performances subjectives (motivation, sentiment de compétence, concentration, etc.) et objectives (précision et variabilité des temps de réponses) des participant·e·s. L'ensemble de ces études contribue à une meilleure compréhension de l'influence des environnements sensoriels sur nos performances exécutives, et contribue à la réflexion de l'importance de la personnalisation des stimuli sensoriels dans le cadre de la performance cognitive
Listening to music while working and diffusing scents to encourage immersion in a studious atmosphere are common behaviors. However, the influence of these stimuli on perceived and cognitive performance is still debated among researchers This lack of consensus could be explained by the multi-factorial aspects of multisensory environments, but also by a lack of knowledge of the sensory habits of adults of different ages. This thesis attempts to give new insights into these knowledge gaps through 5 experimental studies. The musical and olfactory habits when concentrating of young and older adults were characterized in the 1st and 2nd studies, and differences (frequency of diffusion, equipment used, etc.) and similarities (preferred musical genres and types of odors, etc.) were observed. The 3rd study highlighted affective correspondences between olfactory and musical sensory stimuli among young and older adults. Thus, lists of music and olfactory molecules categorized according to pleasantness, intensity, familiarity, and favorability to concentration were obtained. The 4th study validated 6 alternative forms of the Parametric Go/No-Go task mobilizing executive functions and information processing speed that were used in the final study. Finally, the 5th study showed that perceived favorability and personalization of sensory environments improved participants' subjective and objective performances, but only on certain variables. Taken together, these studies contribute to a better understanding of the influence of sensory environments on our executive performances, and to the development of personalizing sensory stimuli in the context of cognitive performance

En esta tesis presentamos la arquitectura de un sistema de localización que hace uso de los datos obtenidos a partir de los múltiples sensores disponibles en los smartphones actuales. Nuestro principal objetivo es ofrecer una solución capaz de soportar servicios basados en localización precisos, tales como aplicaciones de realidad aumentada, alcanzando un buen equilibrio entre la precisión y el rendimiento obtenidos. Presentaremos la arquitectura que abarca el diseño de nuestro sistema propuesto. Dicha arquitectura soporta el diseño y desarrollo de servicios capaces de combinar sensores de distinta naturaleza. Su estructura organizada en capas así como la especificación detallada de sus entidades, permite soportar diferentes configuraciones de sistemas. En primer lugar nos centramos en el análisis de técnicas de localización basadas en huellas de señales IEEE 802.11, siendo capaces de determinar la posición de un dispositivo con unos pocos metros de error de estimación. Para mejorar la eficiencia de nuestra solución se proponen varias mejora basadas en la integración de sensores adicionales, tales como la cámara o sensores inerciales. Haciendo uso de técnicas para la extracción de características invariantes a escala de imágenes, somos capaces de mejorar de forma notable la fiabilidad de nuestra solución. Además, damos un paso adelante en el análisis de imágenes mediante la integración de técnicas de visión por computador tales como visual structure from motion. Esto nos permite hacer reconstrucciones 3D del entorno en el que nos encontramos, y aplicando técnicas de resección de imagen, somos capaces de estimar de forma precisa la posición 3D y la rotación de un dispositivo en el espacio, llegando a obtener precisiones alrededor de los 15 centímetros de error de media. Nuestra propuesta multisensor trabaja en dos fases diferentes. En primer lugar se obtiene una estimación de grano grueso basándonos en las señales WiFi, la brújula digital y el acelerómetro. Para ello utilizamos técnicas basadas en mapas de huellas, técnicas probabilísticas y estimadores de movimiento. Después, haciendo uso de las imágenes capturadas por la cámara, se lleva a cabo un proceso de análisis de imágenes centrándonos en la zona concreta del modelo 3D construido delimitada por la estimación previa obtenida. Debido a las dificultades encontradas para construir modelos 3D precisos en entornos grandes y repetitivos, durante la fase de entrenamiento nuestra propuesta hace uso de técnicas de procesamiento de datos obtenidos mediante unidades de medición inerciales (IMU). Este proceso nos permite reducir los problemas de escalabilidad relacionados con la aparición de elementos estructurales similares en grandes escenarios de interior. El hecho de obtener modelos 3D precisos del entorno mejora la eficiencia de las técnicas de resección de cámara. En consecuencia, el error de estimación disminuye hasta los 5 centímetros de media, con tiempos de respuesta por debajo de los 250 milisegundos. El conjunto de técnicas presentas soporta una amplia variedad de aplicaciones basadas en localización, desde aquellas que requieren un posicionamiento aproximado hasta aquellas con altos requisitos de precisión.
In this thesis we present the architecture of a localization system that uses data from multiple sensors available in commodity smartphones. Our main aim is to provide a solution able to support accurate location-based services, such as augmented reality applications, pursuing a good balance between accuracy and performance. We present the architecture which encompasses the overall system proposed. This architecture supports the design and development of services able to combine different types of sensors. Its layered structure and the specification of well-designed entities makes it able to support different system configurations. First we focus on the analysis of location fingerprinting techniques based on IEEE 802.11, feasible to determine the position of a device with a few meters of estimation error. Several refinements, based on the integration of additional sensors such as the camera or the inertial, are introduced to improve the efficiency of our solution. Using scale invariant features extracted from images we provide a solution for scene recognition that clearly improves the reliability of our result. Moreover, we take a step forward in the image analysis by including visual structure from motion techniques. It allows us to run off-line 3D reconstructions of the environment, and applying image resection techniques, we are able to provide precise estimations of both the 3D position and rotation of the device, obtaining an accuracy around 15 centimeters of error. Our multisensor solution works in two different stages. We first obtain a coarse-grained estimation based on WiFi signals, digital compass, and built-in accelerometer, making use of fingerprinting methods, probabilistic techniques, and motion estimators. Then, using the images captured by the camera, we carry out the image analysis focusing on the subset of the 3D model spatially delimited by the previously obtained coarse estimation. Because of the difficulties found to build accurate 3D models in large and repetitive environments, our proposal makes use of state-of-the-art IMU data processing techniques during the training phase, in order to reliably generate 3D representations of the targeted environment. This process solves typical scalability issues related to visually repetitive structures in large indoor scenarios. The fact of getting high accurate 3D representations of the testbed scenario improves the efficiency of camera resection techniques, reducing the estimation error to 5 centimeters, with response times below 250 milliseconds. The set of techniques presented supports a wide range of location-based applications, from those requiring a coarse estimation to those with high accuracy requirements.

This thesis describes the development and implementation of a multisensor large scale autonomous mapping system for surveying tasks in underground mines. The hazardous nature of the underground mining industry has resulted in a push towards autonomous solutions to the most dangerous operations, including surveying tasks. Many existing autonomous mapping techniques rely on approaches to the Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) problem which are not suited to the extreme characteristics of active underground mining environments. Our proposed multisensor system has been designed from the outset to address the unique challenges associated with underground SLAM. The robustness, self-containment and portability of the system maximize the potential applications.The multisensor mapping solution proposed as a result of this work is based on a fusion of omnidirectional bearing-only vision-based localization and 3D laser point cloud registration. By combining these two SLAM techniques it is possible to achieve some of the advantages of both approaches – the real-time attributes of vision-based SLAM and the dense, high precision maps obtained through 3D lasers. The result is a viable autonomous mapping solution suitable for application in challenging underground mining environments.A further improvement to the robustness of the proposed multisensor SLAM system is a consequence of incorporating colour information into vision-based localization. Underground mining environments are often dominated by dynamic sources of illumination which can cause inconsistent feature motion during localization. Colour information is utilized to identify and remove features resulting from illumination artefacts and to improve the monochrome based feature matching between frames.Finally, the proposed multisensor mapping system is implemented and evaluated in both above ground and underground scenarios. The resulting large scale maps contained a maximum offset error of ±30mm for mapping tasks with lengths over 100m.

Within the discipline of urban planning and design, this thesis introduces urban atmos-pheres as a theoretical concept, interlinking the urban dweller’s perception of the urban environment with the disposition of social interaction. The aim is to research how urban environments, such as main streets, are being perceived through different senses and which urban atmospheres are disposing social interaction. Framed by the literature within the discipline, the conducted case study within this thesis is revealing the multisensory perception of streets as well as a vision-dominance. Observations and interviews in Barer Strasse in Munich suggest that the interplay of multiple sensory stimuli as well as small businesses on ground floors are creating a lively atmosphere, thereby enhancing social interaction. Despite the vision dominating the perception, this thesis argues for a multi-sensorial approach, including smelling, feeling and hearing within the urban planning and design discipline to create lively cities by strengthening the social function of streets through creating atmospheres that enhance social interaction.

One of every 166 children born today could be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (CDC 2006). Growing bodies of evidence show sensory integration issues may be at the root of many of the symptoms children with ASD exhibit. Sensory integration is defined as the ability to feel, understand, and organize sensory information from the body and environment. The issues surrounding sensory integration are reflected in both hypersensitive and hyposensitive reactions by children with ASD to the vestibular, proprioception, visual, audio, tactile, and olfactory senses.The goal of this paper is to address the sensory integration issues of children with ASD by creating a sensory garden which would allow them to focus on therapeutic and diagnostic interventions. By using the principles and elements of design, guidelines for this garden focused on producing calming effects for hyper reactive children with ASD and stimulating effects for hypo reactions.

Approximately 15% to 20% of Americans struggle with learning disabilities. The National Institutes of Health reported that 60% to 80% of those with learning disabilities have problems with reading and language skills (as cited in International Dyslexia Association, 2000). Dyslexia is a specific learning disability and according to Moats (2008), it is more common than any other kind of learning disability. Dyslexia varies in degrees of severity. About 4% of those diagnosed with dyslexia are severely dyslexic. This includes some 375,000 school children (Dyslexia Action, 2006). Although dyslexia certainly causes difficulties for children, many of them are bright and capable. Dyslexia also seems to be associated with many strengths and talents. Dyslexic children tend to be very creative thinkers, highly imaginative, and excellent in art, music, or drama (Marshall, 2004). Unfortunately, unless a person is dyslexic it is difficult for anyone, including educators, to understand the struggles and hard work that encompass the day-to-day activities of a dyslexic person's life. The causes of dyslexia still remain a mystery and, therefore, educators and researchers may disagree on the best way to help the dyslexic student learn. Additionally, public educational institutions have been uninformed, ill equipped, and consequently ineffective in dealing with the educational needs of the dyslexic child. The purpose of this study was to examine a school specializing in teaching children with dyslexia for the purpose of determining what methods and practices are being used that are conducive to developing the creative potential of the dyslexic child. The findings revealed that the methods and practices used at the Jemicy School are conducive to developing the creative potential of dyslexic children. The study confirmed that using multisensory and experiential education does foster students' creativity. The school's unique environment along with the effective teaching methods used could and should be incorporated into other school systems. The exemplary education provided by the Jemicy School makes the school a viable benchmark for other schools to follow. The Jemicy School might be a model for educators to follow for helping dyslexic children learn in order to reach their fullest potential.

The objective of this research is to apply micromachined silicon-based resonant gravimetric sensors to the detection of gas-phase volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This is done in two primary tasks: 1) the optimization and application of silicon disk resonators to the detection of gas-phase VOCs, and 2) the development and application of a novel gravimetric-capacitive multisensor platform for the detection of gas-phase VOCs. In the rst task, the design and fabrication of a silicon-based disk resonator structure utilizing an in-plane resonance mode is undertaken. The resonance characteristics of the disk resonator are characterized and optimized. The optimized characteristics include the resonator Q-factor as a function of geometric parameters, and the dynamic displacement of the in-plane resonance mode. The Q-factors of the disk resonators range from 2600 to 4360 at atmosphere for disk silicon thicknesses from 7 µm to 18 µm, respectively. The resonance frequency of the in-plane resonance mode ranges from 260 kHz up to 750 kHz. The disk resonators are applied to the sensing of gas-phase VOCs using (poly)isobutylene as a sensitive layer. Limits of detection for benzene, toluene and m-xylene vapors of 5.3 ppm, 1.2 ppm, and 0.6 ppm are respectively obtained. Finally, models for the limits of detection and chemical sensitivity of the resonator structures are developed for the case of the polymer layers used. In the second task, a silicon-based resonator is combined with a capacitive structure to produce a multisensor structure for the sensing of gas-phase VOCs. Fabrication of the multisensor structure is undertaken, and the sensor is theoretically modeled. The baseline capacitance of the capacitor component of the multisensor is estimated to be 170 fF. Finally, initial VOC detection results for the capacitive aspect of the sensor are obtained.

Syfte och forskningsfrågor Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur servicelandskapet på traditionella caféer kan påverka de olika sinnena och kundens upplevelser. Syftet är också att kunna påvisa vad som kan anses vara unikt i servicelandskapet för traditionella caféer. Studien ska även undersöka vilka faktorer och värdegrunder som kan förstärka konkurrenskraften för traditionella caféer på marknaden. Forskningsfrågan som vi har valt formuleras följande: • Hur kan traditionella caféer utveckla sitt servicelandskap för ökad konkurrenskraft, med stöd av sinnesorienterad marknadsföring? Metod Studien är utformad utifrån en kvalitativ studie som har en kombination av deduktiv och induktiv ansats, som också benämns abduktiv ansats. Det empiriska materialet är insamlat på ett strategiskt sätt och innefattas av sex semistrukturerade intervjuer. Slutsatser Studiens resultat har påvisat att sinnesmarknadsföringen har en stor betydelse för servicelandskapet. Om sinnena tillsammans med servicelandskapets stil och tema överensstämmer med varandra kan det leda till en starkare upplevelse och kvalité för kunden. Studien har vidare visat att flexibiliteten och tillgängligheten av servicelandskapet kan appliceras i serviceprocessen för att stärka konkurrenskraften på marknaden.
Purpose and research question The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how the servicescape in traditional cafés can affect the different senses and the customers experience. The purpose is also to demonstrate what could be unique in the servicescape of traditional cafés. The thesis will also examine various factors and value bases which can strengthen the competitiveness for traditional cafés on the market. The research question we have chosen to examine is following: • How can traditional cafés develop their servicescape to strengthen their competitiveness, with support of multisensory marketing? Method This research is developed from a qualitative study which has a combination by deductive and abductive approach. The empirical material is collected on a strategic way and contains six semi structured interviews. Conclusions The result of the research has proven that multisensory marketing is by considerable importance to the service scape. If the senses together with the servicescapes style and theme is consistent with each other, it can lead to a stronger experience and quality for the costumer. The research has also shown that the flexibility and availability of the servicescape can be applied in the service process to strengthen the competitiveness on the market.

A practical, aesthetic and philosophical examination of lookouts as found in Australian National Parks. Investigates the impact of landscape (as refering to both the actual phenomena and cultural product) on environmental values and human relationship with place. Explores the unique relationship between visitors and environments conserved for their 'wilderness' value. Discusses the management of lookouts and the mediation and potential manipulation of visual perception in the design of these facilities. Suggests lookouts subjegate immediate physical 'site' to celebrate a distant 'scene' granted greater environmental value on the basis of aesthetic principles of beauty, the sublime and the photogenic.

Orientador: Carlos Alberto dos Reis Filho
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Eletrica e de Computação
Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-05T17:36:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Salustiano_RogerioEsteves_M.pdf: 3698724 bytes, checksum: a5c6d59ec19db38f5a0324243ddb1eb5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006
Resumo: Este trabalho propõe um sistema computacional no qual são aplicadas técnicas de Fusão de Sensores no monitoramento de ambientes. O sistema proposto permite a utilização e incorporação de diversos tipos de dados, incluindo imagens, sons e números em diferentes bases. Dentre os diversos algoritmos pertinentes a um sistema como este, foram implementados os de Sensores em Consenso que visam a combinação de dados de uma mesma natureza. O sistema proposto é suficientemente flexível, permitindo a inclusão de novos tipos de dados e os correspondentes algoritmos que os processem. Todo o processo de recebimento dos dados produzidos pelos sensores, configuração e visualização dos resultados é realizado através da Internet
Abstract: This work proposes a computer system in which Sensor Fusion techniques are applied to monitoring the environment. The proposed system allows the use and incorporation of different data types, including images, sounds and numbers in different bases. Among the existing algorithms that pertain to a system like this, those, which aim to combine data of the same nature, called Consensus Sensors, have been particularly implemented. The proposed system is flexible enough and allows the inclusion of new data types and their corresponding algorithms. The whole process of receiving the data produced by the sensors, configuration of produced results as well as their visualization is performed through the Internet
Mestrado
Eletrônica, Microeletrônica e Optoeletrônica
Mestre em Engenharia Elétrica

Within dementia care, there is a need to facilitate appropriate sensory experiences and opportunities for meaningful engagement for people living with dementia, particularly in later stages. As such, the provision of multisensory environments designed to meet the needs of these individuals and offering suitable occupation and stimulation, have increasingly gained significance. In this context, this paper explores the meaning of experience-focused, sensory design and the importance of appropriate sensory stimulation for wellbeing. It refers to recent interdisciplinary research in this area and a new guide advising on design of sensory enhanced spaces in residential dementia care. The primary focus of the paper is a case study showcasing the implementation of sensory design, based on these guidelines. The case study reports on the co-creation of a sensory, experience-focused space for residents with dementia in a London care-home. Based on this example, the paper highlights the value and impact of appropriate sensory design on the wellbeing of people with dementia and their carers. The conclusion discusses the learning and knowledge gained from this process as well as perspectives on further research activities including the analysis of user feedback and evaluation of the design intervention.

This Doctor of Education Portfolio Thesis reports on a set of four applied and authentic research activities directly related to my workplace. I coordinate courses at HAMK, a Finnish University of Applied Sciences that prepares students and staff in the use of Multisensory Environments (MSEs) in social care. MSEs are dedicated spaces where multisensory stimulation is controlled to match the perceived needs and interests of people with disabilities. MSEs are used internationally for sensory stimulation, pre-cognitive communication, social interaction, leisure and relaxation, therapy and education. Furthermore, MSEs have become a popular tool for many social care providers in increasing social wellness of people who are vulnerable to being marginalised. Although MSEs are thought to hold considerable potential in the facilitation of empowerment and participation, very little research documenting evidence based practice is available to inform practitioners. This research, therefore, seeks to investigate MSE use in Finnish social care with people with moderate to profound and multiple disabilities. The research focus is the promotion of client participation and empowerment, with the added goal of using research findings to inform the development of university and other course materials for the preparation of students and staff. I began my research with a qualitative pilot study to collect information on the current nature of MSEs in Finland. A semi-structured questionnaire was given to 23 MSE practitioners. Even though the results of this study were not translated into English, they strongly influenced the formulation of my research questions. This was because the results made it clear that the way the MSE was used in Finland was different to the way it was used elsewhere. MSE practitioners tend to be guided by a particular form of social pedagogy called sociocultural animation. They also challenge the notion of the MSE being a dedicated space, choosing to continue MSE type activities into everyday environments. I therefore, introduced a new term 'sociocultural multisensory work' to describe this Finnish style MSE experience. The three research questions at the core of this work are as follows: 1. In what ways can participatory action research (PAR) be applied with people with moderate or profound and multiple disabilities in the context of the MSE? 2. What is the nature of sociocultural multisensory work? 3. What are the implications for staff education in regard to develop MSEs and sociocultural multisensory work? The first study relates to the first question. It consists of a survey of the MSE research literature to identify whether or not any methods currently exist where client participation and empowerment is employed. There is also a focus on the possibility of using participatory action research for MSE research. The analysis of 42 studies employed Kemmis and McTaggart's (2000) five aspects of practice to sort and critically analyse the literature. The study revealed that even though the participation of people with vision impairment and multiple disabilities has not been explicitly employed in research, MSE practitioners did express interest in developing more effective communication strategies to promote participation. Key strategies identified included multidisciplinary teamwork, staff education that explicitly teaches participatory research knowledge and the application of an ongoing reflexivedialectical perspective on practice. The literature review also revealed that there were precedents for using PAR in MSE research. The precedents were both at the individual and social levels. The research was both qualitative and quantitative. However, the participation of the clients was at a rudimentary level with the focus more on adhering to the epistemological demands of the paradigms. The second study also relates to the first research question. It reports on an innovative, four-month multimedia music and dance project, conducted in a Finnish MSE at a vocational special school in a city in southern Finland. This project involved 12 adolescents with moderate to severe learning disabilities in a participatory action research activity that culminated in a community concert. The course adopted a sociocultural approach to develop students' use of multimedia. Participants were purposefully given only minimal assistance in learning how to use the multi-media equipment (computers, digital and video cameras, lighting system). They composed their own digital music on computers. They then prepared an accompanying dance performance. Synchronised lights and pop music effects greatly enhanced the overall multisensory experience. Throughout the whole project regular opportunities were provided for collective student reflection using multimedia. The results helped to demonstrate that it was possible to organise an activity in the MSE where practice could be viewed "as socially-, historically- and discursively constituted by human agency and social action" (Kemmis & McTaggart, 2000, p. 587). The third study relates to research questions two and three. In this study focus group interviews were used to investigate the ways that 12 experienced Finnish practitioners working in three MSEs with adults with profound and multiple disabilities (PMD) apply sociocultural animation. A synthesis of the interviews underlines the essential roles of clients' free choices in sensory activities and the need for high-level communication between interdisciplinary MSE team members. Results indicated that although much of what the practitioners do is consistent with non-Finnish ideas, much is also distinctly Finnish. The main finding of the three research projects has been to better describe the emerging concept of sociocultural multisensory work. An outcome of this research has been the development of the idea of happiness capital, which has helped to produce a useful teaching and planning tool. 'Happiness capital' is derived from the theories of 'social capital' and 'cultural capital' (Bourdieu, 1984; 1990; Coleman, 1988; Putman, 1993;1996). Prior to the introduction of the concept of 'happiness capital' little acknowledgement was given to the importance of happiness as a precursor for participation at either the individual or group level. Linking happiness capital to Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological systems theory, with its five nested developmental contexts provides a much more sophisticated and systematic way to consider wellbeing in the MSE. In addition to the primary analysis of each research project, I also subjected the three research projects and the portfolio to a secondary analysis using bricolage. This became my fourth study. A concern from the primary analysis of the results was that valuable nuances of the information were being lost through reductionism. Bricolage is a complex, multimethodological, and a multilogical form of inquiry used especially in social, cultural, political, psychological and educational domains (Kincheloe, 2005, p. 323), and provides another way of sifting information in order to better understand the dominant forms of power. Research bricolage allows us to reconsider how these dominant forms of power impact on all acts of knowledge production and it helps to spotlight the dangers of abstracting phenomena from their sociocultural and temporal contexts. The goal of this study was to investigate MSE use in Finnish social care with people with moderate to profound and multiple disabilities and in the process use the findings to inform future development of university and other course materials. The significance of the findings is discussed.

The technology advances made every day are creating opportunities for business. Virtual Reality has been the focus of several studies. However, virtual reality has been stated to fail in implementing some senses, such as tactile, smell and taste. In this study, we cross two sensory experiences, one with the senses of sight and sound and the other with the sight, sound and smell. The experience takes place in a Virtual Café and measures the impact it has on the intention to return. The choice of the different sensory experiences was based on the concepts of proximal and distal senses. For the purposes of the study, this dissertation further analyses the concepts of Sense of Power and Cognitive Flexibility and Personality traits is introduced as a moderator in this relationship. The type of sensory experience is introduced and used as a moderator on the relationship between Sense of Power and Intention to Return (behavior). This study concludes that multisensory experiences in a virtual environment, have no impact on return intentions. However, this study also concludes that cognitive flexibility has a positive impact on sense of power and that personality traits plays as a moderator in the relationship between the two variables. Furthermore, this study findings suggested the notion that senses can be psychologically more proximal or distal based on the maximum physical distance typically required for a stimulus to be sensed also applies to virtual reality environments.
Os avanços tecnológicos concretizados todos os dias estão a criar oportunidades para as empresas. A Realidade Virtual tem sido o foco de diversos estudos. Contudo, a realidade virtual tem sido apontada pela inexistência de alguns sentidos, tais como o tato, cheiro e paladar. Neste estudo, cruzamos duas experiências sensoriais, uma com os sentidos da visão e audição e a outra com os sentidos da visão, audição e cheiro. As experiências tomam lugar num café virtual e mede o impacto que tem na intenção de retorno (intention to return). A escolha das diferentes experiências sensoriais teve por base os conceitos de sentidos mais próximos e sentidos mais distantes. Para o objetivo desta tese, vão ser também analisados os conceitos de sentimento de poder e flexibilidade cognitiva e as características de personalidade são introduzidas como moderador desta relação. Posto isto, este estudo conclui que as experiências multissensoriais num ambiente virtual, não têm impacto na intenção de retorno. Contudo, o estudo conclui também que a flexibilidade cognitiva tem um impacto positivo no sentimento de poder e ainda que as características de personalidade têm um papel de moderador na relação entre os dois. Além disto, este estudo sugere que a ideia de que os sentidos podem ser psicologicamente mais próximos ou distantes, com base na distância física normalmente necessária para um estímulo ser sentido, também se verifica em ambientes de realidade virtual.

碩士
國立臺北教育大學
特殊教育學系碩士班
98
The purpose of the study was to explore the influence of the multisensory environment teaching approach on children with autism. The research subject was a 6-year-old student with low-functioning autism in the kindergarten class of a special education school. The case study was designed to present the instructional procedure in the multisensory environment teaching approach. The information of the subject’s learning performance and his peer interaction were collected for analysis and discussion. The research results are: 1. The multisensory environment teaching approach enhanced the student’s learning attention. 2. The multisensory environment teaching approach improved the student’s social interaction skills. 3. The multisensory environment teaching approach promoted the student’s motor skills. The implications of these findings for instruction and research are discussed.

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The square array was initially tested in the UK during the 1960s by Anthony Clark. However, since the development of the twin probe system, the square array has been seldom used in the UK, although greater use has been reported elsewhere, especially in France (Panissod et al., 1998). In the last few years, re-investigation of the square array¿s potential in an archaeological context has reignited interest and led to the development of a hand-pulled cart system by Dr. Roger Walker (Geoscan Research). This cart system incorporates earth resistance and gradiometer instruments to allow simultaneous surveys with a lightweight device. The main objective of the project is to test the application of the MSP40 on a variety of sites and to encourage the use of appropriate geophysical survey equipment to minimize the impact and therefore protect even the most vulnerable of archaeological sites.

There can be a distancing effect in our interaction with the environment and it can be reduced to a spectacle rather than a multisensory experience through our use of photography. This practice-based research investigates the use of still photography to capture our peripheral interaction with the environment that we either do not notice or take for granted. The aim is to capture this invisible daily interaction with the world in photographic form as a participant rather than a spectator. Photographs that form the body of this research are constructed into visual narratives in order to consider an alternative way of understanding our interaction with space and place. This research uses a number of camera and printing techniques to capture the nature of peripheral vision and expand the notion of what constitutes a photograph. The results take the form of a series of field study investigations resulting in five photographic projects on peripheral vision, space and place that become visual surrogates for these interactions. In order to view a selection of the completed works the concluding exhibition installation uses a modified suburban house to provide a controlled light environment to trigger peripheral seeing through light and dark adaption.

碩士
國立臺北教育大學
特殊教育學系碩士班
98
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the multisensory environment on the stereotypic behaviors of children with autism. Both subjects were studying in the special education class of eight-year-old severely autistic children. This research adopted the single subject research of ABM design. The subjects received experimental teaching three sessions per week, thirty minutes per session, for a total of four weeks. The independent variable was the multisensory environment. The dependent variable was the changes of subjects’ stereotypic behaviors. The experimental design of this study contained four phases, “the baseline phase”, “the intervention phase” , “the maintenance phase” and “the generalization phase”. Visual analysis was used for analyzing data, assisted with social validity analysis of teaching diary, video observation and interview notes. The results of this research were as follows: 1. The multisensory environment intervention to improve the stereotypic behaviors of subjects with autism was immediately effective. 2. The multisensory environment intervention to improve the stereotypic behaviors of subjects with autism was maintained. 3. The multisensory environment intervention to improve the stereotypic behaviors of subjects with autism was generalized. According to the findings of this study, some applications for the instructional activities and the further researches were recommended.

As environmental problems intensify, the chemical senses -that is smell and taste, are the most relevantsenses to evidence them.As such, environmental exposure vectors that can reach human beings comprise air,food, soil and water[1].Within this context, understanding the link between environmental exposures andhealth[2]is crucial to make informed choices, protect the environment and adapt to new environmentalconditions[3].Smell and taste lead therefore to multi-sensorial experiences which convey multi-layered information aboutlocal and global events[4]. However, these senses are usually absent when those problems are represented indigital systems. The multisensory HCIdesign framework investigateschemical sense inclusion withdigital systems[5]. Ongoing efforts tackledigitalization of smell and taste for digital delivery, transmission or substitution [6]. Despite experimentsproved technological feasibility, its dissemination depends on relevant applicationdevelopment[7].This thesis aims to fillthose gaps by demonstratinghow chemical senses provide the means to link environment and health based on scientific andgeolocation narratives [8], [9],[10]. We present a Multisensory HCI design process which accomplished symbolicdisplaying smell and taste and led us to a new multi-sensorial interaction system presented herein. We describe the conceptualization, design and evaluation of Earthsensum, an exploratory case study project.Earthsensumoffered to 16 participants in the study, environmental smell and taste experiences about real geolocations to participants of the study. These experiences were represented digitally using mobilevirtual reality (MVR) and mobile augmented reality (MAR). Its technologies bridge the real and digital Worlds through digital representations where we can reproduce the multi-sensorial experiences. Our study findings showed that the purposed interaction system is intuitive and can lead not only to a betterunderstanding of smell and taste perception as also of environmental problems. Participants comprehensionabout the link between environmental exposures and health was successful and they would recommend thissystem as education tools. Our conceptual design approach was validated and further developments wereencouraged.In this thesis,we demonstratehow to applyMultisensory HCI methodology to design with chemical senses. Weconclude that the presented symbolic representation model of smell and taste allows communicatingtheseexperiences on digital platforms. Due to its context-dependency, MVR and MAR platforms are adequatetechnologies to be applied for this purpose.Future developments intend to explore further the conceptual approach. These developments are centredon the use of the system to induce hopefully behaviourchange. Thisthesisopens up new application possibilities of digital chemical sense communication,Multisensory HCI Design and environmental health communication.
À medida que os problemas ambientais se intensificam, os sentidos químicos -isto é, o cheiroe sabor, são os sentidos mais relevantes para evidenciá-los. Como tais, os vetores de exposição ambiental que podem atingir os seres humanos compreendem o ar, alimentos, solo e água [1]. Neste contexto, compreender a ligação entre as exposições ambientais e a saúde [2] é crucial para exercerescolhas informadas, proteger o meio ambiente e adaptar a novas condições ambientais [3]. O cheiroe o saborconduzemassima experiências multissensoriais que transmitem informações de múltiplas camadas sobre eventos locais e globais [4]. No entanto, esses sentidos geralmente estão ausentes quando esses problemas são representados em sistemas digitais. A disciplina do design de Interação Humano-Computador(HCI)multissensorial investiga a inclusão dossentidos químicos em sistemas digitais [9]. O seu foco atual residena digitalização de cheirose sabores para o envio, transmissão ou substituiçãode sentidos[10]. Apesar dasexperimentaçõescomprovarem a viabilidade tecnológica, a sua disseminação está dependentedo desenvolvimento de aplicações relevantes [11]. Estatese pretendepreencher estas lacunas ao demonstrar como os sentidos químicos explicitama interconexãoentre o meio ambiente e a saúde, recorrendo a narrativas científicas econtextualizadasgeograficamente[12], [13], [14]. Apresentamos uma metodologiade design HCImultissensorial que concretizouum sistema de representação simbólica de cheiro e sabor e nos conduziu a um novo sistema de interação multissensorial, que aqui apresentamos. Descrevemos o nosso estudo exploratório Earthsensum, que integra aconceptualização, design e avaliação. Earthsensumofereceu a 16participantes do estudo experiências ambientais de cheiro e sabor relacionadas com localizações geográficasreais. Essas experiências foram representadas digitalmente através derealidade virtual(VR)e realidade aumentada(AR).Estas tecnologias conectamo mundo real e digital através de representações digitais onde podemos reproduzir as experiências multissensoriais. Os resultados do nosso estudo provaramque o sistema interativo proposto é intuitivo e pode levar não apenas a uma melhor compreensão da perceção do cheiroe sabor, como também dos problemas ambientais. O entendimentosobre a interdependência entre exposições ambientais e saúde teve êxitoe os participantes recomendariam este sistema como ferramenta para aeducação. A nossa abordagem conceptual foi positivamentevalidadae novos desenvolvimentos foram incentivados. Nesta tese, demonstramos como aplicar metodologiasde design HCImultissensorialpara projetar com ossentidos químicos. Comprovamosque o modelo apresentado de representação simbólica do cheiroe do saborpermite comunicar essas experiênciasem plataformas digitais. Por serem dependentesdocontexto, as plataformas de aplicações emVR e AR são tecnologias adequadaspara este fim.Desenvolvimentos futuros pretendem aprofundar a nossa abordagemconceptual. Em particular, aspiramos desenvolvera aplicaçãodo sistema para promover mudanças de comportamento. Esta tese propõenovas possibilidades de aplicação da comunicação dos sentidos químicos em plataformas digitais, dedesign multissensorial HCI e de comunicação de saúde ambiental.

碩士
朝陽科技大學
工業工程與管理系碩士班
100
Lane Departure Warning Systems (LDWS) is an active auto security system, which reminds the driver by the visual, auditory or tactile warning signals. With the increasingly diversified vehicle information systems, the driver may receive various information. However, people are not capable enough to deal with information. The previous researches related to LDWS don’t explore the presentation means of the directional and multisensory warning signals. Therefore, this study explores the presentation means of the multisensory warning signals in the LDWS to evaluate whether its task performance shows difference. This study tests the task performance of the driver by using the means of simulated driving. Taking six combinations of multisensory warning signals (Visual, Auditory, Visual+ Auditory, Visual + Tactile, Auditory+ Tactile, and Visual+ Auditory+ Tactile) as the experimental factors, it explores the response time and error rate of the driver of different gender to the directional warning signals presenting in a multisensory way, and compares the task performance difference of the driver when responding to different multisensory warning signals. The study results show the multisensory combinations of V+T and V+A+T shortens the response time significantly, and its error rate is relatively lower. It is suggested that the LDWS warning signal designer can adopt the multisensory combinations of V+T or V+A+T in the future, so as to improve the driver’s response and relieve the workload.