Publications (12) View all
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Conference Proceeding: Using Extended Range Telepresence to Collect Data of Pedestrian Dynamics
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ABSTRACT: In this article a new way to collect data of pedestrian dynamics is introduced. A virtual reality system consisting of an extended range telepresence system and a microscopic pedestrian simulation is used to simplify data collection. The extended range telepresence system allows a user to move through a virtual environment by natural walking instead of by using conventional input devices, like a joystick. The telepresence system is connected to a pedestrian simulation which produces real time 3D animated output which is presented to the user with a head-mounted display (HMD) capable of showing 3D imagery. The simulated pedestrians react to the user of the telepresence as if it were another simulated pedestrian. With this system data about pedestrian dynamics can be collected in experiments in which not all participants need to be real people, but some - ideally all except for one - can be simulated. This allows the general collection of data about pedestrian dynamics but also to calibrate model specific parameters. In this paper three experiments are introduced. However, the focus of the contribution is to give an idea and an overview of the combined telepresence-simulation system as data collection tool.Proceedings of the Transportation Research Board 91st Annual Meeting (TRB 2012); 01/2012 -
Conference Proceeding: Using Extended Range Telepresence to Investigate Route Choice Behavior
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ABSTRACT: A combination of a telepresence system and a microscopic traffic simulator is introduced. It is evaluated using a hotel evacuation scenario. Four different kinds of supporting information are compared, standard exit signs, floor plans with indicated exit routes, guiding lines on the floor and simulated agents leading the way. The results indicate that guiding lines are the most efficient way to support an evacuation but the natural behavior of following others comes very close. On another level the results are consistent with previously performed real and virtual experiments and validate the use of a telepresence system in evacuation studies. It is shown that using a microscopic traffic simulator extends the possibilities for evaluation, e.g. by adding simulated humans to the environment.Proceedings of the Traffic and Granular Flow Conference 2011 (TGF 2011); 09/2011 -
Conference Proceeding: Motion Control of a Semi-Mobile Haptic Interface for Haptic Interaction in Arbitrarily-Sized Target Environments
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ABSTRACT: This paper presents the control concept of a semimobile haptic interface for extended range telepresence that enables the user to explore spatially unrestricted target environments even from a small user environment. The semi-mobile haptic interface consists of a haptic manipulator mounted on a large grounded Cartesian robot, the prepositioning unit. The prepositioning unit is controlled in such a way that the haptic manipulator is kept off its workspace limits. At the same time, the control algorithm allows the optimal utilization of the available space in the user environment and guarantees the safety of the user. The proposed control method is based on the position and velocity of the end-effector and also takes the position of the user into account. Moreover, it is robust against noisy measurements of the user position or outliers due, for example, to occlusions in the tracking system. Experimental results show the suitability of the proposed control to provide haptic interaction in extended range telepresence.Proceedings of the 2011 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2011); 09/2011 -
Article: Extended Range Telepresence for Evacuation Training in Pedestrian Simulations
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ABSTRACT: In this contribution, we propose a new framework to evaluate pedestrian simula-tions by using Extended Range Telepresence. Telepresence is used as a virtual reality walking simulator, which provides the user with a realistic impression of being present and walking in a virtual environment that is much larger than the real physical environment, in which the user actually walks. The validation of the simulation is performed by comparing motion data of the telepresent user with simulated data at some points of the simulation. The use of haptic feedback from the simulation makes the framework suitable for training in emergency situations. Comment: Contribution to Pedestrian and Evacuation Dynamics 2010 (PED2010) conference02/2010; -
Article: Using a Telepresence System to Investigate Route Choice Behavior
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ABSTRACT: A combination of a telepresence system and a microscopic traffic simulator is introduced. It is evaluated using a hotel evacuation scenario. Four different kinds of supporting information are compared, standard exit signs, floor plans with indicated exit routes, guiding lines on the floor and simulated agents leading the way. The results indicate that guiding lines are the most efficient way to support an evacuation but the natural behavior of following others comes very close. On another level the results are consistent with previously performed real and virtual experiments and validate the use of a telepresence system in evacuation studies. It is shown that using a microscopic traffic simulator extends the possibilities for evaluation, e.g. by adding simulated humans to the environment.11/2011;
