Publications (5)0 Total impact
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Conference Proceeding: Camera-less Smart Laser Projector.
International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, SIGGRAPH 2010, Los Angeles, California, USA, July 26-30, 2010, Emerging Technologies Proceedings; 01/2010 -
Article: Spatial coverage vs. sensorial fidelity in VR
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ABSTRACT: With this paper we wish to promote a discussion about the different forms that an immersive VR system can take. This will be done by reflecting on a controversial concept: that of a totally immersive (understood as multimodal) but partial (understood as limited to a part of the body) virtual reality interface. The proposed concept of total/partial immersive-ness may be seen as a new orthogonal dimension in the taxo-nomic classification of systems in the 'virtuality continuum' introduced in [2]. An interesting aspect of the proposed con-figuration is the possibility for it to be wearable. We will briefly describe the motivation for this new taxonomic di-mension from a theoretical point of view, as well as explain the practical reasons that lead us to this concept. This will be done by discussing earlier work from one of the authors that illustrates the possibilities of a total immersive VR system but also pinpoints a number of inescapable limitations. -
Article: Camera-less Smart Laser Projector
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ABSTRACT: We introduce here our latest 'smart laser projector' prototype, i.e, a modified laser-based projector capable of augmenting all kind of surfaces while simultaneously using the laser as a scanning beam used for gathering information about that surface shape, texture, re-flectivity, relative motion, etc. 'Augmenting' surfaces (including tables, desktops, walls and floors, but also human skin, paintings, market products on a shelf, etc) means here alphanumeric or iconic annotation, highlighting features invisible to the naked eye (for in-stance veins under the skin, small scratches or oily spots on sur-faces), cueing (using flashes of light for marking secure perimeters or indicating dangerous obstacles) and line and contour enhance-ment for practical or aesthetic purposes. This device fits in many ways the definition of a 'smart projector' as described in [1] but presents a number of advantages with respect to the classical pro-jector/camera configuration. Figure 1: Combined green and red lasers trapped on a drawing We demonstrate the prototype through a couple of interactive ap-plications. The first was previously demonstrated on an earlier (bulkier) system [2]. The application is playful in nature and con-sists on generating a laser spot that seems alive as it keeps running on contours of drawings or bouncing on flat figures as well as over the edges of three-dimensional objects (Fig.1). The second applica-tion is a simulation of the refraction of light beams on a 2d surface, by simulating the Snell-law computed at the interfaces of gray level regions on a flat drawing -the gray level corresponding to a virtual refraction index (Fig.5). -
Article: The Laser Aura: a prosthesis for emotional expression (sk po 0094)
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ABSTRACT: We study here a wearable device capable of translating bio-sensed data into cartoon-like graphics projected in the physical surround-ing. We hypothesize that such 'expressive laser aura' (LA) may serve for biofeedback purposes; more interestingly, as the display extends past the wearer's intimate/personal space it can comple-ment non-verbal communication by giving others an instant cue about that person's real inner state (or unformulated needs), at so-cial or even at public range. In this preliminary work, we demon-strate a (non wearable) LA that changes its shape as a function of the level of anxiety of an office worker. In the future we plan to make the device wearable, as well as give it the ability to represent more complex states such as emotions. -
Article: Virtual Haptic Radar
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ABSTRACT: We present here a first prototype of the Virtual Haptic Radar (VHR), a wearable device helping actors become aware of the presence of invisible virtual objects in their path when evolving in a virtual studio (such as a "bluescreen" filming stage [Figure 1]). The VHR is a natural extension of the Haptic Radar (HR) and its principle [Cassinelli et al. 2006] in the realm of virtual reality: while each module of the HR had a small vibrator and a rangefinder to measure distance to real obstacles, the VHR module lacks the rangefinder but accommodates instead a (cheap) ultrasound-based indoor positioning system that gives it the ability to know exactly where it is situated relatively to an external frame of reference.
