Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps, Jan 6, 2017
The UK Defence Medical Service's Pre-Hospital Emergency Care (PHEC) capability includes rapid... more The UK Defence Medical Service's Pre-Hospital Emergency Care (PHEC) capability includes rapid-deployment Medical Emergency Response Teams (MERTs) comprising tri-service trauma consultants, paramedics and specialised nurses, all of whom are qualified to administer emergency care under extreme conditions to improve the survival prospects of combat casualties. The pre-deployment training of MERT personnel is designed to foster individual knowledge, skills and abilities in PHEC and in small team performance and cohesion in 'mission-specific' contexts. Until now, the provision of airborne pre-deployment MERT training had been dependent on either the availability of an operational aircraft (eg, the CH-47 Chinook helicopter) or access to one of only two ground-based facsimiles of the Chinook's rear cargo/passenger cabin. Although MERT training has high priority, there will always be competition with other military taskings for access to helicopter assets (and for other plat...
Virtual reality (VR) distraction has become increasingly available in health care contexts and is... more Virtual reality (VR) distraction has become increasingly available in health care contexts and is used in acute pain management. However, there has been no systematic exploration of the importance of the content of VR environments. Two studies tested how interacting with nature VR influenced experienced and recollected pain after 1 week. Study 1 ( n = 85) used a laboratory pain task (cold pressor), whereas Study 2 ( n = 70) was a randomized controlled trial with patients undergoing dental treatment. In Study 1, nature (coastal) VR reduced both experienced and recollected pain compared with no VR. In Study 2, nature (coastal) VR reduced experienced and recalled pain in dental patients, compared with urban VR and standard care. Together, these data show that nature can improve experience of health care procedures through the use of VR, and that the content of the VR matters: Coastal nature is better than urban.
Mastoidectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures relating to the petrous bone. In this... more Mastoidectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures relating to the petrous bone. In this paper we describe our preliminary results in the realization of a virtual reality mastoidectomy simulator. Our system is designed to work on patient-specific volumetric object models directly derived from 3D CT and MRI images. The paper summarizes the detailed task analysis performed in order to define the system requirements, introduces the architecture of the prototype simulator, and discusses the initial feedback received from selected end users.17-2
Underwater Worlds throws open a new area in the emerging field of “blue” environmental humanities... more Underwater Worlds throws open a new area in the emerging field of “blue” environmental humanities by exploring how subaqueous environments have been imagined and represented across cultures and media. The collection pursues this theme through various disciplinary perspectives and methodologies, including history, literary and film criticism, myth studies, legal studies and the history of art. The essays suggest that, since the nineteenth century, technologies of underwater exploration have generated novel sensory experiences that have destabilized conventional modes of representation and influenced new aesthetic forms from fiction and television to virtual reality. The collection also examines how representations of underwater environments have reflected and critiqued humans’ relationships with marine ecology and life-forms. It reflects on the deeper cultural and symbolic resonances of mythical figures such as mermaids, sea monsters and the ghosts of drowned seafarers. The contribut...
After three decades of “technology push”, Human Factors design techniques and processes are final... more After three decades of “technology push”, Human Factors design techniques and processes are finally being applied to applications of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (VR, AR) in such sectors as defence, engineering, transportation, medicine and scientific visualisation. However, the importance of Human Factors, or human-centred design, is yet to impact significantly on the Virtual Heritage sector, especially given the recent emergence of new VR and AR technologies, where a preoccupation with unproven and often unreliable examples of “immersive” technologies is already resulting in costly, unusable “interactive” systems. This is unsatisfactory, especially as Virtual Heritage must, out of necessity, engage with individuals from all walks of life, especially those who possess valuable personal recollections or material resources. Furthermore, these are also individuals whose knowledge, skills and abilities must be taken into account from the outset, as these factors are of fundame...
BMJ Simulation and Technology Enhanced Learning, 2020
BackgroundDigital rectal examination (DRE) is a challenging examination to learn.ObjectiveTo synt... more BackgroundDigital rectal examination (DRE) is a challenging examination to learn.ObjectiveTo synthesise evidence regarding the effectiveness of technology-enhanced simulation (TES) for acquiring DRE skills.Study selectionEMBASE, Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane, Web of Knowledge (Science and Social Science), Scopus and IEEE Xplore were searched; the last search was performed on 3 April 2019. Included were original research studies evaluating TES to teach DRE. Data were abstracted on methodological quality, participants, instructional design and outcomes; a descriptive synthesis was performed. Quality was assessed using a modified Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument. The study design domain was modified by scoring the papers based on (1) evaluation of risk of bias for randomised controlled trials, (2) description of participants and (3) assessment of robustness and degree of simulation fidelity of the assessments used to evaluate learning.Findings863 articles were screened; ...
This paper presents a short review of the history surrounding the development of haptic feedback ... more This paper presents a short review of the history surrounding the development of haptic feedback systems, from early manipulators and telerobots, used in the nuclear and subsea industries, to today's impressive desktop devices, used to support real-time interaction with 3D visual simulations, or Virtual Reality. Four examples of recent VR projects are described, illustrating the use of haptic feedback in ceramics, aerospace, surgical and defence applications. These examples serve to illustrate the premise that haptic feedback systems have evolved much faster than their visual display counterparts and are, today, delivering impressive peripheral devices that are truly usable by non-specialist users of computing technology.
Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 2016
Where a licence is displayed above, please note the terms and conditions of the licence govern yo... more Where a licence is displayed above, please note the terms and conditions of the licence govern your use of this document. When citing, please reference the published version. Take down policy While the University of Birmingham exercises care and attention in making items available there are rare occasions when an item has been uploaded in error or has been deemed to be commercially or otherwise sensitive.
Link to publication on Research at Birmingham portal General rights Unless a licence is specified... more Link to publication on Research at Birmingham portal General rights Unless a licence is specified above, all rights (including copyright and moral rights) in this document are retained by the authors and/or the copyright holders. The express permission of the copyright holder must be obtained for any use of this material other than for purposes permitted by law. • Users may freely distribute the URL that is used to identify this publication. • Users may download and/or print one copy of the publication from the University of Birmingham research portal for the purpose of private study or non-commercial research. • User may use extracts from the document in line with the concept of 'fair dealing' under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (?) • Users may not further distribute the material nor use it for the purposes of commercial gain. Where a licence is displayed above, please note the terms and conditions of the licence govern your use of this document. When citing, please reference the published version. Take down policy While the University of Birmingham exercises care and attention in making items available there are rare occasions when an item has been uploaded in error or has been deemed to be commercially or otherwise sensitive.
The Mesolithic Period in Europe has been a much-discussed area in archaeological research. As far... more The Mesolithic Period in Europe has been a much-discussed area in archaeological research. As far as is known, the project reported herein represents the first attempt to visualise an otherwise inaccessible Mesolithic site with Virtual Reality (VR) technology, exploiting real geo-seismic data sources of the Southern North Sea. This paper presents the techniques and technology used in reconstructing an ancient river valley discovered while gathering seismic data for petroleum in the North Sea. The virtual landscape reconstruction is populated with vegetation types based on pollen records of the same period in nearby region, and 3D models of Mesolithic dwellings have been grouped into villages and positioned near possible settlement areas. The final VR environment has been "brought to life" via real-time interactive walkthroughs, complete with environmental and spatial sound effects. This paper also describes the various software applications and hardware used for implementing the high-quality static models and the high-performance interactive world, the latter intended for delivery via the WWW and multimedia for educational purposes.
Proceedings of 5th International Conference on Recent Advances in Space Technologies - RAST2011, 2011
ABSTRACT In this paper we provide a retrospective overview of the evolution of simulation hardwar... more ABSTRACT In this paper we provide a retrospective overview of the evolution of simulation hardware and software technologies, beginning from the early days of the NASA VIEW Virtual Reality system, the European Space Agency's first steps in exploring the capabilities and limitations of immersive technologies for visualization and training, and developments underpinning the delivery of the first interactive 3D model of the Roscosmos Virtual Mir Space Station. Today's best practice, latest developments and future concepts of human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation for the aerospace industry will be presented. The paper discusses additional findings relating to the exploitation and testing of a range of recent VR and serious games applications of relevance to aerospace research, development, education and training in the UK and Russia and seeks to define those issues demanding urgent consideration.
In this paper we provide a retrospective overview o f the evolution of simulation hardware and so... more In this paper we provide a retrospective overview o f the evolution of simulation hardware and software technologies, beginning from the early days of the NASA VIEW Virtual Reality system, the European Space Agency’s first steps in exploring the capabil ities and limitations of immersive technologies for visualisation and training, and developments underp inning the delivery of the first interactive 3D model of the Roscosmos Virtual Mir Space Station. Today’s best practice, latest deve lopments and future concepts of human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation for the aerospace industry will be presented. The paper discusses additional findings relating to the exploitation and testing of a range of recent VR and serious games applications of relevance to aero space research, development, education and training ( RDET ) in the UK and Russia and seeks to define those is sues demanding urgent consideration.
For over two decades, research and clinical projects have exploited Virtual Reality technologies ... more For over two decades, research and clinical projects have exploited Virtual Reality technologies in the treatment of numerous human conditions, from desensitisation regimes combating phobias to the use of distraction and exposure therapies for burns victims and those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders. In contrast to previous “high-tech” interface and combat-oriented approaches to using VR in the psychological rehabilitation process, the present chapter advocates the use of virtual restorative environments (VREs)—the recreation of locations and scenes that, by virtue of their natural beauty and peacefulness, can significantly help to reduce the body’s reactivity to stress and restore cognitive or attentional capacities. The chapter also argues that VREs, suitably enhanced with more interactive and dynamic features, could offer significant benefits to patients in physical rehabilitation programmes. This is especially the case for amputees, for example, who, whilst awaiting the fitting of prosthetic limbs, could undertake competitive and motivational “virtual exercises”, thereby avoiding muscle atrophy and related reductions in residual limb capabilities. The report concludes that the exploitation of simulation technologies in psychological therapies is worthy of continued investigation, especially in the pursuit of enhancing patients’ recovery profiles following surgical procedures, from intensive care to the hospital recovery ward. VREs possess a range of important qualities, not least significant of which is real-time interaction and ease-of-editing, supporting the cost-effective generation of engaging and distributable scenarios that can be tailored relatively easily to meet the needs of individual patients.
Surgical Laparoscopy, Endoscopy & Percutaneous Techniques, 2003
Two robotic laparoscopic camera-holders, Endo Assist and Aesop 3000, are compared from a system d... more Two robotic laparoscopic camera-holders, Endo Assist and Aesop 3000, are compared from a system design viewpoint measuring the time taken to perform certain tasks by the operator. EndoAssist and Aesop 3000 robots were tested in a simulated environment. EndoAssist was controlled via a headset-mounted motion axis selection sensor, while Aesop was voice activated. A series of simple and complex tasks were performed moving the camera to different targets. The performance of each task was video taped, and the time from onset to the end of the task was taken from the recording. The results showed the EndoAssist robot to be significantly quicker for most of the tasks studied. This was attributed to increased accuracy of movement in EndoAssist in comparison to the voice recognition errors evident while operating Aesop. The time taken to perform tasks yields significantly more information about the integrated human-robot system than simply studying the speed of movement of the robot.
Royal Navy Junior Warfare Officers (JWO) undergo a comprehensive training package in order to pre... more Royal Navy Junior Warfare Officers (JWO) undergo a comprehensive training package in order to prepare them to be officers of the watch. One aspect of this training relates to their knowledge of the 'Rules of the Road' or 'COLREGS'; the rules for the manoeuvring and signalling that approaching vessels make in order to avoid collision. The training and assessment exercises undertaken predominantly use non-interactive static materials. These do not exercise the required skill in reconciling information from maritime charts, radar displays and 'out-of-the-window' monitoring. Consequently, performance during assessment on the VR-based bridge simulator falls short. This paper describes The Rules of the Road SIMulator (RORSIM)-a proof of concept interactive 3D (i3D) simulator developed to bridge the training gap between classroom teaching and VR bridge simulator assessment. RORSIM's differentiation and its key functionality in terms of visualisaton, physics/interaction and game mechanics are influenced by the consideration of pedagogical learning models during requirements capture. This capture is formalised by a 'Training Gap Use Case'-a graphical viewpoint using the Universal Modelling Language which can assist developers in requirements capture and development of i3D tools for existing training programmes. Key functionality, initial JWO feedback and a planned pilot study design are reported.
Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps, Jan 6, 2017
The UK Defence Medical Service's Pre-Hospital Emergency Care (PHEC) capability includes rapid... more The UK Defence Medical Service's Pre-Hospital Emergency Care (PHEC) capability includes rapid-deployment Medical Emergency Response Teams (MERTs) comprising tri-service trauma consultants, paramedics and specialised nurses, all of whom are qualified to administer emergency care under extreme conditions to improve the survival prospects of combat casualties. The pre-deployment training of MERT personnel is designed to foster individual knowledge, skills and abilities in PHEC and in small team performance and cohesion in 'mission-specific' contexts. Until now, the provision of airborne pre-deployment MERT training had been dependent on either the availability of an operational aircraft (eg, the CH-47 Chinook helicopter) or access to one of only two ground-based facsimiles of the Chinook's rear cargo/passenger cabin. Although MERT training has high priority, there will always be competition with other military taskings for access to helicopter assets (and for other plat...
Virtual reality (VR) distraction has become increasingly available in health care contexts and is... more Virtual reality (VR) distraction has become increasingly available in health care contexts and is used in acute pain management. However, there has been no systematic exploration of the importance of the content of VR environments. Two studies tested how interacting with nature VR influenced experienced and recollected pain after 1 week. Study 1 ( n = 85) used a laboratory pain task (cold pressor), whereas Study 2 ( n = 70) was a randomized controlled trial with patients undergoing dental treatment. In Study 1, nature (coastal) VR reduced both experienced and recollected pain compared with no VR. In Study 2, nature (coastal) VR reduced experienced and recalled pain in dental patients, compared with urban VR and standard care. Together, these data show that nature can improve experience of health care procedures through the use of VR, and that the content of the VR matters: Coastal nature is better than urban.
Mastoidectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures relating to the petrous bone. In this... more Mastoidectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures relating to the petrous bone. In this paper we describe our preliminary results in the realization of a virtual reality mastoidectomy simulator. Our system is designed to work on patient-specific volumetric object models directly derived from 3D CT and MRI images. The paper summarizes the detailed task analysis performed in order to define the system requirements, introduces the architecture of the prototype simulator, and discusses the initial feedback received from selected end users.17-2
Underwater Worlds throws open a new area in the emerging field of “blue” environmental humanities... more Underwater Worlds throws open a new area in the emerging field of “blue” environmental humanities by exploring how subaqueous environments have been imagined and represented across cultures and media. The collection pursues this theme through various disciplinary perspectives and methodologies, including history, literary and film criticism, myth studies, legal studies and the history of art. The essays suggest that, since the nineteenth century, technologies of underwater exploration have generated novel sensory experiences that have destabilized conventional modes of representation and influenced new aesthetic forms from fiction and television to virtual reality. The collection also examines how representations of underwater environments have reflected and critiqued humans’ relationships with marine ecology and life-forms. It reflects on the deeper cultural and symbolic resonances of mythical figures such as mermaids, sea monsters and the ghosts of drowned seafarers. The contribut...
After three decades of “technology push”, Human Factors design techniques and processes are final... more After three decades of “technology push”, Human Factors design techniques and processes are finally being applied to applications of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (VR, AR) in such sectors as defence, engineering, transportation, medicine and scientific visualisation. However, the importance of Human Factors, or human-centred design, is yet to impact significantly on the Virtual Heritage sector, especially given the recent emergence of new VR and AR technologies, where a preoccupation with unproven and often unreliable examples of “immersive” technologies is already resulting in costly, unusable “interactive” systems. This is unsatisfactory, especially as Virtual Heritage must, out of necessity, engage with individuals from all walks of life, especially those who possess valuable personal recollections or material resources. Furthermore, these are also individuals whose knowledge, skills and abilities must be taken into account from the outset, as these factors are of fundame...
BMJ Simulation and Technology Enhanced Learning, 2020
BackgroundDigital rectal examination (DRE) is a challenging examination to learn.ObjectiveTo synt... more BackgroundDigital rectal examination (DRE) is a challenging examination to learn.ObjectiveTo synthesise evidence regarding the effectiveness of technology-enhanced simulation (TES) for acquiring DRE skills.Study selectionEMBASE, Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane, Web of Knowledge (Science and Social Science), Scopus and IEEE Xplore were searched; the last search was performed on 3 April 2019. Included were original research studies evaluating TES to teach DRE. Data were abstracted on methodological quality, participants, instructional design and outcomes; a descriptive synthesis was performed. Quality was assessed using a modified Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument. The study design domain was modified by scoring the papers based on (1) evaluation of risk of bias for randomised controlled trials, (2) description of participants and (3) assessment of robustness and degree of simulation fidelity of the assessments used to evaluate learning.Findings863 articles were screened; ...
This paper presents a short review of the history surrounding the development of haptic feedback ... more This paper presents a short review of the history surrounding the development of haptic feedback systems, from early manipulators and telerobots, used in the nuclear and subsea industries, to today's impressive desktop devices, used to support real-time interaction with 3D visual simulations, or Virtual Reality. Four examples of recent VR projects are described, illustrating the use of haptic feedback in ceramics, aerospace, surgical and defence applications. These examples serve to illustrate the premise that haptic feedback systems have evolved much faster than their visual display counterparts and are, today, delivering impressive peripheral devices that are truly usable by non-specialist users of computing technology.
Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 2016
Where a licence is displayed above, please note the terms and conditions of the licence govern yo... more Where a licence is displayed above, please note the terms and conditions of the licence govern your use of this document. When citing, please reference the published version. Take down policy While the University of Birmingham exercises care and attention in making items available there are rare occasions when an item has been uploaded in error or has been deemed to be commercially or otherwise sensitive.
Link to publication on Research at Birmingham portal General rights Unless a licence is specified... more Link to publication on Research at Birmingham portal General rights Unless a licence is specified above, all rights (including copyright and moral rights) in this document are retained by the authors and/or the copyright holders. The express permission of the copyright holder must be obtained for any use of this material other than for purposes permitted by law. • Users may freely distribute the URL that is used to identify this publication. • Users may download and/or print one copy of the publication from the University of Birmingham research portal for the purpose of private study or non-commercial research. • User may use extracts from the document in line with the concept of 'fair dealing' under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (?) • Users may not further distribute the material nor use it for the purposes of commercial gain. Where a licence is displayed above, please note the terms and conditions of the licence govern your use of this document. When citing, please reference the published version. Take down policy While the University of Birmingham exercises care and attention in making items available there are rare occasions when an item has been uploaded in error or has been deemed to be commercially or otherwise sensitive.
The Mesolithic Period in Europe has been a much-discussed area in archaeological research. As far... more The Mesolithic Period in Europe has been a much-discussed area in archaeological research. As far as is known, the project reported herein represents the first attempt to visualise an otherwise inaccessible Mesolithic site with Virtual Reality (VR) technology, exploiting real geo-seismic data sources of the Southern North Sea. This paper presents the techniques and technology used in reconstructing an ancient river valley discovered while gathering seismic data for petroleum in the North Sea. The virtual landscape reconstruction is populated with vegetation types based on pollen records of the same period in nearby region, and 3D models of Mesolithic dwellings have been grouped into villages and positioned near possible settlement areas. The final VR environment has been "brought to life" via real-time interactive walkthroughs, complete with environmental and spatial sound effects. This paper also describes the various software applications and hardware used for implementing the high-quality static models and the high-performance interactive world, the latter intended for delivery via the WWW and multimedia for educational purposes.
Proceedings of 5th International Conference on Recent Advances in Space Technologies - RAST2011, 2011
ABSTRACT In this paper we provide a retrospective overview of the evolution of simulation hardwar... more ABSTRACT In this paper we provide a retrospective overview of the evolution of simulation hardware and software technologies, beginning from the early days of the NASA VIEW Virtual Reality system, the European Space Agency's first steps in exploring the capabilities and limitations of immersive technologies for visualization and training, and developments underpinning the delivery of the first interactive 3D model of the Roscosmos Virtual Mir Space Station. Today's best practice, latest developments and future concepts of human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation for the aerospace industry will be presented. The paper discusses additional findings relating to the exploitation and testing of a range of recent VR and serious games applications of relevance to aerospace research, development, education and training in the UK and Russia and seeks to define those issues demanding urgent consideration.
In this paper we provide a retrospective overview o f the evolution of simulation hardware and so... more In this paper we provide a retrospective overview o f the evolution of simulation hardware and software technologies, beginning from the early days of the NASA VIEW Virtual Reality system, the European Space Agency’s first steps in exploring the capabil ities and limitations of immersive technologies for visualisation and training, and developments underp inning the delivery of the first interactive 3D model of the Roscosmos Virtual Mir Space Station. Today’s best practice, latest deve lopments and future concepts of human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation for the aerospace industry will be presented. The paper discusses additional findings relating to the exploitation and testing of a range of recent VR and serious games applications of relevance to aero space research, development, education and training ( RDET ) in the UK and Russia and seeks to define those is sues demanding urgent consideration.
For over two decades, research and clinical projects have exploited Virtual Reality technologies ... more For over two decades, research and clinical projects have exploited Virtual Reality technologies in the treatment of numerous human conditions, from desensitisation regimes combating phobias to the use of distraction and exposure therapies for burns victims and those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders. In contrast to previous “high-tech” interface and combat-oriented approaches to using VR in the psychological rehabilitation process, the present chapter advocates the use of virtual restorative environments (VREs)—the recreation of locations and scenes that, by virtue of their natural beauty and peacefulness, can significantly help to reduce the body’s reactivity to stress and restore cognitive or attentional capacities. The chapter also argues that VREs, suitably enhanced with more interactive and dynamic features, could offer significant benefits to patients in physical rehabilitation programmes. This is especially the case for amputees, for example, who, whilst awaiting the fitting of prosthetic limbs, could undertake competitive and motivational “virtual exercises”, thereby avoiding muscle atrophy and related reductions in residual limb capabilities. The report concludes that the exploitation of simulation technologies in psychological therapies is worthy of continued investigation, especially in the pursuit of enhancing patients’ recovery profiles following surgical procedures, from intensive care to the hospital recovery ward. VREs possess a range of important qualities, not least significant of which is real-time interaction and ease-of-editing, supporting the cost-effective generation of engaging and distributable scenarios that can be tailored relatively easily to meet the needs of individual patients.
Surgical Laparoscopy, Endoscopy & Percutaneous Techniques, 2003
Two robotic laparoscopic camera-holders, Endo Assist and Aesop 3000, are compared from a system d... more Two robotic laparoscopic camera-holders, Endo Assist and Aesop 3000, are compared from a system design viewpoint measuring the time taken to perform certain tasks by the operator. EndoAssist and Aesop 3000 robots were tested in a simulated environment. EndoAssist was controlled via a headset-mounted motion axis selection sensor, while Aesop was voice activated. A series of simple and complex tasks were performed moving the camera to different targets. The performance of each task was video taped, and the time from onset to the end of the task was taken from the recording. The results showed the EndoAssist robot to be significantly quicker for most of the tasks studied. This was attributed to increased accuracy of movement in EndoAssist in comparison to the voice recognition errors evident while operating Aesop. The time taken to perform tasks yields significantly more information about the integrated human-robot system than simply studying the speed of movement of the robot.
Royal Navy Junior Warfare Officers (JWO) undergo a comprehensive training package in order to pre... more Royal Navy Junior Warfare Officers (JWO) undergo a comprehensive training package in order to prepare them to be officers of the watch. One aspect of this training relates to their knowledge of the 'Rules of the Road' or 'COLREGS'; the rules for the manoeuvring and signalling that approaching vessels make in order to avoid collision. The training and assessment exercises undertaken predominantly use non-interactive static materials. These do not exercise the required skill in reconciling information from maritime charts, radar displays and 'out-of-the-window' monitoring. Consequently, performance during assessment on the VR-based bridge simulator falls short. This paper describes The Rules of the Road SIMulator (RORSIM)-a proof of concept interactive 3D (i3D) simulator developed to bridge the training gap between classroom teaching and VR bridge simulator assessment. RORSIM's differentiation and its key functionality in terms of visualisaton, physics/interaction and game mechanics are influenced by the consideration of pedagogical learning models during requirements capture. This capture is formalised by a 'Training Gap Use Case'-a graphical viewpoint using the Universal Modelling Language which can assist developers in requirements capture and development of i3D tools for existing training programmes. Key functionality, initial JWO feedback and a planned pilot study design are reported.
Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, Jan 1, 2006
The fusion of Virtual Reality and Artificial Life technologies has opened up a valuable and effec... more The fusion of Virtual Reality and Artificial Life technologies has opened up a valuable and effective technique for research in the field of dynamic archaeological reconstruction. This paper describes early evaluations of simulated vegetation and environmental models using decentralized Artificial Life entities. The results demonstrate a strong feasibility for the application of integrated VR and Artificial Life in solving a 10,000 year old mystery shrouding a submerged landscape in the Southern North Sea, off the east coast of the United Kingdom. Three experimental scenarios with dynamic, "artificial" vegetation are observed to grow, reproduce and react to virtual environmental parameters in a way that mimics their physical counterparts. Through further experimentation and refinement of the Artificial Life rules, plus the integration of additional knowledge from subject matter experts in related scientific fields, a credible reconstruction of the ancient and, today, inaccessible landscape may be within our reach.
Proceedings of the International Conference on …, Jan 1, 2006
This paper describes a methodology and software engine for generating dynamic vegetation models f... more This paper describes a methodology and software engine for generating dynamic vegetation models for archaeological reconstruction and interactive visualisation, integrating the disciplines of Artificial Life (Alife) and Virtual Reality. The engine, based on the concept of emergence (a phenomenon in complex Alife systems), uses real botanical parameters, channelled through simple rules, in order to synthesise the dispersal patterns of natural vegetation communities as they grow, reproduce, and compete for resources. The foci for the development and evaluation of the Alife engine described relate to different scenarios in nature as may have existed during the Mesolithic period. Results from the study showed evidence of correlations between the artificial vegetation and their natural counterparts, demonstrating the feasibility of using such models in historical landscape reconstructions.
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