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Pablo Prieto

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Johann Habakuk Israel

Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft, HTW Berlin

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Raimund Dachselt

Technische Universität Dresden

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Tarek Galal Abdelhamid

Modern Science and Arts (MSA) university

Politecnico di Milano

Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, University of the Arts London

L. Encarnação

The University of Iowa

Politecnico di Bari

The University of Manchester

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Papers by Pablo Prieto

A Novel Hybrid 2D and 3D Augmented Reality Based Method for Geometric Product Development

A method that uses the interaction of two and three dimensional environments to carry out the geo... more A method that uses the interaction of two and three dimensional environments to carry out the geometric modeling and refinement steps of the product development process is presented. The 2D environment is an interactive computer screen, where the initial sketching of the product takes place. This environment provides a direct one-to-one interaction and the feeling of using traditional pen and paper. Next, a characteristic feature of the 2D sketch is selected to be exported to a 3D environment, where 3D vision and manual interaction over an immersive augmented reality environment is provided to carry out the refinement steps. The 3D environment provides fully 3D visual feedback and geometry manipulation interaction. In this way, the advantages of 2D and 3D environments are used for a smooth transition between the sketching and the modeling tasks at the early stages of the design process. The goal of this ongoing work is solving some limitations of the 2D nature of sketching, the spee...

Exploring New Intuitive Interfaces for a Natural Design Process

Electronic Workshops in Computing, 2010

Robotic Care: A Low Cost Design to Assist Therapy for Brain Stroke Rehabilitation

Proceedings of the Design Society: International Conference on Engineering Design, 2019

A low cost robotic-assisted prototype for finger and hand rehabilitation of people affected by a ... more A low cost robotic-assisted prototype for finger and hand rehabilitation of people affected by a stroke is presented. The system was developed by a team of undergraduate students led by a Design lecturer in collaboration with the Rehabilitation Unit of the Peñablanca Public Hospital in Chile.The system consists of a flexion sensor equipped glove, a hand exoskeleton and an Arduino control unit. The patient wears the glove in his healthy hand. When s/he performs movements with the healthy hand, the sensors register the flexion of the fingers and send this information to the servo motors installed in an exoskeleton attached to the affected hand. In this way, the affected hand reproduces the movement of the healthy hand. The system uses a combination of the mirror therapy (the patient sees his/her affected hand moving in the same way that the healthy hand does) and passive exercising (as the exoskeleton produces the movement of the hand affected by the stroke). The combination of two ty...

Incorporating 3D body motions into large-sized freeform surface conceptual design

Biomedical sciences instrumentation, 2005

Large-sized free-form surface design presents some challenges in practice. Especially at the conc... more Large-sized free-form surface design presents some challenges in practice. Especially at the conceptual design stage, sculpting physical models is still essential for surface development, because CAD models are less intuitive for designers to design and modify them. These sculpted physical models can be then scanned and converted into CAD models. However, if the physical models are too big, designers may have problems in finding a suitable position to conduct their operations or simply the models are difficult to be scanned in. We investigated a novel surface modelling approach by utilising a 3D motion capture system. For designing a large-sized surface, a network of splines is initially set up. Artists or designers wearing motion marks on their hands can then change shapes of the splines with their hands. Literarily they can move their body freely to any positions to perform their tasks. They can also move their hands in 3D free space to detail surface characteristics by their gest...

On products shapes and personalities

In this paper, preliminary results of the first stage of a long-term research that aims at system... more In this paper, preliminary results of the first stage of a long-term research that aims at systematizing the task of product design with an intended personality are reported. A survey was conducted to detect whether there is a correlation between product shapes and personalities. In the survey people were asked to associate personalities to shapes of different types of products. The data collected from the survey were analyzed using multivariate statistical techniques and the results obtained from correlation analysis between shapes and personalities are presented. At this stage, among the different aspects of the product appearance, the focus of the survey was on the shape of the product, as it is one of its most relevant features. The aim of this stage is to detect whether a high correlation exists between product shapes and product personalities. At the next stage if such correlation exists, the numerical description of the shape will be analyzed to identify common geometrical features of products sharing the same personality. This information can later be used as input for developing a new CAD system to assist designers to develop new products with embedded personalities.

Quantifying Shape Descriptors for Aesthetic Concepts

This work is oriented on developing a systematic and quantitati concept (like personality) can be... more This work is oriented on developing a systematic and quantitati concept (like personality) can be imprinted in a product by modifying its appearance. Because consumers usually prefer products which personality is similar to their own [Govers 2005], the deep understan product under development, can be important knowledge for successfully introdu the market. Our ongoing research seeks to build such knowledge and to make availabl and engineers, a flexible and customizable new tool that allows the exploration of a range of formal solutions, by applying personality) to products under shape develo This article presents the preliminary results of a long term research that aims to develop such new tool. While in [Prieto et al. correlation among shapes and perceptio measurement methods to quantitatively assess product personality. At this stage, a first approach of shape descriptor allowing to properly categorizing the object shapes according to one pair of opp concepts (Gentle-Aggressive) is presented. A survey has been conducted to obtain statistical measurements of the perception degree of the interviewees with respect to the concept pair Gentle Aggressive, for each image subject to this study. Then, the mean or median) for each object silhouette are utilized in a supervised learning process to obtain a model of the concept. The obtained model corresponds to an artificial neural network, which allows to the perception degree of the studied concepts from the descriptor of a new silhouette.

A New Tool for Immersive 3D Free-Form Surface Modelling and Refining

A Novel Updating Modelling Methodology for Free-Form Surface Modifications in Early Stages of Design

The paper describes the first implementation of a method in which an initial CAD model is updated... more The paper describes the first implementation of a method in which an initial CAD model is updated from a physical model. The method is based on image-mapping in which an initial CAD model is updated from images of a soft rapid prototype model (RPM) which has been sculpted in order to carry out formal developments. The RP model is made by a 3Dimensional-colour printer, has a built-in contrasting grid composed by parallel planes in the X, Y and/or Z co-ordinates and has special consistency allowing it to be easily sculpted with hand modifications. During the sculpting process changes on the surface affect the lines on the RPM, which are the external presence of the internal grid planes and are corresponding to the initial CAD construction lines. These lines (profiles) then are visually contrasted by making use of identical perspective transformations and viewpoints for the virtual model and the RP model image. The initial CAD model is then updated by modifying the surface's const...

Too Many Attributes!: Diminishing the Cognitive Load of Metaphor Generation in Product Design

Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Design Creativity (ICDC 2020), 2020

Many successful products result from a creative ideation process guided by the use of metaphors. ... more Many successful products result from a creative ideation process guided by the use of metaphors. Metaphors are used to embed meaning or values in a final product, or as a tool to structure design problems and generate creative solutions. In the former case, the source of inspiration is selected because it naturally exhibits the required traits, whereas, in the latter, the source might be randomly chosen. In both cases, the final result is achieved by transferring one or more attributes from the source to the target product. Given that the number of transferrable attributes is very high compared to the capacity of human's working memory, how can we ensure that we are exploring all possible solutions? Are generated metaphors better when all options are in plain sight? In this paper we describe preliminary results drawn from the use of a tool aimed at facilitating metaphor generation for product concepts.

3D vision-based handheld system for visually impaired people: preliminary results on echo-localization using structured light sensors

Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express, 2018

Echo-localization in visually impaired people plays a crucial role in obstacle avoidance as long ... more Echo-localization in visually impaired people plays a crucial role in obstacle avoidance as long as the obstacle –either an object or a person–makes a sufficiently audible sound. Otherwise, the obstacle will be invisible for the visually impaired person unless it could be detected via, e.g., a white cane. Artificial vision systems, combined with a sound-based device, have proven to be effective in enhancing independence and mobility of visually impaired users in daily tasks. In this work, we propose, build and test an interface that converts depth information acquired by a 3D vision system, into 3D sound using the head related transfer function (HRTF) transform. Thus our system registers the environment and reproduce the nearest objects to the user with a distinctive tone and volume, according to the distance, and its position and orientation from the vision systems point of view, in real time in the head of the person. In addition, our system can be benefited from the integration of previously developed approaches, such as objects, color and face recognition to thus further improve the quality of life of visually impaired people. We test our system in a population of seven volunteers, showing an encouraging exponential learning behaviour when facing two main issues: crossing doors and navigating in crowded environments.

A New Edible Film to Produce In Vitro Meat

Foods, 2020

In vitro meat is a novel concept of food science and biotechnology. Methods to produce in vitro m... more In vitro meat is a novel concept of food science and biotechnology. Methods to produce in vitro meat employ muscle cells cultivated on a scaffold in a serum-free medium using a bioreactor. The microstructure of the scaffold is a key factor, because muscle cells must be oriented to generate parallel alignments of fibers. This work aimed to develop a new scaffold (microstructured film) to grow muscle fibers. The microstructured edible films were made using micromolding technology. A micromold was tailor-made using a laser cutting machine to obtain parallel fibers with a diameter in the range of 70–90 µm. Edible films were made by means of solvent casting using non-mammalian biopolymers. Myoblasts were cultured on flat and microstructured films at three cell densities. Cells on the microstructured films grew with a muscle fiber morphology, but in the case of using the flat film, they only produced unorganized cell proliferation. Myogenic markers were assessed using quantitative polymer...

Use of 3D Body Motion to Freeform Surface Design

This paper presents a novel surface modelling approach by utilising a 3D motion capture system. F... more This paper presents a novel surface modelling approach by utilising a 3D motion capture system. For designing a large-sized surface, a network of splines is initially set up. Artists or designers wearing motion markers on their hands can then change shapes of the splines with their hands. Literarily they can move their bodies freely to any positions to perform their

A Novel Desktop Computer-Aided Design System for Early form Design Developments

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, 2007

ABSTRACT In this paper a mixed desktop system utilizing computer aided design (CAD) and rapid pro... more ABSTRACT In this paper a mixed desktop system utilizing computer aided design (CAD) and rapid prototyping (RP) technologies to support form design at the early stages of the design process is described. This new system is an image-mapping-based application in which a simple initial CAD model is modelled in a commercial package (Alias StudioTools) and then automatically updated by a software which uses pictures of its sculpted rapid prototyping model (RPM) representation. The automatic updating process is carried out by comparing the images of the primary CAD model and the picture of the sculpted RPM. The latter is taken by a simple digital camera or web-cam using the same coordinate transformations as the CAD model. The use of white and black stripes in the RPM and skinning sections in the CAD model allows the detection of differences between the two representations and hence, the updating of the primary CAD model. The new CAD model is then transferred back into StudioTools for further developments. This new approach is quicker and simpler to use than alternative technologies, such as three-dimensional scanning.

Use of Three-Dimensional Body Motion to Free-Form Surface Design

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, 2006

This paper presents a novel surface modelling approach by utilizing a three-dimensional motion ca... more This paper presents a novel surface modelling approach by utilizing a three-dimensional motion capture system. For designing a large-sized surface, a network of splines is initially set up. Artists or designers wearing motion markers on their hands can then change the shapes of the splines with their hands. Literally they can move their bodies freely to any positions to perform their tasks. They can also move their hands in three-dimensional free space to detail surface characteristics by their gestures. All their design motions are recorded in the motion-capturing system and transferred into three-dimensional curves and surfaces correspondingly. This paper reports this novel surface design method and some case studies.

I like it elegant: imprinting personalities into product shapes

International Journal of Design Creativity and Innovation, 2019

The ability of designing personality-based products is key for their successful launch in the mar... more The ability of designing personality-based products is key for their successful launch in the market, since customers prefer products that have a similar personality to their own. However, the creative process designers use to imprint a given personality into a product is still a 'black-box' and lengthy process that requires expertise and successive customer validation. The research challenge here is how to systematize the creative process of defining new geometries of a product with an intended personality. Due to the complexity of this challenge, the focus of this paper is solely about the process of defining the shape of a product with a given personality. A 5-step systematic method to extract and define the key form aspects of a specific personality is defined to do this. The use of the method is exemplified by developing a shape which is representative of an elegant personality and its suitability is tested using questionnaires answered by both design and non-design trained people. Results show that customers better recognize the personality imprinted on the object when the steps of the proposed method are fully complied with. This work will assist designers with the creative process of product form definition.

A Novel Hybrid 2D and 3D Augmented Reality Based Method for Geometric Product Development

A method that uses the interaction of two and three dimensional environments to carry out the geo... more A method that uses the interaction of two and three dimensional environments to carry out the geometric modeling and refinement steps of the product development process is presented. The 2D environment is an interactive computer screen, where the initial sketching of the product takes place. This environment provides a direct one-to-one interaction and the feeling of using traditional pen and paper. Next, a characteristic feature of the 2D sketch is selected to be exported to a 3D environment, where 3D vision and manual interaction over an immersive augmented reality environment is provided to carry out the refinement steps. The 3D environment provides fully 3D visual feedback and geometry manipulation interaction. In this way, the advantages of 2D and 3D environments are used for a smooth transition between the sketching and the modeling tasks at the early stages of the design process. The goal of this ongoing work is solving some limitations of the 2D nature of sketching, the spee...

Exploring New Intuitive Interfaces for a Natural Design Process

Electronic Workshops in Computing, 2010

Robotic Care: A Low Cost Design to Assist Therapy for Brain Stroke Rehabilitation

Proceedings of the Design Society: International Conference on Engineering Design, 2019

A low cost robotic-assisted prototype for finger and hand rehabilitation of people affected by a ... more A low cost robotic-assisted prototype for finger and hand rehabilitation of people affected by a stroke is presented. The system was developed by a team of undergraduate students led by a Design lecturer in collaboration with the Rehabilitation Unit of the Peñablanca Public Hospital in Chile.The system consists of a flexion sensor equipped glove, a hand exoskeleton and an Arduino control unit. The patient wears the glove in his healthy hand. When s/he performs movements with the healthy hand, the sensors register the flexion of the fingers and send this information to the servo motors installed in an exoskeleton attached to the affected hand. In this way, the affected hand reproduces the movement of the healthy hand. The system uses a combination of the mirror therapy (the patient sees his/her affected hand moving in the same way that the healthy hand does) and passive exercising (as the exoskeleton produces the movement of the hand affected by the stroke). The combination of two ty...

Incorporating 3D body motions into large-sized freeform surface conceptual design

Biomedical sciences instrumentation, 2005

Large-sized free-form surface design presents some challenges in practice. Especially at the conc... more Large-sized free-form surface design presents some challenges in practice. Especially at the conceptual design stage, sculpting physical models is still essential for surface development, because CAD models are less intuitive for designers to design and modify them. These sculpted physical models can be then scanned and converted into CAD models. However, if the physical models are too big, designers may have problems in finding a suitable position to conduct their operations or simply the models are difficult to be scanned in. We investigated a novel surface modelling approach by utilising a 3D motion capture system. For designing a large-sized surface, a network of splines is initially set up. Artists or designers wearing motion marks on their hands can then change shapes of the splines with their hands. Literarily they can move their body freely to any positions to perform their tasks. They can also move their hands in 3D free space to detail surface characteristics by their gest...

On products shapes and personalities

In this paper, preliminary results of the first stage of a long-term research that aims at system... more In this paper, preliminary results of the first stage of a long-term research that aims at systematizing the task of product design with an intended personality are reported. A survey was conducted to detect whether there is a correlation between product shapes and personalities. In the survey people were asked to associate personalities to shapes of different types of products. The data collected from the survey were analyzed using multivariate statistical techniques and the results obtained from correlation analysis between shapes and personalities are presented. At this stage, among the different aspects of the product appearance, the focus of the survey was on the shape of the product, as it is one of its most relevant features. The aim of this stage is to detect whether a high correlation exists between product shapes and product personalities. At the next stage if such correlation exists, the numerical description of the shape will be analyzed to identify common geometrical features of products sharing the same personality. This information can later be used as input for developing a new CAD system to assist designers to develop new products with embedded personalities.

Quantifying Shape Descriptors for Aesthetic Concepts

This work is oriented on developing a systematic and quantitati concept (like personality) can be... more This work is oriented on developing a systematic and quantitati concept (like personality) can be imprinted in a product by modifying its appearance. Because consumers usually prefer products which personality is similar to their own [Govers 2005], the deep understan product under development, can be important knowledge for successfully introdu the market. Our ongoing research seeks to build such knowledge and to make availabl and engineers, a flexible and customizable new tool that allows the exploration of a range of formal solutions, by applying personality) to products under shape develo This article presents the preliminary results of a long term research that aims to develop such new tool. While in [Prieto et al. correlation among shapes and perceptio measurement methods to quantitatively assess product personality. At this stage, a first approach of shape descriptor allowing to properly categorizing the object shapes according to one pair of opp concepts (Gentle-Aggressive) is presented. A survey has been conducted to obtain statistical measurements of the perception degree of the interviewees with respect to the concept pair Gentle Aggressive, for each image subject to this study. Then, the mean or median) for each object silhouette are utilized in a supervised learning process to obtain a model of the concept. The obtained model corresponds to an artificial neural network, which allows to the perception degree of the studied concepts from the descriptor of a new silhouette.

A New Tool for Immersive 3D Free-Form Surface Modelling and Refining

A Novel Updating Modelling Methodology for Free-Form Surface Modifications in Early Stages of Design

The paper describes the first implementation of a method in which an initial CAD model is updated... more The paper describes the first implementation of a method in which an initial CAD model is updated from a physical model. The method is based on image-mapping in which an initial CAD model is updated from images of a soft rapid prototype model (RPM) which has been sculpted in order to carry out formal developments. The RP model is made by a 3Dimensional-colour printer, has a built-in contrasting grid composed by parallel planes in the X, Y and/or Z co-ordinates and has special consistency allowing it to be easily sculpted with hand modifications. During the sculpting process changes on the surface affect the lines on the RPM, which are the external presence of the internal grid planes and are corresponding to the initial CAD construction lines. These lines (profiles) then are visually contrasted by making use of identical perspective transformations and viewpoints for the virtual model and the RP model image. The initial CAD model is then updated by modifying the surface's const...

Too Many Attributes!: Diminishing the Cognitive Load of Metaphor Generation in Product Design

Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Design Creativity (ICDC 2020), 2020

Many successful products result from a creative ideation process guided by the use of metaphors. ... more Many successful products result from a creative ideation process guided by the use of metaphors. Metaphors are used to embed meaning or values in a final product, or as a tool to structure design problems and generate creative solutions. In the former case, the source of inspiration is selected because it naturally exhibits the required traits, whereas, in the latter, the source might be randomly chosen. In both cases, the final result is achieved by transferring one or more attributes from the source to the target product. Given that the number of transferrable attributes is very high compared to the capacity of human's working memory, how can we ensure that we are exploring all possible solutions? Are generated metaphors better when all options are in plain sight? In this paper we describe preliminary results drawn from the use of a tool aimed at facilitating metaphor generation for product concepts.

3D vision-based handheld system for visually impaired people: preliminary results on echo-localization using structured light sensors

Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express, 2018

Echo-localization in visually impaired people plays a crucial role in obstacle avoidance as long ... more Echo-localization in visually impaired people plays a crucial role in obstacle avoidance as long as the obstacle –either an object or a person–makes a sufficiently audible sound. Otherwise, the obstacle will be invisible for the visually impaired person unless it could be detected via, e.g., a white cane. Artificial vision systems, combined with a sound-based device, have proven to be effective in enhancing independence and mobility of visually impaired users in daily tasks. In this work, we propose, build and test an interface that converts depth information acquired by a 3D vision system, into 3D sound using the head related transfer function (HRTF) transform. Thus our system registers the environment and reproduce the nearest objects to the user with a distinctive tone and volume, according to the distance, and its position and orientation from the vision systems point of view, in real time in the head of the person. In addition, our system can be benefited from the integration of previously developed approaches, such as objects, color and face recognition to thus further improve the quality of life of visually impaired people. We test our system in a population of seven volunteers, showing an encouraging exponential learning behaviour when facing two main issues: crossing doors and navigating in crowded environments.

A New Edible Film to Produce In Vitro Meat

Foods, 2020

In vitro meat is a novel concept of food science and biotechnology. Methods to produce in vitro m... more In vitro meat is a novel concept of food science and biotechnology. Methods to produce in vitro meat employ muscle cells cultivated on a scaffold in a serum-free medium using a bioreactor. The microstructure of the scaffold is a key factor, because muscle cells must be oriented to generate parallel alignments of fibers. This work aimed to develop a new scaffold (microstructured film) to grow muscle fibers. The microstructured edible films were made using micromolding technology. A micromold was tailor-made using a laser cutting machine to obtain parallel fibers with a diameter in the range of 70–90 µm. Edible films were made by means of solvent casting using non-mammalian biopolymers. Myoblasts were cultured on flat and microstructured films at three cell densities. Cells on the microstructured films grew with a muscle fiber morphology, but in the case of using the flat film, they only produced unorganized cell proliferation. Myogenic markers were assessed using quantitative polymer...

Use of 3D Body Motion to Freeform Surface Design

This paper presents a novel surface modelling approach by utilising a 3D motion capture system. F... more This paper presents a novel surface modelling approach by utilising a 3D motion capture system. For designing a large-sized surface, a network of splines is initially set up. Artists or designers wearing motion markers on their hands can then change shapes of the splines with their hands. Literarily they can move their bodies freely to any positions to perform their

A Novel Desktop Computer-Aided Design System for Early form Design Developments

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, 2007

ABSTRACT In this paper a mixed desktop system utilizing computer aided design (CAD) and rapid pro... more ABSTRACT In this paper a mixed desktop system utilizing computer aided design (CAD) and rapid prototyping (RP) technologies to support form design at the early stages of the design process is described. This new system is an image-mapping-based application in which a simple initial CAD model is modelled in a commercial package (Alias StudioTools) and then automatically updated by a software which uses pictures of its sculpted rapid prototyping model (RPM) representation. The automatic updating process is carried out by comparing the images of the primary CAD model and the picture of the sculpted RPM. The latter is taken by a simple digital camera or web-cam using the same coordinate transformations as the CAD model. The use of white and black stripes in the RPM and skinning sections in the CAD model allows the detection of differences between the two representations and hence, the updating of the primary CAD model. The new CAD model is then transferred back into StudioTools for further developments. This new approach is quicker and simpler to use than alternative technologies, such as three-dimensional scanning.

Use of Three-Dimensional Body Motion to Free-Form Surface Design

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, 2006

This paper presents a novel surface modelling approach by utilizing a three-dimensional motion ca... more This paper presents a novel surface modelling approach by utilizing a three-dimensional motion capture system. For designing a large-sized surface, a network of splines is initially set up. Artists or designers wearing motion markers on their hands can then change the shapes of the splines with their hands. Literally they can move their bodies freely to any positions to perform their tasks. They can also move their hands in three-dimensional free space to detail surface characteristics by their gestures. All their design motions are recorded in the motion-capturing system and transferred into three-dimensional curves and surfaces correspondingly. This paper reports this novel surface design method and some case studies.

I like it elegant: imprinting personalities into product shapes

International Journal of Design Creativity and Innovation, 2019

The ability of designing personality-based products is key for their successful launch in the mar... more The ability of designing personality-based products is key for their successful launch in the market, since customers prefer products that have a similar personality to their own. However, the creative process designers use to imprint a given personality into a product is still a 'black-box' and lengthy process that requires expertise and successive customer validation. The research challenge here is how to systematize the creative process of defining new geometries of a product with an intended personality. Due to the complexity of this challenge, the focus of this paper is solely about the process of defining the shape of a product with a given personality. A 5-step systematic method to extract and define the key form aspects of a specific personality is defined to do this. The use of the method is exemplified by developing a shape which is representative of an elegant personality and its suitability is tested using questionnaires answered by both design and non-design trained people. Results show that customers better recognize the personality imprinted on the object when the steps of the proposed method are fully complied with. This work will assist designers with the creative process of product form definition.