Papers by Juan Diego Gomez
Iop Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 2010
The Indirect Boundary Element Method (IBEM) is used to compute the seismic response of a three-di... more The Indirect Boundary Element Method (IBEM) is used to compute the seismic response of a three-dimensional rockfill dam model. The IBEM is based on a single layer integral representation of elastic fields in terms of the full-space Green function, or fundamental solution of the equations of dynamic elasticity, and the associated force densities along the boundaries. The method has been applied to simulate the ground motion in several configurations of surface geology. Moreover, the IBEM has been used as benchmark to test other procedures. We compute the seismic response of a threedimensional rockfill dam model placed within a canyon that constitutes an irregularity on the surface of an elastic half-space. The rockfill is also assumed elastic with hysteretic damping to account for energy dissipation. Various types of incident waves are considered to analyze the physical characteristics of the response: symmetries, amplifications, impulse response and the like. Computations are performed in the frequency domain and lead to time response using Fourier analysis. In the present implementation a symmetrical model is used to test symmetries. The boundaries of each region are discretized into boundary elements whose size depends on the shortest wavelength, typically, six boundary segments per wavelength. Usually, the seismic response of rockfill dams is simulated using either finite elements (FEM) or finite differences (FDM). In most applications, commercial tools that combine features of these methods are used to assess the seismic response of the system for a given motion at the base of model. However, in order to consider realistic excitation of seismic waves with different incidence angles and azimuth we explore the IBEM.
Many people with visual disabilities mainly use audio feedback as a primary modality for interact... more Many people with visual disabilities mainly use audio feedback as a primary modality for interaction. Representing the visual environment with appropriate sounds contributes to make it intelligible to the blind. This audio-encoded environment still needs to be accessed in the same way as sighted people scan visual contents with their gaze. A finger-based scanning could be seen as a gaze-like strategy for those with visual impairments to be able of sensing an audio-represented context. We present in this work a computational interface that meets both, the visual-audio codification and the multi-touch interaction, so as to enlarge legibility of the environment for the blind and to facilitate navigating to desired locations, exploration, and serendipitous discovery. The core of this interface is the color and depth codification into musical instruments sounds, which effectively provides spatial awareness, audio revealing of boundaries and obstacles detection. The main contribution of our work is the assistance provided by this interface toward an active interaction of the user with his fingers that makes it possible to selectively explore, to discover points of interest, develop personalized strategies for navigating, and, in general, enjoy a greater sense of independence.
Providing the blind with substitute visual perception is a relentless challenge confronting resea... more Providing the blind with substitute visual perception is a relentless challenge confronting researchers of diverse areas. The See ColOr (Seeing Color with an Orchestra) system translates aimed-at regions of a color scene into 2D-spatialized sound signals represented by musical instruments. Associating sounds with colors is achieved thanks to an efficient quantization of the regions' HSL representation (Hue, Saturation, Luminosity). See
Neurocomputing, 2011
Although retinal neural implants have considerably progressed they raise a number of questions co... more Although retinal neural implants have considerably progressed they raise a number of questions concerning user acceptance, risk rejection and cost. For the time being we support a low cost approach based on the transmission of limited vision information by means of the auditory channel. The See ColOr mobility aid for visually impaired individuals transforms a small portion of a coloured video image into sound sources represented by spatialised musical instruments. Basically, the conversion of colours into sounds is achieved by quantisation of the HSL colour system. Our purpose is to provide blind people with a capability of perception of the environment in real time. In this work the novelty is the simultaneous sonification of colour and depth, the last parameter being coded by sound rhythm. The main drawback of our approach is that the sonification of a limited portion of a captured image involves limited perception.
Abstract Microsoft's Kinect 3-D motion sensor is a low cost 3D camera that provides color an... more Abstract Microsoft's Kinect 3-D motion sensor is a low cost 3D camera that provides color and depth information of indoor environments. In this demonstration, the functionality of this fun-only camera accompanied by an iPad's tangible interface is targeted to the benefit of ...
El universo (que otros llaman la Biblioteca) se compone de un número indefinido, y tal vez infini... more El universo (que otros llaman la Biblioteca) se compone de un número indefinido, y tal vez infinito, de galerías hexagonales, con vastos pozos de ventilación en el medio, cercados por barandas bajísimas. Desde cualquier hexágono se ven los pisos inferiores y superiores: interminablemente. La distribución de las galerías es invariable. Veinte anaqueles, a cinco largos anaqueles por lado, cubren todos los lados menos dos; su altura, que es la de los pisos, excede apenas la de un bibliotecario normal. Una de las caras libres da a un angosto zaguán, que desemboca en otra galería, idéntica a la primera y a todas. A izquierda y a derecha del zaguán hay dos gabinetes minúsculos. Uno permite dormir de pie; otro, satisfacer las necesidades finales. Por ahí pasa la escalera espiral, que se abisma y se eleva hacia lo remoto. En el zaguán hay un espejo, que fielmente duplica las apariencias. Los hombres suelen inferir de ese espejo que la Biblioteca no es infinita (si lo fuera realmente ¿a qué esa duplicación ilusoria?); yo prefiero soñar que las superficies bruñidas figuran y prometen el infinito... La luz procede de unas frutas esféricas que llevan el nombre de lámparas. Hay dos en cada hexágono: transversales. La luz que emiten es insuficiente, incesante.
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Papers by Juan Diego Gomez