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Interações gestuais e faciais detetadas com câmara de profundidade

Publication . Aguiar, David Gomes de; Cabral, Diogo Nuno Crespo Ribeiro

Vários métodos de interação foram criados ao longo do tempo, na tentativa de substituir os métodos tradicionais (teclado e rato) por outros mais naturais. Porém estas alternativas acabam por ser na maioria das vezes dispendiosas e não se adaptarem a diferentes cenários de aplicação. As câmaras de profundidade demonstram ser uma alternativa de interação com menos limitações, mas cujos cenários de aplicação em que esta tecnologia seja uma mais valia real ainda se encontram por definir. Neste projeto foi desenvolvido um protótipo que permite a manipulação de imagens através de interações faciais e gestuais e uma frame háptica de apoio ao utilizador e que explora a profundidade dos gestos como meio de seleção. Estas interações têm como base a captação e seguimento de múltiplos pontos da face e pontos das mãos.

2019-01-10Master thesis

Open access

Supporting physical training in healthy older adults through biocybernetic adaptation and exergaming

Publication . Muñoz Cardona, John Edison; Bermúdez i Badia, Sergi; Gouveia, Élvio Rúbio Quintal; Cameirão, Mónica da Silva

Physical inactivity in older adults is commonly associated with the development of chronic diseases, poor maintenance of functional status, possible cognitive declines and the loss of physical independence. With the aim of reducing the social and economic burdens generated by the high percentages of older adults in the population, active aging programs have been intensively promoted. These programs, however, suffer from low rates of adherence and a lack of exercise’s personalization that end up in demotivated older adults. Exercise videogames (Exergames) have been established as a fun and enjoyable method to promote physical activity, by using competition, timely feedback, and fun, they counteract the monotony of exercise routines. Although frequently attractive, the use of Exergames for exercise promotion in older adults still faces challenges in demonstrating effectiveness regarding functional fitness, cognitive functions, and game user experience. Moreover, the long-term effects of using Exergames as a structured exercise program in the older population have been rarely investigated. To tackle these limitations in Exergaming research, this thesis uses two different Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) techniques: humancentered design and physiological computing. The main objective is to maximize Exergaming effectiveness via: i) providing a more personalized, diversified and enjoyable game experience through custom-made Exergames and ii) optimizing the body responses while exercising with a physiologically intelligent software layer. First, a set of four Exergames that covers aerobic endurance, muscular strength and motor ability fitness domains were carefully designed via contextual design. Secondly, the biocybernetic loop construct from physiological computing is used to improve the cardiovascular performance of older adults through an Exergame that adapts its difficulty based on game performance and exertion levels, thus persuading players to exert in the desired and recommended levels. Two cross-sectional and two longitudinal controlled studies were completed in local senior gymnasiums with active older adults addressing multiple research questions to unveil the role of customized and adaptive Exergames in promoting physical activity. We demonstrated how attractiveness and effectiveness can be successfully combined in Exergaming design to deliver encouraging and motivating exercises that are equivalent (or sometimes better) to conventional training methods. Moreover, we illustrated the design of a set of physiological computing software tools that can be extensively used for biocybernetic adaptation in videogames, and physiological signal post-processing and interpretation.

2018-10-25Doctoral thesis

Open access

From body tracking interaction in floor projection displays to elderly cardiorespiratory training through exergaming

Publication . Gonçalves, Afonso; Nóbrega, Filipa; Cameirão, Mónica; Muñoz, John E.; Gouveia, Élvio; Bermúdez i Badia, Sergi

The opportunity to develop new natural user interfaces has come forward due to the recent development of inexpensive full body tracking sensors, which has made this technology accessible to millions of users. In this paper, we present a comparative study between two natural user interfaces, and a cardiorespiratory training exergame developed based on the study results. The focus was on studying interfaces that could easily be used by an elderly population for interaction with ﬂoor projection displays. One interface uses both feet position to control a cursor and feet distance to trigger activation. In the alternative interface, the cursor is controlled by forearm ray casting into the projection ﬂoor and interaction is activated by hand pose. These modes of interaction were tested with 19 elderly participants in a point-and-click and a drag-and-drop task using a between-subjects experimental design. The usability, perceived workload and performance indicators were measured for each interface. Results show a clear preference towards the feet-controlled interface and a marginally better performance for this method. The results from the study served as a guide to the design of a cardiorespiratory ﬁtness exergame for the elderly. The game “Grape Stomping” uses ground projection and mapping to display real-size winery elements. These virtual elements are used to simulate, in a playful way, the process of grape maceration through repeated stomping. A playtest session with nine elderly users was completed and its insights are presented in addition to the description of the game.

2019Conference object

Restricted access

NeuRow: an immersive VR environment for motor-imagery training with the use of brain-computer interfaces and vibrotactile feedback

Publication . Bermúdez i Badia, Sergi; Ferreira, André; Vourvopoulos, Athanasios

Motor-Imagery offers a solid foundation for the development of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs), capable of direct brain-to-computer communication but also effective in alleviating neurological impairments. The fusion of BCIs with Virtual Reality (VR) allowed the enhancement of the field of virtual rehabilitation by including patients with low-level of motor control with limited access to treatment. BCI-VR technology has pushed research towards finding new solutions for better and reliable BCI control. Based on our previous work, we have developed NeuRow, a novel multiplatform prototype that makes use of multimodal feedback in an immersive VR environment delivered through a state-of-the-art Head Mounted Display (HMD). In this article we present the system design and development, including important features for creating a closed neurofeedback loop in an implicit manner, and preliminary data on user performance and user acceptance of the system.

2016Conference object

Restricted access

Development and assessment of a self-paced BCI-VR paradigm using multimodal stimulation and adaptive performance

Publication . Vourvopoulos, Athanasios; Ferreira, André; Bermúdez i Badia, Sergi

Motor-Imagery based Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) can provide alternative communication pathways to neurologically impaired patients. The combination of BCIs and Virtual Reality (VR) can provide induced illusions of movement to patients with low-level of motor control during motor rehabilitation tasks. Unfortunately, current BCI systems lack reliability and good performance levels in comparison with other types of computer interfaces. To date, there is little evidence on how BCI-based motor training needs to be designed for transferring rehabilitation improvements to real life. Based on our previous work, we showcase the development and assessment of NeuRow, a novel multiplatform immersive VR environment that makes use of multimodal stimulation through vision, sound and vibrotactile feedback and delivered through a VR Head Mounted Display. In addition, we integrated the Adaptive Performance Engine (APE), a statistical approach to optimize user control in a selfpaced BCI-VR paradigm. In this paper, we describe the development and pilot assessment of NeuRow as well as its integration and assessment with APE.

2019Conference object

Restricted access