Titulo Estágio
Tangible Virtual Reality Machines
Local do Estágio
DEI
Enquadramento
(For images, open the doc version of this proposal: https://bit.ly/3aeWpcr )
Tangible interaction in the context of museums and other cultural activities has been explored before to provide visitors with engaging interactions with cultural heritage content []. Tangible interaction systems are usually considered to be more natural and thus lend themselves better to walk-up-and-use situations where users don’t have much time to learn how to use the system.
Previous work by [1,2] has explored the possibility of tangible interaction in smartphone-based Virtual Reality (VR) by using visual markers in cardboard objects. Subsequent work [4] is now exploring the development of higher-level programming toolkits to aid in the construction of such interactive experiences.
In the current project, the aim is to apply marker-based tangible interaction for smartphone-based VR in the context of interacting with machines in the Science Museum of the University of Coimbra. The Science Museum features various machines used to teach physics which are not usually available for public manipulation. The purpose of this project is to create physical prototypes of the machines that can be used to interact with a virtual rendering of the same machine in VR.
Objetivo
The main objective of this work is to create an interactive tangible VR experience for one machine in the Science Museum (users physically manipulate a prototype of the machine and experience the virtual representation with animation, sound, etc).
It should be noted that the main aim of the physical prototype of the machine is to allow users to have a haptic sensation similar to the one they would get by manipulating the actual machine. As such, the prototype can be made much simpler than the actual machine.
Plano de Trabalhos - Semestre 1
Study the machines in the Science Museum
Study tangible interaction, in particular for VR experiences
Make an initial prototype that demonstrates the concept of interacting with a tangible machine.
Plano de Trabalhos - Semestre 2
Select the machine to replicate
Produce or adapt a 3D model of the machine, possibly creating animations
Create the proxy physical machine
Develop a complete VR experience around that machine that demonstrates the physical phenomena
Evaluate the resulting system, ideally with tourist users
Condições
Trabalho com a co-orientação da prof. Claudete Moreira do departamento de Geografia e Turismo.
Observações
Other dissertations [3] have also focused on the machines of the Science Museum. The student should also research these as they may have available 3D models of the machines.
Although the VR platform is not a closed requirement, the suggested platform is the Web-based VR framework A-Frame. As such, students should have proficiency in HTML and JavaScript programming.
[1] Cardoso, J. C. S., & Ribeiro, J. M. (2021). Tangible VR Book: Exploring the Design Space of Marker-Based Tangible Interfaces for Virtual Reality. Applied Sciences, 11(4), 1367. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041367
[2] Ferreira, J. M. R. (2020). Interacção em Realidade Virtual Através de Tangíveis Passivos. Universidade de Coimbra. Retrieved from https://estudogeral.sib.uc.pt/handle/10316/92494
[3] Monteiro, A. L. V. (2019). Index-Máquina de Nairne. Universidade de Coimbra. Retrieved from https://estudogeral.sib.uc.pt/handle/10316/88019
[4] Mesquita, J. (2021). Interaction toolkit for programming marker-based tangible interaction in VR. (In development)
Orientador
Jorge Carlos dos Santos Cardoso
jorgecardoso@dei.uc.pt 📩