Author Archives: kponto

Reading 8

Posted on by
For class 4/7/14
Post Comments by 11:59 pm on 4/6/14

This week we will be reading two papers from IEEE VR 2014.  These papers can be found at:

https://uwmadison.box.com/s/7rerpo60yioc9618hyqj

You will need to use your campus ID to get access to them.  There is also a video included for the first article.

Discussion

This week we will do an unstructured discussion.  For each paper write 3-4 paragraphs (6-8 paragraphs total).  Items in which you can discuss

  • Your overall impressions of the article
  • Strengths of the work
  • Weaknesses of the work
  • Questions you have and/or items you would like clarified
  • Implications of the work
  • What you think the next study should be based on this work

 

Project Posts

Posted on by

We are in the final stretch of the semester, so I thought I would give a reminder that your project posts are worth %15 of your overall grade.  Weekly project postings should include

  • One piece of media related to your work (image, video, audio, etc)
  • What each individual in the group worked on over the last week
  • A description of the accomplishments made
  • A description of the problems encountered
  • An analysis whether or not the project is still on schedule
  • Plans for the upcoming week

These posts are due before class (11am) on Friday.

Also, please assign the correct category (one the right panel) for your specific project team

I will post comments on your projects with links and suggestions (others can do the same as well).  In this regard it would also be helpful for me to flip the “allow comments” flag to on, but I can do it after your post as well.

Comments have been added to your posts from last week.

Project Posts

Posted on by

For class Friday, March 14, make a post containing

  • Your team name
  • A description of what you want to do
  • Concept art (at least one image)
  • Added: What equipment you plan to use
  • A description of what you think you know how to do
  • A description of things you are less sure you know how to do
  • What is your first step

After March 14, we will have weekly project posts.  These posts should contain:

  • What each individual in the group worked on over the last week
  • A description of the accomplishments made
  • A description of the problems encountered
  • An analysis whether or not the project is still on schedule
  • Plans for the upcoming week
  • Finally, include at least one piece of media related to your work (image, video, audio, etc)

Additionally, for class Friday, March 28, make a post containing

  • Any revisions to the plan from March 14th
  • A timeline of weekly milestones through the end of the semester
  • Fallback plans / contingencies (i.e. what will you do if things don’t go as planned?)

Reading 6

Posted on by

For class 3/10/14
Post Comments by 11:59 pm on 3/9/14

Virtual Reality as the End of the Enlightenment Project
by Simon Penny

Please print out these articles and bring them with you to class on Monday for discussion.  Alternatively, you can bring digital version of the reading with you.

Discussion (Two Parts)

Part 1

What do you think the author is trying to have the reader take away from this piece?   Do you feel this piece is effective overall? What points do you think were effective/convincing for you and which were not? (Write at least 1-2 paragraphs)

Part 2: Pick four of the following

  1. Choose one of the examples the author lists of pre-1950 VR.  How would you compare these types of systems to VR systems of today?
  2. The paper predicts that a future that we seem not to have arrived to.  Why do you think this disparity exists?  What things do you feel like have come to fruition and things do you feel like are still in the future.
  3. Do you agree with the author that VR is different than tradition mediums such as film, television and so on? In what ways is VR similar and in what ways is it different?
  4. The author argues that inventors often don’t see the downsides of their own inventions.  Do you feel that this is the case for VR?  Does VR present a more powerful means of presenting images for companies than other forms of media?
  5. What do you think about the authors take on “how real is VR?”  Do you find the passenger analogy apt? (state why)
  6. What do you think of the Battletech example? Do you feel like video games have taken the role of simulated Interactive media that the author suggests?  What do you think of the authors argument about “undiminished feeling of free will”?
  7. What do you think of the section on surveillance?  Do you feel like it fits with the rest of the article?  Describe why or why not
  8. What do you think of the quote from Lanier about the cup? Do you agree with the author or Lanier.  Why or why not?
  9. The author states that the R in VR is misleading.  Do you agree?
  10. The author implies that being inside of a simulated environment can cause the senses to become out of alignment.  Do you agree that this is a concern?  Does the section on cognitive plasticity make this concern seem less threatening?
  11. The author brings up the idea that humans only navigate a 2.5D space so that multi-dimensional data representations are not useful.  Do you agree?  Could VR provide a better approach to multi-dimensional data analysis?
  12. Do you agree there is no need for a body in VR?  Do you agree that Randy Walser and Eric Gulichsen are misguided in their quote?  Should we be concerned about alternative bodies?
  13. You may find a term or topic that you are unfamiliar with.  If you would like to, do a little research on the subject (wikipedia would be a good place to start). Briefly describe your understanding of this concept and how confident you are about this understanding.
  14. Find a topic that you interesting, dubious, or curious and explain why.  (Write at least 1 paragraph of explanation and add citations if warranted)

Project Brainstorm

Posted on by

Here are some notes from our class discussion today.  Please post comments as to which projects you would be interested on working on and feel free to add in more information.  We will determine project teams next week.

Idea 1: Alteration of Physical Spaces

Enable the rapid prototyping physical spaces, simulate visual impairments, and simulate different users (such as child height).

Idea 2: Virtual Experiences

Simulate virtual creatures such as from the film the Birds, virtual zombies, murder mysteries or to create the feeling of what it is like to be chased.  Could also be for education, such as with the Magic School Bus.  Finally, create the experiences seen in video games.

Idea 3: Create an Augmented Reality Visualization

Overlay virtual stats onto a virtual map.  Visualize large amounts of data in 3D.  Create immersive visualizations of music.  Create a GPS based AR game.

About the projects
The idea for projects for the class is to generate a working prototype by the end of the semester.  This means that the project need more be a proof of concept than a refined product.  We will have weekly progress posts that will demonstrate each group and individuals efforts and progress.  At this point is perfectly acceptable to aim high and scale back later.

Reading 5

Posted on by

For class 3/3/14
Post Comments by 11:59 pm on 3/2/14

What it is like to see: A sensorimotor theory of perceptual experience
by O’Regan and Noe
http://nivea.psycho.univ-paris5.fr/Synthese/MyinFinal.html

Discussion (Pick 5)

  1. Do you agree that the authors theory “provides a unifying framework in which to consider the relations between sensory experience in different sensory modalities …, and the relation between sensory experience and other human activities.”? Briefly discuss the merits or the shortcomings of the authors theory.
  2. What do you think of the idea of “feeling the presence of redness”?  Do you agree that this feeling can be described with second-order awareness?  Would it be possible to give a robot or AI the ability to feel the presence of redness?
  3. What are you initial thoughts on the ideas presented for “change blindness”? For examples, you can watch a few examples from http://nivea.psycho.univ-paris5.fr/#CB.  In what ways do you see us being able to exploit this in VR applications?
  4. While the authors mention machines, the focus for the article is on humans.  Do you think that a machine could have sensation, perception, and/or awareness? If so, describe with examples for each.  If not, describe why not for each.
  5. You may find a term or topic that you are unfamiliar with.  If you would like to, do a little research on the subject (wikipedia would be a good place to start). Briefly describe your understanding of this concept and how confident you are about this understanding.
  6. Find a topic that you interesting, dubious, or curious and explain why.  Write at least a paragraph of explanation and add citations if warranted.