Past events
Research talk by Doron Friedman, Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, Israel
Date:10th July 2009,
Time: 12:00h
Place:Edificio Ponent, 2nd building, Aula 2105, 2nd. floor
Title: Virtual World Research Bots
Abstract:
Millions of people now inhabit online virtual worlds, where they engage in various activities, including entertainment, commerce, romance, and politics. In this talk I will present our methodology for studying human behavior in the virtual world SecondLife (SL) using automated software agents (bots), and describe our new generation of bots that are based on reinforcement learning.
In addition, I will describe a new result: our bot recently discovered that social spatial
behavior in SL obeys a power-law distribution; this is in contradiction to our previous findings.
Research talk by Julien Castet
Phd Student « Art Science Technologies »
Laboratoire Informatique et Création Artistique
Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble
Date:17th June 2009,
Time: 15:00h
Place:Edificio Ponent, 2nd building, Aula 1105, 1st. floor
Title: Computer architecture for multimodal and interactive simulation - Instrumental interaction and virtual reality
Abstract:
Over the years, Virtual Reality researches have broadened their field of application. This phenomenon is mainly due to the evolution of computer technologies, and to the integration of news interfaces into computer architectures.
Haptic devices belong to this category of interfaces, which allow to create a mechanical coupling between the user and the virtual object, and also address the gestural functions : perception and action.
Today, the integration of these devices in the VR solutions remains a critical problem, especially to implement the haptic treatment into the computation of 3D scene. In front of this problem, the asynchronous approach is the main solution used, since it allows to decouple visual and haptic computation.
This method maintains a coherence between visual feedback and haptic feedback, but in the context of gesture learning, the asynchronous functionnement doesn’t guarantee the permanence of the physical properties perceived from the virtual environment. In this condition, the acquisition of gesture dexterity appears compromised.
This talk presents my thesis that consists in the conception and realization of a synchronous multimodal simulation architecture. The particularity of this work is its « hard real-time » approach which allows to ensure computation determinism through external clock. Also, this simulator is conceived to be a pertinent tool for gesture learning like in instrumental art creation.
Research talk by Diego Gutierrez
Date:10th June 2009,
Time: 15:00h
Place:Edificio Ponent, 2nd building, Aula 2103, 1st. floor
Title: Perception-based image editing techniques
Abstract:
Image editing and post-processing techniques have matured over the years, making it difficult (verging on impossible) to assess whether an image has been digitally enhanced or fixed somehow. However, complex manipulations still rely on skilled user input, painstakingly painting over pixels.
We present our recent and on-going work on advanced image editing techniques,
extending current tools by leveraging the limitations of the human visual system and the wealth of information available in a high dynamic range image. Working in perceptual space, psychophysics play an important role in assessing the validity of the results. Examples include simulating complex light transport such as participating media or caustics, appearance capture of subsurface scattering or relighting of images.
Research talk by Robert Leeb
Date:22st May 2009,
Time: 12:00h
Place:Edificio Ponent, 2nd building, Aula 1105, 1st. floor
Title: General basics and recent applications for asynchronous control
Abstract:
Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology deals with the development of a direct communication channel between the human brain and machines which does not require any motor activity [Pfurtscheller 2001, Wolpaw 2002].
This is possible through the real-time analysis of the electroencephalogram (EEG). Voluntary mental activity (e.g. a sequence of thoughts) modifies bioelectrical brain activity and consequently the EEG. A BCI is able to detect such changes and generate operative control signals. Particularly for people suffering from severe physical disabilities or are in a “locked-in” state a BCI offers a possible communication channel [Birbaumer 2006].
Recently, the BCI has been used to control events within a virtual environment (VE), either by looking on flashing objects [Bayliss 2003, Lalor 2005] or by modulation of specific mental strategies (e.g. motor imagery) [Leeb 2006, Pfurtscheller 2006]. Thereby, the EEG was analyzed in predefined time intervals and the participants could decide between two states (either go right/left or forward/stop), but only whenever they were triggered by the system [Leeb 2007]. Transferring the BCI from laboratory conditions towards real world applications needs the identification of brain patterns asynchronously without any timing constraints: the computer is not longer in control of timing and speed but the user.
Important points in realizing a practical and useable motor-imagery based Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) are: (i) to have a stable electroencephalogram (EEG) phenomena for detection and control, (ii) to need only a short training time and (iii) to use only one or a number of EEG derivations [Solis 2009].
In this presentation an overview is given how to establish BCI-based control of virtual reality. The advantages and disadvantages of several approaches are explained with the help of some performed experimental studies. Furthermore insights to recent unpublished works with the so-called beta rebound, a short-lasting event related synchronization (ERS) after an imagined movement, are shown. Finally hints, advices, approaches and examples for experiments which could be carried out at the University of Barcelona are given.
Robert Leeb is post-doctoral researcher at Graz University of Technology (TUG), Austria and since May 1st 2009 at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. He studied electrical and biomedical engineering at TUG and Sheffield Hallam University. At the Brain-Computer Interface Laboratory (BCI-Lab) of Prof. Pfurtscheller he investigated during his PhD thesis the control of virtual environments by thoughts. His research interests include brain-computer interfaces, biosignal processing and virtual reality.
Research talk by Jesper Mortensen
Date:21st May 2009,
Time: 15:00h
Place:Edificio Ponent, 2nd building, Aula 1105, 1st. floor
Title: Global Illumination for Real-time VR Applications
Abstract: I will give an overview of the Virtual Light Field paradigm for real-time rendering with global illumination. It provides full global illumination for static scenes and efficient access to lighting information, which can be used for real-time relighting of dynamic/deformable objects such as avatars. Additionally, I will present the Enlighten Large Worlds SDK, which is currently being developed by Geomerics Ltd. with emphasis on the implications for integrating this into real-time VR applications. This SDK provides real-time radiosity with dynamic lights and geometry.
Research talk by Giulio Ruffini, Starlab
Date:14th May 2009,
Time: 12:00h
Place:Edificio Ponent, 2nd building, Aula 1105, 1st. floor
Title: Reality as Simplicity
I discuss some fundamental aspects of information theory and its relationship to physics and neuroscience.
The aim of this paper is to identify some questions relevant to neuro- science and Presence research and point out the relevance of the concept of simplicity and its formal representation as Kolmogovov or algorithmic complexity in their eventual resolution.
The discussion is based on two modeling premises:
1) all human experience is generated in the brain,
2) all the brain has access to is information.
Taken together these two premises imply that concepts such as ‘reality’, the ‘universe’ and even ‘physics’ are derived mental constructs based on information, i.e., algorithmic models. Naturally, the same premises apply to humans in real or virtual environments as well as robots. At the moment we have a mathematical model for information, but we don’t know enough about the brain, and hence about the process by which it produces the models it constructs. It is argued here that an important principle is the search for simple models and hence, in some sense, what we call reality arises from simplicity. A consequence of these ideas is that neuroscience and physics,which purports to describe reality, have to merge at a fundamental level for mutual advancement and that the concept of simplicity can play a fundamental role in this union. In a more practical sense, we highlight the relevance of these concepts to Presence research,neuroscience, robotics, machine learning and education. It is argued that in all these fields there is a common conceptual thread based on the idea of simplicity.
In particular, in Presence research it is conjectured in a formal way that given alternative models (interpretations) for a given mediated interaction in VR, a brain will select the simplest one it can construct.
Research talk by Manos Tsakiris, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London
Date:13th May 2009,
Time: 15:00h
Place:Edificio Ponent, 2nd building, Aula 1105, 1st. floor
Title: I’ll be your mirror: Multisensory integration and self-other relations
Changes occurring to self-representations as an effect of multisensory inflow have an egopetal direction of change, that is, from the world to the body, from the other to the self: for example, in the rubber hand illusion, people perceive that a rubber hand is becoming more like their own hand, and this correlates with the experienced ownership over the hand (Longo et al, in press).
We now extend these findings in two ways. First, we investigate how current multisensory inflow may alter representations of one’s own face, and second we assess the extent to which changes on self-representations may in turn change the way we perceive other people. A series of experiments on self-face recognition show that representations of one’s own face are not stable, but instead can be altered and allow for the assimilation of someone else’s facial features.
The participants' ability to recognise their own face changed when they watched the face of another person being touched at the same time as their own face was touched, as though they were looking in a mirror (Tsakiris, 2008). Specifically, when asked to recognize a picture of their own face, the picture that people chose included features of the other person they had previously seen.
The pattern indicates an ego-petal direction of change: the other becomes more part of me that I become part of the other. Second, we investigate the possibility of an ego-fugal direction of change as a result of shared multisensory experiences, from the self to the world, from my body to the perception of other people’s bodies. By combining bodily illusions with measures of implicit biases we show how changes in representations of one’s own body may consequently modulate perceptual components of implicit racial bias towards other people (Tsakiris, unpublished data).
Overall, changes induced as a result of multisensory experience affect mainly the representation of one's self and body in relation to other people or bodies.
Computation of Emotions in Man and Machines.
The Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AG, 20-21 April 2009.
Discussion Meeting by Professor Peter Robinson and Dr Rana el Kaliouby.
Invited speaker: Professor Mel Slater.
Research talk by Salvador Soto-Farako from ICREA - Parc Científic de Barcelona & Dept. de Psicologia Bàsica Universitat de Barcelona
Date:1st April 2009,
Time: 15:00h
Place:Edificio Ponent, 2nd building, Aula 1105, 1st. floor
Title: Multisensory binding and attention
The Educational Resources Exhibition .
Programa Joves i Ciència: "II trovada cientifica del progama Joves i Ciencia de de l'obra social de Caixa Catalunya"
Sala Gaudí de La Pedrera, Barcelona
Saturday 28 February 2009 at 11:30h
Title: The Transforming Power of Virtual Reality by Prof. Mel Slater
RAVE-09 Workshop, Barcelona, March 4th 2009
Research talk by Prof. J. Gutiérrez Maldonado - Departamento de Personalidad, Evaluación y Tratamientos Psicológicos, Universidad de Barcelona
Date:25th February 2009,
Time: 11:00h
Place:Edificio Ponent, 2nd building, Ground floor
Title: Aplicaciones de la realidad virtual en Psicología clínica y de la salud
Durante los últimos años, nuestro grupo viene desarrollando investigación sobre las aplicaciones de la realidad virtiual en Psicología clínica y de la salud. Una de las técnicas de tratamiento psicológico más eficaces, con distintas variantes, es la exposición.
No siempre es posible llevar a cabo exposición en vivo, y la exposición mediante imaginación resulta difícil para algunas personas.
En esos casos, la exposición virtual se ha mostrado igualmente eficaz, y más eficiente.
En nuestro grupo hemos estudiado su aplicación para el tratamiento del trastorno obsesivo compulsivo, la ansiedad ante los exámenes y la fobia escolar. La realidad virtual ofrece también algunas ventajas que pueden ser interesantes para la evaluación psicológica, como por ejemplo la maximización de la validez externa sin menoscabar la validez interna.
En esta línea, hemos desarrollado aplicaciones para la evaluación y el entrenamiento del déficit de atención en niños mediante simulación de situaciones escolares y videojuegos educativos. Esta misma cualidad de la realidad virtual puede aprovecharse también para la realización de estudios
experimentales, como el que llevamos a cabo con la finalidad de comprobar si las alteraciones del esquema corporal en pacientes con trastorno alimentario pueden ser caracterizadas mejor como un estado (muy relacionado con la situación concreta en la que se encuentra el paciente) que como un rasgo (estable y consistente).
En el ámbito de la psicología de la salud estamos aprovechando las propiedades inmersivas de la realidad virtual para el tratamiento de pacientes con dolor crónico mediante división de la atención y mediante visualización.
Los últimos proyectos en que estamos trabajando tienen como objetivo el tratamiento de adicciones como el tabaquismo, mediante exposición a estímulos discriminativos virtuales, y el entrenamiento de determinadas habilidades en pacientes con esquizofrenia, mediante simulación de situaciones sociales.
1. Understanding Violence , Recent advances in biology, sociology and modeling. EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland, 11-13 February 2009.
Research talk by Brendan Allison, Institute of Automation, University of Bremen, Germany.
Date: 27th January, 2009
Time: 15:00h
Place: Sala de Graus, Facultad de Psicologia, Edifici de Ponent, Ground floor
Title: New Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Applications and User Groups
BCI research has focused primarily on providing communication to persons who have motor disabilities so severe that they cannot communicate through other means.
This is beginning to change. There are now patients who use BCIs as their primary means of communication even though they are capable of using other interfaces. Some companies advertise BCIs for gamers or other physically healthy users who might enjoy BCIs for novelty, supplemental control, convenience, or other reasons.
Further, recent work has shown that BCIs might be effective tools for rehabilitation of different disorders. For example, Prof. Pineda and colleagues at the University of California, San Diego recently demonstrated a BCI system that can reduce symptoms of autism. Birbaumer and colleagues at the University of Tuebingen have discussed BCIs aimed at treating stroke, addiction, and emotional disorders.
This talk will describe some of these new BCIs and the technologies responsible for them, introduce the mechanics of these emerging BCI paradigm shifts, and discuss critical challenges.
Research talk by Franco Tecchia, PERCRO Lab, SSSA, Pisa, Italy.
Date:16th December 2008,
Time: 11:00h
Place: Salon de Juntas, Edificio Ponent, 2nd building, Ground floor
Title: Design of a complex VR application: the technical side
This seminar will describe the XVR system and implementation.
Research talk by Dr. Mandayam A. Srinivasan, Director, The Touch Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date:12th December 2008,
Time: 12:00h
Place: Salon de Juntas, Edificio Ponent, 2do. Vagón, Planta 0
HAPTICS: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS
The human haptic system with its tactile, kinesthetic, and motor capabilities together with the associated cognitive processes, presents a uniquely bi-directional information channel between our hands and brains, but is underutilized. Recent development of haptic technologies that enable a user to touch, feel, and manipulate virtual or remote objects, show promise in myriad applications such as education, entertainment, training, communication, healthcare, hazardous operations, design, manufacturing and marketing.
In this talk, I will describe the scientific and technological underpinnings of the emerging field of Haptics. I will give a brief overview of our recent advances in skin biomechanics, tactile neuroscience, human haptic perception, robotic hardware and real-time simulation software, all of which have helped establish Haptics as an exciting area of research. I will also cover our contributions to its applications such as virtual reality based simulators for training surgeons, real-time touch interactions between people across the internet and direct control of machines from brain neural signals.
Biographical sketch
Dr. Mandayam Srinivasan is Director of the MIT Touch Lab and Senior Scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Research Laboratory of Electronics at MIT. He has been recognized worldwide as an authority on haptic computation, cognition, and communication in humans and machines, particularly to enhance human-machine interactions in virtual environment systems. After receiving a Ph.D in Applied Mechanics from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yale University, he became a member of research faculty in the Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University School of Medicine, where he conducted research on mechanics and mechanisms of the primate sense of touch. He moved to MIT in 1987 and founded the Laboratory for Human and Machine Haptics. This "MIT Touch Lab" is now internationally recognized for its leadership in many aspects of haptics research.
Seminar organised in collaboration with Starlab
This talk is sponsored by the IMMERSENSE, PRESENCCIA and MIMICS projects
2nd Peach Summer School , 9-11 July 2008, Center for Advanced Academic Studies (CAAS), University of Zagreb.
Research talk by Prof. Edwin Blake from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Date:4th July 2008,
Time: 12:30h
Place: IRI Seminar Room, Centro de Realidad Virtual de Barcelona - Parc Tecnològic de Barcelona - c/ Llorens i Artigas 4-6. 08028 Barcelona.
Title: Using Virtual Environments to Support People Living with HIV
Abstract:
South Africa's health sector has to cope with one of the world's highest HIV prevalence rates and novel Information Technology solutions can assist with support. Over the past four years we have iteratively developed prototype virtual environment applications (VEs) using an adapted user centred design method to provide emotional and informational support to people living with HIV. Our prototype VEs provided narratives of responses to HIV diagnoses, factual information related to the virus within the human blood stream, and nutritional information. They were tested in Cape Town, South Africa with semi-literate users in three separate studies. Despite the subjects' low computer literacy, the systems were found to be usable and empowering. A particular advantage of the VEs was the anonymity provided to the users, since many infected individuals are afraid of disclosing their HIV status, and so do not receive conventional support. It seems that the system will be a useful adjunct to peer support groups.
Research talk by Jean-Marie Normand ( University of Nantes)
Date:2nd July 2008,
Time: 12:00h
Place: Centro de Realidad Virtual de Barcelona - Parc Tecnològic de Barcelona - c/ Llorens i Artigas 4-6. 08028 Barcelona.
Title: Virtual Camera Control
Jean-Marie Normand, University of Nantes, will be describing the research he did for his PhD thesis on constraint programming and virtual camera control (controlling a camera in a 3D environment).
http://www.sciences.univ-nantes.fr/info/perso/permanents/normand/en/inde...
Research talk by Stephan Streuber (Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics)
Date:17th June 2008,
Time: 12:00h
Place: Powerwall Room, Centro de Realidad Virtual de Barcelona - Parc Tecnològic de Barcelona - c/ Llorens i Artigas 4-6. 08028 Barcelona.
Title: Studying Natural Human Interaction in Multi-User Virtual Environments
Abstract: Humans have an incredible ability to adapt their behavior in cooperative situations: whether it is playing a ping pong match, carrying a piano, or dancing a tango. Even though our ability to engage in joint actions and to coordinate our actions with those of others is fundamentally important in everyday life - the underlying processes are relatively unexplored. A common assumption is that joint action can not be sufficiently understood by studying perception, action, and higher-level cognitive processes of isolated individuals.
This leads to a critical aspect of joint action research: the lack of appropriate methods which allow for investigating natural human interactions under very controlled conditions. One chance to overcome
these issues might be the development of immersive collaborative virtual environments like described in this talk. Furthermore a first application of the system is presented: an explorative study, which
investigates the extent to which humans optimize their walking behavior while walking individually or
jointly connected - carrying a physical stretcher. These results might indicate the emergence of a joint body: a phenomenon in which two individual action-perception loops are tuned towards each other in order to optimize a common goal.
+34 93 403 9618