Blog Post Week 11: Teleoperation & Immersive Interaction
Teleoperation, also called telerobotics, is the technical term for the remote control of a robot called a telechir. In a telerobotic system, a human operator controls the movements of a telechir from some distance away [1]. Signals are sent to the telechir to control it and some other signals come back telling the operator that the telechir has followed the instructions. Control and feedback are done by telemetry over wires, optical fibers, wireless links, or the Internet [2].
The invention of teleoperation has brought about many benefits such as reducing risk and cost. It plays a major role in promoting safety and we shall highlight this with two examples – Space probes/rovers and bomb defusing robots.
The interstellar space is an extremely dangerous environment to be in. However, in order to learn more about our solar system and the universe, we have to capture pictures and explore places outside our planet Earth. Therefore, scientists and engineers have worked hard to create space probes and rovers to eliminate the risk of sending humans on treacherous and long missions. In 1977, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Voyager space probe to provide detailed images of planets and their moons. Earthbound scientists sent commands to the Voyager to control its motion and aiming of its cameras [3].
Image 1: Voyager space probe
Besides the Voyager, NASA also created the Mars Rover. This unmanned machine is necessary as it is almost impossible to send a human to planet Mars to explore its surroundings; the time to travel to Mars is approximately 214 days [4]. Taking into account the cost of the fuel, food and technology to bring the human there to explore and to come back again is impractical. The Mars Rover is hence the solution and here we can see the importance of teleoperation and immersive interaction.
Video 1: An animation of the Mars Rover’s deployment
Finally, another amazing creation will be bomb defusing robot. It saves life and the video below will show it all:
Video 2: Bomb Defusing Robot
References:
[1] TechTarget. (2008). Teleoperation (Telerobotics). Available: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci1196650,00.html
[2] TechTarget. (2008). Telechir. Available: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci1151691,00.html
[3] Wikipedia. (October 22, 2011). Voyager 1. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_1
[4] Jerry Coffey. June 4, 2008. How Long Does It Take to Get to Mars? Available: http://www.universetoday.com/14841/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-to-mars/
Blog Post Week 10: User Experience (iPhone)
User experience (UX) is about how a person feels about using a product, system or service. It highlights the experiential, affective, meaningful and valuable aspects of human-computer interaction and product ownership, but it also includes a person’s perceptions of the practical aspects such as utility, ease of use and efficiency of the system [1]. UX encompasses all aspects of the end-user’s interaction with the company, its services, and its products. The first requirement for an exemplary user experience is to meet the exact needs of the customer, without fuss or bother. Next comes simplicity and elegance that produce products that are a joy to own, a joy to use. True UX goes far beyond giving customers what they say they want, or providing checklist features. In order to achieve high-quality user experience in a company’s offerings there must be a seamless merging of the services of multiple disciplines, including engineering, marketing, graphical and industrial design, and interface design [2].
Image1: iPhone
Image 2: iPad
Iconic products like the iPhone and the iPad have encapsulated traits of good design that focus on UX. Its success has since compelled many to carefully consider UX during the process of product development. In this blog post, we will use the Apple’s inventions to demonstrate the importance of UX.
When the iPhone first came out, the technologically advanced Japanese were “yawning” at the product as the features in the phone were already in their Japanese models. However, in iPhone’s case, when technology delivers the basic needs, UX dominates [3]. The innovation in their applications is not that they allow us to do something new, but that they allow us to do what we already do better, more often, in more places and more quickly. One example is the improvement of synchronizing contact lists which is now faster, reliable and easy to use. This is made possible with the introduction of the iTunes software.
Image 3: Synchronizing contact list through iTunes
Another key component to its UX is the touch screen user interface capabilities. When one needs to dial, it shows a keypad; when one needs other buttons, the screen serves them up; when one wants to watch a video, the buttons disappear. The interface isn’t fixed and rigid, it’s fluid and molten and demonstrated how software replaces hardware.
Finally, the latest feature that comes with the new iPhone model is an application called Siri. This application a new way to control your phone with your voice. “Siri on iPhone 4S lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls, and more. Ask Siri to do things just by talking the way you talk. Siri understands what you say, knows what you mean, and even talks back. Siri is so easy to use and does so much, you’ll keep finding more and more ways to use it [4].”
Video 1: Siri on iPhone 4S
References
[1] Wikipedia. August 24, 2011. User Experience. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_experience
[2] Nielsen Norman Group. 2007. User Experience – Our Definition. Available: http://www.nngroup.com/about/userexperience.html
[3] Stephen Anderson. 2007. 7 User Experience Lessons from the iPhone (Introducing UX). Available: http://www.slideshare.net/stephenpa/7-user-experience-lessons-from-the-iphone-introducing-ux
[4] Apple. 2011. iPhone, Siri. Available: http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/siri.html
Blog Post Week 9: EON Reality – Principle of Safety Precautions
Introduction
EON Reality, Inc. is the world’s leading interactive 3D solutions provider for businesses and education based on Virtual Reality technology. They deliver versatile productivity to the energy, education, aerospace/defense, industrial and medical sectors. Companies use EON’s solutions to increase sales, better communicate product functionality, decrease cost of training and travel less. Academia use EON’s solutions to create engaging, realistic, and experiential learning environments [1].
Principle of Safety Precautions
With all the wide range of capabilities this technology provides, one would agree that it ultimately points down to the principle of safety precautions.
To better prepare its workers for safety issues, major companies use the interactive 3D solution to simulate a “walk-through” of the environment. This allows the users to have a better understanding of the surrounding and the possible dangers they may faced. As the Chinese saying goes: “I see, I remember. I hear, I forget. But if I do, I Understand.” Thus, being able to understand the tasks and the safety precaution will put the workers at a lower risk. For example, BP which deals with oil rigging in the sea makes sure that all its personnel are fully trained and equipped with the knowledge to work on the sea platforms or at the seabed infrastructures [2]. The virtual 3D interactive reality training prepares the engineers and technicians for the real challenge that lies ahead of them.
3D Simulation to further prepare workers for the challenging environment and to ensure their safety [3].
Pictures of dangerous working environment:
[1] EON Reality, Inc. (2011). EON Reality, Experience More. Available: http://www.eonreality.com/index.php
[2] BP. (2011). Life on Remote Platforms. Available: http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9021504&contentId=7040001
[3] Frontiers. (Aug 2009). Virtually Prepared. Available: http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/reports_and_publications/frontiers/STAGING/local_assets/pdf/bpf25_10-14_3dve.pdf
Blog Post Week 8: User Documentation and Online Help
Online help systems are the online format of User Documentation and are the most efficient approach to access the information while working on any kind of computer software [1]. They are a form of user assistance that is topic-oriented and majority of the online help is intended to aid people in the use of a software application or different operating systems such as Windows 7 and Windows Vista [2].In addition, they are very helpful because they appear instantly; One do not need to go through the user manuals and still execute the task that he/she is doing while browsing through the help tutorial on the right side of the screen display.
There are different types of online helps and they come in the forms of Win help, HTML help, HTML-based help, Web help, Java help and other forms of online information, and includes features known as “show-me help”, embedded help, and several varieties of electronic performance support systems [3].
Many programs come with the instruction manual integrated into the program. If one encounters a problem or forget a command while running the program, he/she can summon the documentation by pressing a designated Help key or entering a HELP command. In Windows, the Help key is the function key labeled F1. Online help has different ways of assisting the users [4]:
- One can key in a question to search instantly
- Browse through forums related to question
- Browse through Frequently Asked Questions
- Chat with an online operator
- Email the queries to the operator
References
[1] Rafia Shujaat. (March 2, 2009). Online Help Systems. Available: http://rafia-shujaat.suite101.com/online-help-systems-a97593
[2] Wikipedia. (October 4, 2011). Online Help. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_help
[3] Webopedia. (2011). Help. Available:http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/H/Help.html
[4] Computer Hope. (2011). Free Computer Help. Available:http://www.computerhope.com/oh.htm
[5] Microsoft. (September 29, 2011). Microsoft Support. Available: http://support.microsoft.com/
Project Concept – Events Company
Summary
We are a medium sized company that provides event management and services. We help to organize a range of events from exhibitions to weddings and even birthday parties. We can also complement events with individual talents such as magicians and balloon sculptors if such needs are required.
The website that is being designed is intended to provide different levels of users a hassle-free way of achieving many logistical tasks, such as budgeting for an event and managing resources. It should also provide new visitors sufficient information to evoke their confidence in our services.
Definitions & Objectives
Visitors are general users for the site. They have not decided on the event company that they are going to engage and may only have a general idea of an event they want to create. The site should give these visitors confidence in their services provided and be able to give them a quick quotation based on any kind of needs that they may have, especially if they are common ones. Contact details must be furnished in order to establish the commitment level of the company to the client.
Event Organizers are visitors who have engaged the event company’s services. They need to be able to see the progress of the event organization, make fine adjustments to the details, request for additional services, send out invitations.
Admins are the company’s personnel, who handle the logistics and administrative matters in the events and the company. They need to know who are their clients and what they want, including any new requests that their clients make. They must also be able to manage the resources (e.g. vehicles, AV equipment, catering providers etc) that they have to ensure that their clients are kept informed. They should also be able to update the website to include new testimonials, new confirmed events, etc.
Services Provided At Each Level
Visitor
– Calendar of events
– Newsroom (Press releases)
– Services provided
– Quotation generator (Drag & Drop)
– Testimonials
– Contact
Event Organizer
– Budget breakdown and readjustment (Same Drag & Drop)
- Including catering selection, rental system
– Invitation system
- e-Card design selection
- Invitees management list
– Modification appeal
Admin
– Add events in calendar
- Linked with clientele management
– Logistics & Reminder service
– Vehicle registration & allocation
– Clientele management
- Contact details
- Event history
– Service provider management (Catering, etc)
– Rental system management
Featured Functionality
Drag & Drop Budget Planning
Budget planning has always been a hassle for even the most seasoned event organizer. We strive to keep it manageable through an elegant drag & drop system comprised of a consolidated list of service providers.
4 main aspects of event budgeting are outlined and shown in categories – the venue, the food, the equipment and the additional services. Each of these aspects has various affiliated providers listed under them. For example, we list our affiliated refreshment caterers under the “food category”, our affiliated magicians and balloon decoration artists under the “additional services” category and so on. Each specific service provider will be linked to their website for more information on them, e.g. the food caterers will be able to show their detailed menus.
When a budget is specified, a recommended list of items is shown in the organizer’s “item list”. Each of these items can be dragged and dropped into and out of the list and the aforementioned categories. An estimated cost is updated on the fly depending on the various items included.
The list and other specifications can be submitted for a more detailed enquiry.
Post 2: Interaction Devices (Cell Phones)
Technology has been a big revolution in transforming the world today and will continue to do so in the years to come. Engineers and scientists are working hard every single day to improve the living condition and further advance the devices we have. The simplest but yet convincing example will be the evolution of the cell phones.
Video 1: Phone 1990
Video 2: Phone 2001
Video 3: Phone 2011
As we can see from the above three videos, the 1990 phone allows portability and for users to call freely. The 2001 phone brings in Short Message Service (SMS) where users can text each other. The latest phone is a totally new smartphone with touchscreen and voice recognition abilities. For the next decade, these smartphones are going to continue to develop into even more sophisticated devices, bringing a totally new and overwhelming experience to its users.
Video 4: Touchscreen Capability
The new touchscreen technology enables the phone to be free of keypads and buttons. This gives the device more display area and a more hi-tech user experience.
Video 5: Voice Talk Function
The voice recognition technology allows the users to interact with the smartphone verbally and complete tasks in an interesting way.
Post 1: Human Computer Interaction (HCI) – The Next Decade
HCI is defined as the study, planning and design of the interaction between people (users) and computers. It is also referred to as the intersection of computer science, behavioral sciences, design and several other fields of study. Interaction between users and computers takes place at the user interface which includes both software and hardware [1].
Pic. 1: The different fields of HCI
HCI aims to improve the interactions between users and computers by making the interface more usable and receptive to the user’s needs. Advancement in technology, research and engineering will eventually result in hi-tech products. The following video shows the possibility and limitless invention of an intriguing user interface in the next decade.
Video 1: User Interface of 2020
References [1] Wikipedia. (2011, August). Human Computer Interaction. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human%E2%80%93computer_interaction
Post 0 : Testing
Team Members:
1) Choo Jin Fu u075576n
2) Seow Han Yuan (David) A0075057A
3) Li Sheng A0075029E
🙂
CS3240 Group 4 