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1. Augmented reality head-up displays effect on drivers’ spatial knowledge acquisition

   https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181319631287  

   de Oliveira Faria, Nayara ; Kandil, Dina ; Gabbard, Joseph L. ( November 2019 , Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting)

   Background: Drivers gather most of the information they need to drive by looking at the world around them and at visual displays within the vehicle. Navigation systems automate the way drivers navigate. In using these systems, drivers offload both tactical (route following) and strategic aspects (route planning) of navigational tasks to the automated SatNav system, freeing up cognitive and attentional resources that can be used in other tasks (Burnett, 2009). Despite the potential benefits and opportunities that navigation systems provide, their use can also be problematic. For example, research suggests that drivers using SatNav do not develop as much environmental spatial knowledge as drivers using paper maps (Waters & Winter, 2011; Parush, Ahuvia, & Erev, 2007). With recent growth and advances of augmented reality (AR) head-up displays (HUDs), there are new opportunities to display navigation information directly within a driver’s forward field of view, allowing them to gather information needed to navigate without looking away from the road. While the technology is promising, the nuances of interface design and its impacts on drivers must be further understood before AR can be widely and safely incorporated into vehicles. Specifically, an impact that warrants investigation is the role of AR HUDS in spatial knowledge acquisition while driving. Acquiring high levels of spatial knowledge is crucial for navigation tasks because individuals who have greater levels of spatial knowledge acquisition are more capable of navigating based on their own internal knowledge (Bolton, Burnett, & Large, 2015). Moreover, the ability to develop an accurate and comprehensive cognitive map acts as a social function in which individuals are able to navigate for others, provide verbal directions and sketch direction maps (Hill, 1987). Given these points, the relationship between spatial knowledge acquisition and novel technologies such as AR HUDs in driving is a relevant topic for investigation. Objectives: This work explored whether providing conformal AR navigational cues improves spatial knowledge acquisition (as compared to traditional HUD visual cues) to assess the plausibility and justification for investment in generating larger FOV AR HUDs with potentially multiple focal planes. Methods: This study employed a 2x2 between-subjects design in which twenty-four participants were counterbalanced by gender. We used a fixed base, medium fidelity driving simulator for where participants drove while navigating with one of two possible HUD interface designs: a world-relative arrow post sign and a screen-relative traditional arrow. During the 10-15 minute drive, participants drove the route and were encouraged to verbally share feedback as they proceeded. After the drive, participants completed a NASA-TLX questionnaire to record their perceived workload. We measured spatial knowledge at two levels: landmark and route knowledge. Landmark knowledge was assessed using an iconic recognition task, while route knowledge was assessed using a scene ordering task. After completion of the study, individuals signed a post-trial consent form and were compensated $10 for their time. Results: NASA-TLX performance subscale ratings revealed that participants felt that they performed better during the world-relative condition but at a higher rate of perceived workload. However, in terms of perceived workload, results suggest there is no significant difference between interface design conditions. Landmark knowledge results suggest that the mean number of remembered scenes among both conditions is statistically similar, indicating participants using both interface designs remembered the same proportion of on-route scenes. Deviance analysis show that only maneuver direction had an influence on landmark knowledge testing performance. Route knowledge results suggest that the proportion of scenes on-route which were correctly sequenced by participants is similar under both conditions. Finally, participants exhibited poorer performance in the route knowledge task as compared to landmark knowledge task (independent of HUD interface design). Conclusions: This study described a driving simulator study which evaluated the head-up provision of two types of AR navigation interface designs. The world-relative condition placed an artificial post sign at the corner of an approaching intersection containing a real landmark. The screen-relative condition displayed turn directions using a screen-fixed traditional arrow located directly ahead of the participant on the right or left side on the HUD. Overall results of this initial study provide evidence that the use of both screen-relative and world-relative AR head-up display interfaces have similar impact on spatial knowledge acquisition and perceived workload while driving. These results contrast a common perspective in the AR community that conformal, world-relative graphics are inherently more effective. This study instead suggests that simple, screen-fixed designs may indeed be effective in certain contexts. 

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2. 3D-Model-Based Augmented Reality for Enhancing Physical Architectural Models

   Tuzun Canadinc, Seda ; Yan, Wei ( January 2022 , Proceedings of the 40th Conference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe (eCAADe 2022))

   Pak, B (Ed.)

   In the presentation of architectural projects, physical models are still commonly used as a powerful and effective representation for building design and construction. On the other hand, Augmented Reality (AR) promises a wide range of possibilities in visualizing and interacting with 3D physical models, enhancing the modeling process. To benefit both, we present a novel medium for architectural representation: a marker-less AR powered physical architectural model that employs dynamic digital features. With AR enhancement, physical capabilities of a model could be extended without sacrificing its tangibility. We developed a framework to investigate the potential uses of 3D-model- based AR registration method and its augmentation on physical architectural models. To explore and demonstrate integration of physical and virtual models in AR, we designed this framework providing physical and virtual model interaction: a user can manipulate the physical model parts or control the visibility and dynamics of the virtual parts in AR. The framework consists of a LEGO model and an AR application on a hand-held device which was developed for this framework. The AR application utilizes a marker-less AR registration method and employs a 3D-model-based AR registration. A LEGO model was proposed as the physical 3D model in this registration process and machine learning training using Vuforia was utilized for the AR application to recognize the LEGO model from any point of view to register the virtual models in AR. The AR application also employs a user interface that allows user interaction with the virtual parts augmented on the physical ones. The working application was tested over its registration, physical and virtual interactions. Overall, the adoption of AR and its combination with physical models, and 3D-model-based AR registration allow for many advantages, which are discussed in the paper. 

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3. Evaluation of how users interface with holographic augmented reality surgical scenes: Interactive planning MR‐Guided prostate biopsies

   https://doi.org/10.1002/rcs.2290  

   Velazco‐Garcia, Jose D. ; Navkar, Nikhil V. ; Balakrishnan, Shidin ; Younes, Georges ; Abi‐Nahed, Julien ; Al‐Rumaihi, Khalid ; Darweesh, Adham ; Elakkad, Mohamed S. M. ; Al‐Ansari, Abdulla ; Christoforou, Eftychios G. ; et al ( June 2021 , The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery)

   User interfaces play a vital role in the planning and execution of an interventional procedure. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of using different user interfaces for planning transrectal robot‐assisted MR‐guided prostate biopsy (MRgPBx) in an augmented reality (AR) environment.

   End‐user studies were conducted by simulating an MRgPBx system with end‐ and side‐firing modes. The information from the system to the operator was rendered on HoloLens as an output interface. Joystick, mouse/keyboard, and holographic menus were used as input interfaces to the system.

   The studies indicated that using a joystick improved the interactive capacity and enabled operator to plan MRgPBx in less time. It efficiently captures the operator's commands to manipulate the augmented environment representing the state of MRgPBx system.

   The study demonstrates an alternative to conventional input interfaces to interact and manipulate an AR environment within the context of MRgPBx planning.

    

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4. LuckyFind: Leveraging Surprise to Improve User Satisfaction and Inspire Curiosity in a Recommender System

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3406522.3446017  

   Niu, Xi ; Al-Doulat, Ahmad ( March 2021 , CHIIR '21: Proceedings of the 2021 ACM SIGIR Conference on Human Information Interaction and Retrieval)

   null (Ed.)

   The growing amount of online information today has increased opportunity to discover interesting and useful information. Various recommender systems have been designed to help people discover such information. No matter how accurately the recommender algorithms perform, users’ engagement with recommended results has been complained being less than ideal. In this study, we touched on two human-centered objectives for recommender systems: user satisfaction and curiosity, both of which are believed to play roles in maintaining user engagement and sustain such engagement in the long run. Specifically, we leveraged the concept of surprise and used an existing computational model of surprise to identify relevantly surprising health articles aiming at improving user satisfaction and inspiring their curiosity. We designed a user study to first test the validity of the surprise model in a health news recommender system, called LuckyFind. Then user satisfaction and curiosity were evaluated. We find that the computational surprise model helped identify surprising recommendations at little cost of user satisfaction. Users gave higher ratings on interestingness than usefulness for those surprising recommendations. Curiosity was inspired more for those individuals who have a larger capacity to experience curiosity. Over half of the users have changed their preferences after using LuckyFind, either discovering new areas, reinforcing their existing interests, or stopping following those they did not want anymore. The insights of the research will make researchers and practitioners rethink the objectives of today’s recommender systems as being more human-centered beyond algorithmic accuracy. 

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5. 3D Interaction with Virtual Objects in Real Water

   https://doi.org/10.1109/VS-Games.2019.8864574  

   Costa, Raphael ; Quarles, John ( September 2019 , 11th International Conference on Virtual Worlds and Games for Serious Applications (VS-GAMES 2019))

   The objective of this research was to evaluate and compare perceived fatigue and usability of 3D user interfaces in and out of the water. Virtual Reality (VR) in the water has several potential applications, such as aquatic physical rehabilitation, where patients are typically standing waist or shoulder deep in a pool and performing exercises in the water. However, there have been few works that developed waterproof VR/AR systems and none of them have assessed fatigue, which has previously been shown to be a drawback in many 3D User Interfaces above water. This research presents a novel prototype system for developing waterproof VR experiences and investigates the effect of submersion in water on fatigue as compared to above water. Using a classic selection and docking task, results suggest that being underwater had no significant effect on performance, but did reduce perceived fatigue, which is important for aquatic rehabilitation. Previous 3D interaction methods that were once thought to be too fatiguing might still be viable in water. 

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