Sri Vw Augmenting Real

Between the Real and the Virtual:

looking for training opportunities

Eleni [email protected]

ProfessoriCORE IRC (supported by IBM) in "Service Systems

Management” Department of Computing Science, University of

Albertahttp://ssrg.cs.ualberta.ca/

mailto:[email protected]

http://ssrg.cs.ualberta.ca/

June 25: Virtual Worlds @ Work Workshop (Eleni Stroulia)2

A continuum of connections between real and virtual Virtual world as a mirror of the real world

Action happens in the real world; the virtual world provide an intuitive, cost effective visualization of people, objects, their relations and their interactions.

Virtual world as an (equivalent) alternative to the real world Any action that happens in the real world can also

occur in the virtual world, with (almost) the same effect.

Virtual world as an augmentation to the real world Different but correlated actions happen in the real

and virtual worlds; the correlation is consistent across some well-defined dimensions (space, time, people, …)

Smart Condo

EMS/ER Handoff

Augmented/Alternative Reality Games

Our Research Agenda


The Smart Condo


Technical Problems in the Smart Condo Reflecting the physical world

Without a capability to import mesh models (in SL), the virtual world costs substantial effort to build and may still seem crude

Reflecting the occupant If it is an avatar it cannot be controlled and if it is an

object it is not very believable Synchronization between the real and virtual

worlds There is substantial delay between sensing, stream

data mining and VW events Inferring location (and activity) The avatar capabilities

Path planning between sensed locations SL Behavior inference based on state maintenance NL generation based on activity history

The Smart Condo

Training opportunities in the Smart Condo The smart condo is a test-bed for studying the

daily activities of people with disabilities Clinicians in rehabilitation medicine can gain new

insights on how disease impacts daily activity Industrial designers can measure the impact of

alternative design decisions

Other potential contributions Is there a clinical value? Is there a social value?

Making monitoring more acceptable Using VW as a two-way video-phone


The Smart Condo


Scenario Overview

The task here is to develop a VW in which EMS/ER personnel can realistically enact the handoff scenario

What does realistically mean? The patient is virtual but his vital signs are real The objects involved correspond directly to real

objects in the real scenario

The EMS/ER Handoff Scenario


Implementing the EMS/ER Simulation(VW meets SOA)

Workflow types:1. Process workflow: defines all paths2. Normative workflow: intended/desired action

sequence3. Object and character workflows: artifact and

automated person behavior Process vs. normative workflows:

Process: include erroneous and sub-optimal paths Normative: describes “correct” behavior


Scenario Definition Process Wiki used by context experts


Workflow created by technical experts



Technical problems in the EMS/ER Simulation Limited set of interactions (e.g., touch, wear)

Some actions are awkward in Second Life A consistent API is necessary for modeling actions

Creating realistic 3D models of artifacts Import from external source Create using in-world tools

Representing artifact behavior in believable manner (sufficient level of realism)


Training opportunities in the EMS/ER simulation Simulations as a cost-effective means of

learning-by-doing (People generally remember10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, 50% of what they hear AND see, 70% of what they say or write, and 90% of what they say as they do something, Dale 1946) More practice is possible Practice of rare and dangerous scenarios is possible Interdisciplinary-skills practice becomes simpler and

more likely

Other potential contributions Could general experience with VWs advance

computer-sophistication and ease?




Virtual Worlds Augmenting the Real World

Ludorica, an emergency preparedness volunteer, has come to Edmonton for the Festival of Games 2012. She registers for Serious Gaming Summit on Medical Simulations and she is given an RFID nametag and the role of a paramedic responding to the scene of people falling ill in pathogen research centre.

AARGs


Technical Challenges Implementing AARGs Multiple devices of varying scales of capacity and

interaction patterns We need conceptual models for virtual-world

behaviors and how they interact with the underlying middleware through the various devices

Immersion and believability When there is no “scenario” to impose a context, it is

the environment that has to engage the player; what worlds can support that?

AARGs

Training opportunities in an AARG Collaboration and communication skills Strategy History and geography of a place “Dorian Gray” games

Other potential contributions Active lifestyle Civic participation


AARGs


Some concluding thoughts Simulation-based training in virtual worlds seems

inevitable BUT it is not clear where the (low hanging) fruit is

The lack of standards is a huge impediment in research geometry modeling avatar behavior (gestures, interaction with objects)

Evaluation is necessary Educators are keen to migrate “problem-based

learning” theories of pedagogy to virtual worlds BUT assessment of learning goals is difficult,

especially since some skills were never explicitly tested (or even taught) before

AARGs

Technology

Sri Vw Augmenting Real