Improving neuroimaging headgear placement robustness using facial-landmark-guided augmented reality

Recupera algunos de los elementos menos estudiados y reconocidos en el ensayo latinoamericano: su profunda vocación de reflexión, diálogo y mediación intelectual; su plasticidad y apertura a la búsqueda del sentido; su vínculo con la sociabilidad, la conversación y la generación de un espacio simbólico de encuentro; su capa cidad de establecer una nueva retroalimentación entre lectura y escritura.

One of the main problems of monoscopic video see-through augmented reality (AR) is the lack of reliable depth information. This makes it difficult to correctly represent complex spatial interactions between real and virtual objects, e.g., when rendering shadows. The most obvious graphical artifact is the incorrect display of the occlusion of virtual models by real objects. Since the graphical models are rendered opaquely over the camera image, they always appear to occlude all objects in the real environment, regardless of the actual spatial relationship. In this paper, we propose to utilize a new type of hardware in order to solve some of the basic challenges of AR rendering. We introduce a depth-of-flight range sensor into AR, which produces a 2D map of the distances to real objects in the environment. The distance map is registered with high resolution color images delivered by a digital video camera. When displaying the virtual models in AR, the distance map is used in order to decide whether the camera image or the virtual object is visible at any position. This way, the occlusion of virtual models by real objects can be correctly represented. Preliminary results obtained with our approach show that a useful occlusion handling based on time-of-flight range data is possible.

Women and Social Movements in the United States: 1600–2000 (Alexander Street Press, 1997–ongoing subscriptions range in price from £156 for an individual school building or public library, £234 for a small college or university or a large urban public library to £623 for a research university. Perpetual rights available at £4,643 for content through June 2006 with annual archival copy of the year's added content and then £1682 annually). Access via http://www.alexanderstreetpress.com/wasm then by user id and password. - Volume 40 Issue 1

IntroductionThere is an established interplay between gait and attention allocation. Attention during walking is important to reduce instability, process environmental stimuli, and perform simultaneous tasks. It is of critical importance to consider how attention modulation during dual-tasking influences prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity and gait characteristics. However, paradigms probing this relationship are often limited in realism and must balance mobility challenges with practicality. This protocol introduces a novel methodology combining functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and augmented reality (AR) in a complex gait dual-task to validate the use of virtual obstacles to probe for a cortical indicator of altered attention during distracted walking.Materials and methodsThis methodological development study investigated 11 healthy adults (mean age 50.9 ± 5.8 years, 5 female) in an obstacle navigation cognitive-motor dual-task combining fNIRS and AR during navigation of realistic AR-projected 3D virtual obstacles and physical obstacles. The distraction task involved a 5-word recall from a mimicked phone call. Participants performed six experimental tasks: walking; walking + distraction; walking + obstacles (both physical and virtual); and walking + obstacles (both physical and virtual) + distraction.ResultsIntraclass correlations ranged from 0.563 to 0.886 for oxyhemoglobin (O2Hb) ratios and gait velocity between virtual and physical obstacles, demonstrating moderate-to-good consistency between methods. Proportional bias in the Bland-Altman plots was observed for O2Hb. Participants also demonstrated task-dependent modulation of gait and PFC activity in response to dual task conditions in both tasks.ConclusionsThis combination of technologies elicited task-dependent modulation in PFC activity and gait behaviours in healthy adults, confirming the efficacy of AR-projected obstacles in a cognitive-motor dual-task paradigm. Based on these outcomes, it is likely that this experimental approach will be useful in probing cortical activity changes associated with dual-tasking to inform the relationship between mobility and cognition and characterize behavioural and neural markers of functional mobility.

The effects of target size and error rate on the cognitive demand and stress during augmented reality interactions

The author compares interlibrary loan supervisors’ job descriptions for various types of libraries. The include a large university library, a small university library, a large public library, a small public library, and 12 academic law libraries. Job description topics discussed include purposes, qualifications, typical duties and responsibilities, variations by different types of libraries, collection of interlibrary loan statistics, the best ways to include technology in a job description, relationships among librarians, responsibility for copyright compliance, and ethics. The appendix includes a model job description for an interlibrary loan supervisor.

Wearable computing moves computation from the desktop to the user. We are forming a community of networked, wearable-computer users to explore, over a long period, the augmented realities that these systems can provide. By adapting its behavior to the user's changing environment, a body-worn computer can assist the user more intelligently, consistently, and continuously than a desktop system. A text-based augmented reality, the Remembrance Agent, is presented to illustrate this approach. Video cameras are used both to warp the visual input (mediated reality) and to sense the user's world for graphical overlay. With a camera, the computer could track the user's finger to act as the system's mouse; perform face recognition; and detect passive objects to overlay 2.5D and 3D graphics onto the real world. Additional apparatus such as audio systems, infrared beacons for sensing location, and biosensors for learning about the wearer's affect are described. With the use of input from these interface devices and sensors, a long-term goal of this project is to model the user's actions, anticipate his or her needs, and perform a seamless interaction between the virtual and physical environments.

To communicate the importance of knowing the risk of non-structural damage caused by earthquakes, we developed applications based on Augmented Reality (AR) features. These applications run on mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones, by using their video camera and other on-board sensors, such as GPS, accelerometer, and gyrocompass, from which AR users do take advantage. Combined with a specifically designed exhibit, our AR applications can contribute to increase the common awareness on seismic risk, providing useful information on how to have safer homes in case of an earthquake. Building codes do not take into account non-structural elements, leaving communities at risk of injuries, blocking escapes and even causing deaths. In this framework, the personal preparedness is of paramount importance. The development of our AR applications is supported by the European project KnowRISK (Know your city, Reduce seISmic risK through non-structural elements).

We are developing an augmented reality (AR) image guidance system, in which information derived from medical images is overlaid onto a video view of the patient. The interventionalist wears a head-mounted display (HMD) that presents him with the augmented stereo view. The HMD is custom fitted with two miniature color video cameras that capture the stereo view of the scene. A third video camera, operating in the near IR, is also attached to the HMD and is used for head tracking. The system achieves real-time performance of 30 frames per second. The graphics appears firmly anchored in the scne, without any noticeable swimming or jitter or time lag. For the application of CT-guided interventions, we extended our original prototype system to include tracking of a biopsy needle to which we attached a set of optical markers. The AR visualization provides very intuitive guidance for planning and placement of the needle and reduces radiation to patient and radiologist. We used an interventional abdominal phantom with simulated liver lesions to perform an inital set of experiments. The users were consistently able to locate the target lesion with the first needle pass. These results provide encouragement to move the system towards clinical trials.

Virtual and augmented reality technologies have known an impressive market evolution due to their potential to provide immersive experiences. However, they still have significant difficulties to enable fully fledged, consumer-ready applications that can handle complex tasks such as multi-user collaboration or time-persistent experiences. In this context, CultReal is a rapid creation and deployment platform for augmented reality (AR), aiming to revitalize cultural spaces. The platform’s content management system stores a representation of the environment, together with a database of multimedia objects that can be associated with a location. The localization component fuses data from beacons and from video cameras, providing an accurate estimation of the position and orientation of the visitor’s smartphone. A mobile application running the localization component displays the augmented content, which is seamlessly integrated with the real world. The paper focuses on the series of steps required to compute the position and orientation of the user’s mobile device, providing a comprehensive evaluation with both virtual and real data. Pilot implementations of the system are also described in the paper, revealing the potential of the platform to enable rapid deployment in new cultural spaces. Offering these functionalities, CultReal will allow for the fast development of AR solutions in any location.

The virtual overlay of patient-specific anatomies onto a surgical site through Augmented Reality (AR) technologies has been thought to be a potentially ideal neuronavigational system for use in neurosurgery. Although impressive and futuristic, there are many design considerations that must be taken into account, including surgeon reception, perceived utility, intuitive control and manipulation design, and overall system accuracy during surgery. To implement AR into the neurosurgical Operating Room (OR), a gradual approach of evolutionary design to ensure widespread adoption may be considered. This thesis presents a potential pathway for the introduction of AR technologies into the neurosurgical OR. The thesis is divided into three parts: incorporation of AR features into existing platforms for improved functionality and introduction of AR concepts to surgical environments, observation and evaluation of surgeon perception of AR overlays and AR headsets to inform display methods and designs, and quantification of virtual object placement accuracy in a clinical environment. The findings presented show that AR integrated systems improve OR workflow when conventional tracked tools are unavailable, user preference of AR overlays onto the surgical site change depending on operator experience level, and the placement accuracy of state-of-the-art AR head mounted displays are suitable for presurgical planning and very close to accuracy needed for surgical guidance. These three elements are key to developing a pathway for adoption of AR technologies in the OR, and help to inform designs for future headsets to assist surgeons and improve patient care.

Public libraries in Canada face growing social pressures that intensify the emotional labor required of staff—defined as managing emotions in professional contexts. This qualitative study explores how leaders at three large urban public libraries perceive and enact support for emotional labor. Through interviews, it examines policies, practices, and organizational structures such as hiring, training, and wellness initiatives. Findings reveal a disconnect between policy and staff experience: emotional labor is rarely acknowledged formally, and support is often framed as individual self-care rather than systemic change. Leaders expressed tension between their values and the lack of emotionally engaged leadership from upper management. The study calls for comprehensive interventions—policy reform, leadership development, and infrastructure investment—to ensure psychologically safe and sustainable library workplaces.

The evaluation of international credentials and the hiring of internationally trained librarians in Canadian academic and public libraries

Augmented reality (AR) applications are getting popular since they integrate the real world and the virtual world. This paper focusses on AR applications for public and scientific libraries. There exist some projects and sample implementations of AR apps specially designed for libraries, but they are seldom found in practice. To identify whether there is potential for AR apps to be applied in libraries, the results of a qualitative study that has been performed among librarians working in public and scientific libraries in Austria and experts in augmented reality are presented. Searching for media, navigating to the correct location and displaying ancillary information, like ratings, reviews, secondary media, links, etc., has the highest potential for users according to the experts. AR apps for maintaining the bookshelfs of a library provide real benefit for librarians and are awarded high potential as well. Guided tours through libraries using AR-based apps lightens the load of the librarians to introduce new users to the library. The feasibility of an AR app for a library is demonstrated by introducing a prototype that supports library users with additional information on media and the library itself.

The popularity of Bravo channel's Project Runway has translated into increased interest in fashion and design among the general public and prompted a rise in students applying to apparel design and textile science programs. Parson's The New School for Design (where Project Runway is filmed) has seen a 22 percent increase in enrollment applications. (1) The trade publication Women's Wear Daily notes that Otis College, Savannah College of Art, Fashion Institute of Technology, and Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising have also felt the effects of an increase in public awareness. The continued success of Project Runway and other shows that stress the role of fashion in our lives, has given rise to new demands on the fashion and textile collections in both public and academic libraries. To address the need to evaluate these collections, Monique Delatte and Lore A. Guilmartin have compiled a collection guide designed for large public libraries with populations interested in fashion in general and for academic libraries that serve programs in textile-related studies including fashion design, costume history, textile science, fashion merchandising, the social psychology of dress, and clothing and textile economics. Delatte and Guilmartin are well qualified to suggest materials for such a core collection. Delatte is a reference librarian in the County of Los Angeles Public Library system. She holds a B.S. in Apparel and Textile Design from Louisiana State University, and an M.S.I.S. in Library and Information Science from The University of Texas at Austin. Guilmartin is a reference and instruction librarian at the University of Houston-Downtown. She has a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Texas A&M University and an M.S. in Textiles and Clothing from Iowa State University. She earned an M.S.I.S. in Library and Information Science at the University of Texas at Austin. This guide grew out of survey work the authors conducted in 2007. Delatte and Guilmartin contacted administrators, educators, and subject librarians at forty-four public and private colleges and universities, asking questions about core resources in the field. They used the results of the survey, an exhaustive literature review, and their own expertise to create this list of key titles and resources.--Editor BOOKS AND REFERENCE TITLES Though some of the monographs listed below are out of print, each is a valuable component to a well-balanced textiles and clothing collection. Libraries currently owning these titles should retain them, as they provide depth and breadth to the collection and are classic resources. Abling, Bina. Model Drawing. New York: Fairchild Books & Visuals, 2003 (ISBN: 978-1563672750). An excellent addition to the academic library working collection for design students, chapters include Close-up Studies, Fashion Anatomy for Children, Men's Posing Dynamics, and Styling, iLayout, and Composition for Women. The CD-ROM included in this text is especially useful for fashion illustration students as it allows users to shift the poses of models and then rotate the models. American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. AATCC Technical Manual. New York: Published for the Association by Howes Publishing, 1963--(ISSN: 0734-8894). Published annually, the AATCC Technical Manual lists and describes the standardized textile testing methods that are integral to assessing textile characteristics and quality. This manual is an indispensable tool for all textile scientists. Boucher, Francois, and Yvonne Deslandres. 20,000 Years of Fashion: The History of Costume and Personal Adornment. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1987 (ISBN: 978-0-8109-1693-7). Based primarily on artwork, Boucher's costume history depicts the fashions of the European elite from prehistory to the mid-twentieth century. The text summarizes the evolution of costume within the western world and offers useful background to students of costume history. …