Computing and IT in the Workplace

CT006-1

Artificial Intelligence (Part 2)

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this section, YOU should be able to:

Describe some of the applications of Artificial Intelligence

in computing
Virtual Reality
Robotics

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Topics we will cover

Artificial Intelligence
Virtual Reality
Robotics

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Introduction Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality is an environment that is simulated by a

computer. Most virtual reality environments are primarily
visual experiences, displayed either on a computer screen
or through special stereoscopic displays, but some
simulations include additional sensory information, such
as sound through speakers or headphones.

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What is Virtual Reality

Brooks (1999) defines it as: [an] experience .. in which the user is effectively
immersed in a responsive virtual world
Ivan Sutherlands vision of the ultimate display (1965):
Dont think of that thing as a screen, think of it as a window, a window through
which one looks into a virtual world. The challenge to computer graphics is to make
that virtual world look real, sound real, move and respond to interaction in real time,
and even feel real.

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History of Virtual Reality (VR)

VR started in 1916. And it was used in

Head based periscope
Flight stimulators for flight training 1929
Electronic Digital Computer 1946
Wide screen motion 1956
Stereoscopic-Television Apparatus 1960
and much, much more.
See the book to get the rest of the history
Sherman and Craig (2003) Understanding Virtual Reality

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Example VR Parachute Trainer

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4 key elements in experiencing VR

1. A virtual world - an imaginary space, often (but not

necessarily) manifested through a medium
2.

Immersion (physical and mental) - having a sense of

presence within an environment; this can be purely
a mental state, or can be accomplished through
physical means

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4 key elements in experiencing VR

Mental Immersion - a state of being deeply engaged,

with suspension of disbelief [one can achieve mental
immersion with books, movies, many different kinds
of media]

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Physical Immersion - bodily entering into a medium

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4 key elements in experiencing VR

3. Sensory feedback - visual/aural/haptic feedback to a

participant, based on [some aspect of] their physical
position
4. Interactivity - in a virtual reality experience, participants are
able to move around and change their viewpoint, generally
through movements of their head.

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So what is VR then?

virtual reality a medium composed of interactive computer

simulations that sense the participants position and actions
and replace or augment the feedback to one or more
senses, giving the feeling of being mentally immersed or
present in the simulation (a virtual world)

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Discussion Questions

Are computer games a form of VR?

Is desktop VR really VR?

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4 Technologies that are critical for VR

1. The visual (and aural and haptic) displays that

immerse the user in the virtual world and that
block out contradictory sensory impressions
from the real world
2. The graphics rendering system that generates,
at 20 - 30 frames/second, the ever-changing
images

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4 Technologies that are critical for VR

3. The tracking system that continually reports the position

and orientation of the users head and limbs
4.

The database construction and maintenance system for

building and maintaining detailed and realistic models of the
virtual world

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4 Auxiliary Technologies that are critical for VR

1. Synthesized sound, displayed to the ears, including directiona

sound and simulated sound fields
2.

Display of synthesized forces and other haptic sensations

to the kinesthetic senses

3.

Devices, such as tracked gloves with pushbuttons, by

which the user specifies interactions with virtual objects

4. Interaction techniques that substitute for the real interactions

possible with the physical world

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VR Technology : Displays

Head Mounted Displays

Tiny displays, mounted in a helmet, suspended one in front of
each eye (in opaque HMDs), or projecting onto half-silvered
mirrors in front of each eye (in see-through HMDs)

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VR Technology : Displays

Projection-Based Systems
A system in which the user is surrounded by images, projected
onto large screens. The prototypical example is the CAVETM,
developed by Carolina Cruz-Neira et al. at the University of
Illinois, Chicago, and presented at SIGGRAPH in 1993.

Immersive Projection Display (IPD)

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HMDs vs. IPDs

IPDs offer:
a wide, surrounding field of view
the ability to provide a shared experience to
a small group
- but, only one person (or none) in the group will be tracked
(1999) [now (2004), there are possibilities to track two people]

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Principal disadvantages on IPDs

Principal disadvantages of IPDs (1999):
- the cost of multiple image generation systems [now (2004),
this is not a serious limitation]
- space requirements for rear projection [4-8 feet or more,
depending on the size of the screen]
- Brightness limitations, due to large screen size [combined with
projector brightness limitations], which results in scenes of
approximately fullmoon brightness, and hinders color
perception

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VR Technology : Displays
Panoramic Displays
one or more screens arranged in a panoramic configuration; or
a single, curved screen, on which images from multiple
projectors are tiled together
[issues: edge blending, on-the-fly color calibration, viewpointdependent distortion correction, viewpoint-dependent gain
correction]

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VR Technology : Displays

Workbenches
flat, rear-projection screens that display images in stereo, and
can be set up in a horizontal or tilted position

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VR Technology : Displays
Boom, developed by Fakespace
a moveable, tracked stereoscopic display that the viewer looks
into.

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VR Technology : Displays
Fishtank VR
a system in which images are displayed on a desktop monitor,
usually in stereo, and coupled to the location of the head,
which is tracked, resulting in the illusion of looking into a
fishtank. [stereo is configured so that the displayed objects
appear to be behind the screen surface]

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Properties of Visual Display

Spatial Resolution
Temporal Resolution
Contrast
Brightness
Number of Display Channels
Focal Distance
Opacity
Field of View
Field of Regard
the amount of space surrounding the user that is filled with the virtual world

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VR and the limitations

It is very difficult to create a high-fidelity virtual reality
experience, due largely to technical limitations on processing
power, image resolution and communication bandwidth.
However, those limitations are expected to eventually be
overcome as processor, imaging and data communication
technologies become more powerful and cost-effective over
time.

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Challenges of VR
Virtual reality has been heavily criticized for being an inefficient method for
navigating non-geographical information.
Idea of ubiquitous computing is very popular in user interface design, and this may
be seen as a reaction against VR and its problems. In reality, these two kinds of
interfaces have totally different goals and are complementary.
The goal of ubiquitous computing is to bring the computer into the user's world,
rather than force the user to go inside the computer.
The current trend in VR is actually to merge the two user interfaces to create a fully
immersive and integrated experience.

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What is Robotics
Robotics requires a working knowledge of
electronics,
mechanics,
software
a person working in the field has become known as a roboticist.
The word robotics was first used in print by Isaac Asimov, in his
science fiction short story "Liar!" (1941).
Robotics is the science and technology of robots, their design,
manufacture, and application.

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Robotics - structure
The appearance and capabilities of robots vary vastly,
all robots share the features of a mechanical, movable structure under
some form of control.
The structure of a robot is usually mostly mechanical and can be called
kinematic chain (its functionality being akin to the skeleton of a body).
The chain is formed of links (its bones), actuators (its muscles) and joints
which can allow one or more degrees of freedom.

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Robotics - structure
Contemporary robots use open serial chains in which each link connects the
one before to the one after it.
These robots are called serial robots and often resemble the human arm.
Some robots, such as the Stewart platform, use closed parallel kinematic
chains. Other structures, such as those that mimic the mechanical structure of
humans, various animals and insects, are comparatively rare.
However, the development and use of such structures in robots is an active
area of research (e.g. biomechanics). Robots used as manipulators have an
end effector mounted on the last link. This end effector can be anything from a
welding device to a mechanical hand used to manipulate the environment.

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What is Robotics
The mechanical structure of a robot must be controlled to perform tasks.
The control of a robot involves three distinct phases
perception,
processing
and action (robotic paradigms).
Sensors give information about the environment or the robot itself (e.g. the position
of its joints or its end effector).
Using strategies from the field of control theory, this information is processed to
calculate the appropriate signals to the actuators (motors) which move the
mechanical structure.
The control of a robot involves various aspects such as path planning, pattern
recognition, obstacle avoidance, etc. More complex and adaptable control strategies
can be referred to as artificial intelligence.
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What is Robotics
Any task involves is known as the motion of the robot.
The study of motion can be divided into kinematics and dynamics.
Direct kinematics refers to the calculation of end effector position, orientation,
velocity and acceleration when the corresponding joint values are known. Inverse
kinematics refers to the opposite case in which required joint values are calculated
for given end effector values, as done in path planning.
Some special aspects of kinematics include handling of redundancy (different
possibilities of performing the same movement), collision avoidance and singularity
avoidance.

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What is Robotics
Once all relevant positions, velocities and accelerations have been calculated using
kinematics, methods from the field of dynamics are used to study the effect of forces
upon these movements.
Direct dynamics refers to the calculation of accelerations in the robot once the
applied forces are known. Direct dynamics is used in computer simulations of the
robot.
Inverse dynamics refers to the calculation of the actuator forces necessary to create
a prescribed end effector acceleration. This information can be used to improve the
control algorithms of a robot.

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SO What is Robotics

Researchers strive to develop

new concepts and strategies,
improve existing ones and
improve the interaction between these areas.
To do this, criteria for
"optimal" performance and
ways to optimize design,
structure and
control of robots must be
developed and implemented
.AND THAT IS ROBOTICS
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Review Questions

Provide appropriate explanation the process of Robotics

What are the crucial and important elements of VR?

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Question and Answer Session

Q&A
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What we will cover next

Topic and Structure of next session
Multimedia Production

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