HCII 2021 Article I

Yesterday a presented a co-authored paper entitled ‘Foresthlon: Investigating Gender Experience Through a Hybrid BCI Game’ at the 23rd International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCII 2021), HCI in Games: Experience Design and Game Mechanics, which was held in Washington DC, USA. Foresthlon is an adaptation of the well-known Biathlon game and a 2D hybrid BCI game was designed and implemented to provide a new and exciting experience for the player without ruining gameplay.

The main goal of the game was to run and hit all the targets as quickly as possible as the main indicator of how successful the attempt is the time the player was able to finish the game. A user study was performed with 30 participants to examine gender differences in terms of user-experience, cognitive workload, and performance. Results indicate that male participants performed slightly better than females, although there are no significant differences.

More information:

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-030-77277-2_5

VR for MI-Based BCI

A multi-institutional, international team of researchers led by the lab of Woon-Hong Yeo at the Georgia Institute of Technology combined wireless soft scalp electronics and virtual reality in a BMI system that allows the user to imagine an action and wirelessly control a wheelchair or robotic arm. The team, included researchers from the University of Kent (United Kingdom) and Yonsei University (Republic of Korea). The major advantage of this system to the user, compared to what currently exists, is that it is soft and comfortable to wear, and doesn't have any wires.

The portable EEG system, integrated imperceptible microneedle electrodes with soft wireless circuits, offers improved signal acquisition. Accurately measuring those brain signals is critical to determining what actions a user wants to perform, so the team integrated a powerful machine learning algorithm and virtual reality component to address that challenge. The new system was tested with four human subjects but hasn't been studied with disabled individuals yet. Future work on the system will focus on optimizing electrode placement and more advanced integration of stimulus-based EEG.

More information:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210721120657.htm

Satellite Images Improve Human Lives

More than 700 imaging satellites are orbiting the earth, and every day they beam vast oceans of information including data that reflects climate change. However, while the geospatial data could help researchers and policymakers address critical challenges, only those with considerable wealth and expertise can access it. A team based at UC Berkeley has devised a machine learning system to tap the problem-solving potential of satellite imaging, using low-cost, easy-to-use technology that could bring access and analytical power to researchers and governments worldwide.

Researchers have been guided by a common interest in creating an open access tool that democratizes the power of technology, making it usable even by communities and countries that lack resources and advanced technical skill. The system that emerged from the Berkeley-based research is called MOSAIKS, short for Multi-Task Observation using Satellite Imagery & Kitchen Sinks. It ultimately could have the power to analyze hundreds of variables drawn from satellite data from soil and water conditions to housing, health and poverty at a global scale.

More information:

https://scienceblog.com/524212/a-machine-learning-breakthrough-using-satellite-images-to-improve-human-lives/

Astronauts Using MR

From maintenance work to physics experiments, XR technology is playing a major role in the operations of the Expedition 65 crew. According to the official NASA blog, two members of the Expedition 65 crew employed VR and AR technology as part of their respective duties. They used a device referred to as the Sidekick (Investigating Immersive Visualization Capabilities), a modified version of the Microsoft HoloLens designed to provide wearers with critical information in the form of holographic projections.

The organization states that the device can be used to improve tasks including maintenance, science experiments, and various other station operations. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency utilized VR technology to conduct a series of tests as part of a physics study regarding the development of advanced materials using nanoparticles. According to NASA, Hoshide used a VR headset to study how astronauts visually translate motion in microgravity.

More information:

https://vrscout.com/news/how-astronauts-are-using-vr-ar-aboard-iss/