Survey on haptic rendering of data sets: Exploration of scalar and vector fields

Complementary to automatic extraction processes, Virtual Reality technologies provide an adequate framework to integrate human perception in the exploration of large data sets. In such multisensory system, thanks to intuitive interactions, a user can take advantage of all his perceptual abilities in the exploration task. In this context the haptic perception, coupled to visual rendering, has been investigated for the last two decades, with significant achievements. In this paper, we present a survey related to exploitation of the haptic feedback in exploration of large data sets. For each haptic technique introduced, we describe its principles and its effectiveness.

Haptische, visuelle und olfaktorische Sprachen: Westnilotische Wahrnehmungen

Cet article traite des expressions de la perception sensuelle de l’ouest nilotique. La première partie de l’article présente une terminologie ophrésiologique en louo et burun et démontre que cette catégorie lexicale détient aussi une catégorie grammaticale particulière. Phénomènes très rares dans les langues du monde, les termes ophrésiologiques sont seulement présentés sous forme introductive pour encourager davantage les recherches futures. La seconde partie de l’article porte sur les descriptions des couleurs utilisées pour les animaux domestiques. Quand les modalités de l’économie changent, les noms utilisés pour les couleurs des animaux peuvent aussi être employés pour d’autres concepts culturels. La troisième partie de l’article montre que les classificateurs nominaux en mabaan (burun) expriment des principes concernant le toucher en tant que structure cognitive. En conséquence, différents procédés de grammaticalisation sont assumés et corrélés avec des ponctuations dans l’histoire culturelle et mentale des ancêtres des locuteurs de l’ouest nilotique.

Real Walking through Virtual Environments by Redirection Techniques

We present redirection techniques that support exploration of large-scale virtual environments (VEs) by means of real walking. We quantify to what degree users can unknowingly be redirected in order to guide them through VEs in which virtual paths differ from the physical paths. We further introduce the concept of dynamic passive haptics by which any number of virtual objects can be mapped to real physical proxy props having similar haptic properties (i. e., size, shape, and surface structure), such that the user can sense these virtual objects by touching their real world counterparts. Dynamic passive haptics provides the user with the illusion of interacting with a desired virtual object by redirecting her to the corresponding proxy prop. We describe the concepts of generic redirected walking and dynamic passive haptics and present experiments in which we have evaluated these concepts. Furthermore, we discuss implications that have been derived from a user study, and we present approaches that derive physical paths which may vary from the virtual counterparts.

Stereocopic Photography Encounters the Staircase

The staircase is presented as the architectural component that most potently embodies thresholds, boundaries and passages due to its diagonal orientation and essence as an intermediary zone. Connections then are made between the kinesthetic requirements of traversing a staircase and viewing a stereoscopic photograph. From this foundation, the haptic essence of stereoscopic photography is proposed as uniquely qualified medium through which to view a staircase and therefore thresholds, boundaries, and passages within architecture. Analyses of stereoviews of staircases in the Palais de Justice in Brussels, the Library of Congress in Washington, and the Palais Garnier (Opéra) in Paris close the essay.