HCI Unit 6

Ubiquitous Computing
Ubiquitous computing is a paradigm in which the processing of information is
linked with each activity or object as encountered. It involves connecting
electronic devices, including embedding microprocessors to communicate
information. Devices that use ubiquitous computing have constant
availability and are completely connected.

Ubiquitous computing focuses on learning by removing the complexity of

computing and increases efficiency while using computing for different daily
activities.

Ubiquitous computing is also known as pervasive computing, everyware and

ambient intelligence.

The main focus of ubiquitous computing is the creation of smart products

that are connected, making communication and the exchange of data easier
and less obtrusive.

Key features of ubiquitous computing include:

 Consideration of the human factor and placing of the paradigm in a

human, rather than computing, environment
 Use of inexpensive processors, thereby reducing memory and storage
requirements
 Capturing of real-time attributes
 Totally connected and constantly available computing devices
 Focus on many-to-many relationships, instead of one-to-one, many-
to-one or one-to-many in the environment, along with the idea of
technology, which is constantly present
 Includes local/global, social/personal, public/private and
invisible/visible features and considers knowledge creation, as well as
information dissemination
 Relies on converging Internet, wireless technology and advanced
electronics
 Increased surveillance and possible restriction and interference in user
privacies, as the digital devices are wearable and constantly connected
 As technology progresses, the reliability factor of the different
equipment used may be impacted
Design Thinking
Design Thinking is not an exclusive property of designers—all great
innovators in literature, art, music, science, engineering, and business have
practiced it. So, why call it Design Thinking? What’s special about Design
Thinking is that designers’ work processes can help us systematically extract,
teach, learn and apply these human-centered techniques to solve problems in
a creative and innovative way – in our designs, in our businesses, in our
countries, in our lives.

Some of the world‘s leading brands, such as Apple, Google, Samsung and GE,
have rapidly adopted the Design Thinking approach, and Design Thinking is
being taught at leading universities around the world, including [Link],
Stanford, Harvard and MIT. But do you know what Design Thinking is? And
why it‘s so popular? Here, we‘ll cut to the chase and tell you what it is and why
it‘s so in demand.

What is Design Thinking?

Design Thinking is an iterative process in which we seek to understand the

user, challenge assumptions, and redefine problems in an attempt to identify
alternative strategies and solutions that might not be instantly apparent with
our initial level of understanding. At the same time, Design Thinking provides
a solution-based approach to solving problems. It is a way of thinking and
working as well as a collection of hands-on methods.

Design Thinking revolves around a deep interest in developing an

understanding of the people for whom we‘re designing the products or
services. It helps us observe and develop empathy with the target user. Design
 Thinking helps us in the process of questioning: questioning the problem,
questioning the assumptions, and questioning the implications. Design
Thinking is extremely useful in tackling problems that are ill-defined or
unknown, by re-framing the problem in human-centric ways, creating many
ideas in brainstorming sessions, and adopting a hands-on approach
in prototyping and testing. Design Thinking also involves ongoing
experimentation: sketching, prototyping, testing, and trying out concepts and
ideas.

Design Thinking’s Phases

There are many variants of the Design Thinking process in use today, and they
have from three to seven phases, stages, or modes. However, all variants of
Design Thinking are very similar. All variants of Design Thinking embody the
same principles, which were first described by Nobel Prize laureate Herbert
Simon in The Sciences of the Artificial in 1969. Here, we will focus on the five-
phase model proposed by the Hasso-Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford,
which is also known as [Link]. We‘ve chosen [Link]‘s approach because
they‘re at the forefront of applying and teaching Design Thinking. The five
phases of Design Thinking, according to [Link], are as follows:

 Empathise – with your users

 Define – your users‘ needs, their problem, and your insights

 Ideate – by challenging assumptions and creating ideas for innovative

solutions

 Prototype – to start creating solutions

 Test – solutions
It is important to note that the five phases, stages, or modes are not always
sequential. They do not have to follow any specific order and can often occur
in parallel and repeat iteratively. Given that, you should not understand the
phases as a hierarchical or step-by-step process. Instead, you should look at it
as an overview of the modes or phases that contribute to an innovative project,
rather than sequential steps.

To help you understand Design Thinking, we have broken the process into
five phases or modes, which are: 1. Empathise, 2. Define, 3. Ideate, 4.
Prototype, and 5. Test. What’s special about Design Thinking is that
designers’ work processes can help us systematically extract, teach, learn,
and apply these human-centered techniques to solve problems in a creative
and innovative way – in our designs, in our businesses, in our nations (and
eventually, if things go really well, beyond), in our lives. Nevertheless, a
great artist like Auguste Rodin, who created this famous sculpture called
―The Thinker‖ and originally ―Le Penseur‖, would most likely have used the
very same innovative processes in his artwork. In the same way, all great
innovators in literature, art, music, science, engineering and business have
practiced it and still practice it.

Augmented Reality

At its most basic level, AR capabilities layer digital information in some form
or another atop the analog world in which we live. Here are five simple
definitions that may prove useful when engaging in conversations around the
potential business value of AR:
1. ―AR is a technology that enhances or augments your experience of the world
around you.‖ – Tom Emrich, AR/VR/wearable technology expert and
managing director of AWE (Augmented World Expo)
2. ―Augmented reality (AR) is the real-time use of information in the form of
text, graphics, audio, and other virtual enhancements integrated with real-
world objects.‖ – Gartner‘s IT Glossary
3. ―Augmented reality is the rendering of digital images or data onto real-world
objects.‖ – Bryan Ma, vice president of client devices research, IDC
4. ―Augmented reality (AR) is superimposed digital information overlaid on a
user‘s view of a physical environment.‖ – Leon Laroue, technical product
manager of augmented reality solutions, Epson
5. ―Augmented reality refers to any technology that ‗augments‘ the user‘s
visual (and in some case auditory) perception of their environment.
Typically, digital information is superimposed over a natural existing
environment. Information is tailored to the user‘s physical position as
well as the context of the task, thereby helping the user to solve the
problem and complete the task.‖ – The Augmented Reality for
Enterprise Alliance

Types of AR

There are two broad types of augmented reality, these being marker-based and
markerless.
Marker-based AR uses image recognition to identify objects that have been
preprogrammed into your AR device or app. Fiducial markers (something
placed in the field of view for use as a point of reference) help the AR device
determine the position and orientation (called pose) of its camera.
Here‘s how it works: First, the camera feed is switched to grayscale to speed
up processing time. When it detects a marker (often something simple but
distinct, like a QR code), the device compares the information from the
marker with all the markers in its brain. Once it finds a match, it uses the
marker‘s information to mathematically determine the pose and it then
displays the AR image at the exact right place.
For example, let‘s say you‘re in a museum like The Franklin Institute. By
pointing your phone‘s camera at a marker on an information plaque, you
might be able to instantly see more about the artifact at which you‘re looking.
Markerless AR is a bit trickier. Not having markers means that nothing has
been preprogrammed into your device—it has to recognize items on the fly.
The recognition algorithm in your device looks for patterns, colors, or other
features that might tip it off.
Let‘s take the popular mobile game Pokemon Go as an example. The
incredibly popular game tracks your location via GPS, then uses geographic
data and your phone‘s clock to choose when and where to have Pokemon
characters appear. For example, if you‘re walking by a river in the daytime,
you might see a water-loving creature. If you‘re out at night, chances are you‘ll
spot a fairy or other nocturnal type. The game uses your phone‘s GPS,
accelerometer, and compass to orient itself—and then it uses the camera to
overlay an image of a Pikachu or a Jigglypuff within your real-life
surroundings.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that can be similar to or completely different from the
real world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (e.g. video games), education (e.g.
medical or military training) and business (e.g. virtual meetings). Other distinct types of VR-style
technology include augmented reality and mixed reality, sometimes referred to as extended reality or
XR.[1]

Currently, standard virtual reality systems use either virtual reality headsets or multi-projected
environments to generate realistic images, sounds and other sensations that simulate a user's
physical presence in a virtual environment. A person using virtual reality equipment is able to look
around the artificial world, move around in it, and interact with virtual features or items. The effect is
commonly created by VR headsets consisting of a head-mounted display with a small screen in front
of the eyes, but can also be created through specially designed rooms with multiple large screens.
Virtual reality typically incorporates auditory and video feedback, but may also allow other types of
sensory and force feedback through haptic technology

virtual reality (VR), the use of computer modeling and simulation that
enables a person to interact with an artificial three-dimensional (3-D)
visual or other sensory environment. VR applications immerse the user in a
computer-generated environment that simulates reality through the use of
interactive devices, which send and receive information and are worn as
goggles, headsets, gloves, or body suits. In a typical VR format, a user
wearing a helmet with a stereoscopic screen views animated images of a
simulated environment. The illusion of ―being there‖ (telepresence) is
effected by motion sensors that pick up the user‘s movements and adjust
the view on the screen accordingly, usually in real time (the instant the
user‘s movement takes place). Thus, a user can tour a simulated suite of
rooms, experiencing changing viewpoints and perspectives that are
convincingly related to his own head turnings and steps. Wearing data
gloves equipped with force-feedback devices that provide the sensation of
touch, the user can even pick up and manipulate objects that he sees in the
virtual environment.

The term virtual reality was coined in 1987 by Jaron Lanier, whose
research and engineering contributed a number of products to
the nascent VR industry. A common thread linking early VR research
and technology development in the United States was the role of the federal
government, particularly the Department of Defense, the National Science
Foundation, and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA). Projects funded by these agencies and pursued at
university-based research laboratories yielded an extensive pool of talented
personnel in fields such as computer graphics, simulation, and
networked environments and established links between academic, military,
and commercial work. The history of this technological development, and
the social context in which it took place, is the subject of this article.

WHAT IS AUGMENTED REALITY?

Augmented Reality (AR) is a computer-based technology that combines the digital world
with the real world. It works on the computer vision of real-world surfaces and objects
detected by systems like object recognition, plane detection, facial recognition,
movement tracking, and more. Then it overlaps computer-generated data such as
graphics, sounds, images, and texts accordingly on these planes detected before. By
doing so, AR enhances the interaction between digital items while letting us see our
real-world surroundings.

About ten years ago, AR was seen as an advanced technology used only in a few areas
like gaming and navigation apps. Today, however, by the biggest tech companies to the
smallest businesses, it is used in various fields, including aviation, medicine,
manufacturing, and automotive. Besides, thanks to mobile devices’ developments, it is
not only used by corporations but now also in our daily life, everybody can use AR
easily through their smartphone screens and cameras. Therefore it is getting as
attractive and known as Virtual Reality.
WHAT IS VIRTUAL REALITY?
Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology that uses software and headset devices to replace
one’s view from the real-world to a digitally created scene. Using full-coverage headsets
completely blocks out your surroundings and shuts out the physical world while using.
With the LCD or OLED panels inside the lenses of these headset devices, a computer-
generated virtual environment is reflected, and your worldview is replaced. Usually, the
devices are connected to a PC, console, or a smartphone that provides virtual visions.
These visions can be replicas of a real-world place or a place from an entirely imaginary
world.

VR enables people to have a fully immersive experience in these virtual places. It tricks
your senses by allowing you only to see what the lenses are reflecting your eyes. Also,
with realistic sounds, 360-degree visuals, and motion capture gears, it can simulate
your actions, allow interactive encounters with the virtual items and make you feel like
you are actually in that simulated place.
VR is the most popular of all these three technologies mentioned in this article. Mostly
because it goes way back from both the other two, and it is already a very known and
used high-tech feature by lots of industries. Gaming and entertainment companies were
VR’s early adapters like it is for AR. And likewise, it is now used in many other fields
such as architecture and construction, travel, real estate, education, military, and more.

WHAT IS MIXED REALITY?

Mixed Reality (MR), as its name implies, is a combination of AR and VR. It is also
specified as Hybrid Reality as it blends real-world and digital elements. While it is mainly
a technology used for mixing the physical and virtual world, the best side of MR is the
realistic interaction between the users and the digital objects.

Digital devices should be used while handling MR to have a fully immersive experience.
Microsoft’s HoloLens is a trendy example of these devices. Through these translucent
MR devices and gestures, gaze, or voice recognition technologies, users can react from
digital objects to their actions. They can interact with both the physical and virtual
environment at the same time. Instead of relying only on remote control devices, smart
glasses, or smartphones, users can also use their gestures, glancing or blinking, and
much more. These interactions and the realistic renderings make the experience of MR
more convincing as if it is in real life. It is the newest immersive technology from these
three reality types, and maybe the least used one; however, it has a huge potential of
being integrated into our daily life as an essential tool.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AR, VR, AND MR

While they are all compelling technologies with the same main aim to connect the virtual
world and humans, they all have distinguishing characteristics. The fundamental
difference is that VR users have an entirely virtual experience, while virtual elements
are added to AR users’ real-world experience. MR users can interact with these added
virtual elements during their real-world experiences.

Another difference is that VR, and in the last decade, AR is much more accessible for
single users, and we see more adaptations every day, yet MR is still used mostly by big
companies. Most VR and AR applications can run on mobile devices, but MR requires
more processing power.

VR experiences are getting more realistic with the developments and studies on
computer-aided design. Still, virtual experiences are not very convincing yet. At the
same time, AR offers a more realistic experience since it never detaches users from the
real world, and MR experiences are the most realistic. There is deeper integration
between humans and computers with MR since they can respond to each other’s
actions.