Augmented Human Research最新文献

In recent times, virtual reality (VR) games have gained immense popularity, captivating gamers worldwide. While VR games offer an immersive experience, they do have certain limitations, particularly when it comes to the utilization of hand controllers. This research endeavors to overcome these limitations and provide players with an enhanced and realistic gaming experience by introducing a novel accessory called the Haptic Gamer Suit (H-Suit), designed to complement VR headsets. This paper presents the development of the H-Suit, achieved through an exploration of haptic technologies and conducting in-depth interviews with gaming experts. The H-Suit is a comprehensive outfit comprising five components: a shirt, pants, belt, gloves, and socks, all seamlessly integrated with the VR headset. Embedded within the suit are sensors and circuit boards, meticulously engineered to simulate the sensations experienced by game characters when they encounter damage. By employing the H-Suit, users can engage in VR games without the need for handheld controllers, enabling a heightened level of realism throughout their gaming sessions. Through extensive research in haptic technologies and insights gained from expert gamers, the H-Suit has been conceptualized and brought to fruition. Its seamless integration with the VR headset ensures effortless connectivity, and the incorporation of sensors and circuit boards in the suit delivers a tangible and authentic gaming experience. As a result, players can engage in VR games without the constraints of holding controllers, thereby immersing themselves in a world that feels remarkably lifelike, courtesy of the H-Suit.

Human augmentation technology, particularly supernumerary robotic limbs, has seen rapid growth and offers promising applications. However, the cognitive aspects of supernumerary robotic limbs, such as the sense of embodiment, remain underexplored in the context of modular body systems that which provide the part of one’s own body feeling, especially when detached, and how this might impact work efficiency. This study aims to investigate the impact of experience of synchronizing Sense of Embodiment and work efficiency between the user’s innate body and a modular body system. The experiment was conducted using a modular body prototype and compared between with wearing experience (the user is more likely to perceive this robot as a part of their body) and without wearing experience (the user is more likely to perceive this robot as a separate, standalone robot). Objective evaluations included task completion time and accuracy, while the sense of embodiment questionnaire was employed for subjective evaluations. The results suggested that after having experience of wearing modular arm for a while, this experience can influence the work efficiency even if it was used without wearing it.

Cardiac arrest is common death these days. Most patients do not notice the symptoms before it happens. Death or severe consequence and be prevented if help and proper assistance can be reached within time. Since a cardiac arrest is prone to get higher continuously, some buildings have installed AED (automated external defibrillator) defibrillators. Therefore, patients can reach for help immediately. But the fact is that some of the helpers can reach a patient within time but they are not sure how to operate heart stimulation by AED or CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) properly nor do they make a decision to push the patient’s chest. In Thailand, CPR training is just an option; it is not a compulsory lesson. Nevertheless, CPR trainees can obtain only the theoretical lesson; then, they do not know exactly how hard to push the patient’s chest. This leads to misoperation when they face the real incident. Another factor is when an incident occurs, helpers do not know how to contact emergency and do not know what important information they need to provide to medical support. In this paper, we develop a smart life saver jacket to support the helper in how perform accurate CPR by using machine learning technology to detect the patient’s pulse and support the helper to make decisions combined with an interface idea to indicate helper how to perform accurate CPR, while it is the application that will connect to the nearest hospital.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly evolving technology that is transforming various aspects of modern society. Despite its immense potential for positive impact, the development and deployment of AI also raises a range of ethical considerations. This paper presents a literature review and case study analysis of the ethics of AI, with a particular focus on exploring areas where research is still lacking. Our analysis reveals that while there is a growing body of literature on AI ethics, there are also several areas that remain underexplored. Through a detailed analysis of case studies from diverse sectors, we illustrate the practical implications of ethical dilemmas surrounding AI. Specifically, this paper examines issues related to fairness, transparency, accountability, and bias in AI. The paper reviews the existing literature on AI ethics and uses case studies to illustrate the challenges and opportunities presented by AI. Our paper underscores the urgent need for further research and attention to these issues to ensure that the development and use of AI align with ethical principles and values. We conclude by suggesting a research agenda for future work on the ethics of AI.

New wearable devices and technologies provide unprecedented scope to augment or substitute human perceptual abilities. However, the flexibility to reorganize brain processing to use novel sensory signals during early sensitive periods in infancy is much less evident at later ages, making integration of new signals into adults’ perception a significant challenge. We believe that an approach informed by cognitive neuroscience is crucial for maximizing the true potential of new sensory technologies. Here, we present a framework for measuring and evaluating the extent to which new signals are integrated within existing structures of perception and experience. As our testbed, we use laboratory tasks in which healthy volunteers learn new, augmented perceptual-motor skills. We describe a suite of measures of (i) perceptual function (psychophysics), (ii) neural representations (fMRI/decoding), and (iii) subjective experience (qualitative interview/micro-phenomenology) targeted at testing hypotheses about how newly learned signals become integrated within perception and experience. As proof of concept, we provide example data showing how this approach allows us to measure changes in perception, neural processing, and subjective experience. We argue that this framework, in concert with targeted approaches to optimizing training and learning, provides the tools needed to develop and optimize new approaches to human sensory augmentation and substitution.

Although exoskeletons for tactical athletes are potentially beneficial tools to increase survivability and enhance operational capabilities, they often do not account for variations from basic movements. Tactical movement patterns must be investigated to best guide device design and mitigate restriction of the user’s abilities to execute duties. The purpose of this study was to identify if biomechanical patterns are difference between walking while maintaining weapon aim (i.e., ‘shoot on the move’, SM) and normal walking. Twenty-two male active-duty Army Soldiers performed normal walking and SM under three speed conditions: (1) self-selected slow, (2) standard (1.12 m/s), and (3) self-selected fast. Lower extremity kinematics and spatiotemporal parameters were collected. Unadjusted and adjusted models were performed to determine the effects of walking and speed conditions on dependent variables. Individuals exhibited larger lower extremity flexion angles during SM than during normal walking (p < 0.01). Smaller strides were observed during SM than during normal walking (p < 0.01). No difference in time spent in double limb support were observed between walking tasks (p = 0.97). Tactical athletes exhibit different movement patterns during SM compared to normal walking. Lower extremities are more flexed, and strides are shorter during SM to minimize vertical movement and increase stability, suggesting that occupationally relevant movements may not directly translate to basic movements. Information on occupationally relevant movements should be accessible to exoskeleton designers to build optimum control systems that will aid and not hinder tactical athletes in their roles to serve and protect.

There have been raising concerns about questions of agency, accountability and authorship with creative practices that use generative artificial intelligence models, for instance, ChatGPT, Midjourney, DALL-E and Stable Diffusion. The debate seems to revolve around the question of if generative artificial intelligence is just a tool or if it is actually able to collaborate, substitute or interfere with human authorship, as legislation of AI-generated work would make one believe. These questions appear to take much for granted due to their anthropocentric starting points that simplify questions of agency in nonhumans. In this paper, we reframe this problematic through a posthuman feminist perspective, particularly from the framework of agential realism and intra-action of Karen Barad. This way, we are able to reveal the entangled agencies within creative practices, particularly for the case of collaborative work with gen-AI. This research is diffractively realized through a transmedia artistic practice in which the mutation of the work is explored by its transposition through different media, particularly through generative methodologies, including gen-AI. Through these perspectives, it is found that the tool/collaborator is grafted upon the dualisms that have been actively scrutinized by feminist posthuman theory, like human/nonhuman, subject/object, maker/made, natural/cultural. From this, we conclude that in a creative practice with gen-AI, as in any creative practice, the various entities implicated in the mattering of the artwork are constantly drawing and redrawing boundaries, and reshaping themselves through the creation of art.

Validation of a design method is essential to ensure its usefulness, thereby enhancing the success of design projects and the impact of design research. This paper presents a newly developed design method for human augmentation (DMHA) and the validation thereof. The DMHA was developed to introduce the rapidly emerging concept of human augmentation, which involves technologies aimed at improving human abilities. Its primary objective is to stimulate innovation and ensure the ethical development of future design concepts for the augmented human. The DMHA underwent iterative development and is in its second iteration throughout this study. For validation, we utilized the validation square, customized for our specific design method. During the validation process, it became clear that a third iteration would be necessary in future research. Since the proposed validation approach was found to be effective for validating our design method, it will be used again for the third iteration so that the method can be further improved.

Toward a Digital Horizon aims to delve into the evolution and corruption of the landscape, questioning the limits of the digital medium and humanity’s impact on the world’s finite resources when interacting with a digital environment. It is considered that interactivity can help to understand possible vices and flawed structures existing in the formulation of urban and natural landscapes and that it is possible to relate the order imposed by the public with the chaotic ramifications of simulation. This art-based research is also developing an interactive artwork. As the participant moves through the landscape, the environment is transformed. Their shadow casts down over their surroundings and scars the landscape. Each action transforms the world, probably prompting questions of what can be done and what kind of agency can be derived without ever imposing any clear narrative.