This study, focusing on the China's Yao minority community, investigates the feasibility to create a generative computational method to replicate the diversity of the existing Yao traditional wood... Show More

This study, focusing on the China's Yao minority community, investigates the feasibility to create a generative computational method to replicate the diversity of the existing Yao traditional wood buildings, addressing the critical issues currently facing computational design methods, in the attempt to adapt genetic-generative algorithms to the study of local ancient architecture. The project develops a computational tool to generate a network of three-dimensional prototypes, or building structures, derived from traditional wood frame village houses. It studies possible housing structures that illustrate some of the key working methods available in digital systems such as ‘generating' and ‘compositing' taking as a starting point computational strategies oriented towards geometry and where a set of local variables play a decisive role: available local technologies, use of raw materials, and the dimensioning of timber components based on data collected from Yao architecture.

Macao inhabit a population of 683,100. The birth rate has been dropping while the death rate has risen compared to two years ago. Cemeteries are becoming crowded, and burial spots are demanding. In... Show More

Macao inhabit a population of 683,100. The birth rate has been dropping while the death rate has risen compared to two years ago. Cemeteries are becoming crowded, and burial spots are demanding. In this case, video calls and social media can be the solution. How about our beloved ancestors? Can we video call them on their memorial days? This paper presents a VR experience of immersing oneself in the 3D VR of the Chapel of St. Michael of Macao to create a peaceful atmosphere for grave mourning. The chapel is also a personal space where we can be truly isolated in serenity. It is a retreat to pray, disconnect, and reconnect to the beloved deaths that may not be buried in an easily accessible location. The authors propose a possible future of mourning our loved ones through virtual reality and telepresence: an immersive experience connected with Macao's extraordinary and cultural unicity.

Creativity and collaboration are crucial to learning development in today's fast-paced educational environment. New technology can bridge humans and their natural needs through immersion in digital... Show More

Creativity and collaboration are crucial to learning development in today's fast-paced educational environment. New technology can bridge humans and their natural needs through immersion in digital environments with physical objects. As knowledge and information evolve, digital interactive experiences are being explored and used to address physical and emotional issues during the learning process. This paper presents a conceptual framework design for multimodal experiences based on adaptable and flexible design patterns that use essential visual, audio, and tactile elements. The authors conducted experimental studies at three kindergarten levels using digital games. Children learned and played through multimodal activities using user-centred design principles, triggering creative behaviours. They used commercial digital games used in schools and educational curricula to assist in collecting data on how children this age interact with digital devices and real-world objects, inspiring creative behaviours.

Artists are increasingly using blockchain as a tool for trading digital artwork as non-fungible tokens (NFTs); however, some are also beginning to experiment with the blockchain as a medium for... Show More

Artists are increasingly using blockchain as a tool for trading digital artwork as non-fungible tokens (NFTs); however, some are also beginning to experiment with the blockchain as a medium for generative art, using it as a seed for a generative process or to continuously modify an evolving piece. This paper surveys, reviews, and classifies the state-of-the-art in blockchain-interactive NFTs and presents a liberal-arts critique of the opportunities and threats posed by this technology, whilst addressing existing criticism on the broader topic of art-related NFTs. The paper examines some of the most experimental pieces minted on the Hic et Nunc (HEN) and Teia NFT marketplaces, for which a purpose-built research tool was developed. The survey reveals some reliance on centralised infrastructure, namely blockchain indexers, placing undesired trust on third parties which undermines the potential longevity of the artwork. The paper concludes with recommendations for artists and NFT platform designers for developing more resilient and economically sustainable architectures.

This study examines virtual reality (VR) poker and how the platform affects poker players' experience. Players use a self-customized avatar and other features of a computer platform that differs... Show More

This study examines virtual reality (VR) poker and how the platform affects poker players' experience. Players use a self-customized avatar and other features of a computer platform that differs from in-person poker. Data were collected through observations from in-game poker VR recordings and interviews with five professional poker players. Findings are analysed theoretically through proteus effects, social presence, ecological psychology, magic circle, and liminality. This demonstrates the interactive cues that poker players use when immersed in virtual reality and embodied in a digital avatar. The goals from this research are to learn about the influence avatars have on poker players: if players can still maintain their poker skills and read different cue signs from other players while embodied in an avatar and immersed in VR. This paper also explores the promise of poker in virtual reality and its environment, examples of existing applications, a discussion of the research to date, and also provides a vision for the future.

Interior designers own an exceptional ability to engender novel ideas and solutions. It is important to express or convey this idea to clients effectively so that clients can understand the project.... Show More

Interior designers own an exceptional ability to engender novel ideas and solutions. It is important to express or convey this idea to clients effectively so that clients can understand the project. Designers and architects validated that they have two ways to express their ideas or communicate with their clients: 2-D and 3-D presentations. Clients have their own experience and perception of these presentations, based on a few elements that they perceive from this presentation. This paper compares 2-D and 3-D presentations, as well as the elements that shape the client's experiences and the propensity towards 2-D and 3-D presentations. The study attempted to investigate a method for perceiving and persuading clients to accept a creative idea without wasting time. The outcomes of the study can be utilized by the designers and institutes to focus more on this skill, as it plays an undeniable role in interior design as it saves them time and money.

The manifestation of generating digital visuals through an algorithm is gaining worldwide attention in the graphic design industry. It is a new form of computing that visualizes data input by the... Show More

The manifestation of generating digital visuals through an algorithm is gaining worldwide attention in the graphic design industry. It is a new form of computing that visualizes data input by the designer or collected in the physical environment and turns them into artwork. The generative design of ‘Macau Design Award 2019' was the first of its kind being adopted locally. This key visual design received mixed feedback in the field. There is concern that erroneous perceptions of such a new way of designing could detach Macau from the global design trend. The purpose of this paper, in the form of an exploratory case study combined with a survey, is to understand local graphic designers' perspectives of generative design. The authors want to examine how digital native and digital immigrant designers perceive the phenomenon and their degree of acceptance. The data were obtained through an online questionnaire shared with the Macau Designers Association members. UTAUT2 model was employed to analyse the main obstacles to their attitudes towards adopting generative design in their artwork.

In Macau, the effectiveness of traditional classroom learning is questioned as the problem is discovered by the changes in technology advances, social media, and the varieties of learning methods.... Show More

In Macau, the effectiveness of traditional classroom learning is questioned as the problem is discovered by the changes in technology advances, social media, and the varieties of learning methods. Learning experiences, interests, discoveries, and creativity development are considered essential to academic performance, and the interactive collaboration between parents and children in the learning processes becomes crucial. This article presents the work's design and preliminary analysis, explaining the characteristics of an integrated learning platform and its design for a multicultural, multilingual learning environment. The “Fries Lab” is a learning platform currently being developed that is compatible with various digital devices and aims to create a collaborative learning experience based on blended learning approaches, children's psychology, STEAM educational approaches, gamification, user-centred design, and interface design principles, in which parents, educators, and children collaborate and learn in real-time.

Various materials, objects, and sensors have been explored earlier for creating tangible user interfaces (TUIs). However, there is little work on 3D-printed TUIs based on visual markers for... Show More

Various materials, objects, and sensors have been explored earlier for creating tangible user interfaces (TUIs). However, there is little work on 3D-printed TUIs based on visual markers for smartphone-based extended reality (XR) experiences. The combination of visual markers and smartphones results in cheap, accessible XR systems within reach of many people. Combined with 3D printing, it could foster do-it-yourself (DIY) projects for XR experiences, which may further expand and open-up possibilities for accessible and tangible interaction. This work explores the design space of modular 3D-printed tangibles for smartphone-based XR. The authors report the design exploration process, provide several interactive 3D-printed markers, and reflect on the resulting possibilities.

This paper discusses smart retailing solutions, self-checkout stores in particular. Since RFID tag-based product identification accounts for various limitations, the authors propose a smart basket... Show More

This paper discusses smart retailing solutions, self-checkout stores in particular. Since RFID tag-based product identification accounts for various limitations, the authors propose a smart basket to facilitate self-checkout mechanism for fruits and vegetables, based on multi-view image recognition and weight sensor. The system works on a multi-view model and recognizes and counts the fruit/vegetables from four camera views to handle the occlusions. The user places fruits inside the basket. Multiple cameras installed provide different views inside the basket and captures this fruit placing activity. Different views are then processed for image recognition using CNN (convolutional neural network). The authors also present a multi-view fruit recognition (MVFR) dataset to evaluate the system performance. The base of smart basket includes a weight sensor to account for weight information, the weight, and count information of fruit assist in bill generation at self-checkout station.

The treatment of several types of obsessions/compulsions for people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders (OCD) can be done using virtual environments (VE). These people experience intrusive, unwanted... Show More

The treatment of several types of obsessions/compulsions for people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders (OCD) can be done using virtual environments (VE). These people experience intrusive, unwanted thoughts that cause anxiety, which trigger intentional repetitive behaviors to decrease their anxiety. The advantage of using a VE to experience and challenge compulsions is that it allows the user to take the risk without taking a real risk as in digital games. This article presents a virtual reality serious game for OCD therapy, which will serve as a tool to expose the patients to stimuli that can trigger OCD symptoms, for example, tidying, cleaning, and checking. The game is more oriented for adolescents and younger adults because OCD usually starts to affect teenagers, accompanying them throughout adulthood, generating a very accentuated degree of disability in all areas of their lives. Despite Covid-19, a small group of specialists did a preliminary evaluation of the game, which has provided promising results on the feasibility of VR interventions for OCD in clinical practice.

Vestibular vertigo accounts for about a quarter of dizziness complaints. Loss of vestibular function is a debilitating condition that causes nausea, spontaneous nystagmus, or disequilibrium, which... Show More

Vestibular vertigo accounts for about a quarter of dizziness complaints. Loss of vestibular function is a debilitating condition that causes nausea, spontaneous nystagmus, or disequilibrium, which is known to highly influence day-to-day tasks. Therefore, recovery should start as soon as possible, targeting the affected side of the vestibular apparatus, by performing a set of prescribed exercises. Aside from being a long and tiresome process, patients must perform these exercises, while trying to stimulate optokinetic, angular vestibulo-ocular, and vestibulospinal reflexes. The article presents the development of virtual reality serious games that can be played at home or in a rehabilitation clinic. The main objective is to increase patients' motivation, specifically during telerehabilitation which is essential for a faster recovery process. A preliminary evaluation was carried out to compare the users' experiences using a smartphone-based headset and a standalone commercial head-mounted display, the Oculus Quest.

Industrialization increased air pollution sources, which is a cause of major health problems. As such, air pollution became a growing concern and there is a need to monitor and easily visualize air... Show More

Industrialization increased air pollution sources, which is a cause of major health problems. As such, air pollution became a growing concern and there is a need to monitor and easily visualize air pollution data. There are thousands of air quality monitoring stations throughout the world that are used to measure air quality. Moreover, there are plenty of applications that have been developed to visualize air pollution that use information gathered by these air quality monitoring stations as well as other sources of information, such as traffic intensity or weather forecasts. This paper introduces a novel graphical tool that taps on a new source of information: expert knowledge of air pollution sources. This tool allows experts to represent air pollution sources and their dynamics, and to assign them to different map elements. The authors have performed tool's usability and viability tests with 30 participants of which 6 are environmental experts. The obtained results and the provided feedback show that the proposed approach is a promising complement to sensor-based mapping approaches.