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4D Color (2007- )
The 4D color research aims to develop ideal color schemes for 4D models. Toward this goal, we developed the selection, examination, and user test (SEUT) procedure, a systematic procedure to determine the ideal color schemes to present 4D models. In addition to the requirements for the construction purposes, we consider the usability of certain colors in 4D models in the SEUT procedure, too. In other words, we consider both the perceptional and the psychological capacities of users while selecting the colors in this research. 4D Color Selector and Evaluator is a website which presents our work in finding the ideal color scheme for 4D models. We currently list three color schemes and their corresponding images of 4D simulations with two industrial 4D software on the website.
iCrane (2003-2005)
The major goal of the iCrane research program is to develop computational methods and tools to plan, simulate, and visualize the operation of construction cranes in virtual automation environments. The crane-specific motion planning methods and collision-detecting methods were developed to enable the crane to follow safe and efficient paths that can be used to erect the structural elements of a construction project. A crane-specific modeling method was also developed to render realistic automations that visualize the crane motions on computers. To coordinate multiple cranes working simultaneously on a construction site, an effective computational method was also developed to avoid conflicts between cranes during the erection processes.
Erection Director (2006- )
The Erection Director project aims to develop a numerical simulation method that can visualize realistic erection activities in operational details. We integrated physics-based animation methods which are widely used in game physics or training simulators to generate detailed erection activities in a virtual environment. A physics-based environment for simulating detailed erection activities, Erection Director, was built in this research. Because the high-fidelity visualizations can be generated in the virtual environment, in the future engineers will be able to plan the erection activities precisely before physical construction commences.
Abstract | Poster | CableSwing | Cooperation
Pavement Inspection Robot (2006- )
Pavement inspection robot is a novel idea for obtaining the pavement profile of an existing road. The eventual goal of the ongoing project is to develop an autonomous robot which can simultaneously perform multiple inspection tasks during its motion. This robot should be able to compute the pavement condition in real-time and determine the coming inspection goals. The motion-planning module for the robot has already been developed. It allows the robot to perform inspection tasks following four motion modes, including longitudinal, transversal, random and grid modes. In the near future, multiple sensors will be integrated into the robot to test the performance of the autonomous behaviors.
SimuSurvey (2006- )
SimuSurvey is a computer-based simulator for the purpose of surveyor training in a computer-generated virtual environment. Five subsystems are included in SimuSurvey to support various training activities: the level simulator, theodolite simulator, accessory simulator, total station simulator, and the tangible controller. This high-fidelity simulation environment aims to also enhance learning results and enrich students¡¦ learning experience. The instrumental errors were implemented as a module and integrated with SimuSurvey. We derived the equations to simulated and visualized the causes of the errors on computers by analyzing the spatial relationship between the rotational axes in the instrument and the reference axes in the surveying environment. These instrumental errors have considering ten instrumental errors, reflecting the reality in an actual survey. Instructors may ¡§create¡¨ multiple instruments with different errors to facilitate in-class explanations and other teaching activities.
Security Robot Simulator (2006- )
Security Robot Simulator (SRS) is a virtual environment in which users can simulate the behaviors of security robots. Since physics-based visualizations and interactive user interfaces are provided, security professionals can use SRS to design the security plans or validate the effectiveness of the plans. SRS includes a patrol-planning module, which can compute the most efficient patrol path for security robots in a dynamic environment. This system can also be used by security guards to visualize and evaluate security planning.
Sleeper Coach (2007- )
The eventual goal of sleep coach research is to develop a sleeper-centered environment to improve sleep quality for insomnia patients. Currently, the research team is focusing on developing a handheld device, Sleep Coach, to facilitate users to develop the benefits of habitual sleep. Sleep Coach includes four modules: screening, advice, training, and diary modules. In the future, we will connect the Sleep Coach device to an environmental control system to create a pervasive computing environment, which can dynamically adapt to provide the most suitable environment to enhance the users¡¦ sleep qualities.
Virtual Hydraulic Experiment (2007- )
Laboratory class is very important in the education of hydraulic mechanics. However, it usually requires a high expenditure on equipment purchase and maintenance. Virtual equipment that renders the equipment in a virtual world and provides an interactive interface for users can be an ideal solution to reduce costs. In this research, we focus on developing virtual equipment for a Venturi tube experiment. We employed multiple paper-prototypes to gather user feedback on the preliminary design. Following the final prototype, we then implemented the virtual equipment on computers. Interactive functions have been built into the virtual equipment. Users are able to manipulate the equipment and obtain real-time feedback as if they were using actual equipment. The results indicate that the development of the virtual equipment is technically feasible.