Ongoing projects

AAmI-VR: Applicability of ambient intelligence approaches in virtual reality

Ambient Intelligence (AmI) describes approaches, in which sensory systems, that are embedded in the environment, intelligent, and networked, react to the presence of people and that support them using artificial intelligence methods. In the AAmI-VR project, buildings and urban environments will be modelled in virtual reality (VR) to derive insight from the user interaction in the respective VR simulations.

Machine learning methods will be used to recognize patterns. Intelligent sensor nodes will be used (edge computing) to implement self-sufficient systems that can also respect the privacy of the individuals. In this process, the environment will be designed to be responsive to different groups of people. This will allow the investigation of designed alternatives and different effects, in order to derive results for a low-threshold and adaptive support for people in real situations without time and resource consuming construction activities or field testing.

Two specific prototypes, one for indoors and the other for outdoors, of a user-adaptive information and orientation system will be developed in this project. The development and implementation will be carried out with stakeholders (e.g. City of Nuremberg Council for people with disabilities, Traffic planning department of the city of Fürth, Bluepingu e.V.) using the following two example cases:

  • An accessible, multi-modal information station in the new library building at Nuremberg Tech (indoor)
  • An adaptive speed recommendation for bicyclists in support of a progressive signal system on a route section of the downtown area of Fürth (outdoor)

The aim of the project is to develop a novel simulation and planning tool to create sustainable and inclusive concepts for a smart city.

 

 

Project leader: Prof. Timo Götzelmann

Project contributors: Prof. Wolfram Stephan, Prof. Harald Kipke, Prof. Frank Ebinger, Julian Kreimeier, Florian Büttner, Michael Buschbacher 

Grant amount (according to the grant letter): 95,259.00 euros

 

Project duration: May 2020 to December 2021

funded by LEONARDO - Center for Creativity and Innovation as part of the
“Innovative Hochschule” project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, funding code 031HS098A

Motion Sickness Exercise

The Motion Sickness Exercise project takes the weak point of virtual reality technologies as an impetus to come to terms with physical states: sickness - wellness - madness. A problem that arises in VR in connection with movement is a form of dizziness that is caused by discrepancies between bodily movement and the visualised environment. This artist-led investigation looks at how virtual reality can be used to help the human body cross the boundaries of normative ways of thinking.

In a society that is constructed on continuous progress, the conventional concept of bodies should be questioned. The Motion Sickness Exercise project is exploring movement and mobility in terms of functional diversity.* A control system is being developed in which movement in virtual space is directed by breathing. Based on various exercises, the extension of knowledge through the body will be tested as a form of innovation. In cooperation with the Museum Brandhorst, the artist, Angela Stiegler, Shila Rastizadeh, Prof. Timo Götzelmann, and Prof. Susanne Kühn are researching the potential of feelings of dizziness in an exercise format.

Project participants:

  • Angela Stiegler

    Nuremberg Academy of Fine Arts, Artistic Collaborator, Project leader

  • Shila Rastizadeh

    Nuremberg Institute of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Precision Engineering, Information Technology, Research assistant

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    Prof. Timo Götzelmann

    Nuremberg Campus of Technology (NCT), Ambient Intelligence Research Professorship

  • Prof. Susanne Kühn

    Nuremberg Academy of Fine Arts, Painting

Grant amount (according to the grant letter): 35,808.32 euros

 

Project duration: July 2021 – August 2022

funded by LEONARDO - Center for Creativity and Innovation as part of the
“Innovative Hochschule” project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, funding code 031HS098A

Doctoral projects

Virtual reality to support blind and visually impaired people

Consortial doctorate in the context of human-computer interaction and accessibility

Collaboration with the professorship of human-computer interaction at the Technical University of Dresden

 

Content:

Although not immediately obvious, virtual reality presents a promising opportunity for blind and visually impaired people to access spatial information in a more accessible and information-rich way.

Independent access to spatial information is a great deal more difficult for blind and visually impaired people than for sighted people. In order to feel and understand unfamiliar spatial objects or to get acquainted with unfamiliar buildings in advance for the purposes of route planning, physical models such as maps or miniature models must be provided or specially made. For example, if the physical environment cannot be explored together with a sighted assistant, static tactile maps are often used; however, their use offers few opportunities in terms of interaction (e.g., contextual speech output when touched). These physical models also have limitations in terms of production cost, time, and limited information content, e.g., the limited resolution of a tactile map or the fixed scale of a 3D-printed object. Furthermore, real-world environments and sighted assistants are not always freely available and entail risks, limiting the independence of blind and visually impaired people.

As part of this doctorate, the research aims to analyze technological interfaces and interaction approaches of VR in this context and evaluate these with a view to participatory use.

 

Individuals involved in the doctoral process:

  • Julian Kreimeier (doctoral candidate, Nuremberg Tech)
  • Prof. Timo Götzelmann (doctoral supervisor, Nuremberg Tech)
  • Prof. Gerhard Weber (doctoral supervisor, TU Dresden)

Completed projects

BIMVIP - Building Information Modelling for Visually Impaired People

Independent navigation through unknown environments presents a significant challenge for blind and visually impaired people in particular. This project aims to demonstrate how unfamiliar buildings can be safely and independently navigated in advance through the use of virtual reality (VR) and treadmills. For many new buildings, the design and planning takes place using 3D BIM models. The data from these models allow for better use in terms of accessibility. 


Project leader: Prof. Timo Götzelmann

Project participants: Prof. Wolfram Stephan, Julian Kreimeier, Florian Büttner, Michael Buschbacher

University(ies): Nuremberg Tech, Faculties of Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering and Building Services Engineering, and Civil Engineering, and the Institute for Energy and Building (ieg)

Funding amount (as given on grant letter): 24,520.00 euros

 

Duration: March 2019 - December 2019

funded by LEONARDO - Center for Creativity and Innovation as part of the
“Innovative Hochschule” project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, funding code 031HS098A

CoPAH-VR (Comparison of Passive and Active Haptics in Virtual Reality).

This educational research project investigates how the type of haptic feedback used affects the usability of a virtual environment. The project team consists of the applicant and four students from the Computer Science bachelor’s programme (third semester). Once the students had revisited the relevant content from the relevant courses, research questions were defined together and possible options for answering them in practice were discussed. Software prototypes were then developed on that basis to investigate the questions in multiple scenarios. Three different virtual scenarios with different interaction possibilities are being investigated.

These will now be evaluated through user studies and assessed with the help of the applicant. The results of this assessment will then be discussed together and the possibility of presentation at a relevant scientific conference will be assessed, thereby giving the students an insight into how research results are used, along with the production experience they will gain.

 

Project leader: Prof. Timo Götzelmann

Project participants: Jonas Wluka, Christina Wäger, Georgi Yakov, Valtteri Saino, Petar Yakov

Funding amount (as given on grant letter): 6,600.00 euros

 

Duration: March 2018 - December 2018

funded as part of the “Educational research – research-based learning 2019” programme

N-ERGIE Harvester: Self-sufficient energy supply for modern IoT microcontrollers through waste body heat

The Internet of Things (IoT) is developing rapidly and striving to connect physical realities with the virtual world. In contrast to computers or smartphones, its aim is to support people without being noticed – here, technology takes a back seat. To achieve this, small, multifunctional computing units, such as the popular ESP32 IoT microcontroller, are used. These fingernail-sized chips contain not only processors but also all kinds of communication interfaces for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. This allows a wide range of sensors to be connected with little effort.

Although the energy consumption of these small units is low, an energy source is still required. However, alternatives to finite energy sources are beginning to emerge. Using special circuits, tiny amounts of energy can be continuously collected (a process known as energy harvesting) and then specifically used to take measurements at defined time intervals and publish them (e.g. via display or internet). The project seeks to use perpetual human body heat as the energy source to supply the microcontroller with energy using special electrothermal converters (Peltier elements).

The aim of the project was to create an operable prototype that can be integrated into clothing (smart clothes). The ideal outcome would be the creation of a T-shirt integrating the following components: Peltier elements (thermoelectric conversion), harvesting module (energy collection), intermediate storage, microcontroller, and low-energy display.

 

Project leader: Prof. Timo Götzelmann

Project participants: NERGIE AG, Michael Ganz, Darell Parker (Nuremberg Tech)

Funding amount (as given on grant letter): 4,000.00 euros

 

Duration: November 2018 – February 2020

funded by NERGIE AG, Nuremberg

HaFeVAR (Haptic Feedback in Virtual and Augmented Reality)

This educational research project ...

 

Project leader: Prof. Timo Götzelmann

Project participants: Pascal Karg, Daniel Friedmann, Sebastian Hammer, Clemens Bühner, Lukas Bankel

Funding amount (as given on grant letter): 7,250.00 euros

 

Duration: March 2018 - December 2018

funded as part of the “Educational research – research-based learning 2018” programme

Blind3DSupport (3D printing with soluble support structures for blind people).

This educational research project ...

 

Project leader: Prof. Timo Götzelmann

Project participants: Lisa Branz, Markus Otto, Claudia Heidenreich, Christoph Huxhagen

Funding amount (as given on grant letter): 3,750.00 euros

 

Duration: March 2015 - December 2015

funded as part of the “Educational research – research-based learning 2015” programme

Blind3DComp (Tactile maps for blind people, made with 3D printers)

This educational research project ...

 

Project leader: Prof. Timo Götzelmann

Project participants: Bildungszentrum für blinde und Sehbehinderte Nürnberg (Educational Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Nuremberg, BBS),

Funding amount (as given on grant letter): 4,250.00 euros

 

Duration: March 2014 - December 2014

funded as part of the “Educational research – research-based learning 2014” programme