PROTOTYPES, BEHAVIORAL research, TECHNOLOGY, DISCIPLINE, and SCHOLARS

How do researchers search for knowledge? What are their behaviors and habits, and what technologies do they use? This article proposes that three design shifts - involving more human senses, enabling comparative and simultaneous viewing, and allowing immediate access to full content - will create a more fruitful research process for scholars who conduct a literature review, learn about a new topic in a related discipline, or catch up on advances in their field. The three proposed designed shifts were tested with prototyping. The systematic prototyping procedure is a method that can be employed by others to advance this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PRODUCT design, PROTOTYPES, PRODUCT differentiation, SIMULATION methods & models, and VIRTUAL reality

The paper deals with prototyping strategies aimed at supporting engineers in the design of the multisensory experience of products. It is widely recognised that the most effective strategy to design it is to create working prototypes and analyse user's reactions when interacting with them. Starting from this consciousness, we will discuss of how virtual reality (VR) technologies can support engineers to build prototypes suitable to this aim. Furthermore we will demonstrate how VR-based prototypes do not only represent a valid alternative to physical prototypes, but also a step forward thanks to the possibility of simulating and rendering multisensory and real-time modifiable interactions between the user and the prototype. These characteristics of VR-based prototypes enable engineers to rapidly test with users different variants and to optimise the multisensory experience perceived by them during the interaction. The discussion is supported both by examples available in literature and by case studies we have developed over the years on this topic. Specifically, in our research we have concentrated on what happens in the physical contact between the user and the product. Such contact strongly influences the user's impression about the product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RAPID prototyping, WORLD Wide Web, TECHNOLOGICAL innovations, VIRTUAL reality, and COMPUTER-generated imagery

Coming from the 2D and 3D games that everybody is very familiar with, these days the world has been taken by storm with the introduction of virtual reality technology. In this paper I covered the essence of this new empowering technology through things like: a short representative definition and classification, the hardware requirements for stepping into the VR world, and the most important aspect which is the applicability of this technology in the society that we live in. Also, the main purpose of this paper was to identify which VR game engine a beginner should be using for their first project. Through the research that has been done in this article, I come to the conclusion that the most suitable game engine in this case is Unity. To further prove my statement, I developed a small project that consists of a 3D VR maze which shows how easy it is to learn and develop using Unity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PROTOTYPES, COMPUTER-aided design, CONCRETE construction, BUILDING materials, STEELWORK, and BUILDING

Hybrid concrete construction is a technologically advanced approach to frame construction. It utilizes an optimal mix of structural materials; eg, in situ concrete with precast concrete and steelwork. The process of selecting an hybrid-optimized solution, however, often requires several factors to be considered, eg, 'hard' criteria such as time and cost, and 'soft' criteria such as safety and aesthetics (to be considered simultaneously) - the complexities of which can often be a core barrier to implementation. This paper introduces the concept of hybrid concrete construction and presents a virtual prototyping tool to assist the decision-making process. This model is able to import computer aided design information into a central database - the details of which are then layered with additional information; eg, hard and soft performance criteria and so on. Solutions can be interrogated and demonstrated through an interactive virtual environment, in which multi-option scenarios can be evaluated against specific user-defined criteria. Findings have identified several core benefits, including the ability to: justify decisions corroborated with detailed data; evaluate options against each other; interrogate objects at a much greater detail than before; and see the effects of changes in a 'real-time' environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HUMAN-computer interaction, USER interfaces (Computer systems), VIRTUAL prototypes, VIRTUAL reality, VIDEO games, and HAPTIC devices

The use of haptics in virtual reality and video games has received growing attention as a means of enhancing the sensation of immersion in these environments. The sensation of touching virtual objects not only augments the impression of reality but also can improve the performance. However, the design of haptic interactions is not an easy task, and it usually needs a great effort due to the absence of powerful prototyping toolkits. Thus, this article proposes a vibrotactile prototyping toolkit for Eccentric Rotating Mass actuators named VITAKI. The main objective of this platform is to facilitate the prototyping and testing procedures of new vibrotactile interaction techniques for Virtual Reality and video games. A detailed description of the design of the system is provided, presenting the hardware and software elements that make up the VITAKI toolkit. In addition, its application to two different examples to illustrate its use is provided. Finally, a preliminary evaluation of this toolkit is presented. This evaluation is divided into two main stages. On one hand, a study of Olsen’s criteria is performed to analyze its general capabilities. On the other hand, a comparison with previously presented proposals is included too. These two analyses, together with other experiments where the devices created with the toolkit were tested by end users, highlight its main features and its advantages over other proposals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ALGORITHMS, MANUFACTURES, ENGINEERING, MANUFACTURING processes, NEW product development, BIOMEDICAL engineering, COMPUTER simulation, and VIRTUAL reality

This paper proposes a multi-material virtual prototyping (MMVP) system that integrates the virtual reality (VR) and the layered manufacturing (LM) technologies for digital fabrication of heterogeneous multi-material prototypes for advanced product development and biomedical engineering. The system consists mainly of two algorithms for sequential and concurrent multi-toolpath planning, and a virtual prototyping system. The algorithms adopt a topological hierarchy-sorting algorithm to establish the hierarchy relationship of multi-material slice contours for facilitating toolpath planning of multi-material layered manufacturing (MMLM). Subsequently, the sequential multi-toolpath planning algorithm generates sequential toolpaths that avoid redundant tool movements. To reduce build time further, the concurrent multi-toolpath planning algorithm generates collision-free concurrent toolpaths. Based on the hierarchy information, a bounding box can be adopted to approximate envelopes of contour families of the same material property to simplify detection of tool collisions. The algorithms are integrated to form the MMVP system for planning, stereoscopic simulation, and validation of multi-toolpaths for MMLM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PROTOTYPES, MANUFACTURING processes, VIRTUAL reality, COMPUTER simulation, and STEREOSCOPIC views

This paper proposes a CAVE-based multi-material virtual prototyping (CMMVP) system for immersive stereoscopic visualisation and optimisation of multi-material layered manufacturing (MMLM) processes. The CMMVP system consists mainly of a suite of software packages for simulation of MMLM processes, integrated with a multi-screen CAVE-based virtual reality (VR) system, to create an immersive virtual environment for digital fabrication of multi-material product prototypes. In comparison with desktop-based or semi-immersive VR systems, the CMMVP system blocks out environmental disturbances such that designers can fully immerse in performing stereoscopic visualisation and quality analysis of the resulting multi-material prototypes for subsequent improvements of a product design. The CMMVP system facilitates advanced product design and helps reduce product development time and cost substantially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RAPID prototyping, MATHEMATICAL models, COMPUTER algorithms, VIRTUAL reality, COMPUTERS in medicine, ROBUST control, DIGITAL image processing, and TOMOGRAPHY

This paper presents a framework for generating patient-specific, visually realistic anatomical models from medical scan images suitable for usage in a virtual environment. The goal is to design a robust and repeatable procedure for rapid preparation of anatomical models with minimal user intervention. The proposed framework is an integration of algorithmic components such as image processing and segmentation, 3D surface reconstruction, mesh decimation, remeshing and visualization. Based on this framework, we have successfully generated the anatomical models of the human liver and the gall bladder from real clinical CT scan data. Our proposed framework took less than 20 minutes for a typical CT scan of 70 slices, demonstrating that it is efficient for real clinical applications which demand rapid turnaround time, such as for pre-surgical virtual training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RAPID prototyping, PRODUCTION control, PETRI nets, ROBUST control, SERVICE-oriented architecture (Computer science), and VIRTUAL reality

Engineering frameworks are currently required to support the easy, low-cost, modular and integrated development of manufacturing systems addressing the emergent requirements of re-configurability, responsiveness and robustness. This paper discusses the integration of 2D/3D digital software tools with Petri net based service-oriented frameworks to allow the design, configuration, analysis, validation, simulation, monitoring and control of manufacturing systems in a virtual environment and its posterior smooth migration into the real 'physical' environment. An experimental case study was implemented to validate the proposed concepts, using the Continuum platform to design, compose, analyze, validate and simulate the Petri nets based service-oriented manufacturing control system, and the Delmia Automation software suite to support the rapid prototyping and the easy simulation of the designed control solution. The experimental results prove several aspects of the proposed approach, notably the smooth migration between the design and the operation phases, one of the main objectives of the work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AUTOMOBILE engines, VIRTUAL reality, COMPUTER simulation, EQUATIONS, MECHANICS (Physics), and STATICS

The virtual test track (VTT) is a real-time vehicle simulator used for powertrain and chassis system development in a virtual environment, The VTT is designed and built based on the rapid control prototyping (RCP) concept Therefore, different from the conventional vehicle simulator, the VTT can provide many additional benefits, such as ease of use, flexibility of interface with other devices, and ability to easily implement any hardware-in the-loop system. The VTT consists of a powerful simulation engine to solve the equations of a complicated vehicle dynamics model in real-time and a sophisticated animation engine to provide real-time visual representation of vehicle behavior. It also contains multiple virtual test environments with variable surfaces and weather conditions to provide different types of driving conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COMPUTER-aided design, PROTOTYPES, INDUSTRIAL design, RAPID prototyping, VIRTUAL reality, and COMPUTER simulation

The article presents information related to virtual reality. Scientific visualizations and many other virtual 3D shapes are so complex that they defy complete understanding, even by trained scientists interacting with them through 3D stereographic displays. Images alone must often be viewed many times before their geometries and the relationships among their components are fully understood, if they ever can be. Emerging industrial applications include rapid prototyping, or layered manufacturing or freeform fabrication, of 3D computer-aided design data files in consumer product design and development. The prototypes help guide the design process in, say, consumer electronics, toys, medical devices, and car parts. Compared to traditional prototyping, one key advantage of rapid prototyping technologies is the relative ease of making complicated shapes with relatively inaccessible interior chambers. By incorporating easy-to-remove support systems, even fully assembled mechanisms, such as interlocking gears, can be fabricated.