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Publications

Publications by Nuno Alexandre Pereira

2021

Hybrid Conference Experiences in the ARENA

Authors
Pereira N.; Rowe A.; Farb M.W.; Liang I.; Lu E.; Riebling E.;

Publication
Proceedings - 2021 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality Adjunct, ISMAR-Adjunct 2021

Abstract
We propose supporting hybrid conference experiences using the Augmented Reality Edge Network Architecture (ARENA). ARENA is a platform based on web technologies that simplifies the creation of collaborative mixed reality for standard Web Browsers (Chrome, Firefox) in VR, Headset AR/VR Browsers (Magic Leap, Hololens, Oculus Quest 2), and mobile AR (WebXR Viewer for iOS, Chrome with experimental flags for Android, and our own custom WebXR fork for iOS). We use a 3D scan of the conference venue as the backdrop environment for remote users and a model to stage various AR interactions for in-person users. Remote participants can use VR in a browser or a VR headset to navigate the scene. In-person participants can use AR headsets or mobile AR through WebXR browsers to see and hear remote users. ARENA can scale up to hundreds of users in the same scene and provides audio and video with spatial sound that can more closely capture real-world interactions.

2015

Preface

Authors
Abdelzaher T.; Pereira N.;

Publication
Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)

Abstract

2013

A Sensing Platform for High Visibility of the Datacenter

Authors
Loureiro, J; Pereira, N; Santos, P; Tovar, E;

Publication
Proceedings of 4th International Workshop on Networks of Cooperating Objects for Smart Cities 2013, Philadelphia, USA, April 8, 2013

Abstract
Data centers are large energy consumers and a substantial portion of this power consumption is due to the control of physical parameters, which bring the need of high effciency environmental control systems. In this paper, we describe a hardware sensing platform specifi cally tailored to collect physical parameters (temperature, pressure, humidity and power consumption) in large data centers. This platform is an important enabler to find opportunities to optimize energy consumption. We also introduce an analysis of the delay to obtain the sensing data from the sensor network. This analysis provides an insight into the time scales supported by our platform, and also allows to study the delay for different datacenter topologies.

2021

Teaching Programming with a Limited Infrastructure

Authors
Ferreira, P; Nogueira, L; Pereira, N; Maia, C; Fernandes, M; Andrade, A; Faria, R; Goncalves, C;

Publication
2021 WORLD ENGINEERING EDUCATION FORUM/GLOBAL ENGINEERING DEANS COUNCIL (WEEF/GEDC)

Abstract
Programming courses are needed for an increasing number of students in the Higher Education Institutions of today. Of all the programming languages covered in typical courses, the C and Assembly languages are among the most critical. As they are very low level languages, their knowledge helps the students to understand the inner workings of a computer. At the same time, their differences from other programming languages, demands from the learner a serious adjustment of the mental model. As the programming tools and environments are also different, there is the need of supporting the students in their learning, using a minimum of infrastructure, due to financial restrictions, and to support the maximum number of students, with the existing resources. The use of a Virtual Machine based on a Live Linux distribution, together with an enhanced set of software tests can provide students with an easy to install development platform, providing a good amount feedback, with very limited network usage. The methods described in this paper have been applied with good results, and can be used to support live or online classes.

2021

ARENA: The Augmented Reality Edge Networking Architecture

Authors
Pereira, N; Rowe, A; Farb, MW; Liang, I; Lu, E; Riebling, E;

Publication
2021 IEEE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON MIXED AND AUGMENTED REALITY (ISMAR 2021)

Abstract
Many have predicted the future of the Web to be the integration of Web content with the real-world through technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR). This has led to the rise of Extended Reality (XR) Web Browsers used to shorten the long AR application development and deployment cycle of native applications especially across different platforms. As XR Browsers mature, we face new challenges related to collaborative and multi-user applications that span users, devices, and machines. These collaborative XR applications require: (1) networking support for scaling to many users, (2) mechanisms for content access control and application isolation, and (3) the ability to host application logic near clients or data sources to reduce application latency. In this paper, we present the design and evaluation of the AR Edge Networking Architecture (ARENA) which is a platform that simplifies building and hosting collaborative XR applications on WebXR capable browsers. ARENA provides a number of critical components including: a hierarchical geospatial directory service that connects users to nearby servers and content, a token-based authentication system for controlling user access to content, and an application/service runtime supervisor that can dispatch programs across any network connected device. All of the content within ARENA exists as endpoints in a PubSub scene graph model that is synchronized across all users. We evaluate ARENA in terms of client performance as well as benchmark end-to-end response-time as load on the system scales. We show the ability to horizontally scale the system to Internet-scale with scenes containing hundreds of users and latencies on the order of tens of milliseconds. Finally, we highlight projects built using ARENA and showcase how our approach dramatically simplifies collaborative multi-user XR development compared to monolithic approaches.

2022

Cappella: Establishing Multi-User Augmented Reality Sessions Using Inertial Estimates and Peer-to-Peer Ranging

Authors
Miller J.; Soltanaghai E.; Duvall R.; Chen J.; Bhat V.; Pereira N.; Rowe A.;

Publication
Proceedings - 21st ACM/IEEE International Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks, IPSN 2022

Abstract
Current collaborative augmented reality (AR) systems establish a common localization coordinate frame among users by exchanging and comparing maps comprised of feature points. However, relative positioning through map sharing struggles in dynamic or feature-sparse environments. It also requires that users exchange identical regions of the map, which may not be possible if they are separated by walls or facing different directions. In this paper, we present Cappella11Like its musical inspiration, Cappella utilizes collaboration among agents to forgo the need for instrumentation, an infrastructure-free 6-degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) positioning system for multi-user AR applications that uses motion estimates and range measurements between users to establish an accurate relative coordinate system. Cappella uses visual-inertial odometry (VIO) in conjunction with ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging radios to estimate the relative position of each device in an ad hoc manner. The system leverages a collaborative particle filtering formulation that operates on sporadic messages exchanged between nearby users. Unlike visual landmark sharing approaches, this allows for collaborative AR sessions even if users do not share the same field of view, or if the environment is too dynamic for feature matching to be reliable. We show that not only is it possible to perform collaborative positioning without infrastructure or global coordinates, but that our approach provides nearly the same level of accuracy as fixed infrastructure approaches for AR teaming applications. Cappella consists of an open source UWB firmware and reference mobile phone application that can display the location of team members in real time using mobile AR. We evaluate Cappella across mul-tiple buildings under a wide variety of conditions, including a contiguous 30,000 square foot region spanning multiple floors, and find that it achieves median geometric error in 3D of less than 1 meter.

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