2023
Authors
Almeida, D; Mendes, D; Rodrigues, R;
Publication
COMPUTERS & GRAPHICS-UK
Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to significantly boost productivity in professional settings, especially those that can benefit from immersive environments that allow a better and more thorough way of visualizing information. However, the physical demands of mid-air movements make it difficult to use VR for extended periods. DeskVR offers a solution that allows users to engage in VR while seated at a desk, minimizing physical exhaustion. However, developing appropriate motion techniques for this context is challenging due to limited mobility and space constraints. This work focuses on object manipulation techniques, exploring touch-based and mid-air-based approaches to design a suitable solution for DeskVR, hypothesizing that touch-based object manipulation techniques could be as effective as mid-air object manipulation in a DeskVR scenario while less physically demanding. Thus, we propose Scaled Indirect Touch 6-DOF (SIT6), an indirect touch-based object manipulation technique incorporating scaled input mapping to address precision and out-of-reach manipulation issues. The implementation of our solution consists of a state machine with error-handling mechanisms and visual indicators to enhance interaction. User experiments were conducted to compare the SIT6 technique with a baseline mid-air approach, revealing comparable effectiveness while demanding less physical exertion. These results validated our hypothesis and established SIT6 as a viable option for object manipulation in DeskVR scenarios. (c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
2023
Authors
Barbosa, F; Mendes, D; Rodrigues, R;
Publication
COMPUTERS & GRAPHICS-UK
Abstract
Haptic feedback in Virtual Reality is commonly provided through wearable or grounded devices adapted to specific scenarios and situations. Shape-changing devices allow for the physical representation of different virtual objects but are still a minority, complex, and usually have long transformation times. We present Shape-a-getti, a novel ungrounded, non-wearable, and graspable haptic device that can quickly change between different radially symmetrical shapes. It uses a single actuator to rotate several identical poles distributed along a radius to render the different shapes. The format of the poles defines the possible shapes, and in our prototype, we used one that could render concave, straight, and convex shapes with different radii. We conducted a user evaluation with 21 participants asking them to recognize virtual objects by grasping the Shape-a-getti. Despite having difficulties distinguishing between some objects with very similar shapes, participants could successfully identify virtual objects with different shapes rendered by our device. (c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
2023
Authors
Torneiro, A; Oliveira, E; Rodrigues, NF;
Publication
2023 IEEE 11TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SERIOUS GAMES AND APPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH, SEGAH
Abstract
Postoperative residual neuromuscular block (PRNB) is still a problem during the surgery procedures resulting in health problems, such as, airway obstruction, hypoxia and pulmonary aspiration. To perform more accurate monitoring of the patient during surgery quantitative neuromuscular blockade monitoring measuring TOF ratio has been recommended by medical institutions. There are some devices available using different techniques, however there are only a few number of clinicians using them, since those devices are costly and have difficult clinical set-up. This paper presents a systematic review of current devices for quantitative neuromuscular monitoring during the surgery procedure following the PRISMA methodology. This study was carried out to list the currently available devices and report the capabilities that are missing in these devices since 2017. The databases used to do the research were PubMed, Cochrane Library, PubMed Central (PMC), Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). 17 articles were selected, presenting comparisons between two devices using different techniques. Quantitative monitoring provides the most accurate TOF ratio measurement but still needs to be incentivized.
2023
Authors
Pinto, G; Barroso, B; Rodrigues, N; Guimaraes, M; Oliveira, E;
Publication
2023 IEEE 11TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SERIOUS GAMES AND APPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH, SEGAH
Abstract
Background: Schizophrenia is the most common psychotic illness in the world. The negative and cognitive symptoms of this mental disorder often prevent full reintegration of patients into society, and cannot be effectively addressed with drugs alone, relying on therapy and rehabilitation. Video games as a digital tool for rehabilitation and therapy can help promote accessibility, improve patient engagement and reduce costs to institutions. Methods: A systematic review was conducted from October to November 2022 to analyze the effects of video game based rehabilitation and therapy on negative and cognitive symptoms in schizophrenic patients. The databases used to perform the search were Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science, with the search query: Schizophrenia AND (Video Game OR Serious Game). Results: A total of 228 papers were found, of which 88 duplicates were removed. After reading the titles and abstracts of the remaining 140 papers, 116 were excluded for not meeting the defined eligibility criteria for the review. Of the 24 papers left, 20 were excluded for similar reasons, resulting in the inclusion of four studies in this systematic review Conclusion: The available data for this review was limited, highlighting a need for more research in the field as well as standardization of terms used to describe the digital tools developed and assessment methods used to gather results from these interventions. Nevertheless, statistical data from the four studies included in this review showed that serious games are a promising tool for the rehabilitation and therapy of negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenic patients, with significant effects on the patients' performance and motivation.
2023
Authors
Fernandes, N; Oliveira, E; Rodrigues, NF;
Publication
2023 IEEE 11TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SERIOUS GAMES AND APPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH, SEGAH
Abstract
Background-Classification, detection, and segmentation of minimally invasive instruments is an essential component for robotic-assisted surgeries and surgical skill assessments. Methods-Cochrane Library, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and IEEE Xplore databases were searched from January 2018 to May 2022. Selected studies evaluated deep learning (DL) models for image and video analysis of laparoscopic surgery. Comparisons were made of the studies' characteristics such as the dataset source, type of laparoscopic operation, number of images/videos, and types of neural networks (NN) used. Results-22 out of 152 studies identified met the selection criteria. The application with the greatest number of studies was instrument detection (59.1%) and the second was instrument segmentation (40.9%). The most tested procedure was cholecystectomy (72.73%). Conclusions-Although CNN-based algorithms outperform other methods in instrument detection and many have been proposed, there are still challenging conditions where numerous difficulties arise. U-Nets are the dominant force in the field for segmentation, but other models such as Mask R-CNN follow close behind with comparable results. Deep learning holds immense potential in laparoscopic surgery and many improvements are expected as soon as data quality improves.
2023
Authors
Oliveira, E; Ferreira, J; Alves, J; Henriques, M; Rodrigues, NF;
Publication
2023 IEEE 11TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SERIOUS GAMES AND APPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH, SEGAH
Abstract
Mobile applications have experienced exponential growth in recent years, including mHealth apps related to stroke, one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide. This review aims to analyze the characteristics of available stroke apps designed to assist in assessing stroke severity. Initially, 809 apps were retrieved from both the App Store and Google Play Store. These apps were then filtered, primarily excluding those that did not implement a prehospital stroke scale with a resulting score. A total of 36 apps met the criteria for further analysis in this review. The majority of these apps displayed scale items using text only. Certain scales, such as RACE, VAN, and NIHSS, are supported by studies demonstrating their ability to accurately assess stroke severity. Consequently, apps featuring these scales are more likely to be useful in achieving the objective of this study. Improvements to these apps could be made by expanding the functionalities they offer and enhancing their user experience.
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