Author: ma-admin

The researcher Dinarte Vasconcelos is developing a tech solution within the scope of his Doctoral thesis. “My research aims to produce an economically viable solution packed with a set of sensors that can detect dangerous mosquitoes and distinguish them from other insects,” says the researcher.  Nuno Nunes and João Pedro Gomes, professors at the Instituto Superior Técnico, and researchers at the Institute of Interactive Technologies (ITI) and Institute of Systems and Robotics (ISR), respectively advise the research project.

Mosquitoes inhabit various regions of the world, with more than 3,000 species already identified in the world. Some of these are transmission vectors of several diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, or dengue. According to the World Health Organization, 627,000 people died of malaria in 2020.

The first prototype

Initially, the researchers performed tests using microphones that captured the sound of  flapping wings.  This allows sensors to detect dangerous mosquitoes close. “As the frequency of the flapping of the wings varies between species, it is possible to recognize the pattern of the species found by the microphones,” explains Dinarte Vasconcelos. However, this approach allowed only the measurement within a short range.  Morevover, the system was not prepared to handle background noise. With the inclusion of infrared optical sensors, it was possible to increase the system’s reach and make it resilient against ambient noise. However, the existence of multiple species of insects requires the use of artificial intelligence to achieve better results. “We will need a database to identify which of the detected insects are mosquitoes,” he adds.

Testing in Thailand

Under favorable conditions, a female mosquito can hatch between 100 and 200 eggs in 7 days. For this reason, the prototype must be able to distinguish males and females. “The laboratory tests we did in partnership with the Natural History Museum of Funchal reveal that the prototype correctly identified more than 90% of mosquitoes are concerning species and sex,” says Dinarte Vasconcelos. The researcher carried out further testing in Thailand, in partnership with Mahidol University. Here, the malaria-transmitting mosquitoes – Aedes and Anopheles are abundant. Dinarte and a local team ran experiments near the Rajanagarindra Tropical Disease International Centre (RTIC). The team placed  light and dry ice traps to attract mosquitoes. These tests were important to calibrate sensors, identify problems and improve detection in a real life environment.

A precious tool to health authorities

Once finalized, the prototype will be able to transmit information to health authorities. It will use radio frequency to transmit information, since it is more energy efficient than WiFi, thus allowing a real-time mapping of mosquito presence. In this sense, the Interactive Technologies Institute, the University College London, and the Regional Directorate of Health of Madeira signed a research protocol to develop a monitoring system in Funchal.

In the future, researchers intend to continue the development of the technology so that it can distinguish between mosquitoes and other insects. Additionally to serving the original purpose, the same technology can be used to monitor other insect species of special interest such as bees and other pollinators, whose population has been dwelling over the past few years.

 

The Bauhaus of the Seas movement held its second conference on the 21st and 22nd of September 2021 at the Venice Arsenal. The University of Ca’Foscari and the Municipality of Venice organized the 2-day event.

3 ITI researchers attended the conference and acted as chairs in 3 panels dedicated to deepening the movement: Valentina Nisi participated in the panel “Recognising the Environment,” Nuno Nunes in “Making Peace with the Sea” and Mariana Pestana in “Reconnecting Communities with Habitats”.

Representatives of the Portuguese and Italian Governments (including Manuel Heitor, Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Ricardo Serrão Santos, Minister of Mar, and Cristina Messa, Italian Minister for University and Research), European Commission representatives, international researchers, and activists attended the event.
The event was carried out in a hybrid format and broadcasted live on Youtube and aimed to develop the vision of the movement promoted in Lisbon by the manifesto of the Portuguese-Italian consortium.

More information on Instagram and Twitter.

The 18th IFIP Technical Committee 13 International Conference promoted on Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2021 was held in Bari, Italy, between August 30 and September 3, 2021. INTERACT conferences are an important platform for researchers and practitioners in the field of Human-Computer Interaction to showcase their work. This year’s theme was “Sense, Feel, Design,” which focused on the new challenges of interaction design, as well as in Human-AI Interaction, focusing on the design of human-centered intelligent systems.

Several works authored by ITI/LARSyS members were accepted at this conference namely, 1 long paper, 1 short paper, 6 posters, 1 workshop, and 1 panel as listed below.

– Addressing the Challenges of COVID-19 Social Distancing Through Passive Wi-Fi and Ubiquitous Analytics: A Real World Deployment by Miguel Ribeiro (ITI/LARSyS), Nuno Jardim Nunes (Instituto Superior Técnico – U. Lisbon, ITI/LARSyS), Marta Ferreira (Instituto Superior Técnico), João Nogueira (Universidade de Lisboa), Johannes Schöning (University of Bremen, ITI/LARSyS), Valentina Nisi (IST University of Lisbon, ITI/LARSyS). [Long Paper]

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing measures were employed to contain its spread. This paper describes the deployment and testing of a passive Wi-Fi scanning system to help people keep track of crowded spaces, hence comply with social distancing measures. The system is based on passive Wi-Fi sensing to detect human presence in 93 locations around a medium-sized European Touristic Island. This data is then used in website plugins and a mobile application to inform citizens and tourists about the locations’ crowdedness with real-time and historical data. To understand how people react to this type of information, we deployed online questionnaires in situ to collect user insights regarding the usefulness, safety, and privacy concerns. Results show that users considered the occupancy data reported by the system as positively related to their perception. Furthermore, the public display of this data made them feel safer while traveling and planning their commute.

– A Systematic Review of Usefulness Design Goals of Occupational Mobile Health Apps for Healthcare Workers by Nurha Yingta (University of West London), José Abdelnour Nocera (University of West London, ITI/LARSyS), Dr Obed Brew (University of West London), Ikram Ur Rehman (University of West London). [Poster]

Abstract

To improve healthcare professionals´ health and wellbeing at work, many available effective treatments including meditation, and workplace intervention, have been developed. However, the utilisation of these interventions is still limited. Currently, various mobile health applications (mHealth Apps) exist to help a wide range of users with different occupational health issues, such as stress, anxiety, and burnout. Despite their advantages,post-download uptake of mHealth apps by end-users remains low. Some of the reasons for this are poor usability, irrelevant or missing user-desired features, and poor user experience. This review paper explores the usefulness of mHealth Apps for the early detection of occupational-related ill-health among healthcare workers. Science Direct, ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, and SAGE Journal were searched comprehensively to identify relevant research articles. A total of 9546 reviewed papers were primarily identified through the systematic search on the databases. 2546 articles were removed from them, by duplication check on a RefWorks software. Titles and abstract screening of the remaining 126 led to 50 relevant articles being selected for full-text screening. Of these 76 were excluded based on exclusion criteria. Finally,19 articles were selected for a final inclusion to identify the relevant usefulness design goals, including usability, utility, and user experience, deemed as critical for apps’ adoption and use. These goals include provide contextually relevant information, which is easy to understand for usability; support self-help guidance and in-depth knowledge for occupational health and wellbeing for utility: reinforced trust and perceived security in m-Health apps for user experience.

– Regenerative Swiping: a Hybrid Vision for Improved Sustainability with “Free” Energy Harvesting by José Luís Silva (ITI/LARSyS). [Poster]

Abstract

In a world facing climate change emergency, energy harvesting must be improved. Future interactive devices (with new materials) and a move of energy harvesting from devices to users can trigger this improvement. This paper presents a vision of how (many) future interactive devices should be powered. Be-yond the benefits of a self-powered and ultra-low power interactive devices vision, a complementary one with self-powered users and “free” energy harvesting is essential. For example, harvesting the user’s energy (e.g. heart rate pulsations) and/or enabling him/her to produce (e.g. kinetic/inertial energy harvesting) and store (e.g. wearables) energy for future interactions. Self-powered users can then perform interactions with devices (that require only power during the interaction or extra power during interaction) powering them through direct contact interaction. This will allow the removal of built-in batteries on these devices and a global reduction of batteries. The proposed hybrid vision combines self-powered devices/users and “free” energy harvesting.

– Towards Identifying Augmented Reality Unique Attributes to Facilitate Chemistry Learning by Sandra Olim (Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute), Valentina Nisi (IST University of Lisbon, ITI/LARSyS), Teresa Romão (Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa). [Poster]

Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) applications have the potential to improve students’ Chemistry learning performance. By identifying the unique features and affordances of this technology, we can design more effective tools to facilitate the learning process of abstract concepts. We developed Periodic Fable in the Wild, an AR serious game as an instrument to conduct design-based research. The game aims to facilitate the learning of abstract concepts related to the Periodic Table by children (9 to 13 years old). We intend to optimize our game by continuing our research with our target audience, analysing their feedback, making refinements, and continuing testing.

– Collecting Qualitative Data During COVID-19 by Vanessa Cesário (ITI/LARSyS), Valentina Nisi (IST University of Lisbon, ITI/LARSyS). [Poster]

Abstract

The current pandemic situation leads researchers to reflect on conducting qualitative research, completely changing how they conduct participatory research. As it became clear that the pandemic would last many months, researchers started to redesign their planned research in digital spaces through social media channels and participatory online tools. From communicating with participants over Zoom (or other similar applications) to sharing information on exclusive online groups, digital platforms have become, for many, the only way to work, learn, or be entertained. This situation offered a significant opportunity to think creatively about research engagement and reflect on which aspects truly require researchers to be “on the ground” to conduct face-to-face participatory sessions to gather qualitative data. Qualitative researchers must use this opportunity to reflect while using digital tools for distance research. This paper is inspired by the work the authors are conducting in MEMEX – a European-funded project promoting social inclusion by developing collaborative storytelling tools related to cultural heritage and at the same time facilitating encounters and interactions between communities at risk of social exclusion. Thus, the work here presented reflects on the digital tools and techniques to collect qualitative data when the researchers cannot meet the participants face-to-face due to pandemics safety measures or other restrictions.

– Human-Centered Visual Interfaces for Image Retrieval: An Exploratory Study by Diogo Cruz (University of Madeira), Diogo Cabral (University of Lisbon, ITI/LARSyS), Pedro F. Campos (University of Madeira, ITI/LARSyS). [Poster]

Abstract

The widespread use of digital cameras in mobile phones has led to an increase in the number of pictures captured and shared. However, the development of interfaces for visualizing image collections has not matched that growth. Most search methods are based on text descriptions and retrieve a large number of results on thumbnail 2D grids, which can be hard to analyze. Therefore, it is crucial to couple image retrieval with purposely designed interfaces. This paper covers the study of four different interfaces for the visualization of collections of images, including a regular 2D grid, a variable-size 2D grid, a pile of images, and a spiral. These interfaces were evaluated in a user test involving nine participants performing search tasks. We found that both grids exhibit higher usability and lower task times than the Pile and Spiral. The Variable Size Grid had lower usability scores than the Regular Grid, but it showed higher-quality task results and was preferred by the participants in this study.

– Persona’s Role in Designing Future Technologies – the Design Tool’s Dilemma for Ideation between Academics and Industry by Parisa Saadati (University of West London), José Abdelnour Nocera (University of West London, ITI/LARSyS), Torkil Clemmensen (Copenhagen Business School). [Poster]

Abstract

Automation and the introduction of Industry 4.0 interactive technologies have imposed novel challenges and burdens on academics and industrial practitioners. Developing systems for future workplaces need sufficient knowledge and understanding of the trends and technological developments and their viability from both industry and academic experts before introducing the general population. Utilizing co-design ideation workshops supported by various design tools can provide better ideation for designing future scenarios. We conducted a qualitative study to analyze academics’ and industrial practitioners’ points of view on a persona as a design tool during a conference workshop. These participants empirically test the co-creation of personas and find conceptual differences between the groups in their tool use. We used pre and post-workshop surveys and workshop transcripts to code and clustered our findings. The conclusion is that the differences in academic and industrial practitioners’ perspectives and use of design tools for ideation are substantial but combined in a team can lead to designing positive experiences in future workplaces.

– Experiencing Contemporary Art at a Distance by Barbara Rita Barricelli (Università degli Studi di Brescia), Antonella Varesano (Università degli Studi di Udine), Giuliana Carbi Jesurun (Trieste Contemporanea), Torkil Clemmensen (Copenhagen Business School), Fabio Pittarello (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice), Gian Luca Foresti (University of Udine), Letizia Bollini (University of Bozen – Bolzano), José Abdelnour Nocera (University of West London, ITI/LARSyS), Maja Ćirić, Gerrit van der Veer, Nuno Jardim Nunes (ITI/LARSyS), Alexandra Verdeil. [Panel]

Abstract

This panel wants to start a discussion about the importance of designing new ways of Contemporary Art digitization and digitalization to foster the creation of successful user experiences for its remote fruition.

– Geopolitical Issues in Human-Computer Interaction by José Abdelnour Nocera (University of West London, ITI/LARSyS), Torkil Clemmensen (Copenhagen Business School), Zhengjie Liu (Dalian Maritime University), Anirudha Joshi (IIT Bombay), Xiangang Qin (Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications), Judy Van Biljon (University of South Africa), Isabela Gasparini (UDESC), Leonardo Parra (Universidad de Los Andes). [Workshop]

Abstract

This workshop will explore and discuss geopolitical issues in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) as a field of knowledge and practice. These issues are mainly seen at two levels: (1) on discourses surrounding motivations and value of HCI as a sociotechnical field, and (2) on discourses surrounding concepts of HCI diffusion, maturity, and diversity as articulated by global and local knowledge networks. Since the beginning of HCI, discussions of democracy have been around. It may even be fair to say that the key notion of usability aims to support the citizens of a democratic society. Obviously, exactly how HCI should do this remains open for discussion. HCI has several roots deep in military needs from the world wars of the 20th century. It was also born out of the sociotechnical traditions with its emancipatory ambitions, aiming at creating conditions for supporting a human agency that facilitates the realization of people’s needs and potential. There´s an inherent contradiction between these traditions. Thus, we’re interested in exploring the following question: how to reconcile such diverse discourses as a military power and emancipatory ambitions in the geopolitical analysis of HCI research and associated discourses? Moreover, the diffusion of HCI as a field of knowledge and practice is dominated by political and post-colonial discourses that pervade local and global knowledge networks shaping what is considered useful and relevant research and practice. In this workshop, we understand these issues as geopolitical in nature and aim to trace the cultural and sociotechnical dynamics that construct the field of HCI.

– Using Technology to Visualize Gender Bias by Sara Tranquada (Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia Universidade Nova de Lisboa, ITI/LARSyS), Nuno Correia (Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa), Karolina Baras (University of Madeira). [Short paper]

Abstract

Science and technology have been typically associated with masculinity. Research contradicting this belief has been mainly focused on our unconscious awareness. In this paper, we propose two interactive systems designed to make gender bias noticeable. One that combines physical and virtual environments and presents the numbers of college applications (Gender by Numbers, that interacts with our conscious mind) and one that uses QR codes to visualize a gender bias riddle (Riddle Me This QR, that interacts with our unconscious mind). We conducted a study that aimed to infer which of the strategies could trigger a difference using the conscious and unconscious measures. We found that Gender by Numbers only reinforced the mentality that men should pursue engineering and women should go into a more characteristic job like kindergarten teacher or nursing. Riddle Me This QR un-cover the possibility of a mentality change. The next step is up to each individual to have the will to break that prejudice.

The Bauhaus of the Seas Conference was held on May 20 at MAAT, co-organized by Instituto Superior Técnico, CM Lisboa, Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program and MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology. The President of ITI/LARSyS, Nuno Jardim Nunes, one of the movement creators, participated in the opening session with the communication “The Vision of the Bauhaus of the Seas.”

In the event, held in a hybrid format, more than 50 speakers participated during more than 9 hours of live broadcast on the initiative’s YouTube channel, with 600 registered participants. The conference counted with the participation of Ministers Graça Fonseca and Manuel Heitor, Lisbon City Councilors Catarina Vaz Pinto and Miguel Gaspar, the intervention of European Commissioner Elisa Ferreira, mayors from cities in several EU Member States, and academic, cultural and business experts from the different areas involved.

The organizers take a very positive view. Nuno Nunes said that “it was a huge success in national and international adhesion. It made it possible to debate many of the themes to move forward with the specific proposal, from issues related to the digitization of coastal areas and their phenomena (mobility, pollution, ecosystems, etc.) to ideas for integrating these concerns into a new aesthetic of regeneration, resilience and inclusion. In all these themes, ITI/LARSyS has made significant contributions that can now have an even greater impact.”

Nuno Nunes also highlighted “the great institutional support of the consortium we are forming”, constituted by IST and CM Lisboa as anchors, “but also others like Fundação Oceano, Ciência Viva, Fundação Gulbenkian, and many museums like MAAT, MUDE and the rest managed by EGEAC .” He also said that it was “a pleasure to see the vision of the Bauhaus of the Seas mobilizing other geographies, particularly Venice (which also assumes itself as a lighthouse city), but also Rotterdam, Antwerp, Oeiras and Genova.” For the President of ITI, the confidence remains that “this consortium can be one of the five winning networks that the European Commission intends to finance, and we will continue to work for that.”

The conference – which marked the start of the thematic network Bauhaus of the Seas, led by Portugal in partnership with Italian, Swedish, Dutch and Belgian institutions – was part of the co-creation phase of the New European Bauhaus (NEB), an initiative launched by the European Commission at the beginning of the year 2021, which will award five networks.

Bauhaus of the Seas was the first thematic network proposed in NEB and aims to foster ethical and aesthetic regenerative development based on the relationship of populations with the sea. This network will promote a school of interdisciplinary experimentation and entrepreneurship to train a generation of designers, architects, engineers, artists, managers and scientists around sustainable design solutions for coastal and marine regions.

 

The 2021 ACM CHI Virtual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems is the premier international conference on Human-Computer Interaction. It is considered the most prestigious conference in the field of HCI, which counts with the participation of thousands of international attendees annually. This year, for the first time, it was held fully online, between May 8-13, 2021.
ITI/LARSyS members have had papers accepted and presented at this conference, listing below.

• Ordinary User Experiences at Work: A Study of Greenhouse Growers – Torkil Clemmensen, Morten Hertzum, Jose Abdelnour-Nocera.

Watch the presentation video.

Abstract

We investigate professional greenhouse growers’ user experience (UX) when using climate-management systems in their daily work. We build on the literature on UX, in particular, UX at work, and extend it to ordinary UX at work. In a 10-day diary study, we collected data with a general UX instrument (AttrakDiff), a domain-specific instrument, and interviews. We find that AttrakDiff is valid at work; its three-factor structure of pragmatic quality (PQ), hedonic identification quality, and hedonic stimulation quality is recognizable in the growers’ responses. In this article, UX at work is understood as interactions among technology, tasks, structure, and actors. Our data support the recent proposal for the ordinariness of UX at work. We find that during continued use, UX at work is middle-of-the-scale, remains largely constant over time, and varies little across use situations. For example, the largest slope of the four AttrakDiff constructs when regressed over the 10 days was as small as 0.04. The findings contrast existing assumptions and findings in UX research, which is mainly about extraordinary and positive experiences. In this way, the present study contributes to UX research by calling attention to the mundane, unremarkable, and ordinary UXs at work.

• Dynamic Field of View Restriction in 360º Video: Aligning Optical Flow and Visual SLAM to Mitigate VIMS – Paulo Bala, Ian Oakley, Valentina Nisi, Nuno Jardim Nunes.

Watch the presentation video.

Abstract

Head-Mounted Display based Virtual Reality is proliferating. However, Visually Induced Motion Sickness (VIMS), which prevents many from using VR without discomfort, bars widespread adoption. Prior work has shown that limiting the Field of View (FoV) can reduce VIMS at a cost of also reducing presence. Systems that dynamically adjust a user’s FoV may be able to balance these concerns. To explore this idea, we present a technique for standard 360° video that shrinks FoVs only during VIMS inducing scenes. It uses Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping and peripheral optical flow to compute camera movements and reduces FoV during rapid motion or optical flow. A user study (N=23) comparing 360° video with unrestricted-FoVs (90°), reduced fixed-FoVs (40°) and dynamic-FoVs (40°-90°) revealed that dynamic-FoVs mitigate VIMS while maintaining presence. We close by discussing the user experience of dynamic-FoVs and recommendations for how they can help make VR comfortable and immersive for all.

• Community-based Robot Design for Classrooms w/ Mixed Visual Abilities Children – Isabel Neto, Hugo Nicolau, Ana Paiva.

Watch the presentation video.

Abstract

Visually impaired children (VI) face challenges in collaborative learning in classrooms. Robots have the potential to support inclusive classroom experiences by leveraging their physicality, bespoke social behaviors, sensors, and multimodal feedback. However, the design of social robots for mixed-visual abilities classrooms remains mostly unexplored. This paper presents a four-month-long community-based design process where we engaged with a school community. We provide insights into the barriers experienced by children and how social robots can address them. We also report on a participatory design activity with mixed-visual abilities children, highlighting the expected roles, attitudes, and physical characteristics of robots. Findings contextualize social robots within inclusive classroom settings as a holistic solution that can interact anywhere when needed and suggest a broader view of inclusion beyond disability. These include children’s personality traits, technology access, and mastery of school subjects. We finish by providing reflections on the community-based design process.

The provisional results of the Call for the Attribution of Associate Laboratory (AL) Statute of FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia was announced on February 24, 2021. The list of results includes 40 institutions, research centers, and consortia.

LARSyS – Associate Laboratory of Robotics and Engineering Systems, was one of the AL approved, in which ITI is integrated, being evaluated with 100 points, corresponding to an “Excellent” rate. Check LARSyS evaluation report here.

The research units that are part of the several AL’s were receiving an overall fund of €53 469 000 per year, for a 5-year period. With this call, complementary funding of €23 843 000 per year will be allocated for specific activities, starting in 2021 and for a 5-year period as well.

The Associate Laboratory Statute is given to I&D institutions as a boost to meet the objectives of the Science and Technology National Policy. This way, these laboratories will be able to, in a sustainable way, support scientific and technical careers for doctorates.

The applications to this Call occurred in 2019, having been submitted between September 28 and October 29, 2020. R&D Units R&D Units funded by FCT with a rating of “Excellent” or “Very Good” were eligible to compete individually or as a Consortia, as long as they had a minimum of 80 Ph.D. researchers at the time of application.

Overall, there were 45 applications, which encompassed 118 Research Units, and 10 088 Integrated Researchers. All of these applications were publicly presented and discussed. LARSyS was presented on December 2, 2020 watch the video live streamed here. Videos of the sessions are available here.

The applications were submitted and discussed publicly, and the assessment reports are available here.

 

FCT source: https://www.fct.pt/noticias/index.phtml.pt?id=637&/2021/2/FCT_divulgou_os_resultados_do_Concurso_para_Atribui%C3%A7%C3%A3o_de_Estatuto_de_Laborat%C3%B3rio_Associado

IST source: https://tecnico.ulisboa.pt/en/news/9-associate-laboratories-with-a-link-to-tecnico-have-been-approved-by-fct/