Training Simulation for ODOT Snow and Ice Drivers

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Grant supported by the Ohio Department of Transportation.

PI: Jiaqi Ma. Co-PI: Ming Tang. Julian Wang.

Training using driving simulator & VR-based training applications

The purpose of this research is to conduct an in-depth analysis of ODOT’s current process for training snow and ice drivers and provide recommendations on how to enhance their snow and ice experience.

To accomplish this research, the scope of work should be divided into two phases. The scope of work should include, at a minimum, the activities noted below. Additional tasks may be included in the proposal by the UC team as appropriate to ensure achievement of research objectives. ODOT’s decision to invest in Phase 2 will be based on Phase 1 interim report and recommendations, and it will consider both ODOT’s ability to implement and the expected cost-benefit.

The first phase of the research requires a comprehensive look at how ODOT currently trains their snow and ice drivers and a review of nationwide practices for snow and ice driver training. An analysis of the past practices shall be considered. During Phase 1, the UC team will work closely with ODOT Lorain County personnel. The recommendations will be developed by reviewing and documenting ODOT’s current practices, past practices, and then developing a matrix of choices and opportunities to enhance ODOT’s travel time recovery.

In order to understand the available technologies for training snow and ice drivers, we performed a preliminary literature search and found the key technologies can be categorized into driving simulator-based, VR-based, AR-based type. In the following section, we will discuss these three simulation training types, and some previous associated works conducted by PIs are also provided.

“Evaluate Opportunities to Provide Training Simulation for ODOT Snow and Ice Drivers”. Ohio Department of Transportation. PI: Jiaqi Ma. Co-PI: Ming Tang, Julian Wang.

SAID students: Sam Dezarn, Ganesh Raman, Dongrui Zhu, Jordan Sauer.

Download the demo file. zip (1GB)

instruction: “C” switch camera view. “E” get in/out car, “L” trun on/off light. “space bar” break. “W”, “A”, “S”, “D” for navigation.

Gamepad: Right Trigger, to start engine,  Left Trigger tostop engine.

 

publication in Urban Rail Transit journal

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Paper published in the Urban Rail Transit journal

Tang, Ming, and Christopher Auffrey. “Advanced Digital Tools for Updating Overcrowded Rail Stations: Using Eye Tracking, Virtual Reality, and Crowd Simulation to Support Design Decision-Making.” Urban Rail Transit, December 19, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40864-018-0096-2.

This paper describes an innovative integration of eye-tracking (ET) with virtual reality (VR), and details the application of these combined technologies for the adaptive reuse redesign of the Wudaokou rail station in Beijing. The objective of the research is to develop a hybrid approach, combining ET and VR technologies, as part of an experimental study of how to improve wayfinding and pedestrian movement in crowded environments such as those found in urban subway stations during peak hours. Using ET analysis, design features such as edges, and color contrast are used to evaluate several proposed rail station redesigns. Through VR and screen-based ET, visual attention and related spatial responses are tracked and analyzed for the selected redesign elements. This paper assesses the potential benefits of using ET and VR to assist identification of station design elements that will improve wayfinding and pedestrian movement, and describes how the combination of VR and ET can influence the design process. The research concludes that the combination of VR and ET offers unique advantages for modeling how the design of rail transit hub interiors can influence the visual attention and movement behavior of those using the redesigned station.  This is especially true for crowded conditions in complex interior spaces. The use of integrated ET and VR technology is shown to inform innovative design approaches for facilitating improved wayfinding and pedestrian movement within redesigned rail stations.

Full paper: download PDF, read HTML

Check out Tang’s eye-tracking research with transit hub design studio ARCH4002, Spring 2018.

Robotic drawing

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Robotic controlled drawing. some experiments at DAAP, UC. Check more info at Robotic Lab. 

 

 

Thesis: Layered Space

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This is the thesis book of my graduate student Adam Sambuco: 

Layered Space

Toward an Architecture of Superimposition

by Adam J. Sambuco
University of Cincinnati, 2018

Degree. Master of Architecture

Thesis Chair. Ming Tang

Historically, the physical nature of architecture has caused it to remain functionally static despite evolving theories, materials, and technologies. The design of spaces and the actions of occupants are fundamentally limited by the laws of physics. This thesis and associated project explore and present ways in which architectural spaces can incorporate extended reality to enhance the design and use of buildings in ways that were not previously possible. Due to their part physical, part-virtual nature, superimposed spaces can change over time, on demand, or contextually, based on their inhabitants. Extended reality can assist with wayfinding, socialization, organization, personalization, contextualization, and more. This thesis asserts that it is essential for architects to familiarize themselves with this technology, exploring new methods of design and presentation for such radically different end products.

It is with this in mind that this document establishes the basic functionality, terminology, and history of extended reality before moving on to more modern capabilities. After a glimpse into the near future of XR and a look at its relationship to architecture, the philosophical basis for treating the virtual as real is explored. Having establishing its history, functionality, and reality, the idea of spatial superimposition is then explored through the lenses of visitor, designer, and presenter. My previous work is then covered, touching on how XR technology will become normalized in society and investigating an approach to XR renovations that brings virtual mansions to the masses. Finally, my thesis project, an XR-enabled media the que in downtown Dallas, is introduced and my processes of creation, experimentation, and presentation are detailed so that others might learn from and build off them. Despite its large scope and cutting-edge subject matter, this work scrutinizes only a small portion of the changes that extended reality will undoubtedly bring to architecture and greater society.

View the full thesis book. 168 pages. 14MB 

 

paper accepted at CAADRIA conference

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Ming Tang’s paper From agent to avatar: Integrate avatar and agent simulation in the virtual reality for wayfinding is accepted at the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA) 2018 conference in Beijing, China.  This paper describes a study of using immersive virtual reality (VR) technology to analyze user behavior related to wayfinding, and integrated it with the multi-agent simulation and space syntax. Starting with a theoretical framework, the author discussed the constraints of agent-based simulation (ABS) and space syntax to construct the micro-level interactions within a simulated environment. The author then focuses on how cognitive behavior and spatial knowledge can be achieved with a player controlled avatar in response to other computer controlled agents in a VR environment. The multi-phase approach starts with defining the Avatar Agent VR system (AAVR), which is used for capturing an avatar’s movement in real time and form the spatial data, and then visualize the data with various representation methods. Combined with space syntax and ABS, AAVR can exam various avatars’ wayfinding behavioral related to gender, spatial recognition level, and spatial features such as light, sound, and architectural simulations.

Check out the full paper there:

Tang, M. From agent to avatar: Integrate avatar and agent simulation in the virtual reality for wayfinding. Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA). Beijing, China. 2018.