Head-mounted display-based intuitive virtual reality training system for the mining industry

Virtual reality(VR) training technology in the mining industry is a new field of research and utilization.The successful application of VR training system is critical to mine safety and production. Through the statistics of the current research and applications of VR training systems in mining industry, all the input/output devices are classified. Based on the classifications of the input/output devices that are used in the VR system, the current VR training systems for the mining industry could be divided into three types: screen-based general type, projector-based customized type, and head-mounted display(HMD)-based intuitive type. By employing a VR headset, a smartphone and a leap motion device, an HMDbased intuitive type VR training system prototype for drilling in underground mines has been developed.Ten trainees tried both the HMD-based intuitive system and the screen-based general control system to compare the experiences and training effects. The results show that the HMD-based system can give a much better user experience and is easy to use. Three of the five components of a VR training system,namely, the user, the tasks, and software and database should be given more attention in future research.With more available technologies of input and output devices, VR engines, and system software, the VR training system will eventually yield much better training results, and will play a more important role in as a training tool for mine safety.

Light field head-mounted display with correct focus cue using micro structure array

A new type of light fiehl display is proposed using a head-mounted display （HMD） and a micro structure array （MSA, lens array or pinhole array）. Each rendering point emits abundant rays from different directions into the viewer＇s pupil, and at one time the dense light field is generated inside the exit pupil of the HMD through the eyepiece. Therefore, the proposed method not only solves the problem of accommodation and convergence conflict in a traditional HMD, but also drastically reduces the huge data in real three-dimensional （3D） display. To demonstrate the proposed method, a prototype is developed, which is capable of giving the observer a real perception of depth.

Spatially resolved transcriptomics in immersive environments

Spatially resolved transcriptomics is an emerging class of high-throughput technologies that enable biologists to systematically investigate the expression of genes along with spatial information.Upon data acquisition,one major hurdle is the subsequent interpretation and visualization of the datasets acquired.To address this challenge,VR-Cardiomics is presented,which is a novel data visualization system with interactive functionalities designed to help biologists interpret spatially resolved transcriptomic datasets.By implementing the system in two separate immersive environments,fish tank virtual reality(FTVR)and head-mounted display virtual reality(HMD-VR),biologists can interact with the data in novel ways not previously possible,such as visually exploring the gene expression patterns of an organ,and comparing genes based on their 3D expression profiles.Further,a biologist-driven use-case is presented,in which immersive environments facilitate biologists to explore and compare the heart expression profiles of different genes.

Design of Learning Media in Mixed Reality for Lao Education

To improve and develop education systems,the communication between instructors and learners in a class during the learning process is of utmost importance.Currently the presentations of 3D models using mixed reality(MR)technology can be used to avoid misinterpretations of oral and 2D model presentations.As an independent concept and MR applications,MR combines the excellent of each virtual reality(VR)and augmented reality(AR).This work aims to present the descriptions of MR systems,which include its devices,applications,and literature reviews and proposes computer vision tracking using the AR Toolkit Tracking Library.The focus of this work will be on creating 3D models and implementing in Unity 3D using the Vuforia SDK platform to develop VR and AR applications for architectural presentations.

Efficiency balance of a light guide plate with microstructures for a see-through head-mounted display

The efficiency balance phenomenon for see-through head-mounted displays with different microstructure con- ditions can be found both theoretically and using optical simulation software. A simple mathematical calculation is used to determine the relationship between the real image （see-through function） energy and the virtual image energy. The simulation is based on factors taken from previous research studies. It is found that the balance value of the optical efficiency remains almost constant （66.63% to 67.38%） under different microstructure conditions. In addition, suitable conditions for the microstructures in see-through head-mounted displays for daily applications can be predicted.

An Easily Compatible Eye-tracking System for Freely-moving Small Animals

Measuring eye movement is a fundamental approach in cognitive science as it provides a variety of insightful parameters that reflect brain states such as visual attention and emotions.Combining eye-tracking with multimodal neural recordings or manipulation techniques is beneficial for understanding the neural substrates of cognitive function.Many commercially-available and custom-built systems have been widely applied to awake,head-fixed small animals.However,the existing eyetracking systems used in freely-moving animals are still limited in terms of their compatibility with other devices and of the algorithm used to detect eye movements.Here,we report a novel system that integrates a general-purpose,easily compatible eye-tracking hardware with a robust eye feature-detection algorithm.With ultra-light hardware and a detachable design,the system allows for more implants to be added to the animal's exposed head and has a precise synchronization module to coordinate with other neural implants.Moreover,we systematically compared the performance of existing commonly-used pupil-detection approaches,and demonstrated that the proposed adaptive pupil feature-detection algorithm allows the analysis of more complex and dynamic eye-tracking data in freemoving animals.Synchronized eye-tracking and electroencephalogram recordings,as well as algorithm validation under five noise conditions,suggested that our system is flexibly adaptable and can be combined with a wide range of neural manipulation and recording technologies.