Jose Vicente Riera

Este trabajo presenta el desarrollo y evaluación de un sistema de interfaz cerebro–computador (BCI) basado en señales EEG para clasificación de imaginación motora bilateral. Se diseñó un protocolo experimental con hardware de bajo coste (OpenBCI Cyton+Daisy, 16 canales, 125 Hz) e implementación en Python. Se compararon Filter Bank Common Spatial Patterns (FBCSP) y geometría Riemanniana con proyección al espacio tangente y alineamiento euclidiano (EA), evaluados mediante validación cruzada leave-one-subject-out (LOSO) con 10 participantes novatos. El FBCSP obtuvo una exactitud balanceada media de 0,569 ± 0,081 en el esquema cross-subject; el método Riemannian alcanzó 0,647 ± 0,086 (N=9). Ambos son significativamente superiores al azar (FBCSP: t(9)=2,69, p=0,025, d=0,85; Riemannian: t(8)=5,10, p<0,001, d=1,70). El EA aportó +5,3 puntos porcentuales al rendimiento Riemannian cross-subject. La latencia de inferencia fue inferior a 7 ms (p99), confirmando la viabilidad para retroalimentación en tiempo real.

Motion platforms are integral to enhancing user immersion in vehicle simulators by reproducing vehicle accelerations through virtual reality. A key challenge in this domain is ensuring that users perceive critical motion cues accurately. Due to the physical limitations of motion platforms, Motion Cueing algorithms (MCA) often fail to transmit specific acceleration signals that are important for the purpose of the simulator (e.g., training), leading to a loss in motion fidelity. This gap, widely acknowledged but insufficiently addressed in prior research, directly impacts the user’s perception of realism. To address this issue, we propose a heuristic-based enhancement to the classical washout algorithm (CWA) that prioritizes the retention of these critical signals while maintaining system stability. To evaluate the effectiveness of this approach, an experimental study was conducted with 40 participants who tested the system with and without the proposed heuristics. Participants provided real-time feedback and completed post-test questionnaires. The results indicate that the heuristic-enhanced CWA significantly improves users’ ability to perceive signals that were previously lost, thus bridging the identified research gap and advancing the state of motion simulation.

The evolution of technology and computer graphics algorithms has had a significant impact on the healthcare sector. It is possible to find proposals using virtual reality or augmented reality devices focused on multiple areas, such as education and skills acquisition, the visualisation of results, and disease detection or surgical planning. The use of these new technologies allows the generation of flexible spaces in which the spatial visualisation of clinical data, such as medical images, is enhanced. This also promotes collaboration between different members of the healthcare community. This study aims to review and synthesise current research and the status of applications using systems within Milgram’s continuum of virtuality as tools to facilitate educational or surgical processes in the healthcare sector. We highlight recent approaches to tackling the various key challenges, as well as the limitations of these approaches, and point toward areas of future development.

This paper presents the development of a virtual walker for wheelchair users designed for use in highly immersive environments, such as Cave Automatic Virtual Environments (CAVEs). The system allows users to navigate virtual environments using their natural wheelchair movements, providing haptic feedback based on the terrain they traverse. Both the control software and hardware have been developed from scratch and integrated into various CAVEs, including one with a six-degree-of-freedom (DOF) motion platform. To test the system, a comparative study was conducted with 21 users, measuring the time taken to complete the same course using different interaction methods and various feedback configurations with the virtual environment. The results show that the shortest times were achieved when users navigated using their natural interaction with their wheelchairs.

The proper use of protective equipment is very important to avoid fatalities. One sector in which this has a great impact is that of construction sites, where a large number of workers die each year. In this sector as in others, employers are responsible for providing their employees with this equipment. In addition, employers must monitor and ensure its correct use. These tasks are usually performed using manual procedures. Existing tools to automate this process are unreliable and present scalability issues. In this paper, we research the benefits of using a cloud-edge computing architecture to automate the monitoring of protective equipment. The solution we propose successfully addresses all the problems that appear in hostile and unstructured work environments such as construction sites. Although these sites are used as a use case, the approach presented can also be deployed in other sectors with similar characteristics and restrictions.

This paper presents "The Mediterranean Forest," an interactive exhibit designed for the Science Museum of Valencia. The exhibit engages children aged 3–8 by bringing their animal drawings to life in a virtual world. The system allows children to select, paint, scan, and transform drawings into three-dimensional avatars. These virtual animals interact with each other in the environment and with the children in the room. The exhibit is a collaborative space, where users can manipulate the real world, that promotes learning by exploration. The proposed solution integrates various cutting-edge technologies, including a large Virtual Reality projection system with blending techniques, Kinect devices for the interactivity, cheoptics hologram technology for realistic 3D visuals, and AI-driven virtual avatars simulating different behaviors and reacting to the user’s approach. The exhibit was evaluated through a study involving children, with feedback collected using a tailored questionnaire and the results indicated high levels of engagement and enjoyment among the children, with the majority expressing positive experiences. Some questions were not understandable for some children, which should be considered for future formal evaluation. The system's intuitiveness allowed children to navigate and interact with the virtual environment. The exhibit also demonstrates scalability, accommodating large groups of children effectively. Overall, "The Mediterranean Forest" successfully captivates children's attention, fostering creativity and imagination by transforming their drawings into a dynamic virtual world. This study underscores the benefits of using interactive technologies in museum settings to enhance children's learning experiences, encouraging further advancements in this field.

The Gender Equality Index allows analyzing and measuring the progress of gender equality in the EU and, therefore, the relation between men and women in different domains, such as Health, Work or Money. Even though the European Institute for Gender Equality has created some visualizations that are useful to look at the data, this website does not manage to make graphs that allow for observing the spatiotemporal variable. This article enhances the understanding of the index with spatiotemporal visualizations, such as cartograms, heatmaps and choropleth maps, and some strategies focusing on analyzing the evolution of the countries over the years in an open-access environment. The results show how the application created may be used as an addition to the EIGE website.

Although driving simulators could be commonly assumed as very useful technological resources for both novel and experienced drivers’ instruction under risk control settings, the evidence addressing their actual effectiveness seems substantially limited. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the existing original literature on driving simulators as a tool for driver training/instruction, considering study features, their quality, and the established degree of effectiveness of simulators for these purposes. Methods: This study covered a final number of 17 empirical studies, filtered and analyzed in the light of the PRISMA methodology for systematic reviews of the literature. Results: Among a considerably reduced set of original research studies assessing the effectiveness of driving simulators for training purposes, most sources assessing the issue provided reasonably good insights into their value for improving human-based road safety under risk control settings. On the other hand, there are common limitations which stand out, such as the use of very limited research samples, infrequent follow-up of the training outcomes, and reduced information about the limitations targeted during the simulator-based training processes. Conclusions: Despite the key shortcomings highlighted here, studies have commonly provided empirical support on the training value of simulators, as well as endorsed the need for further evaluations of their effectiveness. The data provided by the studies included in this systematic review and those to be carried out in the coming years might provide data of interest for the development and performance improvement of specific training programs using simulators for driver instruction.

Motion platforms have been used in simulators of all types for several decades. Since it is impossible to reproduce the accelerations of a vehicle without limitations through a physically limited system (platform), it is common to use washout filters and motion cueing algorithms (MCA) to select which accelerations are reproduced and which are not. Despite the time that has passed since their development, most of these algorithms still use the classical washout algorithm. In the use of these MCAs, there is always information that is lost and, if that information is important for the purpose of the simulator (the training simulators), the result obtained by the users of that simulator will not be satisfactory. This paper shows a case study where a BMW 325Xi AUT fitted with a sensor, recorded the accelerations produced in all degrees of freedom (DOF) during several runs, and data have been introduced in mathematical simulation software (washout + kinematics + actuator simulation) of a 6DOF motion platform. The input to the system has been qualitatively compared with the output, observing that most of the simulation adequately reflects the input to the system. Still, there are three events where the accelerations are lost. These events are considered by experts to be of vital importance for the outcome of a learning process in the simulator to be adequate.