AAL Forum- Ambient Assisted Living Forum

The opening of AAL
The Ambient Assisted Living Joint Program is a new joint research and development funding activity by 23 European Members and Associated States with the financial support of the European Community. The overall objective of the program is to enhance the quality of life of older people and strengthen the industrial base in Europe through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). In the context of the “AAL Forum Odense 2010” the “Young Researchers and PhD workshop” involves students and young researchers from various backgrounds, presenting their research towards technical solutions for the elderly people.
The mixed reality lab PhD scholars Jeffrey Koh, Wei Jun, and Wang Xuan presented their research works in this conference and below are their reports on their experiences,

Lifeboat foundation – Mixed and Virtual Reality

Similarities and differences between Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality, and how these technologies will enhance human experiences in the future! (The song Sprawl II used in end credits is courtesy Arcade Fire.)

Watch it in iPhone size for Windows (.avi format) or for the Macintosh (.mov format).

Watch it in regular computer size for Windows (.avi format) or for the Macintosh (.mov format).

Smells Like Home, Truly

National Day and a researcher’s e-mail create a surge of interest in the collective scent memory of Singapore.

Graduate student Cao Yan Yan is interviewed by Vivienne Khoo about her project.  Her project is an exploration of the use of smell in interactive technology. She is focusing on collective memory using scent as a medium.

http://theasiamag.com/patterns/smells-home-truly

MXR Lab spin off company MXR Corp debuts at Shanghai World Expo

Shanghai Expo visitors will get a taste of “next-generation learning” through four educational and interactive applications developed by MXR Lab Spin Off Company: MXR Corporation Pte Ltd, a leading proponent of mixed reality technology in Singapore. Through wIzQubes™, wIzCards™, wIzOpedia™ and wIzDirector™, users can manipulate and interact with physical and digital objects in real time, effectively allowing them to merge the real and virtual worlds and experience a whole new way of learning and storytelling. Theshowcase will also offer an exclusive preview of the prototype of wIzLab™, ane ducational PC game currently in development. The game will enable children to perform and create their very own Mixed Reality science experiments, helping them explore and learn about Chemistry, Biology, technology and the world in an independent and immersive fashion.

Punggol North Racial & Religious Harmony Street Parade and Carnival 2010

On July 18th the Mixed Reality Lab participated in the Punggol North Racial & Religious Harmony Street Parade and Carnival 2010.  The MXR booth was visited by the guest of honor Mr Teo Chee Hean, Duputy Prime Minister of Singapore.  The Lab presented Confucius Computer and Huggy Pajama with about 150 people using the systems.  The confucius system uses new media to revive and model these historical philosophies and teachings, presenting them in new contexts, such as online social chat, music and food. This enables people to experience and explore the ancient culture using the literacy of digital interactivity.  Huggy Pajama is a novel wearable system aimed at promoting physical interaction in remote communication between parent and child. This system enables parent and child to hug one another through a novel hugging interface device and a wearable, hug reproducing jacket connected through the Internet. The hugging device is a small, mobile doll with embedded pressure sensing circuit that is able to sense varying levels of human force. This device sends hug signals to a haptic jacket that simulates the feeling of being hugged to the wearer.