Journal articles on the topic 'Video Graphics Array (VGA)'

Modern video display terminals commonly use digital video signals. Transition minimized differential signaling (TMDS) coding implemented in video signal transmission using DVI (Digital Visual Interface) standard is commonly used. The aim of the coding scheme adopted by this solution is to eliminate the constant component of the electrical signal, increase the resistance to electromagnetic (EM) interference, and reduce electronic interference between cables. Professionals and hobbyists interested in the problems relating to protecting information against electromagnetic infiltration believe that TMDS coding, in contrast to the VGA (Video Graphics Array) analogue standard, significantly improves the electromagnetic security of processed graphic information. This paper shows a comparison of the abovementioned standards in terms of information protection against electromagnetic infiltration. The paper presents the results of computer simulations and studies dealing with practical compromising emanations for DVI standard and its susceptibility to electromagnetic radiation spying. The obtained results show that the commonly expressed ideas of digital standards being fully secure are false. The obtained test results show that the level of electromagnetic protection can be increased by using appropriate pairs of colors for the text and background. This solution has to be connected with a mode that smooths the edges of graphic signs. Then, the number of frequencies in which valuable emissions exist can be limited. In this paper, pairs of colors for which the level of protection of information can be increased are shown. The authors present their analyses on the basis of the method of colors. The method is connected to possibilities of selection of smoothing modes of edges. As Windows is the most commonly used system in classified work stations (so-called TEMPEST computers), this operating system was considered from the viewpoint of the protection of processed information.

The Weighted Product method requires a normalization process because this method assumes the results of evaluating each attribute. The results of these multiplications have not been meaningful if they have not been compared (divided) with standard values. The weight for the benefit attribute functions as a positive power in the multiplication process, while the weight of the cost functions as a negative rank. The Weighted Product method uses multiplication as a linking attribute rating, where the rating of each attribute must be raised first with the corresponding weight. Weighting Product Weighted method is calculated based on the level of importance. This system requires input weight values based on prospective buyers' needs in the form of prices, RAM capacity, processor type, Harddisk capacity, and VGA (Video Graphics Array). The results of this study provide laptop recommendations according to specification requirements for prospective buyers with 100% calculation accuracy based on manual calculations and calculations on laptop selection decision support systems.

Laptops have become an important requirement for most students is to support educational activities and business activities. The number of brands of laptops or types of laptops that exist makes consumers especially students have their own preferences in choosing a laptop. The method can be used to select the favorite laptop are SAW (Simple Additive weighting) and WP (Weighted Product). Both of these methods are the methods used to solve the problem of MADM (Multi Attribute Decision Making). There are 30 types of laptops that will be used in the selection of the favorite laptops.For the selection criteria for the type of laptop that is priced, RAM (Random Access Memory), HDD (hard drive), a processor, a VGA (Video Graphics Array), weight, color, screen size, service centers, warranty, availability of spare parts, battery capacity, equipped with OS and application software. Selection of the favorite type of laptop is done with the help of MATLAB (Graphical User Interface) GUI (Matrix Laboratory) as a computing tool. SAW method and WP, in this research showed the same results that the most favored type of laptop laptop mode DEL INSPIRON 15Z-5523 with a value preference for SAW method amounted to 0.9518 while the WP method amounted to 0.9511.Keywords: SAW, WP, Laptop, favorite, GUI

Convolutional neural networks (CNN for short) have made great progress in face detection. They mostly take computation intensive networks as the backbone in order to obtain high precision, and they cannot get a good detection speed without the support of high-performance GPUs (Graphics Processing Units). This limits CNN-based face detection algorithms in real applications, especially in some speed dependent ones. To alleviate this problem, we propose a lightweight face detector in this paper, which takes a fast residual network as backbone. Our method can run fast even on cheap and ordinary GPUs. To guarantee its detection precision, multi-scale features and multi-context are fully exploited in efficient ways. Specifically, feature fusion is used to obtain semantic strongly multi-scale features firstly. Then multi-context including both local and global context is added to these multi-scale features without extra computational burden. The local context is added through a depthwise separable convolution based approach, and the global context by a simple global average pooling way. Experimental results show that our method can run at about 110 fps on VGA (Video Graphics Array)-resolution images, while still maintaining competitive precision on WIDER FACE and FDDB (Face Detection Data Set and Benchmark) datasets as compared with its state-of-the-art counterparts.

This article presents the results of recovering signals of spurious electromagnetic radiation of a video path using an SDR receiver. This work demonstrates the existence of a potential risk of leakage of confidential information through a technical channel of information leakage due to spurious electromagnetic radiation of a video path, bypassing traditional cryptographic and physical methods of information protection. An attack can be carried out by an attacker without special technical knowledge and special professional expensive equipment. The presented stand makes it possible to simplify research related to spurious electromagnetic radiation, as well as to apply this technology to build a learning process in this domain. In the course of the work, a description of the concept of a technical channel of information leakage and a brief description of the side electromagnetic radiation of the video path are given. The following briefly describes the SDR technology, the selected USRP B210 receiver, and the cross-platform open source GNU Radio software package. The demonstration stand is described in detail and the results of image reconstruction are given. In addition, two stages of the development of a demonstration stand are considered: using a simulation signal and a real intercepted signal. A demonstration stand with simulation signals serves to develop a user's understanding of the properties of spurious electromagnetic radiation, as well as possible obstacles to converting an intercepted signal into an image. The studies of the real intercepted signal were carried out on a monitor with a set resolution of 1280×1024 and a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz. An analog VGA (Video Graphics Array) interface was used to connect the monitor. The dependence of the quality of the reconstructed image on the set sampling frequency of the SDR receiver is shown.

Diabetic retinopathy” is damage to retina denotes one of the problems of diabetes which is a significant reason for visual infirmity and blindness. A comprehensive and routine eye check is important to early detection and rapid treatment. This study proposes a hardware system that can enhance the contrast in the diabetic retinopathy eye fundus images as a first step in different eye disease diagnoses. The fuzzy histogram equalization technique is proposed to increases the local contrast of Diabetic Retinopathy Images. First, a histogram construction hardware architecture for different image processing purposes has been built then modified with fuzzy techniques to create fuzzy histogram equalization architecture, which is used to enhance the original images. Both architectures are designed using a finite-state machine (FSM) technique and programmed with VHDL programming language. The first one is implemented using two (Spartan 3E-XC3S500 and Xilinx Artix-7 XC7A100T) kits, while the second architecture is implemented using (Spartan 3E-XC3S500) kit. The system consists also of a modified video graphics array (VGA) port to display the input and resulted images with a proper resolution. All the hardware outputs are compared to that results produce from MatLab for verification and the resulted images are tested by PSNR, MSE, ENTROPY ,and AMBE

The detection of human beings in a camera attracts more attention because of its wide range of applications such as abnormal event detection, person counting in a dense crowd, person identification, fall detection for care to elderly people, etc. Over the time, various techniques have evolved to enhance the visual information. This article presents a novel 3-D intelligent information system for identifying abnormal human activity using background subtraction, rectification, morphology, neural networks and depth estimation with a thermal camera and a pair of hand held Universal Serial Bus (USB) camera to visualize un-calibrated images. The proposed system detects strongest points using Speed-Up Robust Features (SURF). The Sum of Absolute Difference (SAD) algorithm match the strongest points detected by SURF. 3-D object model and image stitching from image sequences are carried out in the proposed work. A series of images captured from different cameras are stitched into a geometrically consistent mosaic either horizontally/vertically based on the image acquisition. 3-D image and depth estimation of un-calibrated stereo images are acquired using rectification and disparity. The background is separated from the scene using threshold approach. Features are extracted using morphological operators in order to get the skeleton. Junction points and end points of the skeleton image are obtained from the skeleton. Data set of abnormal human activity is created using supervised learning such as neural network with a thermal camera and a pair of webcam. The feature vector of an activity is compared with already created data set, if a match occurs the classifier detects abnormal human activity. Additionally the proposed algorithm performs depth estimation to measure real time distance of objects dynamically. The system use thermal camera, Intel computing stick, converter, video graphics array (VGA) to high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) and webcams. The proposed novel intelligent information system gives 94% maximum accuracy and 89% minimum accuracy for different activities, thus it effectively detects suspicious activity during day and night.

The detection of human beings in a camera attracts more attention because of its wide range of applications such as abnormal event detection, person counting in a dense crowd, person identification, fall detection for care to elderly people, etc. Over the time, various techniques have evolved to enhance the visual information. This article presents a novel 3-D intelligent information system for identifying abnormal human activity using background subtraction, rectification, morphology, neural networks and depth estimation with a thermal camera and a pair of hand held Universal Serial Bus (USB) camera to visualize un-calibrated images. The proposed system detects strongest points using Speed-Up Robust Features (SURF). The Sum of Absolute Difference (SAD) algorithm match the strongest points detected by SURF. 3-D object model and image stitching from image sequences are carried out in the proposed work. A series of images captured from different cameras are stitched into a geometrically consistent mosaic either horizontally/vertically based on the image acquisition. 3-D image and depth estimation of uncalibrated stereo images are acquired using rectification and disparity. The background is separated from the scene using threshold approach. Features are extracted using morphological operators in order to get the skeleton. Junction points and end points of the skeleton image are obtained from the skeleton. Data set of abnormal human activity is created using supervised learning such as neural network with a thermal camera and a pair of webcam. The feature vector of an activity is compared with already created data set, if a match occurs the classifier detects abnormal human activity. Additionally the proposed algorithm performs depth estimation to measure real time distance of objects dynamically. The system use thermal camera, Intel computing stick, converter, video graphics array (VGA) to high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) and webcams. The proposed novel intelligent information system gives 94% maximum accuracy and 89% minimum accuracy for different activities, thus it effectively detects suspicious activity during day and night.

Abstract. An uncooled VGA Infrared Focal Plane Array (IRFPA) based on microbolometers with a pixel pitch of 25 μm for thermal imaging applications is presented. The IRFPA has a 16-bit digital video data output at a frame rate of 30 Hz. Thousands of Analog to Digital Converters (ADCs) are located under the microbolometer array. One ADC consists of a Sigma-Delta-Modulator (SDM) of 2nd order and a decimation filter. It is multiplexed for a certain amount of microbolometers arranged in a so called "cluster". In the 1st stage of the SDM the microbolometer current is integrated time-continuously. The feedback is applied using a switchable current source. First measurements of Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD) as a key parameter for IRFPAs will be presented.

Video processing is an additional system that can improve the functionality of video surveillance. Integration of a simple video processing system into a complete camera system with a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is an important step for research, to further improve the tracking process. This paper presents the integration of greyscale conversion into a complete camera system using Nios II software build tools for Eclipse. The camera system architecture is designed using the Nios II soft-core embedded processor from Altera. The proposed greyscale conversion system is designed using the C programming language in Eclipse. Parts of the architecture design in the camera system are important if greyscale conversion is to take place in the processing, such as synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM) and a video decoder driver. The image or video is captured using a Terasic TRDB-D5M camera and the data are converted to RGB format using the video decoder driver. The converted data are shown in binary format and the greyscale conversion system extracts and processes the data. The processed data are stored in the SDRAM before being sent to a VGA monitor. The camera system and greyscale conversion system were developed using the Altera DE2-70 development platform. The data from the video decoder driver and SDRAM were examined to confirm that the data conversion matched greyscale conversion formulae. The converted data in the SDRAM correctly displayed the greyscale image on a VGA monitor.

Video processing is an additional system that can improve the functionality of video surveillance. Integration of a simple video processing system into a complete camera system with a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is an important step for research, to further improve the tracking process. This paper presents the integration of greyscale conversion into a complete camera system using Nios II software build tools for Eclipse. The camera system architecture is designed using the Nios II soft-core embedded processor from Altera. The proposed greyscale conversion system is designed using the C programming language in Eclipse. Parts of the architecture design in the camera system are important if greyscale conversion is to take place in the processing, such as synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM) and a video decoder driver. The image or video is captured using a Terasic TRDB-D5M camera and the data are converted to RGB format using the video decoder driver. The converted data are shown in binary format and the greyscale conversion system extracts and processes the data. The processed data are stored in the SDRAM before being sent to a VGA monitor. The camera system and greyscale conversion system were developed using the Altera DE2-70 development platform. The data from the video decoder driver and SDRAM were examined to confirm that the data conversion matched greyscale conversion formulae. The converted data in the SDRAM correctly displayed the greyscale image on a VGA monitor.

The implementation of a camera system with a field programmable gate array (FPGA) is an important step within research towards constructing a video processing architecture design based on FPGA. This paper presents the design and implementation of a camera system using the Nios II soft-core embedded processor from Altera. The proposed camera system is a flexible platform for the implementation of other systems such as image processing and video processing. The system architecture is designed using the Quartus II SOPC Builder System and implemented on an Altera DE2-70 development platform. The image or video is captured using a Terasic TRDB-D5M camera and stored into two different synchronous dynamic random access memories (SDRAM) using an SDRAM Controller. The specifications of the Terasic TRDB-D5M and SDRAM are examined to confirm that the recorded and stored data match. The results of this experiment show that the system is able to record and store data correctly into SDRAM. The data in the SDRAM correctly displays the recorded image on a VGA monitor.

The needs of large-capacity storage in high-speed image acquisition systems require the design of reliable and efficient storage instruments. The paper presents a FPGA-based high-speed storage instrument for high speed Camera Link image acquisition system. The FPGA processes the input data and stores the results into the storage array. Multi-chip large-capacity SLC NAND Flash chips constitute a storage array, with up to 100MByte/s storage rate, is used for the digitization image signals. A multilevel high-speed buffer structure based on abundant internal block RAM resources in FPGA is used for speeding up data access. At the same time, it can take advantage of FPGA constructing the corresponding VGA timing signals to control the video conversion chip ADV7123 to realize the function of real-time display. After a description of the proposed hardware and solutions, an experimental was built to test the performance. The results have shown that the FPGA-based acquisition system is a compact and flexible solution for high-speed image acquisition applications.

The Virtual Retinal Display (VRD) is a new display technology that scans modulated low energy laser light directly onto the viewer's retina to create a perception of a virtual image. This approach provides an unprecedented way to stream photons to the receptors of the eye, affording higher resolution, increased luminance, and potentially a wider field-of-view than previously possible in head coupled displays. The VRD uses video signals from a graphics board or a video camera to modulate low power coherent light from a red laser diode. A mechanical resonant scanner and galvanometer mirror then scan the photon stream from the laser diode in two dimensions through reflective elements and semitransparent combiner such that a raster of light is imaged on the retina. The pixels produced on the retina have no persistence, yet they create the perception of a brilliant full color, and flicker-free virtual image. Developmental models of the VRD have been shown to produce VGA and SVGA image quality. This demonstration exhibits the portable monochrome VRD

The Virtual Retinal Display (VRD) is a new display technology that scans modulated low energy laser light directly onto the viewer's retina to create a perception of a virtual image. This approach provides an unprecedented way to stream photons to the receptors of the eye, affording higher resolution, increased luminance, and potentially a wider field-of-view than previously possible in head coupled displays. The VRD uses video signals from a graphics board or a video camera to modulate low power coherent light from red, green and blue photon sources such as gas lasers, laser diodes and/or light emitting diodes. The modulated light is then combined and piped through a single mode optical fiber. A mechanical resonant scanner and galvanometer mirror then scan the photon stream from the fiber in two dimensions through reflective elements and semitransparent combiner such that a raster of light is imaged on the retina. The pixels produced on the retina have no persistence, yet they create the perception of a brilliant full color, and flicker-free virtual image. Developmental models of the VRD have been shown to produce VGA and SVGA image quality. This paper describes the VRD technology, the advantages that it provides, and areas of human factors research ensuing from scanning light directly onto the retina. Future applications of the VRD are discussed along with new research findings regarding the use of the VRD for people with low vision

There are many scenarios where high resolution, wide field of view video is useful. Such panorama video may be generated using camera arrays where the feeds from multiple cameras pointing at different parts of the captured area are stitched together. However, processing the different steps of a panorama video pipeline in real-time is challenging due to the high data rates and the stringent timeliness requirements. In our research, we use panorama video in a sport analysis system called Bagadus. This system is deployed at Alfheim stadium in Tromsø, and due to live usage, the video events must be generated in real-time. In this paper, we describe our real-time panorama system built using a low-cost CCD HD video camera array. We describe how we have implemented different components and evaluated alternatives. The performance results from experiments ran on commodity hardware with and without co-processors like graphics processing units (GPUs) show that the entire pipeline is able to run in real-time.

In this article, I describe techniques used for teaching Physiological Psychology in a 104-Stuaent multimedia classroom that includes two computers and an array of permanently mounted audiovisual equipment. Lectures are illustrated with computer-generated text, graphics, animations, and video clips. Keypads mounted on student desks tabulate individual student responses to questions posed to the class. Use of the keypads promotes active learning in a large lecture class because each student formulates an individual answer to every question.

In this paper, a new reference picture selection (RPS) is proposed for a high efficiency video coding (HEVC) framework. In recent studies, HEVC has been shown to be sensitive to packet error which is unavoidable in transmission applications especially for wireless networks. RPS is an effective error resilient technique for video transmission systems where a feedback channel with short round trip delay time is available. However, its procedure cannot directly apply to the HEVC framework and thus this paper expands it. In RPS, error propagation can still happen during round trip delay time. To alleviate the effect of error propagation for better quality, the proposed algorithm considers both the RPS technique and the region-based intra mode selection method by using some novel features of HEVC. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the hierarchical-P RPS algorithm in terms of PSNR and other metrics. The average PSNR improvement of the proposed algorithm over the reference algorithm under 10% packet error rate is 1.56 dB for 1080p sequences, 2.32 dB for 720p sequences and 1.01 dB for wide video graphics array (WVGA) sequences, respectively. The performance of proposed method is also tested for applications where feedback information is not available. The proposed method shows noticeable improvement for video sequences that contain low or moderate level of motions.

Cascade support vector machines (SVMs) are optimized to efficiently handle problems, where the majority of the data belong to one of the two classes, such as image object classification, and hence can provide speedups over monolithic (single) SVM classifiers. However, SVM classification is a computationally demanding task and existing hardware architectures for SVMs only consider monolithic classifiers. This paper proposes the acceleration of cascade SVMs through a hybrid processing hardware architecture optimized for the cascade SVM classification flow, accompanied by a method to reduce the required hardware resources for its implementation, and a method to improve the classification speed utilizing cascade information to further discard data samples. The proposed SVM cascade architecture is implemented on a Spartan-6 field-programmable gate array (FPGA) platform and evaluated for object detection on 800 × 600 (Super Video Graphics Array) resolution images. The proposed architecture, boosted by a neural network that processes cascade information, achieves a real-time processing rate of 40 frames/s for the benchmark face detection application. Furthermore, the hardware-reduction method results in the utilization of 25% less FPGA custom-logic resources and 20% peak power reduction compared with a baseline implementation.

Abstract Background and study aims Several computer-assisted polyp detection systems have been proposed, but they have various limitations, from utilizing outdated neural network architectures to a requirement for multi-graphics processing unit (GPU) processing, to validating on small or non-robust datasets. To address these problems, we developed a system based on a state-of-the-art convolutional neural network architecture able to detect polyps in real time on a single GPU and tested on both public datasets and full clinical examination recordings. Methods The study comprised 165 colonoscopy procedure recordings and 2678 still photos gathered retrospectively. The system was trained on 81,962 polyp frames in total and then tested on footage from 42 colonoscopies and CVC-ClinicDB, CVC-ColonDB, Hyper-Kvasir, and ETIS-Larib public datasets. Clinical videos were evaluated for polyp detection and false-positive rates whereas the public datasets were assessed for F1 score. The system was tested for runtime performance on a wide array of hardware. Results The performance on public datasets varied from an F1 score of 0.727 to 0.942. On full examination videos, it detected 94 % of the polyps found by the endoscopist with a 3 % false-positive rate and identified additional polyps that were missed during initial video assessment. The system’s runtime fits within the real-time constraints on all but one of the hardware configurations. Conclusions We have created a polyp detection system with a post-processing pipeline that works in real time on a wide array of hardware. The system does not require extensive computational power, which could help broaden the adaptation of new commercially available systems.

We present a real-time bidirectional communication system that lets two people, separated by distance, experience a face-to-face conversation as if they were copresent. It is the first telepresence system that is demonstrably better than 2D videoconferencing, as measured using participant ratings (e.g., presence, attentiveness, reaction-gauging, engagement), meeting recall, and observed nonverbal behaviors (e.g., head nods, eyebrow movements). This milestone is reached by maximizing audiovisual fidelity and the sense of copresence in all design elements, including physical layout, lighting, face tracking, multi-view capture, microphone array, multi-stream compression, loudspeaker output, and lenticular display. Our system achieves key 3D audiovisual cues (stereopsis, motion parallax, and spatialized audio) and enables the full range of communication cues (eye contact, hand gestures, and body language), yet does not require special glasses or body-worn microphones/headphones. The system consists of a head-tracked autostereoscopic display, high-resolution 3D capture and rendering subsystems, and network transmission using compressed color and depth video streams. Other contributions include a novel image-based geometry fusion algorithm, free-space dereverberation, and talker localization.

In this study, we present a method for creating a synthetic dataset using the MetaHuman framework to optimize the skinning of 3D models. The research focuses on improving the quality of skeletal deformation (skinning) by leveraging a diverse array of high-fidelity virtual human models. Using MetaHuman, we generated an extensive dataset comprising dozens of virtual characters with varied anthropometric fea-tures and precisely defined skinning weight parameters. This data was used to train an algorithm that optimizes the distribution of skinning weights between bones and the character mesh. The proposed approach automates the weight rigging process, significantly reducing manual effort for riggers and increasing the accuracy of deformations during animation. Experimental results show that leveraging synthetic data reduces skinning errors and produces smoother character movements compared to traditional methods. The outcomes have direct applications in the video game, animation, virtual reality, and simulation industries, where rapid and high-quality rigging of numerous characters is required. The method can be integrated into existing graphics engines and development pipelines (such as Unreal Engine or Unity) as a plugin or tool, facilitating the adoption of this technology in practical projects.

Developing Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-based applications is typically a slow and multi-skilled task. Research in tools to support application development has gradually reached a higher level. This paper describes an approach which aims to further raise the level at which an application developer works in developing FPGA-based implementations of image and video processing applications. The starting concept is a system of streamed soft coprocessors. We present a set of soft coprocessors which implement some of the key abstractions of Image Algebra. Our soft coprocessors are designed for easy chaining, and allow users to describe their application as a dataflow graph. A prototype implementation of a development environment, called SCoPeS, is presented. An application can be modified even during execution without requiring re-synthesis. The paper concludes with performance and resource utilization results for different implementations of a sample algorithm. We conclude that the soft coprocessor approach has the potential to deliver better performance than the soft processor approach, and can improve programmability over dedicated HDL cores for domain-specific applications while achieving competitive real time performance and utilization.

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology, a cutting-edge advancement in mobile applications, presents a myriad of compelling use cases, including enhancing low-light photography, capturing and sharing 3D images of fascinating objects, and elevating the overall augmented reality (AR) experience. However, its widespread adoption has been hindered by the prohibitive costs and substantial power consumption associated with its implementation in mobile devices. To surmount these obstacles, this paper proposes a low-power, low-cost, single-photon avalanche detector (SPAD)-based system-on-chip (SoC) which packages the microlens arrays (MLAs) and a lightweight RGB-guided sparse depth imaging completion neural network for 3D LiDAR imaging. The proposed SoC integrates an 8 × 8 SPAD macropixel array with time-to-digital converters (TDCs) and a charge pump, fabricated using a 180 nm bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (BCD) process. Initially, the primary function of this SoC was limited to serving as a ranging sensor. A random MLA-based homogenizing diffuser efficiently transforms Gaussian beams into flat-topped beams with a 45° field of view (FOV), enabling flash projection at the transmitter. To further enhance resolution and broaden application possibilities, a lightweight neural network employing RGB-guided sparse depth complementation is proposed, enabling a substantial expansion of image resolution from 8 × 8 to quarter video graphics array level (QVGA; 256 × 256). Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and stability of the hardware encompassing the SoC and optical system, as well as the lightweight features and accuracy of the algorithmic neural network. The state-of-the-art SoC-neural network solution offers a promising and inspiring foundation for developing consumer-level 3D imaging applications on mobile devices.

We present a system that learns diverse, physically simulated tennis skills from large-scale demonstrations of tennis play harvested from broadcast videos. Our approach is built upon hierarchical models, combining a low-level imitation policy and a high-level motion planning policy to steer the character in a motion embedding learned from broadcast videos. When deployed at scale on large video collections that encompass a vast set of examples of real-world tennis play, our approach can learn complex tennis shotmaking skills and realistically chain together multiple shots into extended rallies, using only simple rewards and without explicit annotations of stroke types. To address the low quality of motions extracted from broadcast videos, we correct estimated motion with physics-based imitation, and use a hybrid control policy that overrides erroneous aspects of the learned motion embedding with corrections predicted by the high-level policy. We demonstrate that our system produces controllers for physically-simulated tennis players that can hit the incoming ball to target positions accurately using a diverse array of strokes (serves, forehands, and backhands), spins (topspins and slices), and playing styles (one/two-handed backhands, left/right-handed play). Overall, our system can synthesize two physically simulated characters playing extended tennis rallies with simulated racket and ball dynamics. Code and data for this work is available at https://research.nvidia.com/labs/toronto-ai/vid2player3d/.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand factors that affect viewing of television news programmes by people living with dementia, and to identify dementia-friendly design principles for television news programmes and factors for personalising object-based media broadcast. Design/methodology/approach Extensive public involvement comprising two discussion groups with people with dementia and family carers informed the study design and provided supplementary secondary data. Primary data collection comprised a focus group interview with people with dementia (n=4) and family carers (n=4). Past viewing experiences and perceived barriers and facilitators to viewing television were explored. Participants commented on an array of video clips comprising varying segments of fictional news programmes, plus control versions of each segment. Findings Four themes were identified: content (general comments, context, type of media and pace); presenter (body language, clothing and accent); background (location and studio appearance); and technical aspects (graphics, sound, colours, camera, transitions, general issues). Research limitations/implications Limitations included a modest sample size which is offset by exemplary public involvement in informing the study design. Practical implications Measures ensured research involvement and participation was made accessible to people living with dementia. Social implications Participants benefited from sharing views with peers and expressed enhanced wellbeing from knowing their participation could lead to improved television viewing, an important social occupation, for people with dementia in the future. Originality/value This study is the first to be published which focusses on dementia-friendly television news programmes.

While Siamese object tracking has witnessed significant advancements, its hard real-time behaviour on embedded devices remains inadequately addressed. In many application cases, an embedded implementation should not only have a minimal execution latency, but this latency should ideally also have zero variance, i.e., be predictable. This study aims to address this issue by meticulously analysing real-time predictability across different components of a deep-learning-based video object tracking system. Our detailed experiments not only indicate the superiority of Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) implementations in terms of hard real-time behaviour but also unveil important time predictability bottlenecks. We introduce dedicated hardware accelerators for key processes, focusing on depth-wise cross-correlation and padding operations, utilizing high-level synthesis (HLS). Implemented on a KV260 board, our enhanced tracker exhibits not only a speed up, with a factor of 6.6, in mean execution time but also significant improvements in hard real-time predictability by yielding 11 times less latency variation as compared to our baseline. A subsequent analysis of power consumption reveals our approach’s contribution to enhanced power efficiency. These advancements underscore the crucial role of hardware acceleration in realizing time-predictable object tracking on embedded systems, setting new standards for future hardware–software co-design endeavours in this domain.

AbstractPrevious research reported catheter pose-dependent virtual angioscopy images for endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) (phantom studies) without any validation with video images. The goal of our study focused on conducting this validation using a video graphics array (VGA) camera. The spatial relationship between the coordinate system of the virtual camera and the VGA camera was computed with a Hand-Eye calibration so that both cameras produced similar images. A re-projection error of 3.18 pixels for the virtual camera and 2.14 pixels for the VGA camera was obtained with a designed three-dimensional (3D) printed chessboard. Similar images of the vessel (3D printed aorta) were acquired with both cameras except for the different depth. Virtual angioscopy images provide information from inside the vessel that may facilitate the understanding of the tip position of the endovascular tools while performing EVAR.

This paper describes the design of a real-time audiorange digital oscilloscope and its implementation in 90nm CMOS FPGA platform. The design consists of sample and hold circuits, A/D conversion, audio and video processing, on-chip RAM, clock generation and control logic. The design of internal blocks and modules in 90nm devices in an FPGA is elaborated. Also the key features and their implementation algorithms are presented. Finally, the timing waveforms and simulation results are put forward.

AbstractHyperspectral (HS) imaging provides rich spatial and spectral information and extends image inspection beyond human perception. Existing approaches, however, suffer from several drawbacks such as low sensitivity, resolution and/or frame rate, which confines HS cameras to scientific laboratories. Here we develop a video-rate HS camera capable of collecting spectral information on real-world scenes with sensitivities and spatial resolutions comparable with those of a typical RGB camera. Our camera uses compressive sensing, whereby spatial–spectral encoding is achieved with an array of 64 complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible Fabry–Pérot filters placed onto a monochromatic image sensor. The array affords high optical transmission while minimizing the reconstruction error in subsequent iterative image reconstruction. The experimentally measured sensitivity of 45% for visible light, the spatial resolution of 3 px for 3 dB contrast, and the frame rate of 32.3 fps at VGA resolution meet the requirements for practical use. For further acceleration, we show that AI-based image reconstruction affords operation at 34.4 fps and full high-definition resolution. By enabling practical sensitivity, resolution and frame rate together with compact size and data compression, our HS camera holds great promise for the adoption of HS technology in real-world scenarios, including consumer applications such as smartphones and drones.

Nowadays, the information security has been the key factor in communications, computer systems, electronic commerce and data sharing. One of the well-known methods for procuring the security of shared information using carrier files is steganography. The carrier file can be discrete such as image, text, audio and video etc. Digital images are the most commonly used format among those due to the high capacity and availability frequency. The hidden data is stored in an indistinct carrier in image steganography, i.e the digital image is used as a cover image to mask the secret message known as stego image. Cryptography can be then adapted for increasing the security of the stego image. A zig-zag MSB-LSB slicing based steganographic algorithm is proposed in this paper for concealing a secret image in a cover image. Power report and device utilization summary of the algorithm is calculated and the output is demonstrated on the VGA screen using BASYS3 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).

AbstractRecent advancements in communication technologies have highlighted the pivotal role of information security for all individuals and entities. In response, researchers are increasingly focusing on cryptographic solutions to ensure the reliability of confidential information. Recognizing the superiority of chaotic systems preference as entropy source of cryptographic systems, this paper proposes a novel true random number generator (TRNG) design by combining four different chaotic systems outputs, tailored for real-time video encryption application. These chaotic systems are continuous-time Lorenz and fractional-order Chen-Lee systems, as well as discrete-time Logistic and Tent maps. This study generates true random bit (TRB) sequences at a high bit rate (25 Mbps) through the hardware implementations of four distinct chaotic systems to have the best statistical randomness in the resulting output. Then, the cryptographic true random key bits (8-bit at 25 MHz frequency) are employed in the post-processing with real-time video data by using the XOR operation, a fundamental post-processing algorithm. The real-time video encryption application is executed on an experimental assembly, composed of a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) development kit, an OV7670 camera module, a VGA monitor, and prototype circuit boards for the chaotic systems. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed encryption system, several security assessments are conducted. These include NIST SP 800 − 22 statistical tests, FIPS 140-1 standards, chi-square tests, histogram and correlation analysis, and NPCR and UACI differential attack resilience tests. Consequently, the findings suggest that the presented real-time embedded cryptosystem is robust and suitable for secure communications, particularly in the realm of video transmission.

Falling has been one of the major concerns and threats to the independence of the elderly in their daily lives. With the worldwide significant growth of the aging population, it is essential to have a promising solution of fall detection which is able to operate at high accuracy in real-time and supports large scale implementation using multiple cameras. Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a highly promising tool to be used as a hardware accelerator in many emerging embedded vision based system. Thus, it is the main objective of this paper to present an FPGA-based solution of visual based fall detection to meet stringent real-time requirements with high accuracy. The hardware architecture of visual based fall detection which utilizes the pixel locality to reduce memory accesses is proposed. By exploiting the parallel and pipeline architecture of FPGA, our hardware implementation of visual based fall detection using FGPA is able to achieve a performance of 60fps for a series of video analytical functions at VGA resolutions (640x480). The results of this work show that FPGA has great potentials and impacts in enabling large scale vision system in the future healthcare industry due to its flexibility and scalability.

Thanks to their remarkable spectral tunability across the entire infrared range, HgTe nanocrystals present a unique platform for designing infrared optoelectronic devices. While in recent years most of the significant advances in this domain have been made on devices at the single-pixel level, there is a growing trend toward exploring the potential of this material for imaging applications. However, until recently, focal plane arrays based on HgTe colloidal nanocrystals have been limited to the photoconductive mode, which is inherently associated with a large dark current. In this work, we demonstrate a diode stack compatible with a readout integrated circuit whose back-end processing has been optimized to ensure compatibility with a complete diode stack deposition. The diode design is also optimized to generate a Fabry–Pérot cavity in which 50% of the light is effectively absorbed at the band edge. Finally, taking benefit from the full video graphics array format, high-resolution images are taken.

Aging problems and potential damage of structures will increase the risks of structural collapse in the upcoming extreme loading events (i.e., earthquakes, hurricanes). Thus, structural health monitoring (SHM) is an essential technique to determine structural soundness through in-situ measurements. However, a successful SHM system requires a dense array of sensors that may be challenging in real-world applications. Alternatively, the structural response can be acquired through motion videos. This measurement method not only overcomes the disadvantages of the conventional SHM systems but also gives the opportunity to investigate more detailed dynamic behavior. In this study, a full-field modal property extraction method based on motion videos is proposed, in particular for out-of-plane motions. The measurements are first padded to reduce the distortion effect caused by the image pyramid. The responses are then compressed and decomposed into sub-bands using an image pyramid decomposition. The modal properties are subsequently extracted using the OMA approach known as frequency-domain stochastic subspace identification. The advantages and limitations of the proposed approach are illustrated numerically using a physics-based graphics model of a continuous beam. Subsequently, experimental validation is conducted for a 3-story model building using the Intel RealSenseTM D415 depth camera. Modal properties are shown to be determined quickly, with high accuracy and noise robustness.

The pint is, as educators, we have to deal with many issues related to reaching beyond the core knowledge of our discipline. After reading an article in Prism not long ago, I started thinking about the changes we have faced as educators since I first started attending EDGD meetings. When I first started teaching, we were just on the verge of using computers to teach graphics. When CADD became a part of our curriculum, the focus of papers presented at conferences began to change rapidly. Until then, we mostly debated the relevance of graphics topics, the sequence they should be covered and some helpful techniques - remember the glass cube? Since then, conference papers focused on new topics such as hardware and software issues, board versus CADD, ways to set up a computer lab and how CADD has changed teaching graphics. We then moved on to issues like 3-D modeling versus 2-D drawings. The point is, as educators, we have had to deal with many issues related to teaching beyond the core knowledge of our discipline. Today, we face an additional challenge related to new modes of teaching. The Prism article I referred to - "Connecting the Dots" [December, 2003] - highlighted an online course which used shared resources from multiple authors at multiple universities. The big question today has to be - How is the web impacting the way we teach? We've already seen the move to provide course materials on the Web. Once again, we find ourselves exploring new software - software that can help us publish and maintain documents on the Web. There are new points for discussion - Should we post lectures on the Web? How does it effect class attendance? How do we handle security of our materials? How does it impact communication with our students? - that will become topics for discussions with our peers. Some faculty have already moved on to including chat rooms, question/answer queues, video lectures for distance learning and even gaming simulations for their courses. AS division members share their experiences in papers, we will all benefit from the lessons they have learned as to what is effective and why. I'm excited to hear about how graphics educators are integrating these new technologies into their teaching as well as how they are coping with the changes. Another article in the local paper started me thinking about our students and the world they are growing up in. The article was written by a woman in her late twenties and questioned why although practically anything can be done online these days we still can't vote online in elections. Her point was that in her world so much communication whether for business or pleasure is done conveniently using cell phones, text messaging, online accounts, chat rooms and any other number of communication options. She suggests that - "If voting were less of a cross between the SAT and going to the DMV and more like taking an online survey, it might be more appealing." [Confronting T-shirt logic: 'Only old people vote', Catherine Getches for the Los Angeles Times] I have to admit I had mixed reactions to the article. Although I agree we should be striving for ways to make communication as efficient as possible I worry about the effect it is having on face-to-face communication skills. In addition to the learning curve that goes with all the new technology, we also need to consider how it is impacting the relationship between faculty and their students. Some additional questions we need to discuss and explore are - How is this technology affecting the interaction and communication with our students? How do we engage students in a world so dominated by the internet with its vast array of media - animation, multimedia, video, simulation, and games. I look forward to hearing how graphics educators are exploring these challenges and particularly how they are using new technologies to reach students in new ways without losing that face-to-face interaction which is why most of us got involved with teaching in the first place. I look forward to seeing many of you at the ASEE annual Conference in Salt Lake City and hearing your presentations about current graphics issues!

Abstract Modern security cameras are complex, operate in visible and near-infrared wavelength bands with a vast field of view, and are mounted on a motorized stage to scan and zoom the scene. Here, a low-cost aberration free security camera designed to record activity within a fixed-size field and provide surveillance in the visible band is discussed to reduce the cost of the design and also the fabrication of a custom sensor is highly prohibitive. Using global synthesis and automated design methods with the Code-V tool, we have designed and analyzed an on-screen display camera with multiple camera lens parameters and suggested using the proposed camera system during the day in an open, well-lit area. For getting video graphics array format (640x480 pixels), the pixel size should be 7.5µm. Considering the Nyquist criterion, the smallest line pair detected by the sensor would be two pixels wide,15µm/lp or 66.67c/mm. The optimal parameters have been designed and optimized with multiple parameters like modulation transfer function, spot size diagrams, ray aberration with third-order and fifth-order aberrations curve, and error function. After optimization, the effective focal length value is 3.9881. The aperture size obtained after optimization is f/8, the entrance pupil diameter is 0.4985, and the overall length is 0.5184. The modulation transfer function obtained is 0.7563. The error function reduced to 0.2612. The aberration value lies from 0.018019 to -0.018019. The image height obtained at 1.8597. The designed on-screen display security camera eliminates spherical and chromatic aberration significantly and eliminates other third order and fifth order aberrations. The significant findings benefit the optics community in designing aberration free low-cost security camera systems.

Augmented Reality—The Liminal Zone Within the larger context of the post-desktop technological philosophy and practice, an increasing number of efforts are directed towards finding solutions for integrating as close as possible virtual information into specific real environments; a short list of such endeavors include Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS-driven navigation, mobile phones, GIS (Geographic Information System), and various technological systems associated with what is loosely called locative, ubiquitous and pervasive computing. Augmented Reality (AR) is directly related to these technologies, although its visualization capabilities and the experience it provides assure it a particular place within this general trend. Indeed, AR stands out for its unique capacity (or ambition) to offer a seamless combination—or what I call here an effect of convergence—of the real scene perceived by the user with virtual information overlaid on that scene interactively and in real time. The augmented scene is perceived by the viewer through the use of different displays, the most common being the AR glasses (head-mounted display), video projections or monitors, and hand-held mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets, increasingly popular nowadays. One typical example of AR application is Layar, a browser that layers information of public interest—delivered through an open-source content management system—over the actual image of a real space, streamed live on the mobile phone display. An increasing number of artists employ this type of mobile AR apps to create artworks that consist in perceptually combining material reality and virtual data: as the user points the smartphone or tablet to a specific place, virtual 3D-modelled graphics or videos appear in real time, seamlessly inserted in the image of that location, according to the user’s position and orientation. In the engineering and IT design fields, one of the first researchers to articulate a coherent conceptualization of AR and to underlie its specific capabilities is Ronald Azuma. He writes that, unlike Virtual Reality (VR) which completely immerses the user inside a synthetic environment, AR supplements reality, therefore enhancing “a user’s perception of and interaction with the real world” (355-385). Another important contributor to the foundation of AR as a concept and as a research field is industrial engineer Paul Milgram. He proposes a comprehensive and frequently cited definition of “Mixed Reality” (MR) via a schema that includes the entire spectrum of situations that span the “continuum” between actual reality and virtual reality, with “augmented reality” and “augmented virtuality” between the two poles (283). Important to remark with regard to terminology (MR or AR) is that especially in the non-scientific literature, authors do not always explain a preference for either MR or AR. This suggests that the two terms are understood as synonymous, but it also provides evidence for my argument that, outside of the technical literature, AR is considered a concept rather than a technology. Here, I use the term AR instead of MR considering that the phrase AR (and the integrated idea of augmentation) is better suited to capturing the convergence effect. As I will demonstrate in the following lines, the process of augmentation (i.e. the convergence effect) is the result of an enhancement of the possibilities to perceive and understand the world—through adding data that augment the perception of reality—and not simply the product of a mix. Nevertheless, there is surely something “mixed” about this experience, at least for the fact that it combines reality and virtuality. The experiential result of combining reality and virtuality in the AR process is what media theorist Lev Manovich calls an “augmented space,” a perceptual liminal zone which he defines as “the physical space overlaid with dynamically changing information, multimedia in form and localized for each user” (219). The author derives the term “augmented space” from the term AR (already established in the scientific literature), but he sees AR, and implicitly augmented space, not as a strictly defined technology, but as a model of visuality concerned with the intertwining of the real and virtual: “it is crucial to see this as a conceptual rather than just a technological issue – and therefore as something that in part has already been an element of other architectural and artistic paradigms” (225-6). Surely, it is hard to believe that AR has appeared in a void or that its emergence is strictly related to certain advances in technological research. AR—as an artistic manifestation—is informed by other attempts (not necessarily digital) to merge real and fictional in a unitary perceptual entity, particularly by installation art and Virtual Reality (VR) environments. With installation art, AR shares the same spatial strategy and scenographic approach—they both construct “fictional” areas within material reality, that is, a sort of mise-en-scène that are aesthetically and socially produced and centered on the active viewer. From the media installationist practice of the previous decades, AR inherited the way of establishing a closer spatio-temporal interaction between the setting, the body and the electronic image (see for example Bruce Nauman’s Live-Taped Video Corridor [1970], Peter Campus’s Interface [1972], Dan Graham’s Present Continuous Pasts(s) [1974], Jeffrey Shaw’s Viewpoint [1975], or Jim Campbell’s Hallucination [1988]). On the other hand, VR plays an important role in the genealogy of AR for sharing the same preoccupation for illusionist imagery and—at least in some AR projects—for providing immersive interactions in “expanded image spaces experienced polysensorily and interactively” (Grau 9). VR artworks such as Paul Sermon, Telematic Dreaming (1992), Char Davies’ Osmose (1995), Michael Naimark’s Be Now Here (1995-97), Maurice Benayoun’s World Skin: A Photo Safari in the Land of War (1997), Luc Courchesne’s Where Are You? (2007-10), are significant examples for the way in which the viewer can be immersed in “expanded image-spaces.” Offering no view of the exterior world, the works try instead to reduce as much as possible the critical distance the viewer might have to the image he/she experiences. Indeed, AR emerged in great part from the artistic and scientific research efforts dedicated to VR, but also from the technological and artistic investigations of the possibilities of blending reality and virtuality, conducted in the previous decades. For example, in the 1960s, computer scientist Ivan Sutherland played a crucial role in the history of AR contributing to the development of display solutions and tracking systems that permit a better immersion within the digital image. Another important figure in the history of AR is computer artist Myron Krueger whose experiments with “responsive environments” are fundamental as they proposed a closer interaction between participant’s body and the digital object. More recently, architect and theorist Marcos Novak contributed to the development of the idea of AR by introducing the concept of “eversion”, “the counter-vector of the virtual leaking out into the actual”. Today, AR technological research and the applications made available by various developers and artists are focused more and more on mobility and ubiquitous access to information instead of immersivity and illusionist effects. A few examples of mobile AR include applications such as Layar, Wikitude—“world browsers” that overlay site-specific information in real-time on a real view (video stream) of a place, Streetmuseum (launched in 2010) and Historypin (launched in 2011)—applications that insert archive images into the street-view of a specific location where the old images were taken, or Google Glass (launched in 2012)—a device that provides the wearer access to Google’s key Cloud features, in situ and in real time. Recognizing the importance of various technological developments and of the artistic manifestations such as installation art and VR as predecessors of AR, we should emphasize that AR moves forward from these artistic and technological models. AR extends the installationist precedent by proposing a consistent and seamless integration of informational elements with the very physical space of the spectator, and at the same time rejects the idea of segregating the viewer into a complete artificial environment like in VR systems by opening the perceptual field to the surrounding environment. Instead of leaving the viewer in a sort of epistemological “lust” within the closed limits of the immersive virtual systems, AR sees virtuality rather as a “component of experiencing the real” (Farman 22). Thus, the questions that arise—and which this essay aims to answer—are: Do we have a specific spatial dimension in AR? If yes, can we distinguish it as a different—if not new—spatial and aesthetic paradigm? Is AR’s intricate topology able to be the place not only of convergence, but also of possible tensions between its real and virtual components, between the ideal of obtaining a perceptual continuity and the inherent (technical) limitations that undermine that ideal? Converging Spaces in the Artistic Mode: Between Continuum and Discontinuum As key examples of the way in which AR creates a specific spatial experience—in which convergence appears as a fluctuation between continuity and discontinuity—I mention three of the most accomplished works in the field that, significantly, expose also the essential role played by the interface in providing this experience: Living-Room 2 (2007) by Jan Torpus, Under Scan (2005-2008) by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Hans RichtAR (2013) by John Craig Freeman and Will Pappenheimer. The works illustrate the three main categories of interfaces used for AR experience: head-attached, spatial displays, and hand-held (Bimber 2005). These types of interface—together with all the array of adjacent devices, software and tracking systems—play a central role in determining the forms and outcomes of the user’s experience and consequently inform in a certain measure the aesthetic and socio-cultural interpretative discourse surrounding AR. Indeed, it is not the same to have an immersive but solitary experience, or a mobile and public experience of an AR artwork or application. The first example is Living-Room 2 an immersive AR installation realized by a collective coordinated by Jan Torpus in 2007 at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts FHNW, Basel, Switzerland. The work consists of a built “living-room” with pieces of furniture and domestic objects that are perceptually augmented by means of a “see-through” Head Mounted Display. The viewer perceives at the same time the real room and a series of virtual graphics superimposed on it such as illusionist natural vistas that “erase” the walls, or strange creatures that “invade” the living-room. The user can select different augmenting “scenarios” by interacting with both the physical interfaces (the real furniture and objects) and the graphical interfaces (provided as virtual images in the visual field of the viewer, and activated via a handheld device). For example, in one of the scenarios proposed, the user is prompted to design his/her own extended living room, by augmenting the content and the context of the given real space with different “spatial dramaturgies” or “AR décors.” Another scenario offers the possibility of creating an “Ecosystem”—a real-digital world perceived through the HMD in which strange creatures virtually occupy the living-room intertwining with the physical configuration of the set design and with the user’s viewing direction, body movement, and gestures. Particular attention is paid to the participant’s position in the room: a tracking device measures the coordinates of the participant’s location and direction of view and effectuates occlusions of real space and then congruent superimpositions of 3D images upon it. Figure 1: Jan Torpus, Living-Room 2 (Ecosystems), Augmented Reality installation (2007). Courtesy of the artist. Figure 2: Jan Torpus, Living-Room 2 (AR decors), Augmented Reality installation (2007). Courtesy of the artist.In this sense, the title of the work acquires a double meaning: “living” is both descriptive and metaphoric. As Torpus explains, Living-Room is an ambiguous phrase: it can be both a living-room and a room that actually lives, an observation that suggests the idea of a continuum and of immersion in an environment where there are no apparent ruptures between reality and virtuality. Of course, immersion is in these circumstances not about the creation of a purely artificial secluded space of experience like that of the VR environments, but rather about a dialogical exercise that unifies two different phenomenal levels, real and virtual, within a (dis)continuous environment (with the prefix “dis” as a necessary provision). Media theorist Ron Burnett’s observations about the instability of the dividing line between different levels of experience—more exactly, of the real-virtual continuum—in what he calls immersive “image-worlds” have a particular relevance in this context: Viewing or being immersed in images extend the control humans have over mediated spaces and is part of a perceptual and psychological continuum of struggle for meaning within image-worlds. Thinking in terms of continuums lessens the distinctions between subjects and objects and makes it possible to examine modes of influence among a variety of connected experiences. (113) It is precisely this preoccupation to lessen any (or most) distinctions between subjects and objects, and between real and virtual spaces, that lays at the core of every artistic experiment under the AR rubric. The fact that this distinction is never entirely erased—as Living-Room 2 proves—is part of the very condition of AR. The ambition to create a continuum is after all not about producing perfectly homogenous spaces, but, as Ron Burnett points out (113), “about modalities of interaction and dialogue” between real worlds and virtual images. Another way to frame the same problematic of creating a provisional spatial continuum between reality and virtuality, but this time in a non-immersive fashion (i.e. with projective interface means), occurs in Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Under Scan (2005-2008). The work, part of the larger series Relational Architecture, is an interactive video installation conceived for outdoor and indoor environments and presented in various public spaces. It is a complex system comprised of a powerful light source, video projectors, computers, and a tracking device. The powerful light casts shadows of passers-by within the dark environment of the work’s setting. A tracking device indicates where viewers are positioned and permits the system to project different video sequences onto their shadows. Shot in advance by local videographers and producers, the filmed sequences show full images of ordinary people moving freely, but also watching the camera. As they appear within pedestrians’ shadows, the figurants interact with the viewers, moving and establishing eye contact. Figure 3: Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Under Scan (Relational Architecture 11), 2005. Shown here: Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom, 2008. Photo by: Antimodular Research. Courtesy of the artist. Figure 4: Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Under Scan (Relational Architecture 11), 2005. Shown here: Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom, 2008. Photo by: Antimodular Research. Courtesy of the artist. One of the most interesting attributes of this work with respect to the question of AR’s (im)possible perceptual spatial continuity is its ability to create an experientially stimulating and conceptually sophisticated play between illusion and subversion of illusion. In Under Scan, the integration of video projections into the real environment via the active body of the viewer is aimed at tempering as much as possible any disparities or dialectical tensions—that is, any successive or alternative reading—between real and virtual. Although non-immersive, the work fuses the two levels by provoking an intimate but mute dialogue between the real, present body of the viewer and the virtual, absent body of the figurant via the ambiguous entity of the shadow. The latter is an illusion (it marks the presence of a body) that is transcended by another illusion (video projection). Moreover, being “under scan,” the viewer inhabits both the “here” of the immediate space and the “there” of virtual information: “the body” is equally a presence in flesh and bones and an occurrence in bits and bytes. But, however convincing this reality-virtuality pseudo-continuum would be, the spatial and temporal fragmentations inevitably persist: there is always a certain break at the phenomenological level between the experience of real space, the bodily absence/presence in the shadow, and the displacements and delays of the video image projection. Figure 5: John Craig Freeman and Will Pappenheimer, Hans RichtAR, augmented reality installation included in the exhibition “Hans Richter: Encounters”, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2013. Courtesy of the artists. Figure 6: John Craig Freeman and Will Pappenheimer, Hans RichtAR, augmented reality installation included in the exhibition “Hans Richter: Encounters”, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2013. Courtesy of the artists. The third example of an AR artwork that engages the problem of real-virtual spatial convergence as a play between perceptual continuity and discontinuity, this time with the use of hand-held mobile interface is Hans RichtAR by John Craig Freeman and Will Pappenheimer. The work is an AR installation included in the exhibition “Hans Richter: Encounters” at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in 2013. The project recreates the spirit of the 1929 exhibition held in Stuttgart entitled Film und Foto (“FiFo”) for which avant-garde artist Hans Richter served as film curator. Featured in the augmented reality is a re-imaging of the FiFo Russian Room designed by El Lissitzky where a selection of Russian photographs, film stills and actual film footage was presented. The users access the work through tablets made available at the exhibition entrance. Pointing the tablet at the exhibition and moving around the room, the viewer discovers that a new, complex installation is superimposed on the screen over the existing installation and gallery space at LACMA. The work effectively recreates and interprets the original design of the Russian Room, with its scaffoldings and surfaces at various heights while virtually juxtaposing photography and moving images, to which the authors have added some creative elements of their own. Manipulating and converging real space and the virtual forms in an illusionist way, AR is able—as one of the artists maintains—to destabilize the way we construct representation. Indeed, the work makes a statement about visuality that complicates the relationship between the visible object and its representation and interpretation in the virtual realm. One that actually shows the fragility of establishing an illusionist continuum, of a perfect convergence between reality and represented virtuality, whatever the means employed. AR: A Different Spatial Practice Regardless the degree of “perfection” the convergence process would entail, what we can safely assume—following the examples above—is that the complex nature of AR operations permits a closer integration of virtual images within real space, one that, I argue, constitutes a new spatial paradigm. This is the perceptual outcome of the convergence effect, that is, the process and the product of consolidating different—and differently situated—elements in real and virtual worlds into a single space-image. Of course, illusion plays a crucial role as it makes permeable the perceptual limit between the represented objects and the material spaces we inhabit. Making the interface transparent—in both proper and figurative senses—and integrating it into the surrounding space, AR “erases” the medium with the effect of suspending—at least for a limited time—the perceptual (but not ontological!) differences between what is real and what is represented. These aspects are what distinguish AR from other technological and artistic endeavors that aim at creating more inclusive spaces of interaction. However, unlike the CAVE experience (a display solution frequently used in VR applications) that isolates the viewer within the image-space, in AR virtual information is coextensive with reality. As the example of the Living-Room 2 shows, regardless the degree of immersivity, in AR there is no such thing as dismissing the real in favor of an ideal view of a perfect and completely controllable artificial environment like in VR. The “redemptive” vision of a total virtual environment is replaced in AR with the open solution of sharing physical and digital realities in the same sensorial and spatial configuration. In AR the real is not denounced but reflected; it is not excluded, but integrated. Yet, AR distinguishes itself also from other projects that presuppose a real-world environment overlaid with data, such as urban surfaces covered with screens, Wi-Fi enabled areas, or video installations that are not site-specific and viewer inclusive. Although closely related to these types of projects, AR remains different, its spatiality is not simply a “space of interaction” that connects, but instead it integrates real and virtual elements. Unlike other non-AR media installations, AR does not only place the real and virtual spaces in an adjacent position (or replace one with another), but makes them perceptually convergent in an—ideally—seamless way (and here Hans RichtAR is a relevant example). Moreover, as Lev Manovich notes, “electronically augmented space is unique – since the information is personalized for every user, it can change dynamically over time, and it is delivered through an interactive multimedia interface” (225-6). Nevertheless, as our examples show, any AR experience is negotiated in the user-machine encounter with various degrees of success and sustainability. Indeed, the realization of the convergence effect is sometimes problematic since AR is never perfectly continuous, spatially or temporally. The convergence effect is the momentary appearance of continuity that will never take full effect for the viewer, given the internal (perhaps inherent?) tensions between the ideal of seamlessness and the mostly technical inconsistencies in the visual construction of the pieces (such as real-time inadequacy or real-virtual registration errors). We should note that many criticisms of the AR visualization systems (being them practical applications or artworks) are directed to this particular aspect related to the imperfect alignment between reality and digital information in the augmented space-image. However, not only AR applications can function when having an estimated (and acceptable) registration error, but, I would state, such visual imperfections testify a distinctive aesthetic aspect of AR. The alleged flaws can be assumed—especially in the artistic AR projects—as the “trace,” as the “tool’s stroke” that can reflect the unique play between illusion and its subversion, between transparency of the medium and its reflexive strategy. In fact this is what defines AR as a different perceptual paradigm: the creation of a convergent space—which will remain inevitably imperfect—between material reality and virtual information.References Azuma, Ronald T. “A Survey on Augmented Reality.” Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 6.4 (Aug. 1997): 355-385. < http://www.hitl.washington.edu/projects/knowledge_base/ARfinal.pdf >. Benayoun, Maurice. World Skin: A Photo Safari in the Land of War. 1997. Immersive installation: CAVE, Computer, video projectors, 1 to 5 real photo cameras, 2 to 6 magnetic or infrared trackers, shutter glasses, audio-system, Internet connection, color printer. Maurice Benayoun, Works. < http://www.benayoun.com/projet.php?id=16 >. Bimber, Oliver, and Ramesh Raskar. Spatial Augmented Reality. Merging Real and Virtual Worlds. Wellesley, Massachusetts: AK Peters, 2005. 71-92. Burnett, Ron. How Images Think. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2004. Campbell, Jim. Hallucination. 1988-1990. 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New York: Routledge, 2012. Graham, Dan. Present Continuous Past(s). 1974. Closed-circuit video installation, black and white camera, one black and white monitor, two mirrors, microprocessor. Centre Georges Pompidou Collection, Paris, France. Grau, Oliver. Virtual Art: From Illusion to Immersion. Translated by Gloria Custance. Cambridge, Massachusetts, London: MIT Press, 2003. Hansen, Mark B.N. New Philosophy for New Media. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2004. Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001-2012. < http://www.etymonline.com >. Manovich, Lev. “The Poetics of Augmented Space.” Visual Communication 5.2 (2006): 219-240. Milgram, Paul, Haruo Takemura, Akira Utsumi, Fumio Kishino. “Augmented Reality: A Class of Displays on the Reality-Virtuality Continuum.” SPIE [The International Society for Optical Engineering] Proceedings 2351: Telemanipulator and Telepresence Technologies (1994): 282-292. Naimark, Michael, Be Now Here. 1995-97. Stereoscopic interactive panorama: 3-D glasses, two 35mm motion-picture cameras, rotating tripod, input pedestal, stereoscopic projection screen, four-channel audio, 16-foot (4.87 m) rotating floor. Originally produced at Interval Research Corporation with additional support from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Paris, France. < http://www.naimark.net/projects/benowhere.html >. Nauman, Bruce. Live-Taped Video Corridor. 1970. Wallboard, video camera, two video monitors, videotape player, and videotape, dimensions variable. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Novak, Marcos. Interview with Leo Gullbring, Calimero journalistic och fotografi, 2001. < http://www.calimero.se/novak2.htm >. Sermon, Paul. Telematic Dreaming. 1992. ISDN telematic installation, two video projectors, two video cameras, two beds set. The National Museum of Photography, Film & Television in Bradford England. Shaw, Jeffrey, and Theo Botschuijver. Viewpoint. 1975. Photo installation. Shown at 9th Biennale de Paris, Musée d'Art Moderne, Paris, France.

Introduction – The Advent of the Actotron Imagine a movie production where leading actors are not bound by human limitations, and digital entities render every emotion, movement, and line with breathtaking precision. This is no longer a conceptual idea but is becoming more possible with the increased integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into screen production activities. Essentially, we are at the dawn of the Actotron era. These advanced virtual actors, equipped with artificial intelligence, could transform not just how movies are made, but who makes them and what stories they tell. The Actotron promises to redefine the creative landscape, challenging our perceptions of artistry and authenticity in the digital age. The potential of the Actotron marks a milestone at the intersection of artificial intelligence, performance, and technology. This virtual human represents both a technological leap and a cultural shift that may revolutionise entertainment globally. Synthesising advancements in AI, motion capture, and voice synthesis, the Actotron enables autonomous performance, raising questions about creativity, copyright law, and the ethics of digital personalities. The capability for real-time learning and interaction pushes boundaries beyond CGI and deepfakes. Driven by AI algorithms and real-time graphics, the Actotron simulates nuanced human emotions, allowing dynamic interaction with human actors in media. Using future studies, we consider the potential emergence of the Actotron as the next step in digital actors and the place of artificial intelligence in the screen production industry. Method: Future Studies and Futurecasting To explore the potential and implications of the Actotron, this article employs methodologies from Future Studies and Futurecasting. These approaches are suited to assessing the Actotron due to their focus on creating plausible scenarios that envision future technological and societal shifts (Brown). Future Studies, as outlined by Miller, provides a structured way to consider potential outcomes and how current trends might evolve, utilising the "possibility-space" approach to explore future scenarios (Miller, "Futures"). This method allows us to escape the constraints of conventional forecasting, which relies heavily on past trends, limiting creative exploration of more impactful future scenarios. Exploring the Actotron's impact within a non-ergodic context—where historical precedents do not dictate future results—is useful. Miller explains that in unpredictable environments, traditional forecasting methods falter by not accommodating radical changes and emergent patterns (Miller, "From Trends"). This insight is vital for navigating uncertainties and recognising that the past may not be a reliable guide for future developments. Understanding this is critical for assessing how technologies like the Actotron could reshape media and entertainment, fostering a more adaptable approach to future possibilities. Futurecasting, as elaborated by Steve Brown, involves modelling future possibilities not to predict changes definitively but to prepare strategically for potential new realities. This approach aligns with the innovative essence of the Actotron—aimed at transforming performance landscapes and interactive experiences by anticipating shifts in technology and audience engagement dynamics. Miller highlights the critical role of anticipation in shaping decisions, emphasising its impact on developing technologies like the Actotron ("Futures"). By transitioning from trend-based forecasting to futures literacy, we can explore a wider array of possibilities beyond traditional prediction methods. By integrating Future Studies and Futurecasting and applying insights from the non-ergodic context and possibility-space approach, this analysis not only predicts but also prepares for a strategic future by providing a robust framework for understanding the societal impacts of technologies like the Actotron. CGI, Deepfakes, and Digital Actors The inception of Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) revolutionised visual storytelling in cinema. Starting with simple wire-frame graphics in the 1970s, exemplified by Westworld (1973), CGI evolved into today's complex imagery. The 1980s and 1990s saw landmark films like Tron (1982), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), and Jurassic Park (1993), demonstrating CGI's potential to create realistic environments and characters that enhanced narrative depth (Das). In the late 1990s and early 2000s, digital actors or "synthespians" emerged. Films like Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) and The Polar Express (2004) used full CGI and motion capture technologies to create human-like characters. Advances in motion capture, translating human actions into digital models, were critical in developing digital actors that convincingly emulate real human emotions and interact with live actors on screen (Gratch et al.). Building on earlier developments, this period saw significant advancements in digital doubles, which are highly realistic digital replicas of actors created using motion capture and digital modelling techniques. This progress was exemplified by The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). These films leveraged sophisticated motion capture to create detailed digital replicas of actors, refining digital doubles in mainstream cinema (Deguzman). Characters like Gollum from the Lord of the Rings trilogy showcased this technology's peak by combining motion capture with digital modelling to perform complex emotional roles alongside live actors (Patterson). Alongside these developments was the exploration of Autonomous Digital Actors (ADAs), integral to virtual actors and interactive media, extensively documented in research. ADAs represent significant advancements in digital media and interactive entertainment, offering novel methods for creating and animating 3D characters (Perlin and Seidman). These virtual actors can perform complex scenes autonomously, using procedural animation to respond to dynamic directions without pre-scripted motions, enriching interaction and storytelling (Iurgel, da Silva, and dos Santos). This technology allowed for cost-effective and versatile character animation, potentially transforming industries from gaming to educational software by enabling more nuanced and emotionally responsive character interactions. From 2017 onwards, deepfake technology captured public attention for convincingly—if controversially—manipulating video and audio, serving as both a precursor and foundational element for more sophisticated digital actors (Sample). Originally, deepfake technology focussed on manipulating video and audio recordings. Utilising machine learning and sophisticated algorithms, deepfakes could alter facial expressions, sync lips, or replace faces entirely (Pavis 976). This required understanding the video's three-dimensional space to apply realistic modifications, conducted during lengthy post-production workflows involving multiple VFX artists. In The Book of Boba Fett (2021), deepfake technology enabled the realistic portrayal of a youthful Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. The technique merged over 80 shots of deepfakes, CG heads, a body double, and Hamill's own performance to seamlessly depict his younger self (Bacon; Industrial Light & Magic). From pioneering CGI in the 1970s to sophisticated digital doubles in the early 2000s, the trajectory of visual storytelling has led to the advent of the Actotron. This technology has become a mainstay in visual effects and digital character generation, offering means to modify appearance, and age, or enable actors to fulfil different characters within a production (Xu 24). Synthesising these advancements through futurecasting, we consider the Actotron a virtual human tool that democratises filmmaking. To understand how this future operates, we turn to the fictitious but possible scenario of Alex, an imaginative director who harnesses the Actotron to bring cinematic visions to life. The Actotron Scenario Imagine a near future where film production has been revolutionised and democratised by the advent of Actotron technology—an advanced form of virtual human capable of comprehensive autonomous performance. We follow a day in the life of Alex, an aspiring young director with a passion for storytelling and a flair for technology. Alex's day begins in the quiet of her home studio, illuminated by the glow of dual screens. Today, Alex will create the lead character for an upcoming short film. Opening a sophisticated software portal, Alex interacts with a generative AI engine designed to craft an Actotron. Alex inputs desired traits and styles—courageous, empathetic, with a hint of mystery. The artificial intelligence proposes several faces; Alex selects one with captivating eyes and a resolute expression. Next, they sculpt the body—athletic and poised for action. Alex then tests different voice samples presented by the AI, blending them to forge a unique voice that mirrors their character's essence—a calming tone with a resilient undertone. With the character finalised, Alex uploads the script. The Actotron, "Kai", analyses it, intelligently querying to grasp the character's motivations fully. Content with Kai's comprehension, Alex moves to the virtual set. Alex commands, "Action!" and Kai begins the scene. Observing how Kai's expressions shift authentically with each line, Alex notes the performance. After a take, Alex suggests prompt changes—"Let's try it with more surprise on discovering the clue"—and Kai adapts seamlessly. This process repeats, with Alex refining Kai's performance until it aligns with her vision. As the day progresses, Alex introduces more Actotrons into different scenes. She directs interactions between Kai and other virtual actors, creating complex, dynamic exchanges that would be costly and challenging to shoot in a traditional setting. By dusk, Alex reviews the day's footage—digital dailies that can be edited or re-shot, as needed, by discussing it with the Actotron. The flexibility is exhilarating; changes that once would have taken days now happen in minutes. Reflecting on the day, Alex sees the transformative power of Actotron technology as a revolution in filmmaking that democratises cinema. Alex appreciates a future where directors can quickly bring visions to life, making filmmaking accessible, everyday, and diverse, showcasing Actotron's potential to redefine storytelling and innovate production. The Concept of Actotrons as Digital Actors Building on technological advancements, the Actotron is the next step in virtual actors. Unlike predecessors relying on predefined scripts and animations, Actotrons use a modular system combining human appearance and behaviour to create fully customisable, interactive characters, simplifying creation and increasing accessibility. Historically, developing virtual humans was a multidisciplinary challenge integrating complex components like natural language processing, emotional modelling, graphics, and animation (Gratch et al.). Early efforts struggled to achieve believable human-like behaviour due to disparate technologies not designed to work together. Actotrons depart from traditional CGI and deepfake technologies by embracing a modular construction philosophy, revolutionising virtual human creation. This approach offers unprecedented customisation and flexibility, enabling creators to assemble bespoke digital personas for specific needs. Central to Actotron technology is its component-based architecture with interchangeable modules covering human attributes: Visual Appearance: Modules for facial features, skin tones, and body shapes enable diverse identities, from unique characters to archetypes. Vocal Characteristics: Offers various voice modulations, accents, and language fluencies for role-specific needs. Kinetic Abilities: Motion capture libraries provide diverse movements and gestures, enabling realistic performances from athletic feats to nuanced expressions. AI-Driven Encapsulation and Integration What fundamentally distinguishes the Actotron from its predecessors is the sophisticated AI that seamlessly encapsulates and orchestrates various components into a coherent entity. Actotron technology embraces creating virtual actors, using AI to dynamically synchronise models, movements, and expressions in real time, which is difficult today (Gratch et al.). This encapsulation into an "AI-entity" via plug-and-play components dynamically integrates multiple inputs, ensuring the Actotron's movements, voice, and emotional expressions are perfectly synchronised and respond in real time to situational changes. This advanced capability enhances the Actotron's realism and allows instant adaptation to directorial inputs or script changes, offering interactivity unmatched by traditional virtual human technology. Integrating generative AI—like that developed by Google and NVIDIA—into Actotron technology allows this sophisticated level of dynamic interaction. For example, NVIDIA's development of digital humans interacting in real time shows that AI-driven systems can handle complex inputs and generate lifelike responses (Burnes, "NVIDIA & Developers"). Moreover, these AI systems' ability to simulate detailed human emotions is enhanced by leading GPT chat technology, as seen in Unreal Engine's real-time digital human rendering (Burnes, "NVIDIA Digital Human"). This technology captures subtle human nuances, enabling AI to produce characters that mimic basic actions and convey deep emotional expressions. Modern crowd simulation tools such as the HiDAC (High-Density Autonomous Crowds) system further demonstrate advancements in creating lifelike digital behaviours. Recent enhancements include the integration of human personality models, notably the OCEAN framework—Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism—to improve the authenticity and diversity of virtual agents' behaviours. Research indicates that mapping OCEAN traits to agent parameters in HiDAC can generate nuanced crowd dynamics, enhancing the realism of character simulations (Pelechano). Incorporating these personality models into Actotron performances could yield virtual characters with more complex and varied behaviours, enriching the landscape of digital storytelling. However, this development also prompts ethical questions about designing virtual entities with human-like psychological profiles, suggesting a need for further exploration of their societal impact. A key feature of modularised aspects encapsulated as an AI entity is its ability to learn and evolve from processed data, akin to generative AI used by Google to drive hardware robots (Vanhoucke). However, in Actotrons, this AI entity does not control a physical robot but drives a digital entity that can interact within any narrative framework created (Vanhoucke; NVIDIA Developer). This AI's ability to integrate and synthesise human-like attributes from data makes Actotrons versatile, and capable of diverse performances without needing a human actor behind the scenes. Adjusting tone of voice to match emotional settings or altering physical responses to script changes, the generative AI-entity in Actotron technology handles it seamlessly, pushing digital storytelling boundaries (NVIDIA Developer). Generative AI models, such as those discussed by Vincent Vanhoucke of Google DeepMind, adeptly process vast amounts of data and learn to improve over time (NVIDIA Developer). This AI could analyse feedback from Actotron performances to refine actions and expressions, ensuring each iteration is more nuanced than the last. These advancements highlight AI's transformative impact in digital acting, where Actotrons equipped with such technologies will set new standards for virtual performances. An Actotron will combine various human traits into a single, versatile model that can perform dynamically and respond in real-time (see Table 1). Capability Description Motion Capture Captures subtle human movements for realistic animations. 3D Modelling Provides detailed body shapes for diverse appearances. Facial Animation Creates expressions and emotions with high-fidelity models. Voice Synthesis Generates lifelike speech patterns. Tab. 1: Capabilities of Actotron Technology. Implications and Considerations of Actotron Tech Actotrons, synthesised using advanced AI algorithms, represent a revolutionary step in digital actor technology. These self-contained, autonomous digital actors could interact within any virtual environment, delivering dynamic, context-aware performances directed by digital creators. This would mark a significant departure from the static manipulations of earlier technologies like deepfakes and traditional CGI, which are currently pre-rendered, allowing Actotrons to redefine traditional roles in cinema, gaming, and virtual reality by operating in real-time and dynamically like a real actor. The modular design of Actotrons could offer unmatched flexibility, enabling directors to adapt these virtual actors for various roles across different media without starting from scratch for each project. This reduces production costs and development time and enables rapid adjustments to feedback, enhancing responsiveness in environments where changes are costly and time-consuming (Pulliam-Moore). Additionally, by utilising generic modules that do not directly copy real individuals, Actotrons could circumvent ethical and copyright issues associated with digital likenesses (Roth). The Actotron democratises acting and performance by providing capabilities at the desktop level and on demand. By moving beyond the limitations of deepfake technology and traditional CGI, the modularised Actotron technology embodies a new era in creating virtual humans, but this necessitates ongoing discussions about their ethical, legal, and social implications. AI creation of personalities and celebrities' voices, likenesses, and styles, such as examples like AI Drake and The Weeknd (Coscarelli), Pope Francis's generative AI image puffer jacket (Huang), and Tom Hanks's dental plan AI deepfake (Taylor), present challenges to ethical and legal spaces which Actotron technology would only amplify. The recent dispute between studios and SAG-AFTRA over the rights to actors' digitally scanned likenesses and AI use highlights the significant tensions surrounding virtual human technology and creative performance (Pulliam-Moore). Conclusion Futurecasting suggests the Actotron is the next evolution of virtual actors, heralding a new era in creative industries by integrating generative AI to enhance performances. AI enables Actotrons to deliver dynamic performances, deepening engagement and expanding creativity. Lifelike animations allow complex storytelling previously unattainable due to cost or technical constraints. Economically, AI reduces reliance on human actors, cutting costs and increasing efficiency. However, this raises concerns about job displacement and challenges regarding AI's authenticity and ethics in art. Advancing AI promises innovative, interactive viewer experiences and democratises content creation, empowering untrained individuals to produce sophisticated works. This convergence will drive discussions on the future of creativity and labour in the digital age. References Bacon, T. "Why Luke’s CGI in Boba Fett Is So Much Better (Explained Properly)." Screenrant, 4 May 2022. <https://screenrant.com/book-boba-fett-luke-skywalker-cgi-hamill-improved-explained/>. Brown, S. Futurecasting: A White Paper by Steve Brown, CEO of Possibility and Purpose, LLC. 26 Sep. 2024 <https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54beba03e4b0cb3353d443df/t/57c76f39ff7c50f29964a8d1/ 1472687934439/Futurecasting_white+paper.pdf>. Burnes, A. 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“As the old technologies become automatic and invisible, we find ourselves more concerned with fighting or embracing what’s new”—Dennis Baron, From Pencils to Pixels: The Stage of Literacy Technologies What constitutes a computer, as we have come to expect it? Are they necessarily monolithic “beige boxes”, connected to computer monitors, sitting on computer desks, located in computer rooms or computer labs? In order for a device to be considered a true computer, does it need to have a keyboard and mouse? If this were 1991 or earlier, our collective perception of what computers are and are not would largely be framed by this “beige box” model: computers are stationary, slab-like, and heavy, and their natural habitats must be in rooms specifically designated for that purpose. In 1992, when Apple introduced the first PowerBook, our perception began to change. Certainly there had been other portable computers prior to that, such as the Osborne 1, but these were more luggable than portable, weighing just slightly less than a typical sewing machine. The PowerBook and subsequent waves of laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and so-called smart phones from numerous other companies have steadily forced us to rethink and redefine what a computer is and is not, how we interact with them, and the manner in which these tools might be used in the classroom. However, this reconceptualization of computers is far from over, and is in fact steadily evolving as new devices are introduced, adopted, and subsequently adapted for uses beyond of their original purpose. Pat Crowe’s Book Reader project, for example, has morphed Nintendo’s GameBoy and GameBoy Advance into a viable electronic book platform, complete with images, sound, and multi-language support. (Crowe, 2003) His goal was to take this existing technology previously framed only within the context of proprietary adolescent entertainment, and repurpose it for open, flexible uses typically associated with learning and literacy. Similar efforts are underway to repurpose Microsoft’s Xbox, perhaps the ultimate symbol of “closed” technology given Microsoft’s propensity for proprietary code, in order to make it a viable platform for Open Source Software (OSS). However, these efforts are not forgone conclusions, and are in fact typical of the ongoing battle over who controls the technology we own in our homes, and how open source solutions are often at odds with a largely proprietary world. In late 2001, Microsoft launched the Xbox with a multimillion dollar publicity drive featuring events, commercials, live models, and statements claiming this new console gaming platform would “change video games the way MTV changed music”. (Chan, 2001) The Xbox launched with the following technical specifications: 733mhz Pentium III 64mb RAM, 8 or 10gb internal hard disk drive CD/DVD ROM drive (speed unknown) Nvidia graphics processor, with HDTV support 4 USB 1.1 ports (adapter required), AC3 audio 10/100 ethernet port, Optional 56k modem (TechTV, 2001) While current computers dwarf these specifications in virtually all areas now, for 2001 these were roughly on par with many desktop systems. The retail price at the time was $299, but steadily dropped to nearly half that with additional price cuts anticipated. Based on these features, the preponderance of “off the shelf” parts and components used, and the relatively reasonable price, numerous programmers quickly became interested in seeing it if was possible to run Linux and additional OSS on the Xbox. In each case, the goal has been similar: exceed the original purpose of the Xbox, to determine if and how well it might be used for basic computing tasks. If these attempts prove to be successful, the Xbox could allow institutions to dramatically increase the student-to-computer ratio in select environments, or allow individuals who could not otherwise afford a computer to instead buy and Xbox, download and install Linux, and use this new device to write, create, and innovate . This drive to literally and metaphorically “open” the Xbox comes from many directions. Such efforts include Andrew Huang’s self-published “Hacking the Xbox” book in which, under the auspices of reverse engineering, Huang analyzes the architecture of the Xbox, detailing step-by-step instructions for flashing the ROM, upgrading the hard drive and/or RAM, and generally prepping the device for use as an information appliance. Additional initiatives include Lindows CEO Michael Robertson’s $200,000 prize to encourage Linux development on the Xbox, and the Xbox Linux Project at SourceForge. What is Linux? Linux is an alternative operating system initially developed in 1991 by Linus Benedict Torvalds. Linux was based off a derivative of the MINIX operating system, which in turn was a derivative of UNIX. (Hasan 2003) Linux is currently available for Intel-based systems that would normally run versions of Windows, PowerPC-based systems that would normally run Apple’s Mac OS, and a host of other handheld, cell phone, or so-called “embedded” systems. Linux distributions are based almost exclusively on open source software, graphic user interfaces, and middleware components. While there are commercial Linux distributions available, these mainly just package the freely available operating system with bundled technical support, manuals, some exclusive or proprietary commercial applications, and related services. Anyone can still download and install numerous Linux distributions at no cost, provided they do not need technical support beyond the community / enthusiast level. Typical Linux distributions come with open source web browsers, word processors and related productivity applications (such as those found in OpenOffice.org), and related tools for accessing email, organizing schedules and contacts, etc. Certain Linux distributions are more or less designed for network administrators, system engineers, and similar “power users” somewhat distanced from that of our students. However, several distributions including Lycoris, Mandrake, LindowsOS, and other are specifically tailored as regular, desktop operating systems, with regular, everyday computer users in mind. As Linux has no draconian “product activation key” method of authentication, or digital rights management-laden features associated with installation and implementation on typical desktop and laptop systems, Linux is becoming an ideal choice both individually and institutionally. It still faces an uphill battle in terms of achieving widespread acceptance as a desktop operating system. As Finnie points out in Desktop Linux Edges Into The Mainstream: “to attract users, you need ease of installation, ease of device configuration, and intuitive, full-featured desktop user controls. It’s all coming, but slowly. With each new version, desktop Linux comes closer to entering the mainstream. It’s anyone’s guess as to when critical mass will be reached, but you can feel the inevitability: There’s pent-up demand for something different.” (Finnie 2003) Linux is already spreading rapidly in numerous capacities, in numerous countries. Linux has “taken hold wherever computer users desire freedom, and wherever there is demand for inexpensive software.” Reports from technology research company IDG indicate that roughly a third of computers in Central and South America run Linux. Several countries, including Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, have all but mandated that state-owned institutions adopt open source software whenever possible to “give their people the tools and education to compete with the rest of the world.” (Hills 2001) The Goal Less than a year after Microsoft introduced the The Xbox, the Xbox Linux project formed. The Xbox Linux Project has a goal of developing and distributing Linux for the Xbox gaming console, “so that it can be used for many tasks that Microsoft don’t want you to be able to do. ...as a desktop computer, for email and browsing the web from your TV, as a (web) server” (Xbox Linux Project 2002). Since the Linux operating system is open source, meaning it can freely be tinkered with and distributed, those who opt to download and install Linux on their Xbox can do so with relatively little overhead in terms of cost or time. Additionally, Linux itself looks very “windows-like”, making for fairly low learning curve. To help increase overall awareness of this project and assist in diffusing it, the Xbox Linux Project offers step-by-step installation instructions, with the end result being a system capable of using common peripherals such as a keyboard and mouse, scanner, printer, a “webcam and a DVD burner, connected to a VGA monitor; 100% compatible with a standard Linux PC, all PC (USB) hardware and PC software that works with Linux.” (Xbox Linux Project 2002) Such a system could have tremendous potential for technology literacy. Pairing an Xbox with Linux and OpenOffice.org, for example, would provide our students essentially the same capability any of them would expect from a regular desktop computer. They could send and receive email, communicate using instant messaging IRC, or newsgroup clients, and browse Internet sites just as they normally would. In fact, the overall browsing experience for Linux users is substantially better than that for most Windows users. Internet Explorer, the default browser on all systems running Windows-base operating systems, lacks basic features standard in virtually all competing browsers. Native blocking of “pop-up” advertisements is still not yet possible in Internet Explorer without the aid of a third-party utility. Tabbed browsing, which involves the ability to easily open and sort through multiple Web pages in the same window, often with a single mouse click, is also missing from Internet Explorer. The same can be said for a robust download manager, “find as you type”, and a variety of additional features. Mozilla, Netscape, Firefox, Konqueror, and essentially all other OSS browsers for Linux have these features. Of course, most of these browsers are also available for Windows, but Internet Explorer is still considered the standard browser for the platform. If the Xbox Linux Project becomes widely diffused, our students could edit and save Microsoft Word files in OpenOffice.org’s Writer program, and do the same with PowerPoint and Excel files in similar OpenOffice.org components. They could access instructor comments originally created in Microsoft Word documents, and in turn could add their own comments and send the documents back to their instructors. They could even perform many functions not yet capable in Microsoft Office, including saving files in PDF or Flash format without needing Adobe’s Acrobat product or Macromedia’s Flash Studio MX. Additionally, by way of this project, the Xbox can also serve as “a Linux server for HTTP/FTP/SMB/NFS, serving data such as MP3/MPEG4/DivX, or a router, or both; without a monitor or keyboard or mouse connected.” (Xbox Linux Project 2003) In a very real sense, our students could use these inexpensive systems previously framed only within the context of entertainment, for educational purposes typically associated with computer-mediated learning. Problems: Control and Access The existing rhetoric of technological control surrounding current and emerging technologies appears to be stifling many of these efforts before they can even be brought to the public. This rhetoric of control is largely typified by overly-restrictive digital rights management (DRM) schemes antithetical to education, and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Combined,both are currently being used as technical and legal clubs against these efforts. Microsoft, for example, has taken a dim view of any efforts to adapt the Xbox to Linux. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who has repeatedly referred to Linux as a cancer and has equated OSS as being un-American, stated, “Given the way the economic model works - and that is a subsidy followed, essentially, by fees for every piece of software sold - our license framework has to do that.” (Becker 2003) Since the Xbox is based on a subsidy model, meaning that Microsoft actually sells the hardware at a loss and instead generates revenue off software sales, Ballmer launched a series of concerted legal attacks against the Xbox Linux Project and similar efforts. In 2002, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft simultaneously sued Lik Sang, Inc., a Hong Kong-based company that produces programmable cartridges and “mod chips” for the PlayStation II, Xbox, and Game Cube. Nintendo states that its company alone loses over $650 million each year due to piracy of their console gaming titles, which typically originate in China, Paraguay, and Mexico. (GameIndustry.biz) Currently, many attempts to “mod” the Xbox required the use of such chips. As Lik Sang is one of the only suppliers, initial efforts to adapt the Xbox to Linux slowed considerably. Despite that fact that such chips can still be ordered and shipped here by less conventional means, it does not change that fact that the chips themselves would be illegal in the U.S. due to the anticircumvention clause in the DMCA itself, which is designed specifically to protect any DRM-wrapped content, regardless of context. The Xbox Linux Project then attempted to get Microsoft to officially sanction their efforts. They were not only rebuffed, but Microsoft then opted to hire programmers specifically to create technological countermeasures for the Xbox, to defeat additional attempts at installing OSS on it. Undeterred, the Xbox Linux Project eventually arrived at a method of installing and booting Linux without the use of mod chips, and have taken a more defiant tone now with Microsoft regarding their circumvention efforts. (Lettice 2002) They state that “Microsoft does not want you to use the Xbox as a Linux computer, therefore it has some anti-Linux-protection built in, but it can be circumvented easily, so that an Xbox can be used as what it is: an IBM PC.” (Xbox Linux Project 2003) Problems: Learning Curves and Usability In spite of the difficulties imposed by the combined technological and legal attacks on this project, it has succeeded at infiltrating this closed system with OSS. It has done so beyond the mere prototype level, too, as evidenced by the Xbox Linux Project now having both complete, step-by-step instructions available for users to modify their own Xbox systems, and an alternate plan catering to those who have the interest in modifying their systems, but not the time or technical inclinations. Specifically, this option involves users mailing their Xbox systems to community volunteers within the Xbox Linux Project, and basically having these volunteers perform the necessary software preparation or actually do the full Linux installation for them, free of charge (presumably not including shipping). This particular aspect of the project, dubbed “Users Help Users”, appears to be fairly new. Yet, it already lists over sixty volunteers capable and willing to perform this service, since “Many users don’t have the possibility, expertise or hardware” to perform these modifications. Amazingly enough, in some cases these volunteers are barely out of junior high school. One such volunteer stipulates that those seeking his assistance keep in mind that he is “just 14” and that when performing these modifications he “...will not always be finished by the next day”. (Steil 2003) In addition to this interesting if somewhat unusual level of community-driven support, there are currently several Linux-based options available for the Xbox. The two that are perhaps the most developed are GentooX, which is based of the popular Gentoo Linux distribution, and Ed’s Debian, based off the Debian GNU / Linux distribution. Both Gentoo and Debian are “seasoned” distributions that have been available for some time now, though Daniel Robbins, Chief Architect of Gentoo, refers to the product as actually being a “metadistribution” of Linux, due to its high degree of adaptability and configurability. (Gentoo 2004) Specifically, the Robbins asserts that Gentoo is capable of being “customized for just about any application or need. ...an ideal secure server, development workstation, professional desktop, gaming system, embedded solution or something else—whatever you need it to be.” (Robbins 2004) He further states that the whole point of Gentoo is to provide a better, more usable Linux experience than that found in many other distributions. Robbins states that: “The goal of Gentoo is to design tools and systems that allow a user to do their work pleasantly and efficiently as possible, as they see fit. Our tools should be a joy to use, and should help the user to appreciate the richness of the Linux and free software community, and the flexibility of free software. ...Put another way, the Gentoo philosophy is to create better tools. When a tool is doing its job perfectly, you might not even be very aware of its presence, because it does not interfere and make its presence known, nor does it force you to interact with it when you don’t want it to. The tool serves the user rather than the user serving the tool.” (Robbins 2004) There is also a so-called “live CD” Linux distribution suitable for the Xbox, called dyne:bolic, and an in-progress release of Slackware Linux, as well. According to the Xbox Linux Project, the only difference between the standard releases of these distributions and their Xbox counterparts is that “...the install process – and naturally the bootloader, the kernel and the kernel modules – are all customized for the Xbox.” (Xbox Linux Project, 2003) Of course, even if Gentoo is as user-friendly as Robbins purports, even if the Linux kernel itself has become significantly more robust and efficient, and even if Microsoft again drops the retail price of the Xbox, is this really a feasible solution in the classroom? Does the Xbox Linux Project have an army of 14 year olds willing to modify dozens, perhaps hundreds of these systems for use in secondary schools and higher education? Of course not. If such an institutional rollout were to be undertaken, it would require significant support from not only faculty, but Department Chairs, Deans, IT staff, and quite possible Chief Information Officers. Disk images would need to be customized for each institution to reflect their respective needs, ranging from setting specific home pages on web browsers, to bookmarks, to custom back-up and / or disk re-imaging scripts, to network authentication. This would be no small task. Yet, the steps mentioned above are essentially no different than what would be required of any IT staff when creating a new disk image for a computer lab, be it one for a Windows-based system or a Mac OS X-based one. The primary difference would be Linux itself—nothing more, nothing less. The institutional difficulties in undertaking such an effort would likely be encountered prior to even purchasing a single Xbox, in that they would involve the same difficulties associated with any new hardware or software initiative: staffing, budget, and support. If the institutional in question is either unwilling or unable to address these three factors, it would not matter if the Xbox itself was as free as Linux. An Open Future, or a Closed one? It is unclear how far the Xbox Linux Project will be allowed to go in their efforts to invade an essentially a proprietary system with OSS. Unlike Sony, which has made deliberate steps to commercialize similar efforts for their PlayStation 2 console, Microsoft appears resolute in fighting OSS on the Xbox by any means necessary. They will continue to crack down on any companies selling so-called mod chips, and will continue to employ technological protections to keep the Xbox “closed”. Despite clear evidence to the contrary, in all likelihood Microsoft continue to equate any OSS efforts directed at the Xbox with piracy-related motivations. Additionally, Microsoft’s successor to the Xbox would likely include additional anticircumvention technologies incorporated into it that could set the Xbox Linux Project back by months, years, or could stop it cold. Of course, it is difficult to say with any degree of certainty how this “Xbox 2” (perhaps a more appropriate name might be “Nextbox”) will impact this project. Regardless of how this device evolves, there can be little doubt of the value of Linux, OpenOffice.org, and other OSS to teaching and learning with technology. This value exists not only in terms of price, but in increased freedom from policies and technologies of control. New Linux distributions from Gentoo, Mandrake, Lycoris, Lindows, and other companies are just now starting to focus their efforts on Linux as user-friendly, easy to use desktop operating systems, rather than just server or “techno-geek” environments suitable for advanced programmers and computer operators. While metaphorically opening the Xbox may not be for everyone, and may not be a suitable computing solution for all, I believe we as educators must promote and encourage such efforts whenever possible. I suggest this because I believe we need to exercise our professional influence and ultimately shape the future of technology literacy, either individually as faculty and collectively as departments, colleges, or institutions. Moran and Fitzsimmons-Hunter argue this very point in Writing Teachers, Schools, Access, and Change. One of their fundamental provisions they use to define “access” asserts that there must be a willingness for teachers and students to “fight for the technologies that they need to pursue their goals for their own teaching and learning.” (Taylor / Ward 160) Regardless of whether or not this debate is grounded in the “beige boxes” of the past, or the Xboxes of the present, much is at stake. Private corporations should not be in a position to control the manner in which we use legally-purchased technologies, regardless of whether or not these technologies are then repurposed for literacy uses. I believe the exigency associated with this control, and the ongoing evolution of what is and is not a computer, dictates that we assert ourselves more actively into this discussion. We must take steps to provide our students with the best possible computer-mediated learning experience, however seemingly unorthodox the technological means might be, so that they may think critically, communicate effectively, and participate actively in society and in their future careers. About the Author Paul Cesarini is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Visual Communication & Technology Education, Bowling Green State University, Ohio Email: pcesari@bgnet.bgsu.edu Works Cited http://xbox-linux.sourceforge.net/docs/debian.php>.Baron, Denis. “From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies.” Passions Pedagogies and 21st Century Technologies. Hawisher, Gail E., and Cynthia L. Selfe, Eds. Utah: Utah State University Press, 1999. 15 – 33. Becker, David. “Ballmer: Mod Chips Threaten Xbox”. News.com. 21 Oct 2002. http://news.com.com/2100-1040-962797.php>. http://news.com.com/2100-1040-978957.html?tag=nl>. http://archive.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/08/13/020813hnchina.xml>. http://www.neoseeker.com/news/story/1062/>. http://www.bookreader.co.uk>.Finni, Scott. “Desktop Linux Edges Into The Mainstream”. TechWeb. 8 Apr 2003. http://www.techweb.com/tech/software/20030408_software. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/29439.html http://gentoox.shallax.com/. http://ragib.hypermart.net/linux/. http://www.itworld.com/Comp/2362/LWD010424latinlinux/pfindex.html. http://www.xbox-linux.sourceforge.net. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/27487.html. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/26078.html. http://www.us.playstation.com/peripherals.aspx?id=SCPH-97047. http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/reviews/story/0,24330,3356862,00.html. http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,61984,00.html. http://www.gentoo.org/main/en/about.xml http://www.gentoo.org/main/en/philosophy.xml http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2869075,00.html. http://xbox-linux.sourceforge.net/docs/usershelpusers.html http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/fun.games/12/16/gamers.liksang/. Citation reference for this article MLA Style Cesarini, Paul. "“Opening” the Xbox" M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture <http://www.media-culture.org.au/0406/08_Cesarini.php>. APA Style Cesarini, P. (2004, Jul1). “Opening” the Xbox. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture, 7, <http://www.media-culture.org.au/0406/08_Cesarini.php>