In order to know how to do something it is necessary to practice learning. This is not limited to the mind but also requires learning with arms, eyes and fingertips. Tacit knowhow is the knowledge of the body and what is desired in to be able or skilled.

RISE and blacksmith master Gustav Thane are trying to find a way to track and present activity in a way accessible and clear enough for many to access and start their personal journey into new abilities. It´s about motor skill and visualization of the nuances of how things are being done. The project span over one and a half year and is financed by the Swedish Konstnärsnämnden via Kulturbryggan.

In the project a wide variety of sensors, methods and ideas are applied in various ways to quantify and measure aspects of crafting and other tacit knowledge heavy domains. Extended reality technologies are used to visualize and explore if data can approach or be used to better understand and observe such knowledge.

The app will contain different personalized modules such as exercises and games to learn to lay still or breathe deeply. One module may allow to experience a scan in virtual reality and another parental module would provide background information. The aim is to reduce the number of sedations with 20%, which will lead to a decrease in hospital time, cost reduction and improved healthcare.

To be able to carry out successful MR scans on children without sedation, a novel preparation protocol has been developed called COSMO. COSMO is designed to achieve MR acquisitions with awake children as young as four years of age in a time and resource efficient manner. This without mock scanners, lengthy preparation procedures or repeated hospital visits. The children are prepared by immersing them in a fantasy, child friendly and engaging story, which is told and performed by trained hospital staff.

The aim of this project is to scale up the COSMO protocol by creating a digital COSMO tool that can be used by children and parents to prepare for the scanning sessions at home. Such a tool will bypass or limit the need for dedicated staff members and is as such far more scalable and cost-effective than the current approach. In this project, we will design and implement the tool based on prior knowledge of all the partners to achieve optimal success, a maximal number of scans without the need for sedation. The tool will be tested in 3 different hospitals to evaluate its effectiveness, efficiency and clinical impact.

Purpose

The aim of the project was for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region to strengthen their innovation capacity and their technological development through collaboration with researchers and other important players. Several SMEs developed their knowledge in interaction design, user experiences and user-centered development, and more companies buildt knowledge of and experience of innovation projects and of collaboration with researchers.

Challenge

Increased digitization in society and in working life means that more areas are using ICT, therefore investments in interaction design are needed in order for the innovations of the future to be competitive. A good understanding of the users, their driving forces and context is needed to develop well-functioning solutions. A design perspective on the interaction between people and new technology is central to the development of future applications and smart products.

Solution

Through a pre-study, the foundation was laid for how a successful project aimed at SMEs in the region should be organized. The project thus offers flexible forms of research collaboration and learning and with the possibility of different levels of participation, from innovation projects to workshops and seminars.

Effects                                                                                                 

The project contributes to sustainable growth in the regions, innovative SMEs, new collaborations between SMEs and researchers and new ideas and prototypes to further develop.

Modern cities are facing several major challenges that range from sustainable use of resources to threat management as well as infrastructure and services. In the Urban Explorer project, RISE Interactive (formerly called Interactive Institute) creates visualization tools with the city as the foundation. We do this in close collaboration with domain specific researchers, experts and stakeholders in order to create tools that makes a difference. If it doesn't, we learn something and try again. And again. As researchers, that's in our DNA.

What is Urban Explorer?

Urban Explorer is an applied research project focusing on the next step of map-based communication. By creating prototypes together with experts in urban planning, energy design, sustainability and environments studies etc. we make sure our work stays current and relevant. We work fundamentally cross-disciplinary mainly targeting user experience, visual fidelity and connectivity. In addition to making sure the content is relevant we continuously push the borders of the technically feasible. We deploy on hardware built in our own lab, use visualization clusters and VR-technology not yet in the open market.

The project was born out of the need of visualization of extreme climate threats like rising water levels, but we have since then turned our focus towards urban planning and civic dialogue. The most apparent result of our current work is the Urban Explorer Table.

Case Study: Urban Explorer Table

The Urban Planning office in the city of Norrköping wanted to further its civic dialogue, making it easier to convey developments to the citizens of Norrköping. Urban planners have a plethora of powerful tools at their disposal, but these are traditional GIS applications and usually not well suited for communicating with the general public. So, together, we started to explore and create the tools of the future. It was obvious that we wanted to work with rich data connected to a map. It was also obvious that we wanted interaction with groups of people.
The result is the Urban Explorer Table: A large multi touch surface where you can use simple and intuitive gestures to explore and evaluate various urban development projects in collaboration with your colleagues. The graphics are beautiful and lifelike, the interaction fluid and fast, the gestures natural. All in all, you touch your city. Get the grand scale overview where you can plan the city development while also be able to transition seamlessly down to view buildings and even enter individual apartments. Nothing comes between you and your city. So very simple. Immersive and direct.

In this project, researchers and analysts from RISE collaborated with Visual Arena, Skanska and White Arkitekter to explore new ways of visualizing places and design proposals within architecture and urban development projects.

Goal

The overarching goal was to explore and demonstrate how V2X communication can serve as an effective information carrier between vehicles and cyclists.

Challenge

The development of wireless communication in traffic environments today largely focuses on motor vehicles. There is a need for research and development specifically targeting the conditions and needs of cyclists. The challenge in the project involved finding a technical solution that meets the requirements for data transfer, size, and power supply. Additionally, it involved creating a user interface that effectively informs the cyclist without being annoying or unnecessarily distracting. 

Solution

The project resulted in two prototypes using different technical architectures to communicate information between cars and cyclists. One prototype utilized direct communication via V2X, while the other used communication via the mobile network. The prototypes could warn the cyclist about two common risks in traffic environments. In one of the prototypes, the car driver also received a warning. Furthermore, user interfaces designed for integration into a bicycle helmet were developed and tested. In the interface, the cyclist receives information through sound and vibrations via bone conduction speaker elements. This solution allows the cyclist to hear the surroundings since the elements do not cover the ears. Utilizing the helmet as an interface could also potentially contribute to increased use of bicycle helmets in the future. The project's studies and demonstrations showed that the solutions have promising potential to increase traffic safety and be accepted by users.

Effect

Insights generated by the project could, in the long term, lead to improved traffic safety and continued appeal of cycling as a mode of transportation. Thus, the project has contributed to the promotion of sustainable cities and communities, health and well-being, as well as combating climate change.

More information

Public report: https://www.vinnova.se/globalassets/mikrosajter/ffi/dokument/slutrappor…