Woontack Woo

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology | KAIST · Graduate School of Culture Technology (GSCT)

The surging interest in the metaverse reflects a broader shift towards more immersive and interactive forms of digital platforms. Given the complex and multifaceted nature of these newly developing services, a systematic means to assess their technological dimensions, effectiveness, and impact is required. We thus present the status, direction, and...

There have been studies on personalized augmented reality (AR) systems taking users’ contexts and histories into account. However, there is insufficient research on incorporating real-time user behavior and interactions into the personalized recommendations in spatial transitions, which can be used for new users without user history data. The spati...

In this paper, we present a prototype system for sharing a user's hand force in mixed reality (MR) remote collaboration on physical tasks, where hand force is estimated using wearable surface electromyography (sEMG) sensor. In a remote collaboration between a worker and an expert, hand activity plays a crucial role. However, the force exerted by th...

Despite the importance of avatar representation on user experience for Mixed Reality (MR) remote collaboration involving various device environments and large amounts of task-related information, studies on how controlling visual parameters for avatars can benefit users in such situations have been scarce. Thus, we conducted a user study comparing...

An omni-directional (360°) camera captures the entire viewing sphere surrounding its optical center. Such cameras are growing in use to create highly immersive content and viewing experiences. When such a camera is held by a user, the view includes the user's hand grip, finger, body pose, face, and the surrounding environment, providing a complete...

The endless evolution of cities aiming for smartization is combined with modern ICT (Information & Communication Technology) techniques to extract and analyze meaningful data generated throughout various places in the city and realize advanced visualization. However, despite these people's efforts, when an emergency or a disaster suddenly occurs in...

In this study, we explore how spatial configurations can be reflected in determining the threshold range of Relative Translation Gains (RTGs), a translation gain-based Redirected Walking (RDW) technique that scales the user’s movement in Virtual Reality (VR) in different ratios for width and depth. While previous works have shown that various cogni...

We propose Seg&Struct, a supervised learning framework leveraging the interplay between part segmentation and structure inference and demonstrating their synergy in an integrated framework. Both part segmentation and structure inference have been extensively studied in the recent deep learning literature, while the supervisions used for each task h...

Augmented reality (AR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) allow users to easily receive notifications while participating other tasks by projecting information directly in their field of view. Although HMDs offer such benefits in displaying notifications, there is insufficient research on the effective placement of AR notifications when the user is walki...

A critical yet unresolved challenge in designing space-adaptive narratives for Augmented Reality (AR) is to provide consistently immersive user experiences anywhere, regardless of physical features specific to a space. For this, we present a comprehensive analysis on a series of user studies investigating how the size, density, and layout of real i...

In this study, we explore how spatial configurations can be reflected in determining the threshold range of Relative Translation Gains (RTGs), a translation gain-based Redirected Walking (RDW) technique that scales the user's movement in Virtual Reality (VR) in different ratios for width and depth. While previous works have shown that various cogni...

We present NapWell, a Sleep Assistant using virtual reality (VR) to decrease sleep onset latency by providing a realistic imagery distraction prior to sleep onset. Our proposed prototype was built using commercial hardware and with relatively low cost, making it replicable for future works as well as paving the way for more low cost EOG-VR devices...

This paper investigates how the size of virtual space and objects within it affect the threshold range of relative translation gains, a Redirected Walking (RDW) technique that scales the user's movement in virtual space in different ratios for the width and depth. While previous studies assert that a virtual room's size affects relative translation...

There have been attempts to provide new cinematic experiences by connecting TV or movie content to suitable locations through augmented reality (AR). However, few studies have suggested a method to manage breakdowns in continuity due to spatial transitions. Thus, we propose a method to manage the spatial transition that occurs when we create a TV s...

Despite prior efforts to solve urban problems and build smart cities using large-scale urban information, researchers have yet to develop tools for city administrators to easily access a diverse mix of city information. To address this limitation, this article proposes an augmented reality visualization system, GeoACT, which can develop a digital t...

This paper proposes a novel panoramic texture mapping-based rendering system for real-time, photorealistic reproduction of large-scale urban scenes at a street level. Various image-based rendering (IBR) methods have recently been employed to synthesize high-quality novel views, although they require an excessive number of adjacent input images or d...

This study investigates the effects of a virtual hand representation on the user experience including social presence during hand-based 3D remote collaboration. Although a remote hand appearance is a critical parts of a hand-based telepresence, it has been rarely studied in comparison to studies on the self-embodiment of virtual hands in a 3D envir...

This study introduces RealityBrush, a novel augmented reality (AR) authoring system that allows designers to quickly and easily create realistic virtual objects by capturing and utilizing the kinetic properties of everyday physical objects in the early stages of design. The RealityBrush system consists of a handheld device, a data analysis module a...

This paper reports that the time-domain accuracy of bare-hand interactions in HMD-based Augmented Reality can be improved by using finger contact: touching a finger with another or tapping one's own hand. The activation of input can be precisely defined by the moment of finger contact, allowing the user to perform the input precisely at the desired...

We present a sensor-fusion method that exploits a depth camera and a gyroscope to track the articulation of a hand in the presence of excessive motion blur. In case of slow and smooth hand motions, the existing methods estimate the hand pose fairly accurately and robustly, despite challenges due to the high dimensionality of the problem, self-occlu...

In mixed reality (MR), augmenting virtual objects consistently with real-world illumination is one of the key factors that provide a realistic and immersive user experience. For this purpose, we propose a novel deep learning-based method to estimate high dynamic range (HDR) illumination from a single RGB image of a reference object. To obtain illum...

This paper presents a flux weakening algorithm for synchronous reluctance motors (SynRMs) based on parameters estimated at standstill. Recently, flux saturated motors have been studied. Flux saturation models were identified and look-up tables were generated based on the saturation model for maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) and flux weakening opera...

One of the main challenges in creating narrative-driven Augmented Reality (AR) content for Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) is to make them equally accessible and enjoyable in different types of indoor environments. However, little has been studied in regards to whether such content can indeed provide similar, if not the same, levels of experience acro...

To better explore the incorporation of pointing and gesturing into ubiquitous computing, we introduce WRIST, an interaction and sensing technique that leverages the dexterity of human wrist motion. WRIST employs a sensor fusion approach which combines inertial measurement unit (IMU) data from a smartwatch and a smart ring. The relative orientation...

SelfSync enables rapid, robust initiation of a gesture interface using synchronized movement of different body parts. SelfSync is the gestural equivalent of a hotword such as OK-Google in a speech interface and is enabled by the increasing trend where a user wears two or more wearables, such as a smartwatch, wireless earbuds, or a smartphone. In a...

Many researchers have studied various visual communication cues (e.g. pointer, sketching, and hand gesture) in Mixed Reality remote collaboration systems for real-world tasks. However, the effect of combining them has not been so well explored. We studied the effect of these cues in four combinations: hand only, hand + pointer, hand + sketch, and h...

This paper investigates the effect of avatar appearance on Social Presence and users’ perception in an Augmented Reality (AR) telepresence system. Despite the development of various commercial 3D telepresence systems, there has been little evaluation and discussions about the appearance of the collaborator’s avatars. We conducted two user studies c...

We propose the system that provides an immersive experience by automatically extending the video content of the TV to the wall. Though it is possible to manually create the appropriate content that works on the existing TV screen, the cost is too expensive to create. The proposed deep neural network uses the center of the video as input and the out...

Will Augmented Reality (AR) allow us to access digital information, experience others' stories, and thus explore alternate realities? AR has recently attracted attention again due to the rapid advances in related multimedia technologies as well as various glass-type AR display devices. However, in order to widely adopt AR in alternated realities, i...

Augmented collaboration in a shared house design scenario has been studied widely with various approaches. However, those studies did not consider human perception. Our goal is to lower the user's perceptual load for augmented collaboration in shared space design scenarios. Applying attention theories, we implemented shared head gaze, shared select...

We propose a novel method for model-based 3D tracking of hand articulations that is effective even for fastmoving hand postures in depth images. A large number of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) studies have used model-based approaches for estimating hand postures and tracking movements. However, these approaches exhibit limitations...

In this demonstration, we will show a prototype system with sensor fusion approach to robustly track 6 degrees of freedom of hand movement and support intuitive hand gesture interaction and 3D object manipulation for Mixed Reality head-mounted displays. Robust tracking of hand and finger with egocentric camera remains a challenging problem, especia...

Conventional approaches to a virtual heritage site that provide interpretations through curated content allow visitors only the lowest level of engagement, which is paying conscious, intentional attention to the content. In this paper, we propose a trajectory for visitor experience to a virtual heritage site that facilitates a higher level of engag...

In applying MR (AR/VR) technologies to cultural heritage sites, the design and implementation of mobile MR applications have mostly lacked a holistic and systematic approach in the viewpoint of retrieving existing content and providing personalized experiences to visitors on the fly. To address this issue, we designed and implemented the KCTM appli...

In "Itchy Nose" we proposed a sensing technique for detecting finger movements on the nose for supporting subtle and discreet interaction. It uses the electrooculography sensors embedded in the frame of a pair of eyeglasses for data gathering and uses machine-learning technique to classify different gestures. Here we further propose an automated tr...

Augmented reality (AR) has received much attention in the cultural heritage domain as an interactive medium for requesting and accessing information regarding heritage sites. In this study, we developed a mobile AR system based on Semantic Web technology to provide contextual information about cultural heritage sites. Most location-based AR systems...

We propose a sensing technique for detecting finger movements on the nose, using EOG sensors embedded in the frame of a pair of eyeglasses. Eyeglasses wearers can use their fingers to exert different types of movement on the nose, such as flicking, pushing or rubbing. These subtle gestures can be used to control a wearable computer without calling...

This paper proposes a method to effectively utilize multimedia databases created and indexed by a metadata schema designed specifically for AR applications used at cultural heritage sites. We attempt to do so by incorporating storytelling principles that employ video data for the purpose of providing useful and meaningful guidance at Changdeokgung...

AR technology has been rapidly accepted in the cultural heritage domain, which requires wide context information for complete understanding as providing an enhanced experience to the user with related information of the physical world. However, currently, there are several limitations for seamless AR such as applications in outdoor environments and...

This paper presents an augmented reality (AR) authoring system that enables an ordinary user to easily build an AR environment by manipulating and placing 3D virtual objects. The system tracks users’ hand motions via an RGB-D camera which built-in an optical see-through (OST) head mounted display (HMD), and interactive features applied to virtual o...

As mobile gaming has become increasingly popular in recent years, new forms of mobile game social media such as GameDuck that share mobile gameplay videos have emerged. In this work, we set out to understand the user motives of GameDuck by leveraging the Uses and Gratification Theory. We first explore the major motive themes from users' responses (...

TiTAN is a spatial user interface that enables freehand, midair text entry with a distant display while only requiring a low-cost depth sensor. Our system aims to leverage one's familiarity with the QWERTY layout. It allows users to input text, in midair, by mimicking the typing action they typically perform on a physical keyboard or touchscreen. H...

Technical capabilities increase steadily while human evolution is slow. Technical sensors improve while human senses remain largely the same. Many tasks are becoming much easier when our perception is augmented with additional information. In this workshop, we want to bring researchers together that are working on the augmentation and amplification...

Rediscovering Daereungwon is a location-based Augmented Reality(AR) mobile game application that aims to enrich the experience of navigating Daereungwon, a Korean cultural heritage site consisting of various royal tombs from the Silla dynasty. In this paper, a framework binding 3 main PoIs with distinctive features into a successive, cohesive, and...

There have been a number of researches to provide new media experience through augmented reality technology. However, most of them focus on creating new virtual content rather than remediating existing content such as films and TV programs. In this paper, we design a metadata schema and use cases to provide location-based film experience based on t...

Possibilistic c-means (PCM) was proposed to overcome the problem of the noise sensitivity of fuzzy c-means, but its performance highly depends on the initialisation of cluster centres and often is degraded due to producing coincident clusters or close centres. To tackle these defects of PCM, a divide-conquer method which not only provides appropria...