We present CoboDeck - our proof-of-concept immersive virtual reality haptic system with free walking support. It provides prop-based encountered-type haptic feedback with a mobile robotic platform. Intended for use as a design tool for architects, it enables the user to directly and intuitively interact with virtual objects like walls, doors, or furniture. A collaborative robotic arm mounted on an omnidirectional mobile platform can present a physical prop that matches the position and orientation of a virtual counterpart anywhere in large virtual and real environments. We describe the concept, hardware, and software architecture of our system. Furthermore, we present the first behavioral algorithm tailored for the unique challenges of safe human-robot haptic interaction in VR, explicitly targeting availability and safety while the user is unaware of the robot and can change trajectory at any time. We explain our high-level state machine that controls the robot to follow a user closely and rapidly escape from him as required by the situation. We present our technical evaluation. The results suggest that our chasing approach saves time, decreases the travel distance and thus battery usage, compared to more traditional approaches for mobile platforms assuming a fixed parking position between interactions. We also show that the robot can escape from the user and prevent a possible collision within a mean time of 1.62 s. Finally, we confirm the validity of our approach in a practical validation and discuss the potential of the proposed system.

In this dissertation different aspects from research in the fields of Tangible User Interfaces, encounter-type devices and Passive Haptics are combined to investigate the benefits that robots offer for providing haptic feedback in Virtual and Augmented Reality. Robotic elements like micro drives and robotic arms are employed for the actuation of passive or active physical objects. In that way physical props can be collocated with virtual counterparts to allow high fidelity, natural interaction.

We present the design and development of a fully immersive virtual reality (VR) system that can provide prop-based haptic feedback in an infinite virtual environment. It is conceived as a research tool for studying topics related to haptics in VR and based on off-the-shelf components. A robotic arm moves physical props, dynamically matching pose and location of an object in the virtual world. When the user reaches for the virtual object, his or her hands also encounter it in the real physical space. The interaction is not limited to specific body parts and does not rely on an external structure like an exoskeleton. In combination with a locomotion platform for close-to-natural walking, this allows unrestricted haptic interaction in a natural way in virtual environments of unlimited size. We describe the concept, the hardware and software architecture in detail. We establish safety design guidelines for human-robot interaction in VR. Our technical evaluation shows good response times and accuracy. We report on a user study conducted with 34 participants indicating promising results, and discuss the potential of our system.

Especially for young children measuring their physiological parameters to assess their health can be stressful, even when conducted at home by their parents. Therefore we present a concept that can relieve some of the anxiety correlated with an examination and implemented it in a test setup we call "MediCubes" to investigate how this approach is received. In this system cube shaped tangible objects are fitted with noninvasive sensors measuring pulse, temperature, blood oxygen saturation and lung capacity while interacting with them. Incorporation in a storytelling game allows guiding a child through a series of unperceived physiological measurements as an enjoyable experience. The acquired data is stored on a tablet computer and can be reviewed by parents or doctors. In this paper the design process and the developed hard- and software are presented. Furthermore we report on a usability study with 8 children and 12 adults indicating high acceptance and enjoyment of the system. These results as well as our "lessons learned" could have implications on the future development of home health monitoring toys.

Precise localization for mobile Augmented Reality in large indoor environments without specific tracking infrastructure is challenging. This is especially true for rooms with changing properties, like lighting, seating and carpeting. With these constraints a map for a vision based tracking approach has to be continuously updated. The Parallel Tracking and Mapping (PTAM) algorithm is capable of generating and extending a map while tracking the camera pose in an unknown environment. However, it has originally been designed for small workspace environments and has therefore certain limitations. We have extended and modified the original implementation in order to ensure efficient and robust map generation and tracking in large rooms. Furthermore, we have tested a mobile setup with the system in Festsaal in Vienna's Hofburg, which is close to thousand square meters in size. The user's position and path was tracked while the environment was augmented with virtual objects and the system was successfully tested for robustness and occlusions.

Fire fighting remains a dangerous profession despite many recent technological and organizational measures. Sensors and technical systems can augment the performance of fire fighters and increase safety and efficiency during operation. An important aspect in that context is the awareness of location, structure and thermal properties of the environment. This work focuses on the design and development of a mobile system, which can reconstruct a 3d model of a building's interior structure in real-time and fuses the visualization with the image of a thermal camera. In addition, the position and viewing direction of the fire fighter within the model is determined and a thermal map can be generated from the gathered data. This helps an operational commander to provide accurate instructions to his men during a mission. First tests with our system in different situations showed good results, being able to reconstruct different larger scenes and create thermal maps thereof.