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Browsing by Author "Albertson, Steven"
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Item Capturing the Perceived Phantom Limb through Virtual Reality(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2015-04-17) Lau, Jonathan; Huynh, Denver; Albertson, Steven; Beem, James; Qian, EnlinPhantom limb is the sensation amputees may feel where the missing limb (occasionally an organ) is still attached to the body and is still moving as it would if it were there. Between 50-80% amputees report neuropathic pain, also known as phantom limb pain (PLP). Recent studies suggest that providing sensory input to the stump or amputation area may modulate how PLP can be related to neuroplastic changes in the cortex. However, there is still little understanding of why PLP occurs and there are no fully effective, long-term treatments available. Part of the problem is the difficulty for amputees to describe the sensations of their phantom limbs due to the lack of a physical limb as well as phantom limbs that are in positions that are impossible to attain. This project aims to develop an effective 3D tool with the Maya 3D animation software and the Unity game engine. The tool will then be used for those with phantom limb syndrome to communicate the sensations accurately and easily through various hand positions using a model arm with a user friendly interface. The 3D model arm will be able to mimic the phantom sensation, being able to go beyond normal joint extensions of a regular arm. This way we can have a true 3D visual of how the amputee with phantom limb feels if it is abnormal. Testing the effectiveness of the tool will involve a pilot study with able-bodied volunteers. The non-dominant limb of the volunteers will be hidden behind a blind. After putting their limb in a random position, they will attempt to capture the limb on the 3D model. The actual position and captured position will be compared to determine the reproducibility and accuracy of the virtual limb. By taking advantage of computer graphics, virtual reality and computerized image capture technologies we are hoping to achieve a far less challenging way to quickly and accurately capture the position and striking feelings of the phantom limb sensation.Item Capturing the Perceived Phantom Limb through Virtual Reality(Hindawi, 2016-09-05) Rogers, Christian; Lau, Jonathan; Huynh, Denver; Albertson, Steven; Beem, James; Qian, Enlin; Department of Computer Information and Graphics, School of Engineering and TechnologyPhantom limb is the sensation amputees may feel when the missing limb is still attached to the body and is still moving as it would if it still existed. Despite there being between 50 and 80% of amputees who report neuropathic pain, also known as phantom limb pain (PLP), there is still little understanding of why PLP occurs. There are no fully effective long-term treatments available. One of the struggles with PLP is the difficulty for amputees to describe the sensations of their phantom limbs. The sensations may be of a limb that is in a position that is impossible for a normal limb to attain. The goal of this project was to treat those with PLP by developing a system to communicate the sensations those with PLP were experiencing accurately and easily through various hand positions using a model arm with a user friendly interface. The system was developed with Maya 3D animation software, the Leap Motion input device, and the Unity game engine. The 3D modeled arm was designed to mimic the phantom sensation being able to go beyond normal joint extensions of regular arms. The purpose in doing so was to obtain a true 3D visualization of the phantom limb.Item Secure Group Chat: Chat and Event Management System(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Albertson, StevenDuring hostage negotiations it is important that police officers have a fast and secure method of communicating. The goal of our project is to research and develop a secure mobile multiple party chat and event management system for the Boone County Sheriff’s Office. The chat system will be used by officers to discuss and share information during hostage negotiations, so speed, security, and reliability are critical. We met with the sheriff and his officers at the beginning of the year to discuss the current chat system and what changes needed to be made. We found that many of the functions did not work, and some of the technology used was difficult to run on modern browsers. As a result, we began with the goals of creating a chat and event management system that is easy to use across multiple devices and browsers, and one that performs all the desired functions without error. After making sure these basic requirements are met, we will focus on the security of the data and communications. The chat and event management system is implemented using a LAMP server running on a virtual machine. This allows the officers to use the system while traveling, and other users can easily connect as long as they are on the same network. After working on the project for a few months, a second meeting was held to assess our progress. The major revisions that needed to be made were making the interface more user-friendly, changing the timeline to allow for multiple cases, and modifying the chat system to avoid making too many requests to the server. Most of these features have already been implemented, and we will be installing and testing the system on the BCSO computers in the next few weeks.