Browsing by Author "Agee, Philip Ryan"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    AeroVolt Shading: Wind-Piezo Kinetic shading facade
    Khojasteh far, Faraz (Virginia Tech, 2024-06-25)
    This research delves into the feasibility and effectiveness of utilizing wind-powered shading systems in architectural design to enhance energy efficiency and promote environmental sustainability. With an ever increasing demand for energy in commercial buildings, particularly in heating, cooling, and lighting, innovative solutions are crucial in addressing these challenges. The proposed solution centers on dynamic shading systems that adjust autonomously to environmental factors, thanks to advancements in construction and information technologies. Piezoelectric wind harnessing devices are at the heart of this investigation, powering kinetic shading systems that offer a renewable and eco-friendly alternative to traditional energy sources. However, implementing such systems presents technical challenges such as device optimization, compatibility with dynamic movement, and reliability in real-world applications. Through empirical research and experimentation, these challenges are comprehensively explored and addressed. The study seeks to assess the practicality and effectiveness of wind-powered shading systems in reducing energy consumption, improving thermal comfort, and enhancing overall building performance. By considering factors such as architectural integration, heat, light management, and adaptability to environmental conditions, the research aims to contribute to the advancement of sustainable building practices. Ultimately, the findings provide valuable insights into the potential of wind-powered shading systems to mitigate energy usage and promote environmental stewardship in architectural design.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Developing an Augmented Reality Visual Clutter Score Through Establishing the Applicability of Image Analysis Measures of Clutter and the Analysis of Augmented Reality User Interface Properties
    Flittner, Jonathan Garth (Virginia Tech, 2023-09-05)
    Augmented reality (AR) is seeing a rapid expansion into several domains due to the proliferation of more accessible and powerful hardware. While augmented reality user interfaces (AR UIs) allow the presentation of information atop the real world, this extra visual data potentially comes at a cost of increasing the visual clutter of the users' field of view, which can increase visual search time, error rates, and have an overall negative effect on performance. Visual clutter has been studied for existing display technologies, but there are no established measures of visual clutter for AR UIs which precludes the study of the effects of clutter on performance in AR UIs. The first objective of this research is to determine the applicability of extant image analysis measures of feature congestion, edge density, and sub-band entropy for measuring visual clutter in the head-worn optical see-through AR space and establish a relationship between image analysis measures of clutter and visual search time. These image analysis measures are specifically chosen to quantify clutter, as they can be applied to complex and naturalistic scenes, as is common to experience while using an optical see-through AR UI. The second objective is to examine the effects of AR UIs comprised of multiple apparent depths on user performance through the metric of visual search time. The third objective is to determine the effects of other AR UI properties such as target clutter, target eccentricity, target apparent depth and target total distance on performance as measured through visual search time. These results will then be used to develop a visual clutter score, which will rate different AR UIs against each other. Image analysis measures for clutter of feature congestion, edge density, and sub-band entropy of clutter were correlated to visual search time when they were taken for the overall AR UI and when they were taken for a target object that a participant was searching for. In the case of an AR UI comprised of both projected and AR parts, image analysis measures were not correlated to visual search time for the constituent AR UI parts (projected or AR) but were still correlated to the overall AR UI clutter. Target eccentricity also had an effect on visual search time, while target apparent depth and target total distance from center did not. Target type and AR object percentage also had an effect on visual search time. These results were synthesized into a general model known as the "AR UI Visual Clutter Score Algorithm" using a multiple regression. This model can be used to compare different AR UIs to each other in order to identify the AR UI that is projected to have lower target visual search times.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Impact of Interactive Holographic Learning Environment for bridging Technical Skill Gaps of Future Smart Construction Engineering and Management Students
    Ogunseiju, Omobolanle Ruth (Virginia Tech, 2022-07-25)
    The growth in the adoption of sensing technologies in the construction industry has triggered the need for graduating construction engineering students equipped with the necessary skills for deploying the technologies. For construction engineering students to acquire technical skills for implementing sensing technologies, it is pertinent to engage them in hands-on learning with the technologies. However, limited opportunities for hands-on learning experiences on construction sites and in some cases, high upfront costs of acquiring sensing technologies are encumbrances to equipping construction engineering students with the required technical skills. Inspired by opportunities offered by mixed reality, this study presents an interactive holographic learning environment that can afford learners an experiential opportunity to acquire competencies for implementing sensing systems on construction projects. Firstly, this study explores the required competencies for deploying sensing technologies on construction projects. The current state of sensing technologies in the industry and sensing technology education in construction engineering and management programs were investigated. The learning contents of the holographic learning environment were then driven by the identified competencies. Afterwards, a learnability study was conducted with industry practitioners already adopting sensing technologies to assess the learning environment. Feedback from the learnability study was implemented to further improve the learning environment after which a usability evaluation was conducted. To investigate the pedagogical value of the learning environment in construction education, a summative evaluation was conducted with construction engineering students. This research contributes to the definition of the domain-specific skills required of the future workforce for implementing sensing technologies in the construction industry and how such skills can be developed and enhanced within a mixed reality learning environment. Through concise outline and sequential design of the user interface, this study further revealed that knowledge scaffolding can improve task performance in a holographic learning environment. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by advancing immersive experiential learning discourses previously confined by technology. It opens a new avenue for both researchers and practitioners to further investigate the opportunities offered by mixed reality for future workforce development.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Understanding Underlying Risks and Socio-technical Challenges of Human-Wearable Robot Interaction in the Construction Industry
    Gonsalves, Nihar James (Virginia Tech, 2023-07-06)
    The construction industry, one of the largest employers of labor in the United States, has long suffered from health and safety issues relating to work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Back-related injuries are one of the most prevalent of all musculoskeletal disorders in the construction industry. Due to advancements in the field of wearable technologies, wearable robots such as passive back-support exoskeletons have emerged as a possible solution. Exoskeletons have the potential to augment human capacity, support non-neutral work positions, and reduce muscle fatigue and physical exertion. Current research efforts to evaluate the potential of exoskeletons in other industry sectors have been focused on outcome measures such as muscle activity, productivity, perceived discomfort and exertion, usability, and stakeholders' perspectives. However, there is scarce evidence regarding the efficacy of using exoskeletons for construction work. Furthermore, the risks and sociotechnical challenges of employing exoskeletons on construction sites are not well documented. Thus, through the lens of human-centric and socio-technical considerations, this study explores the prospects of adopting back-support exoskeletons in the construction industry. Firstly, a laboratory experiment was conducted to quantify the impact of using a passive exoskeleton for construction work in terms of muscle activity, perceived discomfort, and productivity. In order to investigate the acceptance of exoskeletons among construction workers and the challenges of adopting exoskeletons on construction sites, field explorations evaluating usability, perceived discomfort and exertion, social influence, and workers user perceptions were executed. Using sequential mixed methods approach, the stakeholders and factors (i.e., facilitators and barriers) critical for the adoption of exoskeletons on construction sites were investigated. Thereafter, by employing the factors and leveraging the constructs of the normalization process theory, an implementation plan to facilitate the adoption of passive exoskeletons was developed. The study contributes to the scarce body of knowledge regarding the extent to which exoskeletons can reduce ergonomic exposures associated with construction work. This study provides evidence of the perceptions of the contextual use of wearable robots, and workers' interaction with wearable robots on construction sites. The study contributes to the normalization process theory by showing its efficacy for the development and evaluation of implementation frameworks for construction industry. Furthermore, this study advances the socio-technical systems theory by incorporating all its subsystems (i.e., human, technology, organization and social) for investigating the potential of using a passive back support exoskeleton in the construction industry.