{UAH} ALEX OKOT-OLWAL, UGANDA'S UNSUNG HERO INVENTOR - ATTENTION UNAA

Many who zoom in/out images on their phones and ipads dont know the inventor of this is a Ugandan Acholi of an Acholi father, Olwal from Patongo, and a Russian mother. Father and mother met in Sweden and became Swedes.I was made to know this surprise over a few shots of rum just a few weeks ago. He is Swede - wonder if Dholaman, Laduma et al know him. Dude has been to Patongo, Uganda several times unnoticed by the zillion universities in the country.

VIDEO: Alex Okot-Olwal, MIT Media Lab - Augmented Reality, Beyond digital media. The Conference 2011

Alex Olwal (Ph.D.) is a researcher at the MIT Media Lab. In this presentation Alex is discussing AR technology that, for example, can be used as transparent 3D windows for industrial machines, or that allows the combination of multiple displays + tracking to enable new medical user interfaces.

READ: Rubbing the Fisheye: Precise Touch-Screen Interaction with Gestures and Fisheye Views

I design and develop interactions and technologies that embrace digital and physical experiences. I am interested in tools, techniques and devices that enable new interaction concepts for the augmentation and empowerment of the human senses. The research projects are from exciting times and inspiring collaborations at different research labs and institutions, including MIT,Columbia University, University of California, KTH (Royal Institute of Technology), and Microsoft Research. RESEARCH PROJECTS » PUBLICATIONS » POPULAR PRESS »

Alex Olwal, Ph.D. Interaction Researcher, Google [x] Research Affiliate, MIT Media Lab Affiliate Faculty, KTH olwal [at] media.mit.edu

SHAPE, ACTUATION AND DEFORMATION
DYNAMIC PHYSICAL USER INTERFACES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 inFORM dynamically changes material and form to adapt the physical and virtual interface. Physical Telepresence uses shape capture and display to enhance interactions with remote people and environments. Physical Telepresence: Shape Capture and Display for Embodied, Computer-mediated Remote Collaboration Leithinger, D., Follmer, S., Olwal, A., and Ishii, H. UIST 2014 inFORM: Dynamic Physical Affordances and Constraints through Shape and Object Actuation Follmer, S., Leithinger, D., Olwal, A., Hogge, A., and Ishii, H. UIST 2013	SWITCHABLE PHYSICAL/VIRTUAL RENDERING 1 2 Sublimate explores rapid and fluid transitions between physical and visual representations of dynamic digital content. Sublimate: State-Changing Virtual and Physical Rendering to Augment Interaction with Shape Displays Leithinger, D., Follmer, S., Olwal, A., Luescher, S., Hogge, A., Lee, J., and Ishii, H. CHI 2013 - Best Paper Honorable Mention Award (Top 5%)	CONTROLLING SOFTNESS + SENSING SHAPE 1 2 3 4 5 Jamming User Interfaces enable programmable stiffness, haptic feedback and deformation, for new types of flexible and shape-changing interactions. Jamming User Interfaces: Programmable Particle Stiffness and Sensing for Malleable and Shape-Changing Devices Follmer, S., Leithinger, D., Olwal, A., Cheng, N., and Ishii, H. UIST 2012 - Best Paper Award (Top 1%)
SENSING FOR EMBEDDED DEVICES AND TANGIBLE USER INTERFACES
LASER SPECKLE FOR MOTION SENSING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 SpeckleSense exploits laser speckle sensing for precise, high-speed, low-latency motion tracking, which can be applied to a wide range of interaction scenarios and devices. SpeckleEye: Gestural Interaction for Embedded Electronics in Ubiquitous Computing Olwal, A., Bardagjy, A., Zizka, J., and Raskar, R. CHI 2012 Extended Abstracts SpeckleSense: Fast, Precise, Low-cost and Compact Motion Sensing using Laser Speckle Zizka, J., Olwal, A., and Raskar, R. UIST 2011	RFID + COMPUTER VISION FOR TRACKING 1 2 SurfaceFusion senses tangible, physical objects on interactive surfaces. It introduces a hybrid technique that combines RFID and computer vision, to avoid the need for visual markers. SurfaceFusion: Unobtrusive Tracking of Everyday Objects in Tangible User Interfaces Olwal, A., and Wilson, A. GI 2008	OPTICAL SENSING FOR SPATIAL AWARENESS 1 2 3 LightSense tracks mobile devices on static or dynamic displays, to enable context-sensitive visuals and interaction, based on spatial motion and position. LightSense: Enabling Spatially Aware Handheld Interaction Devices Olwal, A. ISMAR 2006 The Audiator: A Device-Independent Active Marker for Spatially Aware Displays Olwal, A. SIGGRAPH 2007 Posters
SPATIAL DISPLAYS, AUGMENTED REALITY AND VIRTUAL REALITY
PROPRIOCEPTION AND GESTURES IN 3D SPACE 1 2 3 4 T(ether) introduces gestural techniques that exploit proprioception to adapt the interface of a handheld Virtual Reality viewport, based on the hand's position above, behind or on its surface. T(ether): Spatially-Aware Handhelds, Gestures and Proprioception for Multi-User 3D Modeling and Animation Lakatos, D., Blackshaw, M., Olwal, A., Barryte, Z., Perlin, K., and Ishii, H. SUI 2014	IMMATERIAL PIXELS AND DISPLAYS 1 2 Our immaterial display generates pixels that float in mid-air. The surface enables new interaction possibilities as users can reach, walk and talk through the display. An Immaterial Pseudo-3D Display with 3D Interaction DiVerdi, S., Olwal, A., Rakkolainen, I., and Höllerer, T. 3D TV Book Consigalo: Multi-user, Face-to-face Interaction on an Immaterial Display Olwal, A., DiVerdi, S., Rakkolainen, I., and Höllerer, T. INTETAIN 2008 An Immaterial, Dual-sided Display System with 3D Interaction Olwal, A., DiVerdi, S., Candussi, N., Rakkolainen, I., and Höllerer, T. IEEE VR 2006 A Novel Walk-through 3D Display DiVerdi, S., Rakkolainen, I., Höllerer, T., and Olwal, A. SPIE 2006 Electronic Imaging	TRANSPARENT + AUGMENTING 3D SURFACES 1 2 ASTOR is a transparent 3D window that enhances the space behind it with graphics. It preserves an optically clear view of the real environment, while superimposing dynamic 3D visuals. Unencumbered 3D Interaction with See-through Displays Olwal, A. NordiCHI 2008 Spatial Augmented Reality on Industrial CNC machines Olwal, A., Gustafsson, J., and Lindfors, C. SPIE 2008 Electronic Imaging ASTOR: An Autostereoscopic Optical See-through Augmented Reality System Olwal, A., Lindfors, C., Gustafsson, J., Kjellberg, T., and Mattson, L. ISMAR 2005 An Autostereoscopic Optical See-through Display for Augmented Reality Olwal, A., Lindfors, C., Gustafsson, J. SIGGRAPH 2004 Sketches
HYBRID 2D/3D WORKSPACES 1 2 SpaceTop fuses 2D and 3D interactions in a desktop workspace. It simultaneously allows users to type, click, draw in 2D, and directly manipulate interface elements that float in the 3D space. SpaceTop: Integrating 2D and Spatial 3D Interactions in a See-through Desktop Lee, J., Olwal, A., Ishii, H., and Boulanger, C. CHI 2013	MOBILE AR WORKSPACE 1 2 3 POLAR is a lightweight mobile workspace for augmented reality. Using a foldable, optical see-through setup and hybrid user tracking, it enables annotated views of small physical objects without the need for worn technology. POLAR: Portable, Optical see-through, Low-cost Augmented Reality Olwal, A., and Höllerer, T. VRST 2005
INTERACTION TECHNIQUES FOR MEDICAL IMAGING
TRACKING GAZE IN RADIOLOGY 1 2 3 4 We collect gaze data from radiologists that search 3D CT scans for lung nodules. Analysis and interactive 3D visualisations of eye tracking data indicate 2 dominant search strategies, where "Drilling" is superior over "Scanning". Scanners and Drillers: Characterizing Expert Visual Search through Volumetric Images Drew, T., Vo, M., Olwal, A., Jacobson, F., Seltzer, S., and Wolfe, J. JOV 2013	MULTI-USER SURGERY PLANNING 1 2 Our multi-display groupware system for medical team meetings synchronizes multi-touch and pen interaction across various mobile and stationary displays. Design and Evaluation of Interaction Technology for Medical Team Meetings Olwal, A., Frykholm, O., Groth, K., and Moll, J. INTERACT 2011	3D VISUALIZATION OF 2D X-RAYS 1 2 Our system tracks and augments 2D X-ray images in image-guided surgery. It provides interactive spatiotemporal visualizations of 2D X-rays in timeline views and 3D clouds. 3D Visualization and Interaction with Spatiotemporal X-ray Data to Minimize Radiation in Image-guided Surgery Ioakeimidou, F., Olwal, A., Nordberg, A., and von Holst, H. CBMS 2011
SPATIALLY AWARE HANDHELD DISPLAYS, MOBILE PHONES AND PORTABLE DEVICES
INTERACTION WITH DYNAMIC SURFACES 1 2 3 We synchronize mobile devices with interaction on the large touch surface to expand expressiveness. The mobile displays provide denser resolution, while the controls enable better precision and physical affordances. Augmenting Surface Interaction through Context-sensitive Mobile Devices Olwal, A. INTERACT 2009 Spatially Aware Handhelds for High-Precision Tangible Interaction with Large Displays Olwal, A., and Feiner, S. TEI 2009	2D + 3D MOBILE AUGMENTED REALITY 1 2 LUMAR combines 2D and 3D interaction with a static display, and enables a 3-layered information space, where the mobile phone provides an augmented reality viewport into the real world. LUMAR: A Hybrid Spatial Display System for 2D and 3D Handheld Augmented Reality Olwal, A., and Henrysson, A. ICAT 2007	REALISTIC INTERACTION WITH 3D MODELS 1 2 Our mobile phantogram viewer enables realistic real-time interaction with 3D models through view-point correct anamorphosis and stereoscopy. Interaction and Rendering Techniques for Handheld Phantograms Ericson, F., and Olwal, A. CHI 2011
TANGIBLE INTERACTIONS 1 2 3 This framework explores tangible interaction for handheld AR. Hardware-accelerated rendering of illumination and shadows enables real-time interaction with realistic models, through spatial motion or touch screen manipulation. Tangible Interfaces using Handheld Augmented Reality Rojtberg, P., and Olwal, A. SIGRAD 2010	CUSTOMIZING MOBILE USER INTERFACES The OldGen framework addresses accessibility on generic mobile devices by decoupling the software UI from the phone hardware. It makes the UI portable and independent of phone, model or brand. OldGen: Mobile Phone Personalization for Older Adults Olwal, A., Lachanas, D., and Zacharouli, E. CHI 2011	PORTABLE, INTERACTIVE EYE EXAMS Our interactive device images and visualizes the retina. Its use of indirect diffuse illumination and binocular coupling, avoids the complexity of traditional devices. Computational Retinal Imaging via Binocular Coupling and Indirect Illumination Lawson, E., Boggess, J., Khullar, S., Olwal, A., Wetzstein, G., and Raskar, R. SIGGRAPH 2012
MULTIMODAL INTERACTION: TOUCHING, POINTING, LOOKING AND GESTURING
MINIMAL GESTURES FOR PEN AND TOUCH 1 2 3 Rubbing and Tapping are fast and precise interaction techniques for single-touch, multi-touch and pen-based devices. They leverage minimal gestures for quick zoom and pan actions. Rubbing and Tapping for Precise and Rapid Selection on Touch-Screen Displays Olwal, A., Feiner, S., and Heyman, S. CHI 2008 - Best Paper Honorable Mention Award (Top 5%) Rubbing the Fisheye: Precise Touch-Screen Interaction with Gestures and Fisheye Views Olwal, A., and Feiner, S. UIST '03	ANALYZING GAZE AND GESTURES 1 2 MAVEN interprets user intention in AR/VR by fusing speech, gesture, viewpoint, pointing direction, and SenseShapes statistics, to improve recognition through multimodal disambiguation. SenseShapes: Using Statistical Geometry for Object Selection in a Multimodal Augmented Reality System Olwal, A., Benko, H., and Feiner, S. ISMAR 2003 MAVEN: Mutual Disambiguation of 3D Multimodal Interaction in Augmented and Virtual Reality Kaiser, E., Olwal, A., McGee, D., Benko, H., Corradini, A., Li, X., Feiner, S., and Cohen, P. ICMI 2003	A SOFT, BENDABLE 3D SELECTION WIDGET 1 2 The Flexible Pointer can facilitate selection and interaction with fully or partially obscured objects in 3D environments, and help indicate objects of interest to collaborators in AR/VR. The Flexible Pointer: An Interaction Technique for Selection in Augmented and Virtual Reality Olwal, A., and Feiner, S. UIST '03
TACTILE FEEDBACK FOR MOTION GUIDANCE 1 2 Motion guidance for position, direction and continuous velocities, is provided to tracked users using visual, vibrotactile and pneumatic feedback. Multimodal Motion Guidance: Techniques for Adaptive Dynamic Feedback Schönauer, C., Fukushi, K., Olwal, A., Kaufmann, H., and Raskar, R. ICMI 2012	PEDAGOGICAL ROBOTICS 1 2 3 4 Cloud Rhymer is a platform that combines cloud technology and robotics. Users can text message a word to the robot, who will start rhyming on that word in sync with the beat. Cloud Rhymer: Prototype Demo and Intervention Proposal Robert, D., Schmitt, P., and Olwal, A. IDC 2013	GESTURE CONTROL OF HEART SIMULATION 1 2 The HEART project allows the public to experience and interact with a simulation of a beating heart. Blood flow and pressure are visualized in 3D and can be manipulated with gestures using both hands. Gestural 3D Interaction with a Beating Heart: Simulation, Visualization and Interaction Ioakeimidou, F., Ericson, E., Spühler, J., Olwal, A., Forsslund, J., Jansson, J., Sallnäs Pysander, E.-L., and Hoffman, J. SIGRAD 2011
VISUAL DATA FLOWS OF INTERACTION The Unit framework is a visual dataflow programming language for highly interactive 3D environments. Interaction techniques are abstracted from devices and application, to separate application logic from behavior. Unit: Modular Development of Distributed Interaction Techniques for Highly Interactive User Interfaces Olwal, A., and Feiner, S. GRAPHITE 2004	IMMERSIVE AUTHORING 1 2 This mixed reality system allows users to immersively reconfigure data flow in real-time between interaction devices and objects on a running hybrid user interface. Immersive Mixed-Reality Configuration of Hybrid User Interfaces Sandor, C., Olwal, A., Bell, B., and Feiner, S. ISMAR 2005	EXPRESSION THROUGH NON-VERBAL SPEECH Prosodic features of speech is used together with audio localization to control interactive applications. This information can also be applied to parameter control, or for disambiguation in speech recognition. Interaction Techniques using Prosodic Features of Speech and Audio Localization Olwal, A., and Feiner, S. IUI 2005
DOCTORAL THESIS
UNOBTRUSIVE AUGMENTED REALITY The concept of Unobtrusive Augmented Reality is introduced through various systems and techniques that enable sporadic and spontaneous interaction. Unobtrusive AR emphasizes an optically direct view of a visually unaltered physical environment, the avoidance of user-worn technology, and the preference for unencumbering techniques. Unobtrusive Augmentation of Physical Environments: Interaction Techniques, Spatial Displays and Ubiquitous Sensing Olwal, A. Doctoral Thesis

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Gwokto La'Kitgum

"Even a small dog can piss on a tall Building", Jim Hightower

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