Papers by Jonathan Duckworth
Virtual reality technologies for health and clinical applications, Dec 31, 2022
In this paper we present the design and evaluation of a first-person walker digital game called W... more In this paper we present the design and evaluation of a first-person walker digital game called WORLD4. Walkers are a sub-genre of 3D games that typically include minimal player interaction, slow paced game play, and ambiguous goals. Walking is the primary means of interaction in walker games, rather than prioritize 'skill-based' mechanics. However, the design of these game environments is not well understood and challenges many accepted game design conventions. We have designed WORLD4, a multi-dimensional first-person exploration game, to explore how ambiguity might support exploratory game play experiences in virtual environments. 14 participants playtest WORLD4 and analysis of the data identified three descriptive themes specific to the walker game player experience: 1) designing partial inscrutability; 2) shifting meaning; and 3) facilitating subversion of expectations. We use these themes to describe a set of prescriptive design strategies that may assist designers in designing for ambiguity in exploratory game environments.
In this paper we describe 2K-Reality; an acoustic sports entertainment augmentation designed to e... more In this paper we describe 2K-Reality; an acoustic sports entertainment augmentation designed to enhance the enjoyment of playing and watching the cultural practice of pickup basketball. 2K-Reality is an interactive digital artefact for pickup basketball play spaces that recontextualises sounds appropriated from a National Basketball Association (NBA) videogame to create interactive sonic experiences for players and spectators. We discuss how the design blends NBA videogames and real basketball play spaces using broadcast-style commentary, stadium-style crowd sound effects and contemporary music break beats activated by spectators interacting with a touchscreen interface connected to a public address (PA) system. Using an ethnographic approach, we analyse the different ways spectators orchestrate the different sounds, and the subsequent effects 2K-Reality soundscapes had on social interactions and the experiences of playing and watching pickup basketball. We conclude from our study that 2K-Reality is a demonstration of a compliant sports augmentation, a term we use to describe a digital enhancement of playing and watching grassroots sports without modifying existing spatial, temporal and cultural practices or the standards codified by a sport's governing body.
2015 International Conference on Virtual Rehabilitation (ICVR), 2015
Elements is a table-top virtual reality system designed for rehabilitation of upper-limb function... more Elements is a table-top virtual reality system designed for rehabilitation of upper-limb function in populations with neuro-cognitive deficits. It includes two sets of virtual task environment (VEs). The first are `goal-directed VEs' whereby participants move tangible user interfaces (TUIs) to visually-cued locations, while receiving augmented feedback (as shown in Figures 1, 2). The second set of VEs are purely exploratory in nature. Small sample trials of Elements for adult TBI patients [1, 2], and children with hemiparesis [3] have yielded positive results for skill acquisition and neuro-cognitive function. Our present aims are fine-tuning the design and performance of Elements and conducting larger multi-centre studies to assess its efficacy.
Current Developmental Disorders Reports, Apr 11, 2016
ABSTRACT Deficits in upper limb function are common among patients with traumatic brain injury (T... more ABSTRACT Deficits in upper limb function are common among patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Accordingly, new technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), are being developed to further upper limb rehabilitation. The study described here successfully trialed a table-top VR-based system (called Elements). Two patients with TBI participated in case-studies using a multiple-baseline, AB time-sequence design; the intervention consisted of 12 1-hour sessions. Performance was measured on both system-rated measures and standardized tests of functional skill. Time-sequence plots for each patient were first sight inspected for trends; this was followed by split-middle trend analysis. Participants demonstrated significant improvements in their movement accuracy, efficiency, and bimanual dexterity; and mixed improvement on speed and other measures of movement skill. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the Elements system facilitated motor learning in both TBI patients. Larger scale clinical trials are now deemed a viable step in further validating the system.
Virtual Reality, Nov 19, 2020
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2020
In this paper we explore how social aspects of group interaction and the physical affordances of ... more In this paper we explore how social aspects of group interaction and the physical affordances of interactive technology may be exploited to enhance the participation of people with a disability in creative, artistic activity. Participation per se is conceptualized using a current framework known as the family of Participation Related Constructs—fPRC, an ecological approach derived from a biopsychosocial health model. Taking an integrative approach, we blend current theory on participation, interaction design and community art to explore how group play and performance can foster inclusive participation in the arts and contribute to a positive change in personal (and collective) wellbeing. We describe two interactive arts projects called Resonance and Wheelchair DJ that provide examples of participation and performance in communities with a disability and reflect upon the workshop models that facilitate the creative expression of individuals and the group. We conclude with a discussion on the potentially transformative effects of participation in the arts by people with a disability and our gaps in our understanding of how to evaluate the notion of participation as a means—a medium through which person-related attributes and creative activity are developed in the longer-term.
Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation, Nov 25, 2021
... They held that any structural damage to the brain was untreatable (Rose, 1996). ... The movem... more ... They held that any structural damage to the brain was untreatable (Rose, 1996). ... The movement, colour, size and sound characteristics of each swarm changes when the ... Green, CS, Bavelier, D. 'The Cognitive Neuroscience of Video Games', in Digital Media: Transformations in ...
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2015
Science filmmakers have created new forms of image-based scientific data through techniques, such... more Science filmmakers have created new forms of image-based scientific data through techniques, such as stop-motion and time-lapse, predominantly using optical instrumentation. These techniques enable direct observation via the lenses of cameras and microscopes without further augmenting the human senses. However, these optical techniques cannot capture suprasensible phenomena - those that cannot be directly perceived without further translation. Observing these phenomena must be technologically mediated on multiple levels via instrumentation, hardware and software, effectively disrupting the filmmaker's experience of embodied technology, a crucial aspect of cinematographic practice. We speculate how to incorporate embodied technology that will enable filmmakers to depict suprasensible phenomena of nanoscale environments in experimental media works. This short paper details our practical experiments and experience with audio, visual and tactile representations of nano-data.
Virtual Reality, 2020
Upper-limb virtual rehabilitation (VR) in adult acquired brain injury (ABI) is based largely on s... more Upper-limb virtual rehabilitation (VR) in adult acquired brain injury (ABI) is based largely on systems administered on a one-to-one basis. Multi-user interaction between co-located participants may offer advantages over single-user methods. The present study examined the feasibility of deploying a co-located VR system (Resonance) in a clinical setting. Following a baselining period, 5 patients with ABI completed 12 Resonance sessions over 4–6 weeks. Feasibility criteria included recruitment, intervention delivery, attrition, user experience, and suitability of outcome measures. Individual participant motor proficiency (box and blocks task) was examined using a time-series analysis with reliable change indices and curve fitting. All feasibility criteria were satisfied, with positive reports of user experience. Repeated collection of outcome measures was successfully integrated into the training schedule. Time-series analysis was successfully conducted, providing a detailed account of individual training-related change. Within a clinical setting, it was feasible to deliver Resonance and regularly monitor motor function. User feedback regarding the co-located VR intervention was generally positive, but expectations regarding the level of immersion may need to be managed. Individual time-series analysis is recommended as an adjunct to group-based analysis in future VR research. These findings can inform the design of a clinical trial.
Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, 2022
Proceedings of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play, 2017
Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.), Jan 12, 2017
Few-layer black phosphorous (BP) has emerged as a promising candidate for next-generation nanopho... more Few-layer black phosphorous (BP) has emerged as a promising candidate for next-generation nanophotonic and nanoelectronic devices. However, rapid ambient degradation of mechanically exfoliated BP poses challenges in its practical deployment in scalable devices. To date, the strategies employed to protect BP have relied upon preventing its exposure to atmospheric conditions. Here, an approach that allows this sensitive material to remain stable without requiring its isolation from the ambient environment is reported. The method draws inspiration from the unique ability of biological systems to avoid photo-oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species. Since BP undergoes similar photo-oxidative degradation, imidazolium-based ionic liquids are employed as quenchers of these damaging species on the BP surface. This chemical sequestration strategy allows BP to remain stable for over 13 weeks, while retaining its key electronic characteristics. This study opens opportunities to pract...
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2015
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Papers by Jonathan Duckworth
This article describes interdisciplinary research undertaken by a group of artists, designers, curators and somatic bodywork practitioners to explore a human-centred approach to the potential of touch, movement, balance and proprioception as modalities for interactive art. Somatic bodywork methodologies such as the Feldenkrais method provide highly developed frameworks for attending to these very phenomena. Re-sensitising the body through somatic investigations allowed us as makers of body-focussed interactive art to translate the subtle shifts in attention and nuances of felt sensation into the audience experience of sensor-based interactive artworks. We describe the results of a yearlong project through our experience of the making of one specific experimental artwork, surging verticality. We reflect on the conditions for audience engagement and the profound connections we experienced between Feldenkrais somatic bodywork and art practice as modes of enquiry into the world.