Computing within Northamptonshire is dynamic with interests in many aspects of computing and engineering. All views are the author and the site is the property of the author.
This post documents some experiments with WebVR - Web based Virtual Reality - in this case based on the wonderful A-Frame (https://aframe.io) explored with MSc Computing students. The two insights: it is great fun (which I did expect) and nowhere near as hard as I thought it was going to be when I first started. 1. The approach The approach used was using A-Frame (https://aframe.io) inside Thimble (https://thimble.mozilla.org ). Thimble was selected because it is an onlineeditor, simple to use, it is free and you see the preview immediately. The filesizes of images and videos have to be small though.
2. How easy is it? You can treat it as if was HTML, after you have added the script file shown in bold.
The video below shows setting up and adding a box to the scene.
This next video takes this a little further by adding rotation to an object. In this video mapping an image to an object and changing camera position is looked at.
3. Adding video Actual in some ways it as easy to add video as adding an image, at it's simplest adding src="" with either the URL or relative filename in the speech marks can be used for both images and video. Alternatively using combination with again the filename or URL between speech marks adds a block and pastes the video on top. The video below shows a worked example of these two approaches 4. 360 degree video. A-Frame allows 360 degree to be incorporated into the scene using the tag. The video below shows a worked example of this. The video below shows another worked example. 5. 3D objects and Assets We can also add 3D models that others have developed into our scene. In the video below a Penguin, defined externally using .obj for the model and .mtl for the material, is loaded into the scene. To read more go to https://aframe.io/docs/0.7.0/introduction/
All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with. Twitter @scottturneruonAll views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with. Twitter: @scottturneruon
Doors will open at 19:00 hrs, The Presentation will commence at 19.30hrs.
Blockchain Lecture.
Blockchain was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008 for use in the crypto currency bitcoin. The invention of the Blockchain for bitcoin made it the first digital currency to solve the double spending problem without the need of a trusted authority or central server. The bitcoin design has been the inspiration for other applications
The presentation will be held in
Room NW205 of The Newton Building
The University of Northampton,
Avenue Campus,
St Georges Avenue,
Northampton, NN2 6JB
Dr Ali Al-Sherbaz @Dr_Alisherbazand Dr Scott Turner @scottturneruon will be giving a presentation on the subject of Blockchain.
All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with. Twitter: @scottturneruon
Ok, how does (and is) computing providing social impact, the short answer is one project at a time. In this occasional series, I will be highlighting some of the projects that the Computing team at the University of Northampton are involved in. The first is the Blockchain Education Passport #BlockchainEducationalPassport project.
Image produce Dr Hala Georges
Blockchain Educational Passport The Ana-Aqra Association, University of Northampton and the United Nations would like to implement a Blockchain-based solution which will enable people to have an Educational Passport in which they will be able to keep a trusted record of their educational experience for the rest of their lives. This project led by Dr Cristina Devecchi, Associate Professor of Education brings together a multidisciplinary team to start work on this problem including Dr Scott Turner, Associate Professor of Computing and Immersive Technologies and Dr Ali Al-Sherbaz, Associate Professor of Computing from. So what is it about? The initial focus is helping Syrian refugees in Lebanon to track educational credentials and experience across borders via an educational passport to record and provide documented proof of their educational experiences. The second part of this to provide teachers by helping them to develop pedagogical approaches that are evidence-based and certified.
How can you help?
Please play a role creating this new system by joining or forming an open source collaboration project. We are looking for:
• Project managers / coordinators • Blockchain specialists • User Interface Designers • Programmers • Architects • Testers • Educators, psychologists and curriculum designers • Legal experts (especially in the areas of children’s rights and refugees) • Translators, communicators and other related skills.
See more details about the features and characteristics of the required platform at the Project repository:
All the inputs and outputs of this project must be covered by recognized open source and creative commons licensing. You will be asked to accept terms and conditions prior to submitting any content. It is encouraged that teams leverage and extend existing open source frameworks.
How do you get involved?
If you want to contribute, please register at this site https://blockchainedupass.uniteideas.spigit.com/Page/Home and send a message to the core team members below. You can contact them by creating your account on United Nation's Unite Ideas site. You can also start a new team or offer your skills by posting a comment explaining what you can do or invite others to join your team. If you have something to offer please get in contact.
From the University of Northampton: Dr Cristina Devecchi, Associate Professor, Education Dr Scott Turner, Associate Professor, Computing and Immersive Technologies Dr Jane Murray, Associate Professor, Early Years Education Dr Ali Al-Sherbaz, Associate Professor, Computing Dr Eunice Lumsden, Head of Early Years Division Dr Angela Rushton, Head of Postgraduate Programmes, Marketing Dr Luciano Batista, Senior Lecturer in Operation Management Prof Olinga Taeed, Professor in Social Enterprise Mr Wray Irwin Dr Hala Georges, Senior Lecturer in Graphics and Communication Prof Nick Petford, Vice Chancellor
From Ana-Aqra Association: Rima Doany Musallam, CEO Ana-Aqra Association Amina Kleit Ali Fakih Dr. Maha Yaha Tarek Jallad
Timeline Throughout all phases below, teams are encouraged to interact with the core team at the challenger organizations to discuss the requirements for this project.
1. Formation of Teams (self-organized online and offline). Using the Unite Ideas website, project leaders can submit their ideas for architectures and approach while volunteers list their skills and offer to join their team(s) of choice. You don’t have to be in a team, you can also work independently. 1 month (End: Feb 28, 2018)
2. Individuals and self-organized team(s) collaborate independently to implement their solution. 2.5 month. End: May 6, 2018 last day to submit your work (system design, specifications, prototypes, demos, etc.)
3. Review phase. End: June 3, 2018.
Expected Outcomes By the end of this challenge, we expect to have identified one or more self-organized teams designing and building versions of this new platform (using test data).
It is expected that interested participants will be able to continue collaborating in an open source manner towards the full completion, testing and rollout of the new platform by the core team.
What is Blockchain? These videos may help.
All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with. Twitter: @scottturneruon
