Virtual reality has become a promising field in recent decades, and its potential now seems clearer than ever. With the development of handheld devices and wireless technologies, interest in virtual reality is also increasing. Therefore, there is an accompanying interest in inertial sensors, which can provide such advantages as small size and low cost. Such sensors can also operate wirelessly and be used in an increasing number of interactive applications. An example related to virtual reality is the ability to move naturally through virtual environments. This is the objective of the real-walking navigation technique, for which a number of advantages have previously been reported in terms of presence, object searching, and collision, among other concerns. In this article, we address the use of foot-mounted inertial sensors to achieve real-walking navigation in a wireless virtual reality system. First, an overall description of the problem is presented. Then, specific difficulties are identified, and a corresponding technique is proposed to overcome each: tracking of foot movements; determination of the user’s position; percentage estimation of the gait cycle, including oscillating movements of the head; stabilization of the velocity of the point of view; and synchronization of head and body yaw angles. Finally, a preliminary evaluation of the system is conducted in which data and comments from participants were collected.

Kalman filtering is one of the most widely used approaches to handling inertial sensors in pedestrian tracking systems. This technique uses a covariance error matrix to estimate position. This reported study leads to the hypothesis that there is no correlation between some elements of this matrix from one step to the next. Therefore, a selective reset of these elements at the end of each step improves position estimation. A set of these elements is proposed, and a statistical study is conducted using 32 data traces from the same path. Four parameters are analysed: the correction mean length, the position error, the altitude error and the travelled distance. As a result, all of these parameters obtain a loose statistical significance when the covariance error selective reset is applied.

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In the degree of Chemical Engineering at the University of Málaga (Spain), some subjects that complete the curricula of students are perceived by them as unnecessary for their future career. This is the case of the subject "Electronics and Electrical Engineering". In order to motivate these students, we have implemented a competitive framework: Students are gathered into teams and compete along several tasks. Those students completing the activities correctly obtain some additional points that are added to the mark of their final exam. Moreover, there is a ranking for the teams and the winners get some extra points. Our preliminary results shows that the students find this methodology both appealing and motivating. However, the teams need to be carefully selected so that the students can participate even when their colleagues have left the subject. In our work in progress, we are increasing the competition level by including students from the University of Granada (Spain); hence, one of the key aspects is how to design the activities appropriately in an inter-University scenario.