Industry and academia have repeatedly demonstrated the transformative potential of Augmented Reality (AR) guided assembly instructions. In the past, however, computational and hardware limitations often dictated that these systems were deployed on tablets or other cumbersome devices. Often, tablets impede worker progress by diverting a user's hands and attention, forcing them to alternate between the instructions and the assembly process. Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) overcome those diversions by allowing users to view the instructions in a hands-free manner while simultaneously performing an assembly operation. Thanks to rapid technological advances, wireless commodity AR HMDs are becoming commercially available. Specifically, the pioneering Microsoft HoloLens, provides an opportunity to explore a hands-free HMD's ability to deliver AR assembly instructions and what a user interface looks like for such an application. Such an exploration is necessary because it is not certain how previous research on user interfaces will transfer to the HoloLens or other new commodity HMDs. In addition, while new HMD technology is promising, its ability to deliver a robust AR assembly experience is still unknown. To assess the HoloLens' potential for delivering AR assembly instructions, the cross-platform Unity 3D game engine was used to build a proof of concept application. Features focused upon when building the prototype were: user interfaces, dynamic 3D assembly instructions, and spatially registered content placement. The research showed that while the HoloLens is a promising system, there are still areas that require improvement, such as tracking accuracy, before the device is ready for deployment in a factory assembly setting.

Collegiate athletics, particularly football, provide tremendous value to schools through branding, revenue, and publicity. As a result, extensive effort is put into recruiting talented students. When recruiting, home games are exceptional tools used to show a school's unique game-day atmosphere. However, this is not a viable option during the offseason or for off-site visits. This paper explores a solution to these challenges by using virtual reality (VR) to recreate the game-day experience. The Virtual Reality Application Center in conjunction with Iowa State University (ISU) athletics, created a VR application mimicking the game-day experience at ISU. This application was displayed using the world's highest resolution six-sided CAVETM, an Oculus Rift DK2 computer-driven head mounted display (HMD) and a Merge VR smart phone-driven HMD. A between-subjects user study compared presence between the different systems and a video control. In total, 82 students participated, indicating their presence using the Witmer and Singer questionnaire. Results revealed that while the CAVETM scored the highest in presence, the Oculus and Merge only experienced a slight drop compared to the CAVETM. This result suggests that the mobile ultra-low-cost Merge is a viable alternative to the CAVE TM and Oculus for delivering the game-day experience to ISU recruits.

Virtual Reality (VR) simulations have become a major component of the US Military and commercial training. VR is an attractive training method because it is readily available at a lower cost than traditional training methods. This has led to a staggering increase in demand for VR technology and research. To meet this demand, game engines such as Unity3D and Unreal have made substantial efforts to support various forms of VR, including the HTC Vive, smartphone-enabled devices like the GearVR, and with appropriate plugins, even fully-immersive Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVETM) systems. Because of this hardware diversity, there is a need to develop VR applications that can operate on several systems, also known as cross-platform development. The goal in developing applications for all these types of systems is to create a consistent user experience across the devices. It is challenging to maintain this consistent user experience, because many VR devices have fundamental differences. Research has begun to explore ways of developing one application for multiple system. The Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC) developed a VR football "Game Day" simulation that was deployed to three devices: CAVETM, Oculus Rift HMD and a mobile HMD. Development of this application presented many learning opportunities regarding crossplatform development. There is no single approach to achieving consistency across VR systems, but the authors hope to disseminate these best practices in cross-platform VR development through the game day application example. This research will help the US Military develop applications to be deployed across many VR systems. Disciplines Applied Mechanics | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Mechanical Engineering CommentsThis proceeding is published as Jonathan Schlueter, Holly Baiotto, Melynda Hoover, Vijay Kalivarapu, Gabriel Evans, Eliot Winer, "Best practices for cross-platform virtual reality development," Proc. SPIE ) systems. Because of this hardware diversity, there is a need to develop VR applications that can operate on several systems, also known as cross-platform development. The goal in developing applications for all these types of systems is to create a consistent user experience across the devices. It is challenging to maintain this consistent user experience, because many VR devices have fundamental differences. Research has begun to explore ways of developing one application for multiple system. The Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC) developed a VR football "Game Day" simulation that was deployed to three devices: CAVE TM , Oculus Rift HMD and a mobile HMD. Development of this application presented many learning opportunities regarding cross-platform development. There is no single approach to achieving consistency across VR systems, but the authors hope to disseminate these best practices in cross-platform VR development through the game day application example. This research will help the US Military develop applications to be deployed across many VR s...

This paper presents a previously unreported method of laryngeal vocal sound production that is capable of producing pitches even higher than the whistle register (M3). Colloquially known as the glottal whistle (here referred to as M4), this method has a wider range than M3 and features frequent instances of biphonation, which is of interest for those involved with contemporary and improvised music. Pitch profile analyses of M4 have found the majority of fundamental frequency (f0) activity to be between 1 and 3 kHz, while the most frequently seen range was between 1000 to 1,500 Hz. Remarkably, multiple singers were able to produce f0 higher than the highest tone on the piano.(Keywords: glottal whistle, whistle register, M3, voice science, high fundamental frequency)

This is my first AWWA meeting where there are more women than men." -Verna Arnette, deputy director, Greater Cincinnati Water Works "Allow my voice to be heard in the room, especially when my opinion is diverse." -Sheryl Porter, chief operating officer, Great Lakes Water Authority "[The water industry has] to do something. Because the customers we serve will be different in the next 5-10 years, we need folks to trust us, and they won't trust us if they don't see themselves in us." -Trina McGuire-Collier, principal strategic communications advisor, HDR