Alexandru Gradinaru - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Alexandru Gradinaru
This paper is written in the context of the international Eurostars project, i-bracelet. The main... more This paper is written in the context of the international Eurostars project, i-bracelet. The main objective of the i-bracelet project - "Intelligent bracelet for blood pressure monitoring and detection of preeclampsia" is the creation of a portable medical device for uninterrupted monitoring of blood pressure and to detect the blood pressure problems (such as hypertension) and, in particular, preeclampsia. In the current paper is described the software component of this system used for monitoring, viewing and analyzing the blood pressure values coming from a smart bracelet developed in the context of the project. The software solution is available for Android and iOS phone users, as well as it is accessible from a browser. As a conclusion, the blood pressure of the future mothers should be monitored for living a safer and healthier life.
Virtual reality finds increasingly more place in education, especially through the three-dimensio... more Virtual reality finds increasingly more place in education, especially through the three-dimensional environments. Although different experiments were performed with 3D virtual learning environments we believe that research in this area is still in its infancy and the perspective are high due to continuous technological advances. Our learning module allows students to more easily understand, by 3D visualizations and animations, the internal structure of the human body, living cells in the human body, bone structure or hearth sections. The 3D experience is completed with a wide range of multimedia elements like text, voice or digital image with animation. The module offers a collaborative learning environment, which contributes to the socialization of the participants. Their immersion in the virtual space, by means of avatars, improves also the attractiveness of the lesson. When a student is on-line in the virtual world, he has several options for learning about any found object and ...
Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) virtual worlds are nowadays one of the most widespread and fas... more Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) virtual worlds are nowadays one of the most widespread and fast growing types of online interactive applications with a user base that can reach up to millions of users. The most popular type of MMOs is represented by 3D MMO games but there are also other types of MMO applications such as virtual online virtual life simulations, educational virtual spaces, virtual exhibitions, etc. In this paper, we will present the current technologies that are being used for the functioning of MMOs in optimal conditions and also we will introduce a novel taxonomy for MMOs classification based on the following criteria: type of MMOs, architectures used for simulation of virtual worlds, communication protocol and monetization.
The technology advancements greatly improved the medical services over time with virtual reality ... more The technology advancements greatly improved the medical services over time with virtual reality (VR) devices and applications. Currently taking advantage of these recent advancements is the medical rehabilitation field, heavily studied in past few years as a promising VR area. VR-based rehab brings several advantages over the traditional therapy and could deliver personalized in-home treatment without the need of a permanent dedicated supervisor. A device that could make this technology possible is the Microsoft’s new Kinect v2, an improved motion capture sensor available at low prices for personal use. This promising high-tech device can track body movements without the need of additional attached devices that could prove unconformable and expensive. In order to evaluate the medical rehabilitation utility for in-home usage we conducted some research studies and practical experiments focusing on the upper-part of the body in a seated pose in front of a desk. Results indicate that t...
The advancement of new technologies in Virtual Reality (VR) allows us to build virtual sports tra... more The advancement of new technologies in Virtual Reality (VR) allows us to build virtual sports training systems. These systems generally imply videos or computer animations for training demonstrations. VR sports training systems can be used at any time and location. This way, the user can play the sport even at night regardless of weather conditions and can also train or compete alongside other remote users. The virtual sports training system can be used also to help patients suffering from stroke or paraplegia, and can be used in medical rehabilitation. Microsoft Kinect V2 sensor with its great features, like face and body tracking, body gesture, and others, extends the use of virtual reality in different kinds of applications. In this paper, we used the Kinect v2 sensor to design and build a realtime VR sports training system. The system displays in a 3D avatar, simple and complex exercises, captures and records the trainee movements in real-time, highlighting wrong movements and h...
2019 E-Health and Bioengineering Conference (EHB), 2019
This paper is written in the context of the international Eurostars project, i-bracelet. The main... more This paper is written in the context of the international Eurostars project, i-bracelet. The main objective of the i-bracelet project - "Intelligent bracelet for blood pressure monitoring and detection of preeclampsia" is the creation of a portable medical device for uninterrupted monitoring of blood pressure and to detect the blood pressure problems (such as hypertension) and, in particular, preeclampsia. In the current paper is described the software component of this system used for monitoring, viewing and analyzing the blood pressure values coming from a smart bracelet developed in the context of the project. The software solution is available for Android and iOS phone users, as well as it is accessible from a browser. As a conclusion, the blood pressure of the future mothers should be monitored for living a safer and healthier life.
In recent years, healthcare and safety monitoring for older adults has become a worldwide concern... more In recent years, healthcare and safety monitoring for older adults has become a worldwide concern. As older adults want to age at home, sensor technology has the potential to support their choice by monitoring health status, detecting emergency situations and notifying caregivers in case of emergency situations. Moreover, using new technologies such as the Kinect sensor could bring new ways to build in-home intelligent systems, having already demonstrated performance and accuracy when monitoring older adults. The purpose of this paper is to present an application that allows healthcare providers to take care remotely of older adults by providing live monitoring of the patients. Using a Kinect sensor, the application evaluates the active life of the tracked person, determines the hydration status and notifies the caregiver if the patient is calling for help or needs an ambulance.
Games are one of the most common activities among young people and for a good reason: they are fu... more Games are one of the most common activities among young people and for a good reason: they are fun, entertaining and usually challenging. Recent advancements in computer graphics allow fast creation of computer games with stunning visuals and advanced interaction in rapid development environments such as Unity or Unreal Engine 4 editors. Still, these technologies are requiring lots of technological knowledge like graphics programming, networking, 3D modelling or animation. For this reason, educational or serious games are not frequently developed and used in the e-learning processes. Advanced applications are currently hard to build and publish, requiring serious investments of time, money and professional human resources. This work describes a prototype system designed to help teachers to easily build, publish or integrate games or simulations into existing web-based Learning Management Systems. The applications can be developed using a simple drag and drop interactive editor and f...
Nowadays computer network attacks are carried out by professionals targeting organizations’ vulne... more Nowadays computer network attacks are carried out by professionals targeting organizations’ vulnerabilities. Many attacks are successful because of the growing complexity of vulnerable information technology requiring support. It therefore comes as no surprise that cyber security protection solutions on offer are increasing exponentially. Consequently, understanding the role of these solutions in the context of how they are deployed requires network managers of the future to have in-depth knowledge, know-how and practical experience. In 2014, Munich University of Applied Sciences Germany, initiated an ICT security project DECAMP (Open Distributed European Virtual Campus on ICT Security). The purpose of this Project is to develop and implement online EU courses on ICT security with a strong practical orientation. Implementing these goals required the development of a set of solutions to offer students the possibility of working in virtual labs. The aim: supporting their cyber securit...
Sensors, 2020
Computer vision based indoor localization methods use either an infrastructure of static cameras ... more Computer vision based indoor localization methods use either an infrastructure of static cameras to track mobile entities (e.g., people, robots) or cameras attached to the mobile entities. Methods in the first category employ object tracking, while the others map images from mobile cameras with images acquired during a configuration stage or extracted from 3D reconstructed models of the space. This paper offers an overview of the computer vision based indoor localization domain, presenting application areas, commercial tools, existing benchmarks, and other reviews. It provides a survey of indoor localization research solutions, proposing a new classification based on the configuration stage (use of known environment data), sensing devices, type of detected elements, and localization method. It groups 70 of the most recent and relevant image based indoor localization methods according to the proposed classification and discusses their advantages and drawbacks. It highlights localizat...
2014 18th International Conference on System Theory, Control and Computing (ICSTCC), 2014
ABSTRACT While many virtual educational environments are already in use, few attempt to mix the v... more ABSTRACT While many virtual educational environments are already in use, few attempt to mix the virtual and the real worlds to a very high extent. The benefits of such approach could be groundbreaking, leading to new paradigms of education, however the complexity of the challenges and the scale of the effort are still very high. The "3D UPB" platform takes this approach of a fully mixed reality environment to the scale of a large university campus with tens of thousands of users. This paper presents the concept and aims of “3D UPB”, its top level architectural components, the current stage of development and essential implementation details in order to point out the benefits and also challenges of this innovative educational and social platform. Preliminary evaluation, results and future work are also presented.
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2021
The advancement of new technologies in Virtual Reality (VR) allows us to build virtual sports tra... more The advancement of new technologies in Virtual Reality (VR) allows us to build virtual sports training systems. These systems generally imply videos or computer animations for training demonstrations. VR sports training systems can be used at any time and location. This way, the user can play the sport even at night regardless of weather conditions and can also train or compete alongside other remote users. The virtual sports training system can be used also to help patients suffering from stroke or paraplegia, and can be used in medical rehabilitation. Microsoft Kinect V2 sensor with its great features, like face and body tracking, body gesture, and others, extends the use of virtual reality in different kinds of applications. In this paper, we used the Kinect v2 sensor to design and build a realtime VR sports training system. The system displays in a 3D avatar, simple and complex exercises, captures and records the trainee movements in real-time, highlighting wrong movements and h...
2014 18th International Conference on System Theory, Control and Computing (ICSTCC), 2014
ABSTRACT While many virtual educational environments are already in use, few attempt to mix the v... more ABSTRACT While many virtual educational environments are already in use, few attempt to mix the virtual and the real worlds to a very high extent. The benefits of such approach could be groundbreaking, leading to new paradigms of education, however the complexity of the challenges and the scale of the effort are still very high. The "3D UPB" platform takes this approach of a fully mixed reality environment to the scale of a large university campus with tens of thousands of users. This paper presents the concept and aims of “3D UPB”, its top level architectural components, the current stage of development and essential implementation details in order to point out the benefits and also challenges of this innovative educational and social platform. Preliminary evaluation, results and future work are also presented.
Virtual reality and augmented reality are gradually increasing their influence in education. A pl... more Virtual reality and augmented reality are gradually increasing their influence in education. A plethora of three-dimensional environments including educational content are created. However, most of them are used just as additional multimedia material to traditional coursed and just a few are conceived as independent, standalone learning environments, including everything from theoretical presentation of a subject, to practice, experiments and evaluation. In this paper we present a virtual reality environment for teaching basic biology concepts in a standalone manner and we compare its performance with traditional methods.
While many virtual educational environments are already in use, few attempt to mix the virtual an... more While many virtual educational environments are already in use, few attempt to mix the virtual and the real worlds to a very high extent. The benefits of such approach could be groundbreaking, leading to new paradigms of education, however the complexity of the challenges and the scale of the effort are still very high. The "3D UPB" platform takes this approach of a fully mixed reality environment to the scale of a large university campus with tens of thousands of users. This paper presents the concept and aims of “3D UPB” , its top level architectural components, the current stage of development and essential implementation details in order to point out the benefits and also challenges of this innovative educational and social platform. Preliminary evaluation, results and future work are also presented.
This paper is written in the context of the international Eurostars project, i-bracelet. The main... more This paper is written in the context of the international Eurostars project, i-bracelet. The main objective of the i-bracelet project - "Intelligent bracelet for blood pressure monitoring and detection of preeclampsia" is the creation of a portable medical device for uninterrupted monitoring of blood pressure and to detect the blood pressure problems (such as hypertension) and, in particular, preeclampsia. In the current paper is described the software component of this system used for monitoring, viewing and analyzing the blood pressure values coming from a smart bracelet developed in the context of the project. The software solution is available for Android and iOS phone users, as well as it is accessible from a browser. As a conclusion, the blood pressure of the future mothers should be monitored for living a safer and healthier life.
Virtual reality finds increasingly more place in education, especially through the three-dimensio... more Virtual reality finds increasingly more place in education, especially through the three-dimensional environments. Although different experiments were performed with 3D virtual learning environments we believe that research in this area is still in its infancy and the perspective are high due to continuous technological advances. Our learning module allows students to more easily understand, by 3D visualizations and animations, the internal structure of the human body, living cells in the human body, bone structure or hearth sections. The 3D experience is completed with a wide range of multimedia elements like text, voice or digital image with animation. The module offers a collaborative learning environment, which contributes to the socialization of the participants. Their immersion in the virtual space, by means of avatars, improves also the attractiveness of the lesson. When a student is on-line in the virtual world, he has several options for learning about any found object and ...
Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) virtual worlds are nowadays one of the most widespread and fas... more Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) virtual worlds are nowadays one of the most widespread and fast growing types of online interactive applications with a user base that can reach up to millions of users. The most popular type of MMOs is represented by 3D MMO games but there are also other types of MMO applications such as virtual online virtual life simulations, educational virtual spaces, virtual exhibitions, etc. In this paper, we will present the current technologies that are being used for the functioning of MMOs in optimal conditions and also we will introduce a novel taxonomy for MMOs classification based on the following criteria: type of MMOs, architectures used for simulation of virtual worlds, communication protocol and monetization.
The technology advancements greatly improved the medical services over time with virtual reality ... more The technology advancements greatly improved the medical services over time with virtual reality (VR) devices and applications. Currently taking advantage of these recent advancements is the medical rehabilitation field, heavily studied in past few years as a promising VR area. VR-based rehab brings several advantages over the traditional therapy and could deliver personalized in-home treatment without the need of a permanent dedicated supervisor. A device that could make this technology possible is the Microsoft’s new Kinect v2, an improved motion capture sensor available at low prices for personal use. This promising high-tech device can track body movements without the need of additional attached devices that could prove unconformable and expensive. In order to evaluate the medical rehabilitation utility for in-home usage we conducted some research studies and practical experiments focusing on the upper-part of the body in a seated pose in front of a desk. Results indicate that t...
The advancement of new technologies in Virtual Reality (VR) allows us to build virtual sports tra... more The advancement of new technologies in Virtual Reality (VR) allows us to build virtual sports training systems. These systems generally imply videos or computer animations for training demonstrations. VR sports training systems can be used at any time and location. This way, the user can play the sport even at night regardless of weather conditions and can also train or compete alongside other remote users. The virtual sports training system can be used also to help patients suffering from stroke or paraplegia, and can be used in medical rehabilitation. Microsoft Kinect V2 sensor with its great features, like face and body tracking, body gesture, and others, extends the use of virtual reality in different kinds of applications. In this paper, we used the Kinect v2 sensor to design and build a realtime VR sports training system. The system displays in a 3D avatar, simple and complex exercises, captures and records the trainee movements in real-time, highlighting wrong movements and h...
2019 E-Health and Bioengineering Conference (EHB), 2019
This paper is written in the context of the international Eurostars project, i-bracelet. The main... more This paper is written in the context of the international Eurostars project, i-bracelet. The main objective of the i-bracelet project - "Intelligent bracelet for blood pressure monitoring and detection of preeclampsia" is the creation of a portable medical device for uninterrupted monitoring of blood pressure and to detect the blood pressure problems (such as hypertension) and, in particular, preeclampsia. In the current paper is described the software component of this system used for monitoring, viewing and analyzing the blood pressure values coming from a smart bracelet developed in the context of the project. The software solution is available for Android and iOS phone users, as well as it is accessible from a browser. As a conclusion, the blood pressure of the future mothers should be monitored for living a safer and healthier life.
In recent years, healthcare and safety monitoring for older adults has become a worldwide concern... more In recent years, healthcare and safety monitoring for older adults has become a worldwide concern. As older adults want to age at home, sensor technology has the potential to support their choice by monitoring health status, detecting emergency situations and notifying caregivers in case of emergency situations. Moreover, using new technologies such as the Kinect sensor could bring new ways to build in-home intelligent systems, having already demonstrated performance and accuracy when monitoring older adults. The purpose of this paper is to present an application that allows healthcare providers to take care remotely of older adults by providing live monitoring of the patients. Using a Kinect sensor, the application evaluates the active life of the tracked person, determines the hydration status and notifies the caregiver if the patient is calling for help or needs an ambulance.
Games are one of the most common activities among young people and for a good reason: they are fu... more Games are one of the most common activities among young people and for a good reason: they are fun, entertaining and usually challenging. Recent advancements in computer graphics allow fast creation of computer games with stunning visuals and advanced interaction in rapid development environments such as Unity or Unreal Engine 4 editors. Still, these technologies are requiring lots of technological knowledge like graphics programming, networking, 3D modelling or animation. For this reason, educational or serious games are not frequently developed and used in the e-learning processes. Advanced applications are currently hard to build and publish, requiring serious investments of time, money and professional human resources. This work describes a prototype system designed to help teachers to easily build, publish or integrate games or simulations into existing web-based Learning Management Systems. The applications can be developed using a simple drag and drop interactive editor and f...
Nowadays computer network attacks are carried out by professionals targeting organizations’ vulne... more Nowadays computer network attacks are carried out by professionals targeting organizations’ vulnerabilities. Many attacks are successful because of the growing complexity of vulnerable information technology requiring support. It therefore comes as no surprise that cyber security protection solutions on offer are increasing exponentially. Consequently, understanding the role of these solutions in the context of how they are deployed requires network managers of the future to have in-depth knowledge, know-how and practical experience. In 2014, Munich University of Applied Sciences Germany, initiated an ICT security project DECAMP (Open Distributed European Virtual Campus on ICT Security). The purpose of this Project is to develop and implement online EU courses on ICT security with a strong practical orientation. Implementing these goals required the development of a set of solutions to offer students the possibility of working in virtual labs. The aim: supporting their cyber securit...
Sensors, 2020
Computer vision based indoor localization methods use either an infrastructure of static cameras ... more Computer vision based indoor localization methods use either an infrastructure of static cameras to track mobile entities (e.g., people, robots) or cameras attached to the mobile entities. Methods in the first category employ object tracking, while the others map images from mobile cameras with images acquired during a configuration stage or extracted from 3D reconstructed models of the space. This paper offers an overview of the computer vision based indoor localization domain, presenting application areas, commercial tools, existing benchmarks, and other reviews. It provides a survey of indoor localization research solutions, proposing a new classification based on the configuration stage (use of known environment data), sensing devices, type of detected elements, and localization method. It groups 70 of the most recent and relevant image based indoor localization methods according to the proposed classification and discusses their advantages and drawbacks. It highlights localizat...
2014 18th International Conference on System Theory, Control and Computing (ICSTCC), 2014
ABSTRACT While many virtual educational environments are already in use, few attempt to mix the v... more ABSTRACT While many virtual educational environments are already in use, few attempt to mix the virtual and the real worlds to a very high extent. The benefits of such approach could be groundbreaking, leading to new paradigms of education, however the complexity of the challenges and the scale of the effort are still very high. The "3D UPB" platform takes this approach of a fully mixed reality environment to the scale of a large university campus with tens of thousands of users. This paper presents the concept and aims of “3D UPB”, its top level architectural components, the current stage of development and essential implementation details in order to point out the benefits and also challenges of this innovative educational and social platform. Preliminary evaluation, results and future work are also presented.
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2021
The advancement of new technologies in Virtual Reality (VR) allows us to build virtual sports tra... more The advancement of new technologies in Virtual Reality (VR) allows us to build virtual sports training systems. These systems generally imply videos or computer animations for training demonstrations. VR sports training systems can be used at any time and location. This way, the user can play the sport even at night regardless of weather conditions and can also train or compete alongside other remote users. The virtual sports training system can be used also to help patients suffering from stroke or paraplegia, and can be used in medical rehabilitation. Microsoft Kinect V2 sensor with its great features, like face and body tracking, body gesture, and others, extends the use of virtual reality in different kinds of applications. In this paper, we used the Kinect v2 sensor to design and build a realtime VR sports training system. The system displays in a 3D avatar, simple and complex exercises, captures and records the trainee movements in real-time, highlighting wrong movements and h...
2014 18th International Conference on System Theory, Control and Computing (ICSTCC), 2014
ABSTRACT While many virtual educational environments are already in use, few attempt to mix the v... more ABSTRACT While many virtual educational environments are already in use, few attempt to mix the virtual and the real worlds to a very high extent. The benefits of such approach could be groundbreaking, leading to new paradigms of education, however the complexity of the challenges and the scale of the effort are still very high. The "3D UPB" platform takes this approach of a fully mixed reality environment to the scale of a large university campus with tens of thousands of users. This paper presents the concept and aims of “3D UPB”, its top level architectural components, the current stage of development and essential implementation details in order to point out the benefits and also challenges of this innovative educational and social platform. Preliminary evaluation, results and future work are also presented.
Virtual reality and augmented reality are gradually increasing their influence in education. A pl... more Virtual reality and augmented reality are gradually increasing their influence in education. A plethora of three-dimensional environments including educational content are created. However, most of them are used just as additional multimedia material to traditional coursed and just a few are conceived as independent, standalone learning environments, including everything from theoretical presentation of a subject, to practice, experiments and evaluation. In this paper we present a virtual reality environment for teaching basic biology concepts in a standalone manner and we compare its performance with traditional methods.
While many virtual educational environments are already in use, few attempt to mix the virtual an... more While many virtual educational environments are already in use, few attempt to mix the virtual and the real worlds to a very high extent. The benefits of such approach could be groundbreaking, leading to new paradigms of education, however the complexity of the challenges and the scale of the effort are still very high. The "3D UPB" platform takes this approach of a fully mixed reality environment to the scale of a large university campus with tens of thousands of users. This paper presents the concept and aims of “3D UPB” , its top level architectural components, the current stage of development and essential implementation details in order to point out the benefits and also challenges of this innovative educational and social platform. Preliminary evaluation, results and future work are also presented.