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University of Arkansas – CSCE Department

CSCE 4013 Virtual Worlds – Final Report – Fall 2010

Mirror World Application

Sanford Ang, Philip Eberhard, Aaron Oakley

1 Abstract

The problem for this project is to utilize a real time tracking system for the robots to show and direct a path towards an RFID tagged item in the mock store or anywhere in Second Life. The objective of this project is to develop a database that stores the logs of the items and be able to search the database to find where the item is. The robots must be able to show and direct a path to the RFID tagged item. The design is to develop an Oracle database with scripts to add, search and query the database. We achieved a subset of our initial goals, but perhaps more importantly, developed the thought of how these technologies we are working on can be incorporated and combined to accomplish future goals. In conclusion, this project shows how current technology can be applied and improved upon to further create a real world pervasive environment with integrated virtual data.

2 1. Problem

This project is to solve the problem of RFID tracking in Second Life. In Second Life, there is already a mock store based on RFIC center without all the required items.

3 2. Objective

The objective of our project is to utilize a real time tracking system, robots, and a database to track and show where the RFID tagged items are.

4 3. Related Work

3.1 Context

The “Everything is Alive” project is a future “Internet of Things” where everything is alive and computing is pervasive [1]. Pervasive computing relates to 3D virtual worlds by in 3D virtual worlds everything is interconnected. For example, in Second Life, an avatar (character in Second Life) can interact with almost everything in Second Life, from the ground, to the stores, to the people in Second Life. This particular project relates to the “Everything is Alive” project by creating a mock store of RFID tagged objects as well as interaction of the avatars with the robots interact and items in the store.

3.2 Key Technologies

This project examines the technologies involved in ubiquitous computing. In the near or far future, we may be able to know lot of information about everyday objects, including their position data and historical position data. Also, we will be able to know if objects have been stolen or not, or if their use is legitimate. Projects, such as this one, are trying to achieve this. This particular area (i.e., ubiquitous computing) is growing rapidly, for example, smart phones that are able to read and manipulate data.

Currently, the RFID technology on which this project is based on, has certain flaws. Namely, the issues of security, accuracy, cost, and mobility of both readers and tags are at the forefront of current research. It remains to be seen that this technology is a good long term solution for use in ubiquitous computing. Whatever the case, it has shown itself to be a technically correct solution for academic research in this area and for pervasive, low-accuracy applications.

Another technology that is related to this project is Augmented Reality. This technology is used to display data about the surrounding environment as viewed through some other display device, along with the area which the display is currently viewing. (Think of a video game with a Heads Up Display, and imagine you had a HUD in the real world.) This technology is especially related to the parallel smart phone/soft controller project.

3.3 Related Work

The most relevant work done on this project that we utilized is Paul Martin’s Real Time Tracking System. Using his system to create log files, we were able to file them into a database, search through the database, and then, feed the robots with pertinent coordinates to find the item being searched.

3.4 Related EiA Projects

Our project on Mirror Worlds relates (or could relate) to these other EiA projects:

• Home Healthcare – Monitoring devices are used to keep track of patients with RFID devices similar to those used in this project

• Workflow – In the Workflow project, there is the use of the robots that were developed in Second Life. In this project, Mirror World, we use the robots to show and direct a path to the RFID tagged object.

• Smart Phone – The smart phone project could relate to this project through the development of a handheld mobile metadata viewer and/or Augmented Reality device with a display of items around the user.

5 4. Architecture

4.1 Use Cases or Requirements

1. Tracking and locating items in a real world shopping environment or warehouse

2. Providing data about customers' shopping habits to store owners

3. Requires a large array of RFID readers for large stores/warehouses, or a clever reader design with scheduled reads done by personnel or mobile readers, with reduced real-time capabilities (Potentially cost-prohibitive)

4.2 Tasks

Sanford Ang:

1. Understand – How an Oracle Database works.

2. Design – Have a Virtual Machine on a server that has Oracle Express Edition and write code to be able to connect, add, and search the database through a JAVA application.

3. Implement – Edited Paul Martin’s Real time tracking system with code to connect, add, and search the database on the Virtual Machine.

4. Test – Made sure that the code within Paul Martin’s program was able to connect, add, and search the database.

5. Report – Everything worked as anticipated. Learning how to search the database was the most difficult part.

Aaron Oakley:

1. Familiarize with previous work done and current capability of Mirror World project.

2. Constructed a medium-sized warehouse-like floor space within Second Life to act as test ground (we could not edit the existing work space).

3. Combined existing mirror world LSL script with robot interactivity to add pickup, drop functionality to items.

4. Implemented script to configure store with several preset item location setups in order to demonstrate correct functionality.

Philip Eberhard:

1. Got familiar with the robot assembly language from Nick Farrar

2. Used a robot to show their potential as personal shoppers

3. Searched for specific items to get their location

4. Instructed a robot to lead me to the location given for an item

5. Instructed a robot to pick up items after being led to them

4.3 Architecture/Design

The overall design of the project was to be able to have a database and utilize the Real Time Tracking System to log the locations of the RFID tagged items into a database and be able to search and give directions to the robots.

Initially, the RTLS system developed previously was to be used in conjunction with data from the RFID center to create a dynamic, real-world mirror in Second Life with the goal of being searchable, pathable, and generally accessible to robots for facilitated shopping/browsing. This is similar to the way that a smart phone/soft controller might work sometime in the future.

The architecture of this system was generally the same as previously defined, with the added functionality of sending location data to an Oracle database which Sanford Ang was responsible for to facilitate the search ability as there is no real solution within Second Life itself (yet) for data permanence.

However, we learned fairly far in to the semester that the data format in which the RFID center had been outputting was no longer in use (nor was the original system used to gather that data). We opted for the short-term solution of hard-coding several position configurations as opposed to attempting to find another data source and re-code the parsing logic to handle the new format (although Aaron Oakley did some work into this goal with awk).

The original functionality could be easily re-added once a new data source and format can be dealt with and would be a logical next step in the continuation of the project.

Philip Eberhard used Nick Farrer's robot command language to move the robot around the store to different items based on their locations. Once at these locations, the robot could pick up the object and then drop it. This led to very interesting concepts of future personal shopping robots for customers.

4.4 Testing

With regard to Second Life scripting, initially testing was done directly in Second Life with the use of debug statements in the scripts which we used. However, once we discovered an LSL plugin for the Eclipse IDE, this environment was used to test and debug LSL scripts. The plugin, LSL Plus, added several features to the LSL language and then compiled and optimized the nonstandard features into LSL scripts. This environment would be a good find for any programmer looking for an extended, familiar way to code LSL with added functionality such as modules, unit testing, and simulation in a customizable environment.

Testing the database was fairly straight forward by testing the added code to Paul Martin’s real time tracking system to make sure that what outputted from his code showed up in the database.

6 5. Results and Analysis

The above is the Communicator (blue) and Master Controller (orange) for the warehouse objects environment. The cylinder is the module which controls the items' preset configurations (the cycler).

Above is the entire floor space of the warehouse environment. The robot used for testing can be seen at right, and some of the objects used can be seen on the shelves. The goal was to be somewhat spread out in order to demonstrate dealing with significant changes in object location.

[pic]

Above is a screen shot of the database with the values that Paul Martin’s edited by Sanford Ang program added to the database.

[pic]

Robot after arriving to the RedBox

[pic]

Robot after “grab nearest RedBox” command

7 6. Conclusions

1 6.1 Summary

The Second Life environment is a fair testing ground for future concepts such as pervasive computing and object awareness because it allows outside communication through HTTP requests, and can act as a server itself so that outside scripts can make requests to it, a functionality that emulates, if roughly, a conventional two-way communication channel.

Our progress on the project itself was hampered by several factors. Initially, we were waiting on several things which we perceived to be necessary before we could begin. We perceived a need to visit the RFID center in order to establish a data source and format so that we could set up a database scheme. We also spent a lot of time deliberating about what we could accomplish, the direction the project would go in, and what might be feasible. Since none of us had much LSL experience, we had no clue as to what might be feasible, so we ended up spending too much time debating (as well as waiting on our visit, and the eventual set back of the data source being out of commission).

2 6.2 Potential Impact

This topic is potentially one of the most futuristically viable applications which laymen may see cropping up in stores and in their homes in the next 5 to 10 years. Augmented Reality is also on the horizon, and will be able to integrate with RFID and data-aware objects to create a seamless real/virtual connection.

Our work is significant in that it shows how a personal shopper robot might work for customers in the future. This could be in the real world with a physical robot walking around with a customer in a brick-and-mortar store, showing them where objects they ask about are and giving pre-programmed information about objects or suggesting other related objects to go look at. The “robot” could even be a GPS type unit on a shopping cart that directs a user towards items they ask about. It could also be in a virtual world as we have demonstrated. An online virtual store could be set up so that customers could walk around with an avatar being led by a robot. It could create a totally different online shopping experience.

3 6.3 Future Work

One possible elaboration on this project is to add metadata and ontological information to items which are tracked in this manner in a warehouse/store format. Making this data searchable and updateable by end users would add another layer of human interoperability.

8 7. Biography

Sanford Ang – Ang is a senior student Computer Engineering major in the Computer Science and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Arkansas. He has completed relevant courses of Operating System, Programming Foundations I/II, Software Engineering, Programming Paradigms. Currently interning at J.B. Hunt. Responsible for developing the database and the code to be able to connect, add, and search the database.

Aaron Oakley – Oakley is a senior Computer Engineering major at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He is interested in computing topics such as recommendation engines and IR as well as learning new programming languages and paradigms. He currently works as an intern in Applications at JB Hunt.

Philip Eberhard – Eberhard is a senior Computer Engineering major at the University of Arkansas. He is interested in how virtual worlds may intersect with the real-world in the coming years.

Dr. Craig Thompson, Mentor – Thompson is a professor in the Computer Science and Computer Engineering Department. He leads the Everything is Alive research project that is currently focusing on how to simulate pervasive computing using 3D virtual worlds. See .

9 8. References

[1] Authors, “Conference Paper Title,” Conference Proceedings Title, Location, Month and Year.

[2] Nick Farrer, "Second Life Robot Command Language," Tech Report, CSCE Department, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 22 February 2009.

10 Appendix A – Deliverables Manifest

Provide a manifest (list) of project deliverables and briefly describe each deliverable. Include them and this Final Report in a project-level zip file (which may include individual student subproject zip files. For items developed in world, specify for each if you checked it into our inventory-bot (working with Keith Perkins . Description may provide URL to download and installation instructions or tell how to install your code. E.g.,

• Final Report

• Final Presentation

• Any data - can appear in appendix or as an attachment

• Code zipped and attached or describe how it was checked in to SL inventory bot.

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