Several mixed reality (MR) showcases have recently been proposed to augment physical exhibits with visual images. However, most of these showcases require viewers to wear a special device to see the superimposed images. In this article, we propose a device-free MR showcase that overcomes such limitations. Our MRsionCase provides spatially consistent visual and auditory information along with physical exhibits. A novel imaging optical device called dihedral corner reflector array is used to place mid-air images inside the showcase along with physical exhibits. Hyper directional loudspeakers provide a localized audio guide. The symmetric design of MRsionCase enables the exhibit to be viewed from any horizontal direction. MRsionCase provides information targeted at different groups of viewers through sound separation. Results of a user survey demonstrated the effectiveness of MRsionCase as an advanced MR showcase.

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The ukiyo-e is considered as the art of light and shadow. Various techniques, such as “kara-zuri” (printing without paint) and “kira-zuri” (printing with mica powder), were used to print this amazing artwork. The ukiyo-e has a complex anisotropic reflective property, which makes its appearance differs depending on the viewing angle. Therefore, viewers can appreciate the ukiyo-e once they hold it in their hands and view it from different angles. However, the way ukiyo-e displayed in art galleries and museums makes it difficult for viewers to actually hold and view it from different angles. In this research, we propose a real-object-oriented interface that enables the viewers to appreciate the anisotropic reflective property of ukiyo-e by projecting digitally archived ukiyo-e on real Japanese paper. We evaluated the proposed method by comparing it with the exhibition system that uses a tablet device with an accelerometer.

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Noh is a traditional Japanese performing arts registered in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. The tradition of the Takigi O-Noh, or outdoor firelight Noh on the summer nights, dates back over a thousand years to performances associated with the religious ceremonies. In the Takigi O-Noh, Noh costumes of gold brocades shines and flickers beautifully with torches set around the Noh stage that provide the illumination. In this paper, we propose a real-time anisotropic BTF rendering method of Noh-costume under dynamic lighting with bonfire flickering effect, in the Takigi O-Noh lighting environment. First, we model the anisotropic reflectance of the Noh costume of gold brocades with the bidirectional texture function (BTF), which extended the Ashikhmin’s bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model. Then, we represent the bonfire flame by procedural texture as dynamic ambient map, which enable to perform the same calculation as direct calculation from environment map with filtered importance sampling.

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This paper propose and evaluate the Reliving Past Scene Experience system using augmented reality technology. This system overlays past scenes in video materials onto the real environment and makes users to experience how the camera operator captured the scene by inducing them to move as in the same way as the operator. By inducing users to move in the same way as the camera operator unconsciously, the system make them feel as if they look around in the past scene on their own will. For this purpose we proposed three induction techniques: induction for preventing unintentional movements, starting to move and appropriate rotation. We implemented these in a system which relives videos of old railways and exhibited it at THE RAILWAY MUSEUM for two weeks. Results of analyzing users' operational log and questionnaires suggest that proposed system and interaction techniques are effective to relive past scene experiences in real environment.

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We propose a digital archiving method for large 3D woven cultural artifacts exhibition. In Gion Festival, the boat-shaped Fune-hoko float is especially noteworthy for its decorative woven cultural artifacts. The decorations used for the floats include embroidery of various materials-silk, gold thread, cotton, glass, felt-and their texture is quite complex. Cotton is stuffed into the embroidery which makes the fabric stand out in marked 3D relief pattern with complex reflection properties. Moreover, because the 3D woven cultural artifacts are so large, approximately 1 m×3 m, the measurements must be done in sections to get an accurate reading. To archive the large 3D woven artifacts efficiently, we developed a new measurement system in order to simplify the measurement and modeling, and developed a new system for digitally displaying multisensory full-scale, real-time, and interactive representations. This paper describes how to digitally archive the large 3D woven cultural artifacts.

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The objective of this study was to develop a digital museum to preserve and represent an intangible cultural heritage in Kyoto: the Yamahoko Parade of the Gion Festival. We developed an immersive virtual reality environment using the latest information technologies of three-dimensional computer graphics modeling, motion capture, and high-quality sound recording. As a new step, we designed a vibration system as part of the virtual reproduction of the experience of the Yamahoko Parade. We collected the acceleration data of the Fune-hoko float and reproduced the vibration by using a vibration system with six degrees of freedom. We combined vibration, sound, and 3D vision to implement the virtual experience system. The user can experience the vibration of the float, as well as the overall atmosphere, of the Yamahoko Parade from the viewpoint of the parade crews. We also conducted experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed system.

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Several excellent multimedia museum information services using portable terminals are proposed, but are very difficult to introduce for small-scale museums that have limited human and capital resources.
The experimentation of a simple multimedia exhibition information service using visitor-owned portable Wi-Fi terminals was carried out on a special exhibition of the National Museum of Japanese History in the summer of 2013. It is easy to imitate and will be able to extend more advanced contents.
We have two analyses to evaluate visitors’ reaction and acceptance of the service. An analysis of visitor questionnaire survey clarified that there are many users who cannot do a setup of Wi-Fi well beyond our anticipation, and that young women positively accepts the service. An analysis of web access logs revealed that the users tend to select a content not by its meaning but a location of the link to the contents on the screen.

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We previously proposed a time division multiplexing method for digital broadcasts over fiber-to-the-home. We evaluated the number of optical amplifiers, subscribers, and service areas with a simple star-type optical network model. Compared with the frequency division multiplexing methods used in conventional cable television systems, the number of optical amplifiers of our previously proposed method achieved less than 16 - 37% that of conventional methods or accommodated an increase in subscribers 2.9 - 6.1 times more than conventional methods even with an optical laser of inferior relative intensity noise (RIN). By analyzing a dominant factor for configuring a cost-effective distribution network, we found that it was valid to mitigate the requirement for optical power at a receiver and set a strict requirement for the RIN of an optical laser.

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The main problem in extracting a road in an urban area from an aerial photo is the shadow cast by buildings. Because of this, we use Digital Surface Model (DSM) data, which are based-on the elevation of land surfaces. The problems associated with DSM data is non-road area with similar elevations like parking places, parks and so on. In this work, we propose a method to perform road filtering using Radon transform and morphological operations. The initial road is the result of intensity enhancement and instantaneous, simple thresholding. The road filter performs an opening operation on the initial road with a line shape structuring element, where the line orientation is obtained from the Radon Transform. Finally, the road is constructed based on B-Spline from the extracted road skeleton. The experimental result shows that the proposed method improved the quality and the accuracy average within an acceptable time.

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In this paper, we propose a method that enables efficient extraction of hierarchical structure of Web communities containing Web videos that have similar topics in order to retrieve users’ desired Web videos. Specifically, the proposed method first calculates Web video features by applying canonical correlation analysis to a small number of Web video samples obtained on the basis of a clustering scheme. Furthermore, we construct a “community graph” of which each node consists of multiple Web videos and each edge corresponds to hyperlinks of Web pages including these videos. Then, based on strongly connected components, edge betweenness and modularity of the community graph, hierarchical structure of Web communities is estimated. In this way, our method can efficiently extract the hierarchical structure of Web communities, and users’ desired Web videos can be retrieved by selecting Web communities according to their hierarchical structure.

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