Developing Drone Deterrent Landscapes
Robert Hewitt and Hala Nassar will work with Duke over the next three years to ensure drone deterrents are unobtrusive and don’t detract from surroundings.
Hala Nassar, a landscape architecture professor in Clemson’s College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, is the university’s principal investigator into landscape design that hinders the use of drones. She is being assisted by Robert Hewitt, an associate professor of landscape architecture also from Clemson and the co-principle investigator for the research. Photo Credit: Clemson University
Although Nassar’s research focuses on drone deterrent designs, she still acknowledges that drones can be beneficial for a wide range of applications. “Drone technology is increasingly enabling landscape architects to examine natural, environmental, social and physical characteristics of sites,” Nassar states. “Recording and mapping complex transformation of site hydrological, topographic and environmental changes has become faster and more accurate to document.” Photo Credit: Clemson University
Project Description:
Technology to detect and deter drone activity has been developed in recent years in response to privacy and safety concerns, however, it is often too expensive for smaller organizations.
Knowing there is growing need for more affordable options, the National Science Foundation has awarded Clemson and Duke universities a $750,000, threeyear grant to create a more economical solution for public spaces. The effectiveness of their designs will be tested at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and Sarah P. Duke Gardens.
Hala Nassar, a landscape architecture professor in Clemson’s College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, is the university’s principal investigator (PI). She and co-PI Robert Hewitt, an associate professor of landscape architecture, will provide expertise on how to best design drone-deterring structures so there is minimal impact on the aesthetical composition of outdoor environments. More from Clemson Newsstand>> >>
The project built on research that shows Technology Mediated Learning Environments can enhance learning. This project integrated Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) with Building Information Modeling (BIM), gaming engines, visual simulations, and interactive lessons to create tools for helping students better understand the complex systems and processes of building design and construction. Like having an interactive x-ray vision, students can use the AR tool to move around a building and view through the building material, looking at its components and learn about the building onsite.
Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture Article>>
Affiliation:
Departments of Architecture, Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering at University of Arkansas, Tesseract Center at University of Arkansas, Center for Spatial Technologies (CAST) at University of Arkansas
Departments of Architecture, Construction Management, Electrical Engineering, Psychology and Computer Science at FIU, I-CAVE at FIU.
Illiteracy is a global problem that impacts societal and economic growth and development, and is directly correlated with the financial success, health and overall wellbeing of individuals. Studies indicate that picturebook reading within a facilitated storytime setting is an important tool for language acquisition in children. The proposed research hypothesizes that in an increasingly digital society, literacy can be cultivated in a robotembedded environment that is, at once, physical, digital and evocative of the picturebook being read. Inspired by concepts of embodied interaction, the research team proposes the design, implementation and evaluation of an intelligent, finetunable suite of architecturalrobotic artifacts the LIT ROOM distributed at roomscale in a public library setting. Through a reconfigurable, coadaptive learning environment, the LIT ROOM aims to augment the dialogical reading of picturebooks within an engaging and exploratory space for the advancement of literacy and learning.
Richaland Library Columbia, South Carolina Richland One School District Columbia South Carolina Stone Academy Element ary Sch. Greenville, South Carolina
Publications:
IDC ’13 Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children
Negotiating the environment requires a functional relationship between multi sensory input and our brains. Our sensory systems gather information that the brain integrates and interprets as perceptions of events and objects in the world. Proper functioning of this process is crucial for safe functional performance and independent living. When the processing mechanisms from sensory input to integrated perception are affected by illness or trauma we are unable to navigate our environment safely without aids, re-training, or both. This projects studied 1) if using architecture and occupational students working together to understand home modification problems improves performance outcomes, and 2) what is the effectiveness of home modification questionnaires commonly used in occupational therapy at predicting problems of spatial configuration.
We propose to develop a program for spatial analytics based on approaches in spatial syntax. Spatial syntax uses a set of techniques to break spatial arrangements into components that can be analyzed as networks of relations represented on maps and graphs to describe characteristics of those spaces. Using metrics to analyze spatial configurations we hope to be able to calibrate the contextual environment to understand its affect on patients with cognitive disabilities and . It has already been shown that the way a person performs a functional task (defined as an occupational performance) is based on the way the person interprets the task-object relationship in a specified context (defined as an occupational form). Thus, depending on whether the form elicits meaning and purpose, the person’s quality of performance and commitment to the performance will be affected. Most importantly for our study, Pedretti and Early also suggested that context affects occupational performance and that occupational therapists must understand the aspects of context (i.e., environment and objects) that will likely influence the occupational performance. The most innovative aspect of the project is to combine knowledge from the architectural field and health care field using graduate students in both disciplines to optimize movement performance of a clinical population in a specific context.
