Papers by Maurizio Muzzupappa
Performance-Driven Engineering Design Approaches Based on Generative Design and Topology Optimization Tools: A Comparative Study
Applied Sciences
The advent of Additive Manufacturing (AM) is uncovering the limits of the current CAD systems and... more The advent of Additive Manufacturing (AM) is uncovering the limits of the current CAD systems and, at the same time, is highlighting the potentials of the Topology Optimization (TO) and Generative Design (GD) tools that had not been fully exploited until now. Differently from the traditional design approach in which designers occupy a predominant role in each stage of the design process, the introduction of such tools in the product development process pushes toward simulation-driven design approaches which imply a significant change in the role of the designer. To this end, the paper presents a comparison of two different design methods for Additive Manufacturing based on the adoption of TO and GD tools. The comparison aims to offer a reflection on the evolution of the traditional approach when TO and GD tools are used, and to highlight the potential and limitations of these optimization tools when adopted in an integrated manner with the CAD systems. Furthermore, this comparative ...
Exhibit supports for sandstone artifacts designed through topology optimization and additive manufacturing techniques
Journal of Cultural Heritage
In the Cultural Heritage field, the choice of materials and exhibit structures is essential to pr... more In the Cultural Heritage field, the choice of materials and exhibit structures is essential to properly house and support artifacts without causing damage or deterioration. This problem is even more evident in the case of finds made of stone for which, due to their weight, a proper selection and dimensioning of the relative supports is required. In fact, without adequate support, this can result in stress concentrations that could compromise the artifact's state of conservation. As a consequence, more often such exhibition supports are customized items, that are designed and manufactured to meet specific functional and artistic setup needs. In this context, the paper presents a design approach that combines topology optimization and additive manufacturing techniques to develop customized support structures which undertake the twofold purpose of preserving the artifact and making it available for the exhibition in the museum. The proposed approach has been assessed through the case study of a sandstone Ionic capital hosted in the Brettii & Enotri Museum in Cosenza (Italy). The proposed approach is therefore meant as a guideline for the design of customized exhibit supports especially in the case of sandstone artifacts with a complex shape or a conservation condition that requires specific attention.
A Handheld Mobile Augmented Reality Tool for On-Site Piping Assembly Inspection
Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering, 2019
In the context of Industry 4.0, Augmented Reality occupies an important role thanks to its unique... more In the context of Industry 4.0, Augmented Reality occupies an important role thanks to its unique capability to enhance the perception of the real world with virtual information.
Heritage, 2021
In the last decades, the popularity of video games has been increasing thanks to their unique abi... more In the last decades, the popularity of video games has been increasing thanks to their unique ability to engage their audience and create empathy. Among them, serious games have additional purposes besides entertainment, such as learning and behaviour change. Serious games, in fact, have been successfully applied to different fields, including education, health, tourism, and cultural heritage. In this context, the paper describes a novel serious game developed for increasing awareness and promoting the Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH). In particular, the paper focuses on the Dive in the Past Serious Game which allows users to simulate a virtual dive into the Mediterranean Sea to explore accurate and life-sized 3D reconstructions of underwater archaeological sites. The purpose of the game is twofold: to engage diver and non-diver tourists into a virtual interactive exploration of underwater sites through digital storytelling and challenges; to increase awareness and knowledge on Me...
Virtual Reality Technologies for the Exploitation of Underwater Cultural Heritage
Latest Developments in Reality-Based 3D Surveying and Modelling, 2018
The Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) represents a resource with huge, but yet largely unexploit... more The Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) represents a resource with huge, but yet largely unexploited, potentials for the maritime and coastal tourism. In the last 10 years, national and international government authorities are supporting and strengthening research activities and development strategies, plans and policies to make underwater archaeological sites' exploitation more sustainable and accessible to large-scale tourism. To this end, the paper presents an outcome of the Virtual and augmented exploitation of Submerged Archaeological Sites (VISAS) project that allows users to explore underwater archaeological sites. In particular, the virtual diving system combines the advantages offered by Virtual Reality (VR) technologies and the latest three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction techniques to create virtual tours for the exploitation of the UCH. User studies' results demonstrate that the proposed VR system is able to provide a playful learning experience, with a high emotional impact, and it has been well appreciated by a large variety of audiences, even by younger and inexperienced users.
This paper presents a novelapproach for constrained B-Spline curve approximation based on the For... more This paper presents a novelapproach for constrained B-Spline curve approximation based on the Force Density Method (FDM). This approach aims to define a flexible technique tool for curve fitting, which allows approximating a set of points taking into account shape constraints that may be related to the production process, to the material or to other technological requirements. After a brief introduction on the property of the FDM and the definition of the network usedfor the formulation of the fitting problem, the paper explains in detail the mathematical approach, the methods and the techniques adopted for the definition of the proposed constrained BSplinecurve approximation. The results suggest that the adoption of a mechanical model of bar networks allows developing a more flexible tool than the traditional least squared methods (LSM) usually adopted for fitting problems. Numerical examples show that the new approach is effective in fitting problems when the satisfaction of shape...
3D Reconstruction and Virtual Exploration of Submerged Structures: a Case Study in the Underwater Archaeological Site of Baia (Italy)
The 3D reconstruction of underwater scenes is almost a requirement for a number of applications t... more The 3D reconstruction of underwater scenes is almost a requirement for a number of applications that need to gather 3D data from fauna, flora or submerged structures. In the Cultural Heritage field, 3D models of finds and archaeological sites are widely used, either for scientific research or for dissemination to the public. 3D imaging techniques based on multi-view capture are a valid and effective tool in underwater applications, because they require to capture the scene by different viewpoints using just one still or movie camera, installed on robots or handled by a scuba diver. In this paper we test a technique for 3D reconstructions from images captured by multiple views in a case study of submerged structures in the underwater archaeological site of Baia (Italy). This case study is particularly critical due to the high level of turbidity, the heavy presence of marine flora and the changing of lighting conditions, common in shallow water. All these disturbances cause a decrease of the contrast and an alteration of the colours in the acquired images. The 3D model of a portion of the site has been reconstructed in a virtual environment, both for studying and dissemination fruition purposes. In particular, a 3D application has been developed in order to allow the exploration of the site, the measurement of the architectonical elements and the simulation of the movements of a robot that performs specific operations of restoration and preservation.
3D Input devices integration in CAD environment
Abstract: Virtual Reality (VR) technologies are becoming commonly used tools in the product devel... more Abstract: Virtual Reality (VR) technologies are becoming commonly used tools in the product development process, starting from the styling review in the conceptual design phase, until to the Digital Mock-up (DMU) validation in the advanced stages of the design process. What has not yet been sufficiently investigated is the possibility to interact with the DMU directly inside the CAD environment using 3D input devices. Although few CAD systems, like CATIA V5, have an additional module to support VR devices, in most cases it is still necessary to ...
A Mixed Reality system for the ergonomic assessment of industrial workstations
International Journal on Interactive Design and Manufacturing (IJIDeM), 2020
The use of modeling and ergonomic analysis software is a widespread practice in the industrial se... more The use of modeling and ergonomic analysis software is a widespread practice in the industrial sector to effectively improve the operator’s well-being and operating comfort within the workplace. In this context, the paper proposes a Mixed Reality system for the ergonomic assessment of industrial workstations. Specifically, the proposed system integrates motion capture tools, a head-mounted display device, and ergonomic analysis software to simulate and analyse the operations to be carried out within a virtual workplace where some physical components, with which the operator interact, are prototyped through 3D printing technology in order to make the simulation as realistic as possible. The proposed Mixed Reality system in fact increases the realism of the simulation and improves the effectiveness of the ergonomics analysis thanks to the haptic feedback that the user perceives when manipulating the physical objects.
Ocean Engineering, 2018
Underwater manipulation is a key technology for marine industries and exploration that can be eff... more Underwater manipulation is a key technology for marine industries and exploration that can be efficiently adopted in other application fields, such as underwater archaeology, biological manipulation, scientific expedition, as well as offshore construction in the Oil and Gas industry. It is performed remotely by expert pilots thanks to the visual feedbacks provided by one or more cameras but without any information about the distance between the end-effector and the target. To this end, the paper presents a novel system based on a sensorized robotic arm, stereoscopic 3D perception and augmented reality visualization to support ROV's pilots in underwater manipulation tasks. The system, thanks to the adoption of an optical-stereo camera, provides a visual feedback of the underwater scene on which a depth map of the underwater workspace is augmented on. In particular, combining the kinematics of the robotic arm and the standard photogrammetric model of the stereo camera, it is possible to generate a depth map that shows to the pilots the distances of the surface of the scene objects from the end-effector's pose. Experimental tests carried out in the context of the CoMAS (In-situ conservation planning of Underwater Archaeological Artefacts) project have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed system.
Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 2019
The paper presents the digital technologies developed in the VISAS project and their application ... more The paper presents the digital technologies developed in the VISAS project and their application to the underwater archaeological site of Cala Minnola (Levanzo Island, Italy) that preserves the remains of a Roman ship. Following the basic principles defined by UNESCO for the protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage the VISAS project has led to the development of innovative digital technologies for a more engaging and educational exploitation of the submerged archaeological sites. In particular, the paper describes a virtual diving system that allows users to perform, outside of the submerged environment, a virtual exploration of the Cala Minnola shipwreck site. Moreover, an augmented diving system provides, through an underwater tablet, a geolocalized multimedia guide for the divers that visit the underwater archaeological site. Both digital technologies allow users to perform an entertaining and interdisciplinary learning experience by receiving archaeological, historical, and biological information of the specific submerged site.
Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2017
Virtual museum (VM) systems are a very effective solution for the communication of cultural conte... more Virtual museum (VM) systems are a very effective solution for the communication of cultural contents, thanks to their playful and educational approach. In fact, these appealing technological systems have demonstrated their usefulness and value in science centres and traditional museums all over the world, thanks to the fact that visitors can view digitized artworks and explore reconstructed historical places by means of VM-hosted installations. This paper presents a methodology, based on user studies, for the comparative evaluation of different design alternatives related to the user interaction with VM systems. The methodology has been validated by means of a testbed related to a VM system hosted at the "Museum of the Bruttians and the Sea" of Cetraro (Italy). The results of the user study demonstrate that this methodology can be effectively adopted in the development process of VM systems to optimize its outcomes in terms of usability and potential for entertainment and education.
Project VISAS: Virtual and Augmented Exploitation of Submerged Archaeological Sites‐Overview and First Results
Marine Technology Society Journal, 2016
VISAS (Virtual and Augmented Exploitation of Submerged Archaeological Sites) is a collaborative r... more VISAS (Virtual and Augmented Exploitation of Submerged Archaeological Sites) is a collaborative research project created to improve the responsible and sustainable exploitation of underwater archaeological sites. This strategic goal is reached through the development of three services. The first concerns the 3-D reconstruction of the underwater environment by using a methodology for optical and acoustic bathymetric data fusion. The second is based on a virtual reality system for dive session planning and 3-D exploration of the underwater site. Finally, the third service is intended to enrich the diving experience through a virtual guide running on an underwater tablet equipped with a hybrid tracking system. This paper provides a summary report of the project and an overview of the partial results achieved.
Diseño y Construcción De Un Cincel Eléctrico Para Aplicaciones Submarinas
DYNA INGENIERIA E INDUSTRIA, 2015
La arqueologia subacuatica se esta convirtiendo en un campo determinado de estudio e investigacio... more La arqueologia subacuatica se esta convirtiendo en un campo determinado de estudio e investigacion en patrimonio cultural, gracias a la mejora de materiales, tecnologias y metodologias de exploracion. El objetivo de la arqueologia subacuatica es mejorar y preservar los artefactos sumergidos sin extraerlos de los fondos marinos. Este documento describe las etapas de diseno y fabricacion de un cincel submarino electrico
ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 2015
Recovering correct or at least realistic colors of underwater scenes is a very challenging issue ... more Recovering correct or at least realistic colors of underwater scenes is a very challenging issue for imaging techniques, since illumination conditions in a refractive and turbid medium as the sea are seriously altered. The need to correct colors of underwater images or videos is an important task required in all image-based applications like 3D imaging, navigation, documentation, etc. Many imaging enhancement methods have been proposed in literature for these purposes. The advantage of these methods is that they do not require the knowledge of the medium physical parameters while some image adjustments can be performed manually (as histogram stretching) or automatically by algorithms based on some criteria as suggested from computational color constancy methods. One of the most popular criterion is based on gray-world hypothesis, which assumes that the average of the captured image should be gray. An interesting application of this assumption is performed in the Ruderman opponent co...
Electromechanical devices for supporting the restoration of underwater archaeological artefacts
OCEANS 2015 - Genova, 2015
In accordance to the recommendations of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwate... more In accordance to the recommendations of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Culturage Heritage in the last years many projects have been founded and are now underway developing and testing new techniques and tools to support in-situ conservation of underwater archaeological remains. This paper describes the contribution of the CoMAS project ("In situ conservation planning of Underwater Archaeological Artefacts" - www.comasproject.eu) in the development of innovative electromechanical devices that can efficiently support the cleaning process of submerged archaeological structures.
VR (Virtual Reality) is a powerful tool for the simulation of virtual prototypes, because it allo... more VR (Virtual Reality) is a powerful tool for the simulation of virtual prototypes, because it allows engineers to enhance the analysis and validation of the digital product before manufacturing any physical mock-up. Unfortunately, VR software tools are not able to fully simulate the behaviour of a virtual product, because they are mainly conceived to reproduce the visual appearance of the product: the functional simulation is limited to basic behaviours related to the animation of the objects in the virtual world (e.g.: part movements). This paper describes an innovative approach to create functional behaviour simulations in VR using the same models and the same software employed by the engineers in the design phase. Our approach is based on the run-time connection between the VR software and the simulators used for product design and analysis. This means that there is no need to write code for describing the product behaviour, and any modification done on the behaviour models is immediately testable in VR. It is apparent that these advantages allow to reduce the time needed to implement the virtual prototyping, thus achieving a more efficient design process.
This paper describes a web application for supporting the user in the assessment of the optimal l... more This paper describes a web application for supporting the user in the assessment of the optimal loading configuration for several carriers (i.e. trucks, containers, ship, etc.). The application has a standard form-based user-interface to insert data of the available carriers and items have to be loaded. The solution of this problem (known as Bin-Packing Problem (BPP)) is found by a specific algorithm and visualized by a 3D graphics representation inside the web page. Although some commercial applications already exist, ours runs directly on the web and offers, at the same time, an efficient and robust solver and a 3D visualization allowing the user to better understand the localization of the items inside the carrier and to interactively change some of the problem constraints directly on the 3D representation.
Sensors, 2013
In some application fields, such as underwater archaeology or marine biology, there is the need t... more In some application fields, such as underwater archaeology or marine biology, there is the need to collect three-dimensional, close-range data from objects that cannot be removed from their site. In particular, 3D imaging techniques are widely employed for close-range acquisitions in underwater environment. In this work we have compared in water two 3D imaging techniques based on active and passive approaches, respectively, and whole-field acquisition. The comparison is performed under poor visibility conditions, produced in the laboratory by suspending different quantities of clay in a water tank. For a fair comparison, a stereo configuration has been adopted for both the techniques, using the same setup, working distance, calibration, and objects. At the moment, the proposed setup is not suitable for real world applications, but it allowed us to conduct a preliminary analysis on the performances of the two techniques and to understand their capability to acquire 3D points in presence of turbidity. The performances have been evaluated in terms of accuracy and density of the acquired 3D points. Our results can be used as a reference for further comparisons in the analysis of other 3D techniques and algorithms.
3D reconstruction of an outdoor archaeological site through a multi-view stereo technique
2013 Digital Heritage International Congress (DigitalHeritage), 2013
ABSTRACT This paper describes the experimentation of a common multi-view stereo technique on a pa... more ABSTRACT This paper describes the experimentation of a common multi-view stereo technique on a particularly complex test case: the “Via Colonnata" in the archaeological site of Kyme Eolica in Turkey. The study demonstrates that it is possible to create a detailed 3D model of an area sized tens of square meters without the need to use any dedicated device like laser scanners, drones or helium balloons, but just employing a digital camera and open source software. The reconstruction process implemented in this study addresses and solves some of the most relevant problems related to the reconstruction of large areas and the subsequent mapping of a texture on the geometrical model. In particular, we suggest some guidelines for the acquisition phase that help to reduce the subsequent problems related both to 3D geometry creation and texture mapping. In the pre-processing phase, we propose an automated technique for filtering of unimportant areas, based on the analysis of the disparity maps related to each image pair (the farther areas from the current point of view are masked out, in order to obtain a 3D model free of artifacts/defects). For the texture mapping process, in order to reduce the blur resulting from averaging and blending operations in overlapping areas, we propose a method that automatically identifies the most appropriate subset of images to be projected on the 3D model.
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Papers by Maurizio Muzzupappa