CI39030 – Virtual Sensei
Project Proposal
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1.0
29/09/2003
Draft
Kieren McDonald
ProjectProposal.doc
5 pages
Amendment Log
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0.1
29.09.03
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Original document
CONTENTS
1.0
Project Description ............................................................................. 3
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
2.0
3.0
4.0
Sub-system 1 – Streaming Media ...................................................... 3
Sub-system 2 – Data Dictionary ......................................................... 4
Sub-system 3 – Motion Capturing System.......................................... 4
Sub-system 4 - Forum ........................................................................ 4
Sub-system 5 – Dynamic graphics ..................................................... 4
Sub-system 6 – Editing Suite ............................................................. 4
Work to be Tackled ............................................................................. 5
Project Deliverables ............................................................................ 5
Initial Bibliography .............................................................................. 5
1.0 Project Description
The title of my project is Virtual Sensei. I am carrying out the project for the Tekki
Karate Club – a Karate Club based in Aberystwyth, who I am an instructor for. My
karate instructor is the IT manager and programmer for the School of Health Science
in Swansea University so is able to supply most hardware and software required.
A key part of karate is kata (forms), which is basically a set sequence of moves. The
katas get more complex as you move up the grades, involving all moves – slow and
fast, which are done using various maneuvers and at different angles.
Virtual Sensei will be a web resource for all karateka (karate students), providing help
with their katas, basics (karate moves), more tuition through a discussion forum and
also general karate information. Virtual Sensei will always be available and the
students would require it constantly – to start learning a new kata or moves after
passing their next grade, to prepare for a grading by checking the grading syllabus, to
check the details of their kata in-between training sessions to help progression, to
question the instructors on any topics.
The main part of Virtual Sensei will be to present katas in such a way that karateka of
all grades will find it useful. I will have to conduct a vast amount of research by
questioning karateka of all grades to find out how they would like the katas to be
presented, as the key to the resource will be the front-end. I will implement 3 katas
and to do this I will require a black belt to demonstrate the kata moves. I will capture
each move from each four compass points as a static digital picture and edit as
necessary. For the more complex moves, I shall take static digital pictures for each
sub-move – however many are necessary – and if necessary, I shall also capture the
move as streaming media.
I shall describe the katas using XML schemas, and displaying them using ASP.NET
and vb.NET. The front-end will display each static digital picture from the start to the
end of the kata and the appropriate sub-moves and accompanying streaming media
but also providing the user with the ability to select which angle to look at. To
support the pictures there will also be instructions. I will provide the user with the
ability to select what level they are, and the content will output to suit them, e.g. if the
user chooses the beginner level, all sub-moves will be shown and only English words
used in the instructions.
1.1 Sub-system 1 – Streaming Media
Many moves can be very complex as you move into the higher grade katas so static
pictures would not suit their purpose, which is to instruct the user how to do the move.
In this case I would record the move and provide the user with the option to view the
move being done as streaming media. This would also be useful when there are many
sub-moves so the user can see the whole move being done and also to determine how
fast/slow to do the move.
1.2 Sub-system 2 – Data Dictionary
I will create a data dictionary in XML to hold all Japanese words and the English
translation. When the Japanese or English words (depending on the level chosen by
the user) are used in the instructions, they will be hyper linked so the user can click on
it, which will provide information on the move. The information will include the
Japanese/English translation, how to say it (i.e. chudan, said as ‘chew-dan’), a static
digital picture of the move (more if necessary to show how to do it) and instructions
on how to do it.
1.3 Sub-system 3 – Motion Capturing System
I will use the motion tracking system and Vicon software to capture individual moves.
To do this, again I shall require a black belt to demonstrate the move and then I will
have to use the system to capture the move and use the software to edit the results. I
shall provide this resource to support the data dictionary (sub-system 2), so that the
user gets a better idea of how to do the move.
1.4 Sub-system 4 - Forum
I will create a forum in ASP.NET so that discussion threads can be created and
responded to. The aim of this is to allow the users to question the instructors on
certain aspects of karate, whether it may be in follow up to a training session and they
want to practice what was taught but need extra clarification or to ask about their
grading syllabus for their next grading. This will be very useful because it could be
used to get feedback on Virtual Sensei and also to receive comments on an
instructor’s training session so that they can improve their training techniques.
1.5 Sub-system 5 – Dynamic graphics
I will dynamically display the feet/hip/knee positioning for every move by using an
Applet and also dynamically draw the path of the kata as the user steps through the
moves. This will provide the user with a graphical layout for the direction of each
move.
1.6 Sub-system 6 – Editing Suite
I will create an editing suite so that all instructors would be able to add/edit/remove
moves in a kata, change instructions that support the kata moves, add/edit moves in
the data dictionary. This would be useful because most instructors do not have
knowledge of XML so wouldn’t be able to do anything like this if they didn’t have a
simple user interface. Moves in katas change slightly quite often so having an easy,
user-friendly way of changing them would prove useful.
2.0 Work to be Tackled
Researching how karateka will like to see the katas presented and the amount of detail
they want will be quite a task because everyone will want to see it differently and at a
different level of detail. Designing this part of the website will be hardest because I
will have to think of a design so that it is actually useful and also suits all grades.
Capturing and editing the static and streaming media will be a big task because there
is a lot of moves and sub-moves for each kata, let alone for the data dictionary aswell.
I will have to teach myself ASP.NET, vb.NET, XML so that will take up a lot of my
time and implementing it will probably take time until I get into it.
The data dictionary will be quite time consuming because there will be quite a lot of
moves but also the accompanying text, pictures, streaming media to support them.
The most time consuming part of Virtual Sensei will be learning and experimenting
with the motion capturing system and Vicon software because I have never used
anything like it.
3.0 Project Deliverables
Extract from Outline Specification document on CompSci web page - (This should list
everything you expect to produce. This should normally include specified items of
working software, any reviews (of technology etc...) that you see as of fundamental
importance to the project, and of course the posters and final report.)
???
4.0 Initial Bibliography
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CD for Vicon software from Horst Holstein
ASP.NET book and web tutorials from Simon Thompson & websites
Vb.NET book and web tutorials from Simon Thompson & websites
XML book and web tutorials from Simon Thompson & websites