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Development of a Vibrotactile Wearable for Real-Time Information Communication
(University of Iceland, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, 2026) Yeganeh, Nashmin; Prof. Dr. Rúnar Unnþórsson; Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science (UI); Iðnaðarverkfræði-, vélaverkfræði- og tölvunarfræðideild (HÍ); School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (UI); Verkfræði- og náttúruvísindasvið (HÍ)
In a digital environment saturated with information, there is an increasing need for new ways to deliver information quickly and reliably without relying on sight or hearing. This is especially critical when these senses are already overloaded or otherwise unavailable. Vibrotactile stimulation, where information is conveyed through vibrations on the skin, shows great promise as a way to utilize the body’s sense of touch. The effectiveness of such systems, however, depends entirely on how the vibrations are structured and calibrated, particularly on regions of the body where the skin is less sensitive. This thesis investigates how to design and fine-tune vibrotactile stimulation in wearable devices so that it communicates information reliably in real-time without causing cognitive fatigue. The forearm is well-suited for such equipment as it does not hinder hand movement and the device can remain nearly unobtrusive. However, the density of mechanoreceptors is lower and spatial perception is poorer there than, for example, in the fingertips, which imposes certain perceptual constraints. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically research how the location, frequency, and temporal patterns of vibration affect how we perceive the vibrations and interpret the messages encoded within them. A custom-built wearable device was designed using voice coil actuators integrated into a flexible textile substrate with 3D-printed enclosures. The device is capable of delivering dynamic, independent, and spatially distributed vibrations. The research employed psychophysical methods to explore and quantify three core dimensions: spatial resolution, frequency effects, and the temporal structure of stimuli. Thesis Objective 1 (TO1) This objective evaluated the minimum spacing required between actuators for users to distinguish between them. The results revealed that a 20 mm spacing yielded the highest accuracy (approximately 90–92%) on both the dorsal and ventral (upper and under) sides of the forearm. Thesis Objective 2 (TO2) This objective investigated how different frequencies (100–250 Hz) and anatomical placements (wrist, mid-forearm, elbow) affected perception. The study showed that frequency alone had little effect, whereas location was crucial; accuracy was higher in areas near landmarks or bone, such as the wrist and elbow. Thesis Objective 3 (TO3) This objective focused on how the timing of stimuli affects perception. Sequential stimulation, where vibration was delivered by one actuator at a time, was compared to simultaneous stimulation, where all relevant actuators were activated at once. The results confirmed that it is significantly easier to distinguish signals delivered sequentially (93.24% accuracy) than those delivered simultaneously (26.15%). Further investigation into inter-stimulus intervals (ISIs) revealed that accuracy is highest when intervals are between 100 and 500 milliseconds. Shorter patterns proved more effective than longer ones, and users remembered the beginning and end of the sequences best. Furthermore, performance improved with practice, demonstrating that users can learn to adapt to such systems over time. These investigations provide a foundation for the design of wearable tactile systems that work efficiently with human perception. The findings are applicable to the development of assistive technologies, sensory substitution devices, silent alerting systems, and even virtual or augmented reality (VR/AR) interfaces. By demonstrating that complex information can be reliably conveyed through structured vibrations on the forearm, this thesis confirms that touch is a viable communication channel in human-computer interaction when other modalities are overloaded.
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Life in a cold-water environment: Allometric adaptations of cetaceans in Skjálfandi Bay, Iceland
(University of Iceland, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, 2026-08-28) Glarou, Maria; Marianne H. Rasmussen, Fredrik Christiansen, Takashi Iwata, Arnar Pálsson; Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences (UI); Líf- og umhverfisvísindadeild (HÍ); School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (UI); Verkfræði- og náttúruvísindasvið (HÍ)
Energy drives all biological processes and constrains how animals acquire, allocate, and expend resources to maintain fitness. This thesis investigates bioenergetic strategies in sympatric cetaceans inhabiting cold subarctic waters. Focusing on five different-sized species in Skjálfandi Bay, Iceland (harbour porpoises, white-beaked dolphins, minke whales, humpback whales, and blue whales), this study combines UAV photogrammetry and bioenergetic modelling to examine how body size influences heat loss (Article I), field metabolic rate (FMR; Article II), and energetic requirements (Article III) under shared environmental conditions. Heat loss scaled predictably with body size, with absolute heat loss increasing and volume-specific heat loss decreasing across species. Smaller cetaceans exhibited higher surface-area-to-volume ratios (SVR) and therefore higher relative heat loss, partly offset by increased blubber thickness and lower thermal conductivity. In contrast, larger species benefited from reduced SVR and lower relative heat loss. FMR also scaled with body size, with absolute FMR increasing and mass-specific FMR decreasing. Species with higher SVR exhibited higher mass-specific FMR, indicating a correlation between thermoregulatory costs and metabolic scaling. Cetacean FMR estimates were generally higher than predictions for similarly sized terrestrial mammals. Energetic requirements and prey consumption followed the same pattern, with larger species having higher absolute but lower mass-specific requirements. Smaller cetaceans required a greater proportion of their body mass in prey, whereas larger species dominated total prey removal at the population level. Overall, the findings of this thesis show that body size is a primary driver of bioenergetic strategies in cetaceans, shaping their life-history traits and ecological roles.
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What Is This Skítur : Viking Authenticity in Ys X: Nordics as a Japanese Role-Playing Game
(2026) Panaro, Luca Arruns; Bjarnason, Nökkvi Jarl; Faculty of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies
This article explores how viking authenticity is filtered through the media ecology of Japan by employing Ys X: Nordics (Nihon Falcom 2023) as a case study. It examines how the game constructs and engages with historical imaginaries while simultaneously being shaped by conventions and sensibilities of Japanese game development and its broader media landscape. To address this, the discussion situates Ys X within the broader history of viking representation in video games, showing how the figure of the “digital viking” has been recontextualized to meet diverse cultural and commercial demands. Particular attention is then paid to how the national and production context of Ys X inform its representations, with the game blending viking motifs with the visual, narrative, and thematic conventions of anime, manga, and Japanese role-playing games. Through close analysis, the article identifies moments of what can be termed authentic recontextualization, while also being mindful of numerous decontextualized or ornamental uses of viking imagery, names, and mythological figures. These strategies produce a selectively authentic, viking-inflected world that resonates with audience expectations while eschewing historical authenticity. Moreover, the game’s tonal orientation diverges from the “gritty” medievalism common in contemporary Western media, favoring instead the colorful optimism and narrative ethos of mainstream manga and anime, with its emphasis on friendship, perseverance, and collective victory. Ultimately, the article argues that Ys X exemplifies how Japanese popular media reworks transnational historical motifs, embedding them within its own aesthetic and narrative logics. In doing so, it highlights the culturally contingent nature of authenticity in historical games, showing that viking imagery in Japanese contexts functions less as a claim to historical accuracy than as an adaptive, stylistic device within a global media landscape.
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World of ScoreCraft : Novel Multi-Scorer Experiment on the Impact of a Decision Support System in Sleep Staging
(2026-02) Holm, Benedikt; Óskarsson, Arnar; Þorleifsson, Björn Elvar; Hafsteinsson, Hörður Þór; Sigurðardóttir, Sigríður; Grétarsdóttir, Heiður; Hoelke, Kenan; Jouan, Gabriel Marc Marie; Penzel, Thomas; Arnardottir, Erna Sif; Óskarsdóttir, María; Department of Engineering; Department of Computer Science
Manual scoring of polysomnography (PSG) is a time-intensive task, prone to inter-scorer variability that can impact diagnostic reliability. This study investigates the integration of decision support systems (DSS) into PSG scoring workflows, focusing on their effects on accuracy, scoring time and potential biases toward recommendations from artificial intelligence (AI) compared to human-generated recommendations. Using a novel online scoring platform, we conducted a repeated-measures study with sleep technologists, who scored traditional and self-applied PSGs. Participants were occasionally presented with recommendations labelled as either human- or AI-generated. As the goal of this study was to isolate the effect of perceived recommendation sources on scorer behaviour, all recommendations were human-generated. We found that traditional PSGs tended to be scored slightly more accurately than self-applied PSGs, but this difference was not statistically significant. Correct recommendations significantly improved scoring accuracy for both PSG types, while incorrect recommendations reduced accuracy. No significant bias was observed toward or against AI-generated recommendations compared to human-generated recommendations. These findings highlight the potential of DSSs to enhance PSG scoring reliability. However, ensuring the accuracy of the suggestions is critical to maximising its benefits. Future research should explore the long-term impacts of DSS on scoring workflows and strategies for integrating AI in clinical practice.
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An optimized framework for processing multicentric polysomnographic data incorporating expert human oversight
(2024) Holm, Benedikt; Jouan, Gabriel; Hardarson, Emil; Sigurðardottir, Sigríður; Hoelke, Kenan; Murphy, Conor; Arnardóttir, Erna Sif; Óskarsdóttir, María; Islind, Anna Sigríður; Department of Engineering; Department of Computer Science
Introduction: Polysomnographic recordings are essential for diagnosing many sleep disorders, yet their detailed analysis presents considerable challenges. With the rise of machine learning methodologies, researchers have created various algorithms to automatically score and extract clinically relevant features from polysomnography, but less research has been devoted to how exactly the algorithms should be incorporated into the workflow of sleep technologists. This paper presents a sophisticated data collection platform developed under the Sleep Revolution project, to harness polysomnographic data from multiple European centers. Methods: A tripartite platform is presented: a user-friendly web platform for uploading three-night polysomnographic recordings, a dedicated splitter that segments these into individual one-night recordings, and an advanced processor that enhances the one-night polysomnography with contemporary automatic scoring algorithms. The platform is evaluated using real-life data and human scorers, whereby scoring time, accuracy, and trust are quantified. Additionally, the scorers were interviewed about their trust in the platform, along with the impact of its integration into their workflow. Results: We found that incorporating AI into the workflow of sleep technologists both decreased the time to score by up to 65 min and increased the agreement between technologists by as much as 0.17 κ. Discussion: We conclude that while the inclusion of AI into the workflow of sleep technologists can have a positive impact in terms of speed and agreement, there is a need for trust in the algorithms.

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