Use of Virtual Reality for Reading a Superheated Emulsion Detector

Abstract

This paper presents a method based on Virtual Reality for reading the Superheated Emulsion Detector (Bubble
Detector). The proposed method is an alternative to: automatic counters offered by the manufacturers of
detectors, since they have a relatively high cost (acquisition, maintenance and periodic calibration), and visual
counting of detectors, since it only has an advantage when there are a small number of bubbles. The method
starts with the collection of detector’s digital images in order to obtain a sequence of images to create an
animation that is displayed with the help of Virtual Reality. To this end, it is modeled, using OpenGL graphics
library, a virtual environment for visualizing and manipulating virtual detector. It is made, then a calibration of
this virtual environment thus ensuring the correspondence of the model with reality. The reading of the detector
(bubbles count) is made visually by the user with the assistance of stereo vision and a 3D cursor to navigation,
marking and counting the bubbles. The user views a further auxiliary display that shows the three-dimensional
cursor position, the labeled amount of bubbles and the measured dose. After testing, the following results were
achieved: better precision in counting the bubbles compared with the 10% reported by the manufacturer of the
automatic reader; achieving a low cost tool that requires no calibration constant in the process of maintenance
and/or lifetime; minimizing the problem of manual counting for large number of bubbles and ease of use,
because can be operated by a common user.