Dr. Anastasios G. Bakaoukas

Dr. ANASTASIOS G. BAKAOUKAS

Senior Lecturer In Games Programming

Programme Leader For BSc (Hons) Games Programming

Leader For "Centre For Advanced & Smart Technologies (CAST)" - The "Computer Games, Augment & Virtual Reality" Branch

University of Northampton,

Faculty of Arts, Science & Technology,

Technology Department,

University Drive,

NN1 5PH, Northampton, UK.

Tel. +44 (0)1604-893675

E-mail: Anastasios.Bakaoukas@northampton.ac.uk

Dr. Anastasios G. Bakaoukas is a Senior Lecturer in Games Programming at University of Northampton (UK), in the Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology. He teaches C++, C++/SFML, C#, Java, Java Script, ActionScript 3 and Python for Computer Games, as well as Unity3D Game Engine (C#), Unreal Engine 4 & 5 (C++, “Blueprints”), GoDot Game Engine (GDScript, C++, C#, Visual Scripting), Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning for Computer Games. He is the Programme Leader for the HND/BSc Games Programming course and he is overseeing the research arm for Computer Games within the University of Northampton (UK), which is active in a number of subject areas within the wider Computer Games area including Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality. In 2017, under the “Partnerships Grants Summer 2017”, Royal Society’s funding scheme for advancing scientific research in schools, and in collaboration with Caroline Chisholm School, was successful in biding for a funding to initiate a Virtual Reality Research Project in that school. The project, at its conclusion, achieved second price among eleven candidates and helped significantly in initiating and supporting scientific research in schools in the area of Northamptonshire.

Since arriving at the University of Northampton (UK) in 2014, has been involved with the HND/BSc Computer Games Development course by delivering all the games programming related modules. Later, he created and both internally and externally validated the HND/BSc Games Programming course which eventually came to substitute for the HND/BSc Computer Games Development course which from the 2019/2020 academic year is not offered any more by the University. He has seen since the HND/BSc Games Programming course grow into a successful and popular course in the Computer Games sector of the Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology.

He was previously a Senior Researcher/Lecturer, designing and creating computer games in the Serious Games Institute (SGI), an operating division of Coventry University (UK) and an international centre for excellence with a focus on Serious Games applied research, business engagement and study. The institute had at the time partnerships with over 200 companies and organisations including universities, schools, businesses and government entities. He was involved in a number of European (7th Framework) and EPSRC research projects related to the application of Serious Games in various aspects of the academic, industrial and social life.

Prior to this, Anastasios was a Senior Lecturer B with Birmingham City University (UK) where he co-created and co-validated both internally and externally the BSc Music Technology course in 2001 in collaboration with Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (UK), one of the university’s most successful courses to the present. He supported the course by delivering modules in the area of programming for sound systems, programming for embedded applications, and the mathematical aspect of signals and sounds. He was also involved in the Digital Signal Processing and Software Engineering courses by delivering modules in mathematics, operating systems programming and Software Engineering Project Management. All while being at the same time a part-time computer games programmer designing and developing games for a number of software companies that at the time were becoming rapidly active in developing games for the then at its infancy Mobile Platform.

He completed a PhD in Software Engineering & Scientific Computing at Birmingham City University (UK) in 2006. This was entitled “Computing With First And Higher Order Solitons In Non-linear Optical Media”, falling into the scientific area of Unconventional Computing. The thesis considered the establishment of the mathematical theory, the design and implementation standards, as well as the development at a software simulation level, of the next all-optical generation of computational machines where light, as through miniaturised optical fibres, is the only medium for transferring bits of information between processing units and the machine’s memory and storage media. The results have demonstrated that not only all-optical machines are possible and holding unparalleled advantages over today’s electronic machines but that potentially even the transformation of the Internet infrastructure into a giant computational machine is possible. He has a BSc in Computing from Coventry University (UK) (1999) and an MSc (Distinction) in Data Communications (Digital Signal Processing/Optical Communications) from Birmingham City University (UK) (2001).

Anastasios has published in the fields of Digital Signal Processing, Digital Image Processing, Brain Computer Interface, Unconventional Computing, Serious Games, Computer Games Algorithms, Scientific Computing & Virtual Reality’s impact on cultural heritage. He has a number of top-rated journal & conference publications and has won accreditation from his peers at both an academic and personal level.

Interview With Dr. Anastasios G. Bakaoukas From University of Northampton (UK)

SELECTED OUTPUTS

SCIENZA LABS

Computer Programming, Mathematics, Digital Signal Processing (D.S.P.),
Computer Games Programming, Programming Techniques & Algorithms,
Scientific Computing, Electronic Circuits

Computer Programming

This Lab contains Computer Programs in various programming languages, the main purpose of which, more than anything else, is to:

Demonstrate various computer programming techniques.
Demonstrate, related to computer programming, problem solving methodologies.

DETAILS

Mathematics

This Lab contains analysis of various problems from the strictly Mathematical point of view. Where possible, solutions are discussed from both a theoretical and a practical point of view. A collection of articles on Mathematical areas like:

“Pure Mathematics”, “Applied Mathematics”.
“Number Theory”, “Properties of Numbers”.

DETAILS

Digital Signal Processing (D.S.P.)

This Lab contains discussions on theoretical issues, problem solving techniques and approaches, as well as application implementation methodologies for Digital Signal Processing (D.S.P.) related topics, such as:

Digital Signal Processing (D.S.P.) algorithms and applications.
Methodologies that significantly contributed to active research in the flield.

DETAILS

Computer Games Programming

This Lab contains Computer Games Programs in various programming languages & Games Engines. Computer Games Programming is a subset of Computer Games Development that requires substantial skill in Software Engineering and the following areas:

Simulation, Computer Graphics, Artificial Intelligence (AI),
Physics & Audio Programming.

DETAILS

Programming Techniques & Algorithms

This Lab contains general purpose Algorithms (an “Algorithm” is a set of commands written in some agreed format for a computer to execute with the aim of performing a useful task) that demonstrate:

Various programming techniques,
Various programming methodologies.

DETAILS

Scientific Computing

This Lab contains analysis of various problems in the area of Scientific Computing. This is a field of Science involving mainly Numerical & Algorithmic Methods for the solution of certain classes of Mathematical problems that cannot, in most of the times, be attacked by paper and pencil such as:

Mathematical Models, Computational Models,
Non-equilibrium Dynamics & Explicit Computer Simulations.

DETAILS

Electronic Circuits

This Lab contains electronic circuits that are explained, where possible, in terms of structure and applicability to allow someone to take advantage of them as constituent parts of a larger project and/or application in the areas of:

Computer electronics,
Embedded systems.

DETAILS

My PhD Thesis

The concern of Non-linear physics is often the unexpected appearance of chaos or order. Within this framework the soliton plays the role of order:

Computing with,
Optical Solitons.

DETAILS

Optical Solitons Based All-optical Computational Systems Is The REAL FUTURE of Computing

1How Optical Solitons Can Perform Computations

With Optical Solitons transmitting binary information, instead of square-wave Waveforms, the well-known Toffoli Gates can be fully implemented. This means that optical Soliton based computational systems are both equivalent to the electronic ones and computationally universal.

2The Toffoli Gates equivalent, Optical Soliton Gates

Within the boundaries of the optical Solitons computational system the phase value of the created, “time-gated”, Soliton and its propagation timing are decided dynamically by the system after consideration of the phase values of the two initial Solitons. Such a system is capable of successfully simulating both the CN and the CCN Toffoli Logic Gates.

3The Computational Capabilities of Optical Solitons Have Been Numerically Verified

When higher order dispersive and non-linear effects are neglected, shortpulse optical Solitons propagation in non-linear optical guides is described by the integrable Cubic Non-Linear Schrödinger Equation (3NLSE). The computational capabilities of optical Solitons have been verified by means of the following numerical techniques: a) Finite difference Runge-Kutta technique (FDRKT), b) Split-step Fourier transform (SSFT), c) Fourier series analysis technique (FSAT), d) Fuzzy mesh analysis technique (FMAT).

π Is The Most Famous Number In The World !!!

Number π begins in this way: 3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937510… and with those fifty magical digits one can navigate around almost the whole wide world of calculations, although it is rare to fund a problem in Physics or Mathematics that requires knowing more than ten digits of π.

Is constant π the real reason why the circle cannot be squared?

Significance in Mathematics 100%

Significance in Physics 100%

Significance in Human Life 100%

1

Constant φ is the famous “Golden Ratio”.
2

Among all these notable numbers existing in Mathematics, one is particularly interesting: 1.6180339887... . It turns out that this figure has fascinated more brilliant minds than π or e put together.
3

The list of names attributed to it is long and shows a certain reverence: "The Golden Number", "Transcendental Ratio", "Divine Number", "Divine Ratio"...

4

It is the number represented by the Greek letter Φ.
5

Number φ can be found in the arrangement of the seeds in the head of a sunflower, in the elegant spiral of a snail shell, the shape of our Milky Way galaxy, and many other arrangements in nature.
6

The Golden Ratio’s connection with beauty is not just a human perception. Nature itself grant φ a special role when it comes to selecting certain shapes over others.

The number e, also known as Euler's number, is a mathematical constant approximately equal to 2.71828... . It is the base of the "Natural Logarithm".

What is so “Natural” about 2.71828... anyway? Base l0 logarithms arose out of our number system, based as it is on the number 10. All logarithmic relationships that occur in the natural world, though, have a different base. Because of that, such logarithms are called "Natural".

The "Natural" Exponential function is the unique function which is equal to its own derivative.
The constant was discovered by the Swiss mathematician Jacob Bernoulli while studying compound interest.
Constant e is an Irrational Number, meaning that it cannot be represented as a ratio of integers.
To 50 decimal places the value of constant e is: 2.71828182845904523536028747135266249775724709369995...
The first references to the constant e were published in 1618 in the table of an appendix of a work on Logarithms by John Napier.

SCIENZA ARTICLES (BLOG)

Scienza Articles, is a Blog that contains articles in a number of areas, not strictly about science or strictly-speaking scientific topics. Nevertheless, science is all about uncovering the truth and truth worth uncovering throughout all aspects of human life...