Enhancing User Experience in Extended Reality Towards Transformative Outcomes
Extended reality (XR) technologies, including virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), are transforming work, education, and training, offering numerous benefits. XR enables cost and risk reduction, improved access and equity, and enhanced productivity and outcomes. My research focuses on two interdependent thrusts that inform and complement each other. My primary research goal is to guarantee that XR systems facilitate favorable user experiences across diverse scenarios. My secondary objective is to utilize XR techniques in contexts where they can have a transformative impact.
This presentation will give an overview of my years of research on XR User Experience. This includes the development of effective and user-friendly interaction techniques, optimizing user comfort in VR, and implementing customized tangible input devices for virtual object manipulation. By ensuring the delivery of high-quality XR user experiences, we can make a tangible impact on real-world critical applications like public safety and healthcare. Partnering with domain experts and developing cross-disciplinary collaborations is essential to achieve this goal. I will present my recent research on advanced AR interfaces for first responders. I will describe the process we used to partner with public safety experts to design and simulate next-generation AR user interfaces in VR and detail my ongoing effort to integrate AR interface modules into public safety operations.
In addition, I will discuss the remarkable impact that XR can have on healthcare. As a proof of concept tool, I will showcase SURVIVRS, an immersive surgery guidance application that permits remote experts to oversee procedures in remote and inaccessible areas. I will outline my long-term plan for enhancing healthcare equity and accessibility by integrating high-quality XR technology with networking and artificial intelligence (AI) advancements to transform healthcare delivery to underserved communities.
About Regis Kopper
Dr. Regis Kopper is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Iowa State University. He researches extended reality (XR) interfaces and user experience (UX) for immersive interactive systems. His research involves interaction design, simulation, and training, focusing on the design and evaluation of highly effective 3D user interfaces and their application in critical areas such as public safety and health care. His work has been recognized with awards like the Best Paper Award in the IEEE Symposium in 3D User Interfaces and the IEEE Virtual Reality’s 3D User Interfaces Grand Prize. More recently, Dr. Kopper has expanded his research to investigate the potential of immersive technology for delivering equitable, sustainable, and accessible healthcare. He is dedicated to creating innovative solutions that can have a global impact and improve people's lives. Dr. Kopper's research has been funded by prestigious organizations such as the DoD, NSF, NIH, and NIST. He holds a B.A. and M.S. in Computer Science from the PUCRS, Brazil, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Virginia Tech.
Note: this event was moved from October 7th to October 16th