On February 11, 2025, Vihaan and Helen presented the Mixed Reality Simulator Neonatal Needle Thoracentesis Procedures at the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Fair. The event was hosted in the Illini Union to encourage the Illinois undergraduate population to involve themselves in research. They met many incredible individuals who stopped by to learn more about HXRI’s impact to medicine and education […]
Author: EE
Esha Mujumdar
Undergraduate Student Esha is a BS student studying Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As an undergraduate research assistant in the HRXI Lab, she is helping to develop virtual reality applications and provides insights. She is also interested in Human-Computer Interaction and computer security, particularly in designing and enhancing user experience. In […]
Trustan Price
Undergraduate Student Trustan Gabriel Price is an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, majoring in Statistics with minors in Computer Science and Data Science. As a research assistant, he is passionate about machine learning, computer vision, and applied AI in healthcare technology, focusing on data-driven solutions for surgical training and extended reality applications. Beyond […]
Researcher Sai Meenakshi Hariharan joins the HXRI Lab!
In August 2024, the HXRI Lab admits a researcher: Sai Meenakshi Hariharan. We wish her lots of success in her research journey.
PhD Student Emre Eraslan and Masters Student Qiyuan Cheng Join the HXRI Lab!
In August 2023, the HXRI Lab admits two new students: a PhD student, Emre Eraslan, and a masters student, Qiyuan Cheng. We wish them lots of success in their research journey.
McKechnie Family LIFE Home hosts a Fall Open House
On October 2nd, 2024, the McKechnie Family LIFE Home hosted a fall open house, offering guests a chance to explore the groundbreaking research taking place at the facility. Attendees were able to engage with researchers, explore cutting-edge technologies, and witness robotics demonstrations. Faculty, post-docs, and both graduate and undergraduate students displayed their projects, sparking insightful […]
Helen Ryding
Undergraduate Student Helen is a Computer Science undergraduate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a strong interest in computer vision, human-computer interaction, and AI. At the HXRI lab, she works on object tracking for the neonatal thoracentesis mixed reality simulator, helping to ensure that real-world medical tools align accurately with the virtual simulation. Outside of […]
Sai Meenakshi Hariharan
Researcher Sai Meenakshi is an Academic Researcher in the Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is actively engaged in research at the HXRI Laboratory, contributing to virtual reality (VR) development projects. Her research interests lie at the intersection of software development and emerging technologies, with a particular […]
Qiyuan submitted his thesis titled “Designing AI-driven conversational agents to support older adults’ virtual reality learning and lifelong growth”
This study examines how AI-powered conversational agents (CAs) can assist older adults in learning and interacting with virtual reality (VR) technology. Using semi-structured interviews and a participatory design workshop, we investigated the challenges older adults encounter when learning VR, their support needs, and their expectations from AI assistance. The results highlight physical obstacles, complex interfaces, […]
Conference Paper on “Effect of Tactile Affordance During the Design of Extended Reality-Based Training Environments for Healthcare Contexts” was published in ICHCI!
A conferenced paper titled “Effect of Tactile Affordance During the Design of Extended Reality-Based Training Environments for Healthcare Contexts” was published at the 15th International Conference, VAMR 2023 held as Part of the 25th HCI International Conference. In this paper, the impact of tactile affordance in the design of Extended Reality (XR)-based environments is presented. […]