We are excited to share that Qiyuan Cheng and Dhritiman Roy, dedicated members of the HXRI Lab, graduated this May from the Department of Industrial & Enterprise Systems Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Their contributions to the lab have been an integral part of our research efforts, and we are proud to celebrate this important milestone in their academic journeys. We look forward to seeing the impact they will continue to make as they move forward in their professional careers.

Qiyuan’s thesis research investigates how AI-powered conversational agents (CAs) can support older adults in learning and using virtual reality (VR) technology. Through interviews and a participatory design workshop, he identified challenges such as physical barriers, complex interfaces, and social factors. Older adults emphasized the need for personalized, adaptable support that maintains their independence. They envisioned CAs offering natural, empathetic, and context-aware assistance. Based on these insights, he proposed design guidelines for creating AI-driven VR learning systems that are both user-friendly and age-inclusive.

Dhritiman’s thesis research focuses on hybrid control for robotics, combining classical methods, optimal planning, and online learning. He developed a control framework for a 2D quadrotor using PD, NLP-based planners, and Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle, with a high-level EXP3-based Multi-Armed Bandit algorithm to adaptively switch controllers. This approach improves robustness and adaptability in uncertain environments and can generalize to other robotic systems.

Congratulations to Qiyuan and Dhritiman on their achievements!