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 […]

In August 2024, the HXRI Lab admits a researcher: Sai Meenakshi Hariharan. We wish her lots of success in her research journey.

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.

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 […]

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, […]

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. […]

A conferenced paper titled “A Participatory Design Approach to Develop a VR-Based Electrocardiogram Training Simulator” was published at the 15th International Conference, VAMR 2023 held as Part of the 25th HCI International Conference. The paper investigates the use of Virtual Reality (VR) in medical training simulators. VR enables full immersion in digital environments and is […]

The Grainger College of Engineering’s Jump ARCHES Research Program has awarded $100,000 for the first phase of developing a mixed reality simulator for neonatal needle thoracentesis. The project is led by Avinash Gupta, a teaching assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in collaboration with Nicole Rau, an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at […]

Professor Gupta was invited to speak at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions Panel titled “Tech-infused Collaboration: Uniting Science and Tech to Elevate CVH through Mental Wellness Solutions”. In his talk, he introduced the human-centric approach he uses in his research for extended reality applications, demonstrating the potential impact of the human extended reality interaction framework for […]

Emre and Arnav presented at the 11th Annual Jump ARCHES Symposium about two different projects at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Peoria, Illinois. Emre presented the ongoing the Augmented Reality (AR)-assisted Endotracheal Incubation (ETI) Trainer project. The AR-based Endotracheal Intubation ETI Simulator is a developing project aimed at improving training for medical students and healthcare […]