Mechatronics and Motivation
Goals
Develop, deploy, and study the effect of wearable haptic devices in K12 classrooms. Tactile receptors found in skin offer a versatile engineering interface for eliciting perceptions. Many K-12 students find it challenging to engage with traditional instructional media, which is almost exclusively audiovisual. An advanced wearable haptic device we developed creates a new opportunity for engaging students with a full spectrum of sensory input. The Mechatronics and Motivation team will leverage advanced haptic concepts, along with commercial AR/VR headsets, to make learning and teaching more engaging, effective, and inclusive for diverse K-12 student populations.
Issues Involved or Addressed
Students will engage in a comprehensive cycle of research, including the evaluation of advanced haptics in a classroom setting. Examples of research directions will include: 1. Haptics in augmented reality systems for embodied mathematics learning. Students will develop augmented reality systems that leverage haptic feedback for children to feel mathematical concepts (such as area, volume) and build their virtual space using such concepts. Our team will conduct user studies with local elementary students using eye tracking, interviews, and observation. 2. Manufacturing optimization for the fabrication of flexible, distributed haptic devices. This project would focus on the fabrication of flexible printed circuit boards (fPCBs), the implementation of embedded firmware, and the use of cloud-based servers for remote operation. The haptic devices developed as part of these tasks will be central to many of the other research directions that would be part of this project. 3. Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) software for integrating haptic devices into virtual environments. This direction will center around the development of software for our haptic devices that will allow them to be used in virtual environments. The aim will be for these devices to operate alongside or independent from VR headsets such as Oculus Rift. This capability will be critical for adapting haptic technologies to video games and pedagogical tasks.
Partners/Sponsors
The School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, through faculty startup funding
Link(s)
Methods and Technologies
- Haptics and mechatronic wearables
- Intelligent systems
- Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR)
- Education technologies
- Learning science
- Flexible embedded bio-integrated electronics
- Cloud computing
- K-12 classroom interviews
- human-computer interaction
Majors Sought
Computing: Computational Media, Human-Centered Computing
Engineering: Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics
Liberal Arts: Digital Media
Sciences: Neuroscience, Psychology
Preferred Interests and Preparation
EE, CompE, Neuro: Background and/or interest in device fabrication, including verification and validation studies. Digital Media, Computational Media, Robotics: Background and/or interest in software development for AR/VR systems and distributed control/sensing. Psych, HCI: Background and/or interest in literature review of embodied cognition, learning science, and technology-enhanced mathematics learning; user studies/interviews of K-12 students in and out of school classroom settings; and survey development.
Day, Time & Location
Full Team Meeting:
2:00-2:50 Wednesday
Van Leer 465
Subteam meetings scheduled after classes begin.