Category Archives: Featured

Research paper presentation IEEE VR

Abstract: The deficit in joint attention is an early predictor of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Training of joint attention has been a significant topic in ASD intervention. We propose a novel training approach using a Customizable Virtual Human (CVH) and a Virtual Reality (VR) game. We developed a CVH in an educational game – Imagination Drums – and conducted a user study on adolescents with high functioning ASD. The study results showed that the CVH makes the participants gaze less at the irrelevant area of the game’s storyline (i.e. background), but surprisingly, also provided evidence that participants react slower to the CVH’s joint attention bids, compared with Non-Customizable Virtual Humans.

 

Bio

Dr. Chao Mei currently serves as the Director of Human Factors Engineering at TCL Rayneo XR, leading the research of Human-Computer Interaction for AR wearable devices.  Before TCL Raynow, he worked in Meta Reality Labs and the Dept. of Software Engineering and Game Development at Kennesaw State University. He is an NSF grant awardee.  He received his Ph.D in Computer Science from the Computer Science Dept. at The University of Texas at San Antonio on Aug. 2016. His Ph.D. advisor is Dr. John Quarles who is the director of the San Antonio Virtual Environment (SAVE) lab. His main research areas are: Human-Computer Interaction – Virtual/Augmented Reality, Special Education, Educational Gaming and Software Engineering. He also got an M.B.A. degree from Georgia Institute of Technology.

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Virtual Reality Walk M.S.

The ‘Virtual Reality MS walk’ is design to raise funds and awareness for MS and MS related research. Specifically, the it is a 3D online multi user virtual environment modeled after the real walk held at the AT&T Center every year. The Virtual Reality MS Walk will occur concurrently with the real MS Walk, and will enable people all over the world to actively participate in the walk, regardless of any mobility impairment they may have.

Our team are finalizing the release version, and it is going to be available online at Google Play Store and Apple App Strore the same day with the real walk event on Mar. 7 the 2015.

Anesthesia Simulator

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This project is a collaboration between The University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Florida. I am the developer of the anesthesia simulator tool. Below is a video overview of this project, but it is an relatively old version. For more current version, please go to projects page and download.

And the research we conducted with my tool:

AIM: We studied whether anesthesia providers account for racial differences in propofol sensitivity (reported in the anesthesia literature) when selecting loading doses for propofol sedation and analgesia.

METHODS: We developed a mixed reality simulator consisting of a 3D virtual human and a physical mannequin. Based on published data, propofol pharmacodynamics was altered, in order of increasing sensitivity (loss of consciousness, LOC, determined by loss of response to verbal commands at lower effect site concentrations), for Caucasian, Black and Indian (South Asian) patients. With IRB approval and informed consent, anesthesia providers administered propofol sedation and analgesia for upper GI endoscopy to three consecutive simulated male patients (Caucasian, Indian, Black) that were otherwise similar. Users interacted with the mannequin (verbal, jaw thrusts, shaking); the virtual representation depicted movement and pain response and a different patient appearance based on race.

RESULTS: There were 37 study participants (23 males, 14 females; 13 faculty members, 10 residents, 8 nurse anesthetists, 3 fellows, 3 anesthesiology assistants; age: 28-68, 38.6±10.1 years; experience delivering propofol during sedation and analgesia: 1-20, 6.8±5.8 years. The loading doses were Caucasian (0.27-1.71, 0.77±0.31 mg/kg), Indian (0.29–1.71, 0.80±0.32 mg/kg), Black (0.25-1.71 0.79±0.28 mg/kg). The time durations of oversedation (LOC) were Caucasian (0-318, 147±85 s), Indian (26–338, 207±68 s), Black (0-367, 191±81 s). Between patient races, there was no significant difference in loading doses (p=???) and a significant difference in LOC duration (p=???).

CONCLUSIONS: If the above data collected in a simulated environment at an academic health center in the Southeast United States are representative of actual clinical practice, it indicates a race-blind formulaic  pproach that predisposes sensitive races to oversedation and a learning gap that may need to be addressed in training programs.