Ryan Kim

Advisor: Dr. Paul M. Torrens

My research resides at the intersection of augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), human-computer interaction (HCI), and urban simulation. I am particularly interested in two key questions: 1) how AR/VR and wearable sensors can facilitate measurements of the physical and physiological conditions of their users, and 2) how virtual geographic environments (VGEs) can help us better understand both micro and macroscopic urban phenomena in the real world. I explore these questions by inserting participants into VR-based VGEs and studying their emergent interactions with dynamic virtual agents and vehicles. I empirically quantify these interactions through body/gaze tracking with IMUs, gyroscopes, and wearable cameras, as well as electroencephalography (EEG) with mobile brain-computer interfaces (BCIs).