This course evaluates the role of human perception in the design and use of computer systems. The fields of visual, tactile and auditory psychophysics and physiology are surveyed. Fundamental findings on how we perceive tone, pitch, force, light, colour, pattern, motion, texture, shape, and depth are examined in the context of how they can be used in real applications of computer-generated displays and advanced interfaces. The current state of the art will be discussed in terms of the capabilities and limitations of the operator. Selected topics of interest to the instructor and class will be covered in detail, and would include material such as the following:

1. Principles of human perception and its relationship to the design of computer displays - basics of the physiology and psychophysics of audition, vision and proprioception
2. Limits of performance– perception, motor action, cognition, memory, workload and attention
3. Visual displays- realistic image synthesis, scientific and information visualization, virtual environments, and graphic design.
4. Auditory, tactile and motion displays
5. Virtual environments- Enabling technologies, characteristics, human factors, sensory integration, cyber sickness, interaction, navigation, control
6. Training and fidelity in computer-generated simulations.
7. Telepresence and teleoperation
8. Mixed reality and wearable computers
9. Presence, realism, suspension of belief and their relationship to the development of effective virtual environments.
10. Interaction and collaboration between users in multi-user virtual environments
11. Measurement of physiological and psychophysical parameters- anthropometry, biofeedback, performance and usability evaluation

Here's my tentative plan subject to the interests of the class and demands of time. For this year I plan to spend more time on stereoscopic 3D displays and applications than I have in the past.

• Week 1 Jan 7 Introduction
• Week 2 Jan 14 VR, AR and advanced display applications, Enabling Technology.
• Week 3 Jan 21 Visual perception and Visual Displays
• Week 4 Jan 28 Visual perception and Visual Displays
• Week 5 Feb 4 Visual perception and Visual Displays
• Week 6 Feb 11 Active Vision; Movement and tracking
• Week 7 Feb 18 No class break week
• Week 8 Feb 25 Depth Perception and 3D Displays; Paper or project proposal Due
• Week 9 Mar 4 Depth Perception and 3D Displays
• Week 10 Mar 11 Depth Perception and 3D Displays
• Week 11 Mar 18 Audition and Spatial Auditory displays
• Week 12 Mar 25 Somatosensory perception, kinesthesia; Haptic displays
• Week 13 Apr 1 Sensory integration; Cue conflict; Side-effects: cybersickness,asthenopia, oscillopsia …;

Paper or project Due Apr 4

Available here (local access)

Introductory Slides intro (future slides will be in link above).

Enabling technology.

Presentation 1: Sutherland's ultimate display and hmd Natalie

Presntation 2: the CAVE Robert

Presentation 1: AR Image-guided needle insertion Yubo

Presentation 2: BCI interfaces see also this introduction for a bit easier go Brandon

Presentation 1: Visually significant edges Junwei

Presentation 2: Tone Mapping Ankit

Presentation 1: Projections in Virtual Environment Yulong

Presentation 2: Attention, Consciousness, and Data Display Sarah

Reading Week

Presentation 1: Stereoscopic 3D graphical user interfaces Vassil

Presentation 2: Zone of comfort Robert

Presentation 1: Just enough reality Abeer

Presentation 2: Fusion control Yulong

Presentation 1: Auditory Space Yubo

Presentation 2: Motion in Graphs Junwei

Presentation 1: Motion cueing Yubo Sarah, note moved from previous week

Presentation 2: Auditory rendering Vassil

Presentation 1: Haptic guidance Ankit

Presentation 2: Haptic discrimination Brandon

Presentation 1: Presence Abeer