CISE Research Resources: Instrumentation for a Virtual Environment Laboratory to Study Human Behavior

University Of Iowa, Iowa City IA

Investigators

Abstract

EIA-0130864 James Cremer University of Iowa CISE Research Resources: Instrumentation for a Virtual Environment Laboratory to Study Human Behavior The University of Iowa will purchase equipment supporting multidisciplinary research on the use of virtual environments as a medium for the study of human behavior. The primary components of the equipment include a PC-based, real-time image generation system for use in the existing immersive display environment, and hardware for instrumented bicycle and wheelchair interfaces to the virtual environment. The equipment will replace outdated and unstable equipment currently in use, and greatly improve the computational foundation of the virtual environments laboratory. The supported research has two primary thrusts: (1) a computational component directed at advancing scenario modeling techniques to meet the special needs of experiments for replicable experiences that adapt to subject behavior and (2) an experimental component investigating children's bicycle riding behavior in simulated traffic. Experiments conducted in virtual environments will be compared with experiments conducted in real environments to validate the use of simulators as laboratories for the study of human behavior. The work integrates research on high-fidelity simulation, control of complex behaviors of simulated agents, human factors, and developmental psychology. This research will advance virtual environment technology, experimental methods, and simulator validation, and increase the understanding of a leading cause of childhood injuries.