Lexi Learn

Advancing Adaptive Literacy Learning in Immersive Environments

Lexi Learn explores how immersive virtual environments and artificial intelligence can be integrated into early literacy education through multisensory and adaptive design. Developed as a literacy-focused educational game, Lexi Learn transforms reading and spelling into an interactive and exploratory experience within a calm, nature-inspired virtual environment. The integration of adaptive and generative AI scaffolding allows the learning environment to respond dynamically to each learner's pace and progress, supporting differentiated and inclusive instruction.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Anna Queiroz

REboot

Mobile Game for Therapeutic Parent-Child Play

REboot builds on therapeutic modalities such as Child Parent Relationship Therapy, Filial Play Therapy, and Theraplay by developing a mobile game designed to facilitate therapeutic play between parents and children. The intervention takes the form of a digital board game where players roll a virtual die to move tokens, collecting points and unlocking rewards. Between rounds, parent-child dyads are prompted to engage in short, off-screen mini games—each carefully selected and reviewed by a panel of play therapists to enhance specific aspects of the parent-child relationship. The project currently has a working prototype and is actively recruiting participants.

Contact: Justin Jacobson

Digital Experiences for Behavior Activation

Adaptive AI Coaching for Enhanced Cycling Performance

Our project addresses a critical gap in endurance coaching by developing an adaptive AI coaching system that learns precisely when motivational support will be most effective for each individual cyclist. This innovative system uses machine learning to analyze real-time physiological data (like heart rate and power output patterns) and deliver personalized verbal affirmations at the optimal moment, aiming to reduce perceived exertion and increase the motivation to tolerate discomfort. This research is an important step in applying digital media and adaptive machine learning to real-time exercise coaching.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Anna Queiroz

Immersive Technologies in the Curriculum

The project aims to reduce the digital access gap between private and public schools, allowing the students to engage with immersive technologies while enhancing environmental education. A total of 33,000 middle and high school students from low-income and indigenous communities in Brazil participated in the project.

AV Perception Safety Testing

Testing Autonomous Vehicle Resilience to Perception Failures

Autonomous vehicle (AV) safety relies on the integrity of its perception systems. However, these systems are vulnerable to non-obvious failures, including perception failures, called as hallucinations. This creates a critical and often unmeasured safety gap, as these unpredictable hallucinations are not addressed by conventional verification and validations methods, which often assume a perfect or near-perfect perception stack.

Contact: Gabriel Shimanuki

RADIOACTIVE – Radiotherapy Patient Education with Virtual Reality

Immersive Storytelling for Oncology Patient Preparation

This research area explores the application of immersive technologies to improve patient understanding and emotional readiness for complex medical procedures. With a focus on oncology patients undergoing radiation therapy, this line of work investigates how immersive storytelling and virtual hospital walkthroughs can demystify the treatment environment and alleviate pre-treatment anxiety. By incorporating first-person narratives and visual simulations, the research aims to reduce patients' anxiety, increase treatment comprehension, and ultimately enhance patient satisfaction.

Principal Investigator: Prof. Crystal Chen

Radiotherapy Patient Education with Augmented Reality for Post-Treatment Recovery

AR Virtual Mirror for Recovery Visualization

This project utilizes augmented reality (AR) to enhance patient and caregiver understanding of post-radiotherapy recovery. By implementing a virtual mirror interface, the system overlays visual representations of treatment areas and their expected toxicity levels over time. Patients can visualize how specific regions of their body will respond and recover after treatment, offering a personalized and intuitive view of their healing process. The primary aim is to empower patients by improving their mental preparedness, fostering resilience, and building confidence during the recovery phase. Additionally, the AR system serves as an educational tool for family members and caregivers, helping them better understand the patient's experience and how to provide appropriate support.

Principal Investigator: Prof. Crystal Chen