SMART schools Technology is so close to humans


to be used comfortably at the office or at home. You can also grab the screens or apps to move them. Te device works in conjunction with


a set of 3-D glasses and small projectors secured onto your chest and arms. Up until now, these types of spatial inter- faces have had fixed screens, meaning they projected one 2-D screen and you couldn’t change the size of the screen or easily switch applications. Ens predicts it won’t be long until


these on-the-go, spat ial interfaces are widely used, and so far their fixed screens limit the usability of the tech- nology. People will be used to the ease of smart phones and will expect the same user-friendliness, or better. He antici- pates it is only a matter of time before the head-worn devices, or 3-D glasses, become completely unobtrusive as well. Lab studies are funded through scholarships or grants


While these types of projects are ex-


citing, they may sound intimidating to an undergrad. However, students of the HCI Lab range from post-doctoral fel- lows to undergraduate students, and are surprisingly interdisciplinary. Tough many of the projects require students to invent new technology, psychol- ogy and sociology students sometimes contribute to the lab, as the technologi- cal projects always have a sociological component. Often the studies focus on the socio-


logical aspects while “looking at it from the position of a computer scientist,” says Dr. Andrea Bunt, co-director of the lab. The technology is also always cre-


ated with an ease of use in mind, which means bringing in test subjects. “A large aspect of our work is running


experiments with human subjects,” says Dr. Bunt, “we (all) like to hire psychology students from time to time.” “You’re looking at a technology that is


so close to humans. Bringing in people, having them use your program, and having them react to using your pro- gram” is a priority of the lab, she says. Students of the lab become accus-


tomed to giving presentations, as well, as they have the opportunity to travel to present their findings. Many students also get their research published or co- author research papers.


Dr. Bunt iterated that alumni of the


program are well versed in defend- ing their projects both verbally and in writing, as both are major components of the lab. In order to join the HCI Lab, students


must be accepted into a co-op program, or enter the graduate program with the equivalent of an honours degree in com- puter science. Interdisciplinary stu- dents and other undergraduate students usually gain work during the summer at the lab. Some undergraduate students also work or volunteer as research as-


sistants in the lab throughout the year. Te co-op, five-year computer science


program allows undergraduate students to take part in the lab throughout their studies and participate in three work placement opportunities. The work experience led some of its students to at- tain credits on the movie Avatar, though Dr. James E. Young , another co-director of the lab, concedes the movie has an enormous credit list. Te work placements often lead to job


offers, however, and the students are compensated well for their term posi- tions at major companies like Amazon, IBM, and Electronic Arts. Students that work in the lab are


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funded by scholarships and grants. Dr. Young says they earn enough to cover tuition as well as live debt-free. Many international students work in the lab, with students that entered the program from Egypt, India, Bangladesh, China and Japan. Dr. Bunt thinks that being able to see


a project through from start to finish is what makes grads of the program so employable. Tey are able to work independently and collaboratively to accomplish their goals. Recent grads have gone on to more


studies at world-renowned schools like the Georgia Institute of Technology, or have been hired to work at local game development companies and technol- ogy companies. Others have been hired at a variety of companies that have a technological component – a trend that is becoming increasingly com- monplace.


Continued from page 1


Photos by Brenlee Coates


A comparison on Nao as a digital and physical robot (top). A Roomba (bottom) was given a tail to communicate if it is stuck in a corner.


March 2014


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