This is an introductory course discussing the design of virtual reality (VR) hardware and systems. We primarily focus on Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs), though much of the content is also relevant to head-tracked displays, such as a CAVE. This course covers four broad topics: user experiences in VR, optics of HMDs, tracking systems for HMDs, and rending in HMDs. I assume a general technical background and some familiarity with computer graphics or human factors. In the past students from many academic backgrounds (computer science, engineering, architecture, psychology, fine arts) have successfully taken this course. However, some sections (especially the rendering in HMDs section) may be more challenging to students without a background in computer science. If you are unsure if the course is appropriate to your skills you should talk with me prior to enrolling in the class.

This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts of computer networks and network programming. We will cover network programming using sockets, layered network architectures, key application protocols, and how to implement reliable transfer protocols so as to ensure that network traffic arrives at its intended destination without corruption. We will also briefly look at each of the layers of the Internet protocol stack, and (time permitting) discuss some basic network security principles. Students are expected to have prior programming experience.

This is an introductory course discussing the design of virtual reality (VR) hardware and systems. We primarily focus on Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs), though much of the content is also relevant to head-tracked displays, such as a CAVE. This course covers four broad topics: user experiences in VR, optics of HMDs, tracking systems for HMDs, and rending in HMDs. I assume a general technical background and some familiarity with computer graphics or human factors. In the past students from many academic backgrounds (computer science, engineering, architecture, psychology, fine arts) have successfully taken this course. However, some sections (especially the rendering in HMDs section) may be more challenging to students without a background in computer science. If you are unsure if the course is appropriate to your skills you should talk with me prior to enrolling in the class.

This is an introductory course discussing the design of virtual reality (VR) hardware and systems. We primarily focus on Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs), though much of the content is also relevant to head-tracked displays, such as a CAVE. This course covers four broad topics: user experiences in VR, optics of HMDs, tracking systems for HMDs, and rending in HMDs. I assume a general technical background and some familiarity with computer graphics or human factors. In the past students from many academic backgrounds (computer science, engineering, architecture, psychology, fine arts) have successfully taken this course. However, some sections (especially the rendering in HMDs section) may be more challenging to students without a background in computer science. If you are unsure if the course is appropriate to your skills you should talk with me prior to enrolling in the class.

This course explores social interactions in virtual reality, specifically with embodied conversational agents (ECAs) and with virtual avatars. ECAs are computer programs that have a visual representation and support some forms of natural social interaction. Virtual avatars are similar, except that they are digital representations of other humans. With regard to ECAs, we will discuss a range of topics including social presence, the role of behavioral and visual fidelity on perceived realism, design guidelines, relational agents, teachable agents, and training applications. With regard to avatars, we will discuss self presence, the body ownership illusion, and how characteristics of your avatar can unconsciously impact your behavior. This course is strongly research oriented. We will not be developing ECAs or avatars in this course. Instead, we will focus on understanding and synthesizing existing research literature in order to understand how to design ECAs and avatars so as to achieve specific objectives. Assignments will include finding and presenting research papers relevant to the class, proposing novel research questions pertaining to ECAs and virtual avatars, designing a research experiment to address a proposed question, and a group assignment to prepare a survey paper concerning a specific aspect of ECAs or virtual avatars (e.g. persuasion effects of virtual agents, or effective virtual avatar design for social change).