Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2023, Psychology

In the current VR literature, postural sway analysis and survey methodologies are useful ways that researchers look to measure participant behavior and experience, but as they are typically performed separately, insights into participant experiences may be limited. The current project sought to employ both methods at the same time to gather new insights from participants as they go through radical changes in their avatar (virtual self) while performing two tasks in a virtual environment. This work sought to demonstrate the effectiveness of different surveys in capturing participant experience; demonstrate how postural sway analysis can provide insight into participants' experience; and illustrate how combining both datasets allow for a more complete representation of participants' phenomenological and behavioral experience in VR. We discovered that while the two types of data were not directly tied together, experience from participants could be partially explained from the behavioral measures collected.

Master of Computer Science, Miami University, 2023, Computer Science and Software Engineering

Participatory modeling creates a shared and comprehensive representation of a complex societal problem. The necessity and benefits of participatory modeling are particularly apparent in interdisciplinary and multi-factorial problems such as obesity and suicide. However, comprehensive models built by many stakeholders can have too many factors to comprehend. Participatory modeling is thus only transparent when participants contribute their knowledge, as they cannot always benefit from the group-level knowledge contained in larger maps. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary nature of a problem and the increasingly common practice of global (and therefore remote) collaborations between participants result in a heightened need for emerging collaborative technologies as part of the modeling process. In this thesis, I designed, implemented, and evaluate new systems to solve the issues of transparency in causal maps and support remote collaborations. First, I created a series of systems to transform a network-based model (causal maps and fuzzy cognitive maps) into textual reports, using state-of-the-art large-scale pretrained large language models (LLMs) such as GPT 3 and GPT 3.5. Second, I created the first application leveraging mixed reality devices to accommodate collaborative modeling. The evaluations of my systems demonstrate their potential through metrics that include accuracy (for natural language generation) or time-to-completion (for usability).

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2023, Design

Virtual Reality (VR) is now commonly used in psychological therapy and industrial training. To make VR applications effective in training or therapy applications, it is important to help users maintain the sense of presence. Presence is the sense of "being there" (Witmer & Singer, 1998; Sheridan, 1992; Skarbez et al., 2017). When users are feeling the sense of presence, their emotions and behaviors will be evoked as a real-life experience (Schuemie et al., 2001). Furthermore, current research indicates that users' sense of presence can potentially be enhanced via interactions (Welch et al., 1996; Hoffman et al., 1998). Interaction is defined as a continuous cycle of physical action and internal psychological reaction (Straaten, 2000; Heeter, 2000). However, due to the unique design challenges posed by VR and the fact that VR is still in its early stage of development, there are very few established user experience (UX) design principles regarding designing effective cues for interactions in VR. Thus, this study focuses on designing diegetic cues to guide users' attention toward interactive components in a VR experience. In this study, a case study methodology is used to provide a framework for examining an existing VR first-person storytelling experience, Virtual Field Lab developed at OSU, to design, prototype, and evaluate cues to enhance interactions in VR. Through a practice-based research method, several iterations of prototypes are developed to investigate ways to help users perceive interactive components within the virtual environment through diegetic and non-diegetic cues. The findings gained from those early prototypes informed the development of a revised version of Virtual Field Lab in which diegetic cues are implemented. Those cues are designed through the use of (1) traditional design elements and principles, (2) story objects, (3) spatial sound, (4) signifiers, and (5) choreographed avatar actions. The objects within the environment are arranged (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Fine Arts, Miami University, 2022, Art

This research project outlines the mental health benefits of art-making and establishes exposure to artistic domains as essential to the art-making process. Understanding the role of intent in behavioral change established the need for external motivators, such as gamification, in the adoption of new habits. Pokemon Go players in Cincinnati, Ohio were studied to understand the relationship between virtual gameplay and physical spaces. Feminist geography and the principles of meaningful gamification informed the design solution, a location-based augmented reality game (LARG) that utilizes artwork by women as elements of gameplay to mitigate patterns of underrepresentation in the arts. The research showed that a LARG would not only increase engagement for those new to the arts but also for those already engaged by providing a new perspective on familiar experiences; travel between locations of gameplay also offers an additional landscape for cultivating meaningful engagement.

Master of Sciences (Engineering), Case Western Reserve University, 0, EECS - Computer and Information Sciences

Immersive mixed reality (MR) and virtual reality (VR) displays enable use of hands to interact with virtual environments. Therefore, it becomes important to understand hand reaching performance VR/MR. The first part of this thesis evaluates human point-to-point reaching in VR/MR for finger and cup placement. Six measures studied for both tasks under different experiment conditions to determine what factors influence performance. A key finding was there is a trade-off between reaching motion confidence and accuracy. These findings support VR/MR interface design. The second part of this thesis focuses on the development of a multi-user MR interface that allows humans to collaborate with swarms of robotic drones. We demonstrated that this system can interface with a physical swarm test bed of 40 mobile and aerial robots and with a person with upper limb amputation.

Master of Arts (M.A.), Xavier University, 2020, Psychology

Individual differences impact how users interact with technology and many variables are likely to predict differences in the outcomes of training with virtual reality technology. This study explored if individual differences in perceptions of spatial ability and virtual reality self-efficacy significantly related to learning of virtual reality training content. In addition, perceptions of spatial ability and virtual reality self-efficacy were explored for their relationships with trainee reactions to virtual reality training in terms of affective reactions and utility reactions. Spatial ability significantly and positively related to all criterion variables in this study. Overall, virtual reality self-efficacy significantly and positively related to only affective reactions and did not significantly relate to learning of virtual reality training content or utility reactions. Factor analysis of the overall virtual reality self-efficacy measure allowed for a more informative interpretation of the hypothesized relationships of virtual reality self-efficacy. Lastly, several exploratory analyses were conducted to extend past virtual reality training literature and explore interesting questions posed during the research design phase. In this study, a sample of 92 undergraduate students completed a virtual reality training simulation wherein they embodied a patient facing progressive symptoms of Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson's disease. Participants also completed several questionnaires and a pre- and post-assessment of their knowledge of Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson's disease. Results of this study have relevance for further understanding the role of individual differences in predicting outcomes of training with virtual reality technology, as well as offer many potential avenues for future research to examine.

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Engineering and Applied Science: Mechanical Engineering

Industrial factory floor data has exponentially increased as more and more processes are automated throughout the different industries. Typically, this data is buried inside the machines and only used internally to monitor and correct the process. Industry 4.0 is a new paradigm that requires accessing this data continuously in order to provide monitoring and feedback of the process and integrate this information with other machines or processes on the factory floor. There is also a need for factory personnel to instantaneously acquire machine data from one or more stations using Augmented Reality methods using smart devices. This thesis proposes a novel method for bringing factory floor data into an Industrial IoT environment where it can then be used for further analyses using a Mixed Reality environment in conjunction with smart handheld devices. The method and the process were implemented and validated on workcenters at the Volvo Truck plant in Hagerstown, Maryland. Data from four different stations at the plant was successfully brought into an IIoT platform and then visualized in real-time using an Augmented Reality (AR) experience through a handheld device or an AR headset with the use of spatial anchors. A software solution was created to automate the configuration process based on some basic information about the station and the desired signals. Performance tests were performed and validated to evaluate the efficiency of the data, any latency in the communication, and to test the feasibility of using spatial anchors in an industrial environment.

MFA, Kent State University, 2019, College of the Arts / School of Art

Astral Logistics is a post-object exploration of immaterialism, Religioneering, and the obsolescence of the body, using virtual and augmented reality technology set in a mock-retail environment. The overarching purpose of Astral Logistics is to challenge and question the monopoly the major religions have over the spiritual lives of people and to establish Astral Logistics, its parent Art Religion, Super-Psycho-Synergetic-Eleventyism (Eleventyism for short), as a critique and viable alternative. Astral Logistics was originally conceived as a religion-generation-engine – a Religionator - in the form of a retail store where one could create and manifest one's own custom religion to be delivered as a sculptural object either digitally via augmented reality or as a 3D print. It is my goal to empower the individual and, through Religioneering, establish the Art Religion as a new medium. Astral Logistics is asking the viewer to question whether a sculpture, or any art object, must take solid, corporeal form in the `real' world to be a work of art and to challenge the status of art galleries and museums as the ultimate validating venues for art by using a medium that can live solely on the internet or a user's own computer.

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2018, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

Historically, the physical nature of architecture has caused it to remain functionally static despite evolving theories, materials, and technologies. The design of spaces and the actions of occupants are fundamentally limited by the laws of physics. This thesis and associated project explore and present ways in which architectural spaces can incorporate extended reality to enhance the design and use of buildings in ways that were not previously possible. Due to their part-physical, part-virtual nature, superimposed spaces can change over time, on demand, or contextually, based on their inhabitants. Extended reality can assist with wayfinding, socialization, organization, personalization, contextualization, and more. This thesis asserts that it is essential for architects to familiarize themselves with this technology, exploring new methods of design and presentation for such radically different end products. It is with this in mind that this document establishes the basic functionality, terminology, and history of extended reality before moving on to more modern capabilities. After a glimpse into the near future of XR and a look at its relationship to architecture, the philosophical basis for treating the virtual as real is explored. Having establishing its history, functionality, and reality, the idea of spatial superimposition is then explored through the lenses of visitor, designer, and presenter. My previous work is then covered, touching on how XR technology will become normalized in society and investigating an approach to XR renovations that brings virtual mansions to the masses. Finally, my thesis project, an XR-enabled mediatheque in downtown Dallas, is introduced and my processes of creation, experimentation, and presentation are detailed so that others might learn from and build off them. Despite its large scope and cutting-edge subject matter, this work scrutinizes only a small portion of the changes that extended reality will undoubtedly bring to arc (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (M.S.), University of Dayton, 2017, Electro-Optics

A toolset was developed for characterizing and correcting spatial misalignment in head-mounted displays. A hardware system consisting of two cameras and various rotation and translation stages was used to emulate the ocular position of most human observers. A checkerboard pattern was displayed on the HMDs and matched to a reference pattern through an image registration process. The HMD image registration process is carried out after the effects of camera distortion and keystone effect are removed. The registration process is repeatable with a standard deviation of less than one HMD pixel. The relative misalignment between left and right eyes was fairly small in the center of the displays, and increased near the edges and corners. Small rotations simulating an imperfectly aligned HMD had little effect on the misalignment present. The introduction of vergence angles did have a large effect on misalignment. Several methods were used to correct misalignment, including different corrections for the left and right eyes, and the use of a composite correction incorporating different correction maps in different local regions of the display. Both of these methods showed improve uniformity and rectilinearity in test images displayed on the HMD. The composite correction map did show noticeable global variations. The luminance of an HMD was also characterized, showing higher luminance in the center of the display than in the corners by a factor of three.

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2016, English (Arts and Sciences)

This thesis is a collection of four stories and a critical introduction titled "Ferris Wheels in Winter." The introduction explicates the common theme uniting the various stories, that of the author's attempt to confront despair by writing about characters who struggle with belief, disillusionment, and disjunction between self and place. This thesis includes the following titles: "The Reality of the Provinces," "The Tourists," "Low-hanging Fruit," and "A Pilgrim's Notes."

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2015, Instructional Technology (Education)

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the nexus of video games, mobile devices, and augmented reality in an educational light. This is accomplished in part by studying the self-reported demographics, attitudes, habits, and motivations of players of Google's commercial augmented reality mobile game Ingress. An application of a review of the literature informs how games like Ingress can be leveraged for educational means. Presented is a review of relevant literature, including the historical development of the nature of play and learning, the history and educational usage of massively multiplayer online games and simulations, the use of mobile devices in games and learning, how augmented reality is developing and being used in educational and noneducational settings, and what effects playing video games may have on the player, including problematic gameplay and addiction, gendered concerns, aggressive thoughts and actions, and physical changes identified in gamers or promoted using games. Also included is an examination of a theoretical framework of discovery learning that ties instructional design, learning, and games to Ingress. Data is gathered with an online survey of Ingress players worldwide. A total of 2,276 cases from 59 countries were analyzed. The instrument used has been modified from an original aimed at other massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). The results presented here showed significant demographic and motivational differences between players and between games. Principle component and multiple regression analyses revealed a number of components that describe the motivations of players and related predictors. By comparing these components to scores on an addiction scale, self-reports on interpersonal skills and learning items, valid and reliable predictors emerged. The components identified differ from those found when surveying players of other massively multiplayer online games. Reliable scales for components, an (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2010, Film (Fine Arts)

This work explores documentary film practice looking not at a concept of realism set by the coming of the photograph, but toward a concept of realism coming from the rethinking of art as a faithful system of representation in dialogue with a dynamic concept of reality. I will establish key aspects of the relationship between documentary film, artistic practice, and the concept of reality.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School

Master of Science (M.S.), University of Dayton, 2024, Mechanical Engineering

Injuries to the spinal cord can be debilitating to the function of the upper extremity. Many people with spinal cord injuries (SCIs) undergo rigorous therapies to help preserve range of motion and strength. Task specific training has been shown to offer benefits in upper extremity rehabilitation. In recent years, virtual reality has gained popularity for its ability to offer task specific training in an engaging and immersive environment. This study explores therapeutic virtual reality gaming for people with spinal cord injuries. The first aim of the study is to compare the kinematic performance of individuals with spinal cord injuries to healthy controls. This study's second aim is to characterize the qualities of the movement task, such as movement direction and block position, that generate maximum kinematic responses in the SCI group. Finally, the third study aim is to compare the effects of different movement types on overall kinematic performance. Individuals with spinal cord injuries (n=7) and healthy, age-matched, sex-matched controls (n=7) were asked to play Beat Saber in an immersive virtual reality environment. Participants were equipped with upper extremity motion capture markers, virtual reality trackers, and the virtual reality headset/controllers. Custom levels were created in Beat Saber that had different movement directions (UP, DOWN, IN, OUT) and different block positions (HIGH, LOW, MED, LAT). Trials were composed of either movements with one hand (UNI), movements mirrored about the midline (MIR), or movements in opposing directions about the midline (OPP). Participants completed six randomized trials, repeating each of these movement types twice. Results showed that the joint profiles of the participants with SCIs used less overall shoulder and elbow joint motion to accomplish the tasks, compared to the healthy controls. At the wrist, SCI participants were able to use comparable or greater wrist radial/ulnar deviation than the controls. SCI parti (open full item for complete abstract)

MS, Kent State University, 2024, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Computer Science

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a series of a game interfaces to help in upper limb rehabilitation for individuals suffering with Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's Disease affects more than 10 million people worldwide. The games incorporate haptic feedback as a more engaging way of encouraging individuals to perform motor tasks. A haptic stylus pen will be used as the main method of interacting with the game interface and the main means of providing resisting force during the tasks, and the use of a virtual reality headset as a means of making the game experience more engaging and immersive. Validating the usability and efficacy of the game system towards upper limb rehabilitation by using data collected from participants of the prototype using three designed games: fishing, archery, and mining. For data collected with the prototype system, both healthy and Parkinson's Disease participants were asked to complete predefined task sessions and provide the usability ratings using a NASA Task Load Index after the sessions. Participants' skills and efficacy were assessed using task specific data (task completion time, hand motion tracking, task score within time limit, etc.) and were automatically recorded in the system for each session. The collected data will be used to improve or refine the game rehabilitation system and analysis the systems efficacy, usability, and potential for a comparable alternative to traditional Parkinson's rehabilitation. Both healthy and Parkinson's participants data have been analyzed and compared with one another and each other to find meaning full discussions and results to better improve the system and rehabilitation process, such as how haptic feedback has affected user performance for both healthy and Parkinson's Disease participants when it comes to completion times, scores, and movement trajectory. This data will be used as the basis of developing a more refined gaming rehabilitation syst (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2024, Design

This master's thesis used a research-through-design approach to determine how themed elements & interactive microcontroller consoles could improve the sense of presence in immersive experiences. The hypothesis was that removing handheld controllers and allowing people to touch and feel the environment they were seeing in a virtual reality headset would allow them to natively explore and engage with contextual interactive elements. The final product, Project Orbweaver, was an exciting multi-disciplinary immersive experience that transported players to a cosmic environment beyond our solar system. The experience was comprised of four elements interacting in unique ways to deliver an exciting virtual reality attraction. The first element was the virtual environment & VR component, tasked with immersing players in the teleporter and space station scenes. The second element was the microcontroller interaction system featuring three interactive stations with minigames for the player to complete. The third element was the theming and preshow that immersed players in the story. Finally, the fourth element was the live interaction between the player and experience facilitator; Everybody that came through the experience got slightly unique dialogue and conversation based on how they approached the minigames on the interactive stations. This thesis serves as a documentation of the development process while also presenting a framework that can be used to create similar experiences.

Master of Science in Education (M.S.E.), University of Dayton, 2024, Early Childhood Education

In this qualitative study, we examined the effects of augmented reality (AR) and physical-digital interaction in educational applications on preschoolers' engagement, skill development, and collaborative learning in the classroom. Drawing on Creswell's (2018) systematic method, the research design included immersive participant observation and semi-structured interviews to document the lived experiences of young learners using the Osmo Genius Kit. The study, conducted across three varied preschool classrooms affiliated with a Midwestern university, included a representative sample of children aged 3 to 5 years, allowing for a thorough examination of AR's complex influence in early childhood education. This methodology allows us to address the research questions and gain a thorough grasp of how AR technology can be used to improve education in preschool settings.

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Ohio University, 2024, Philosophy

This paper examines Chalmers's virtual digitalism as a basis for the reality of virtual reality objects and addresses objections presented to it.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2024, Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

One recent internet phenomenon that has ignited discussions on social media and in academic circles is the topic of cancel and call-out culture. To bridge this gap, I map a cultural and theoretical lineage of digital activism and cancel culture, which intersects with black feminist studies, racial capitalism scholarship, and feminist media discourses. Within this lineage, I examine the tensions between respectability politics, homonormativity, and Foucauldian panopticism to contextualize the disproportionate policing and hate speech lobbied at black and brown queer bodies online, alongside their popular representations in the media. Furthermore, I conduct a digitally ethnographic case study that collects and analyzes instances of fan cancellations involving various contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race as evidence supporting my claims that the show encourages the fanbase to act as “cancellors,” regulating how queer individuals are allowed to express themselves on the reality television giant. Interrogating respectability further, I consider how RPDR devises its own canceling culture, funneling a homonormative and white supremacist gaze that year after year, season after season, profits from and perpetuates the social disposability of disrespectable queer persons of color. By analyzing how Drag Race constructs a “canceling culture” through its mise en scene, construction of on-screen power dynamics, and fan-polling, I intend to demonstrate that RuPaul and production company, World of Wonder, invite fans to evaluate and eliminate queens alongside the show's panel of judges, depoliticizing the transgressive potential of the camp representations the show platforms by encouraging the disposal of and minimization of its queer talent.