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Planting Disabled Futures – A call for artists to collaborate

Planting Disabled Futures

OPen Call for Artist Collaborators

Author

Petra Kuppers

Petra Kuppers is disability culture activist and a community performance artist. She creates participatory community performance environments that think/feel into public space, tenderness, site-specific art, access and experimentation. Petra grounds herself in disability culture methods, and uses ecosomatics, performance, and speculative writing to engage audiences toward more socially just and enjoyable futures.


Her latest project, Planting Disabled Futures, is funded by a Just Tech fellowship.

In the Planting Disabled Futures project, Petra aims to use live performance approaches and virtual reality (and other) technologies to share energy, liveliness, ongoingness, crip joy and experiences of pain. 

In the development of the Virtual Reality (VR) components of the project, we will ask: How can VR allow us to celebrate difference, rather than engage in hyper-mobile fantasies of overcoming and of disembodied life? How can our disabled bodymindspirits develop non-extractive intimacies, in energetic touch, using VR as a tool toward connecting with plants, with the world, even in pain, in climate emergency, in our ongoing COVID world?

A watercolor mock-up of the Crip Cave, with Moira Williams’ Stim Tent, two VR stations, a potential sound bed, and a table for drawing/writing.

Petra envisions a sensory art installation equipped with a VR experience, stimming tent, a soundbed and a drawing and writing table. The VR experience would be supplemented by actors providing opportunities to engage with unique taste, touch and smell sensations as the environment is navigated.

A cyanotype (blue) and watercolor mock-up of what the VR app might look like: a violet leaf with sensation hubs, little white ink portals, that might lead to an audio dream journey

The VR experience involved in the Crip-Cave is expected to be tree-like environment that allows participants to select either a visual or an auditory experience. Participants can travel down to the roots and experience earth critters or up to the branches and into the leafy canopy. In both locations, “sensory hubs” would take participants on a journey to other worlds – worlds potentially populated with content produced by fellow artists.

A cyanotype/watercolor mock-up of little critters that might accompany you on your journey through the environment.

Artist collaborators are welcome to contribute their talents generating 3d worlds in Unreal Engine, reciting poetry, animating or composing music to create a dream journey in virtual reality. Artists generating digital content they would like considered for inclusion in this unique art installation can reach out to: [email protected]

To learn more about Planting Disabled Futures, visit:
 https://www.petrakuppers.com/planting-disabled-futures

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Renew Scleroderma – Mobile Health Tracking App for Managing Scleroderma

Renew Scleroderma

Mobile Health Tracking App for managing Scleroderma

Mare Byrd

The Renew Scleroderma app aims to assist individuals with Scleroderma by giving access to a full list of resources and activities designed to help manage their condition. RENEW stands for Resilience-based Energy Management to Enhance Well-being.

Scleroderma is a rare autoimmune condition that causes inflammation and thickening of the skin in the hands and face. The high amount of collagen in the skin can advance to internal organs potentially causing complications in multiple bodily systems. Those who are diagnosed with scleroderma have a high symptom burden and need to learn strategies for self-management.

The mobile app presents users with information on Scleroderma as well as weekly activities they can perform to manage the condition. The app requires people to set goals and track health behaviors such as activity, pacing, sleep, relaxation, and engagement in physical activities. The user is encouraged to set goals within the app to complete certain activities, and their progress towards these goals is accessible to their assigned health coach from a secure web portal. Patients have regular check-ins with their health coach, discuss their progress, and adjust their plan to manage the condition based on their progress in the app. Tracking symptoms in real-time. Participants can track their health behaviors specific to the learning modules and the RENEW program. 

Image of a mobile device demonstrating the app

Renew is quick and easy to use, users download the mobile app from either the the Google Play or iTunes app stores and create an account. The app is currently developed for iOS & Android mobile devices, allowing wide accessibility to the general public. 

The benefit of Renew is that this technology can relay a user’s progress to the database accessed from a secure web portal. This web portal allows users to easily connect to an assigned University of Michigan Health Coach who has access to the information they input into the app. Users are assigned a health coach from a pool of qualified health coaches at Michigan Medicine – all of whom have Scleroderma themselves. The health coach can view their progress within the mobile app to provide feedback. That way the health coach can also see how their mentees are doing and prepare for their one on one meetings. 

One main consideration in the design process was to ensure that the app is physically easy for users to interact with. Most people with scleroderma have limited hand function, so the team consulted directly with users on where to put navigation buttons, how big the buttons needed to be, and how information should be entered into the app to reduce fatigue.

Susan Murphy acted as a faculty member for the development team consisting of Sara ‘Dari’ Eskandari, Daniel Vincenz and Sean Petty. The LiveWell App Factory supported the development of this application to Support Health and Function of People with Disabilities funded by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. With a working prototype completed and piloted with patients, future iterations of the app have been handed off to Atomic Object – a custom software development and design company local to Ann Arbor.

Video of the Mobile App Preview
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Engineering Grants for XR

The Enhancing Engineering Education Grants Program is designed to support innovative strategies for engaging and supporting all learners in Michigan Engineering undergraduate courses. This program springs from a collaboration among ADUE, ADGPE, CAEN, CRLT-Engin, and Nexus. Proposals will be invited across the range of innovations in engineering education, including instructional practices, course design and content, and instructional technology.

As part of the initial Enhancing Education using Technology (EET) proposal to the College to support the instructional needs of faculty, grants were offered to support the implementation of innovative ideas that instructors needed money to accomplish. The first year of the grants program was FY23 and all grant money was awarded to faculty. It included three major grants of $50K each on the topics of XR, DEI, and Tandem. Additional smaller grants were also awarded to faculty. At the completion of this first year, the team used the past year’s knowledge to propose improvements and changes to the program.

For AY 2024-2025, there are three grants available to support instructional faculty members:

Education Innovation Grants

Grants of up to $10K are available to COE faculty & staff
About the Grant

Grants of up to $10K are available to individual or small groups of Michigan Engineering instructional faculty and staff members seeking to implement innovative teaching methods and/or tools.

Group 2 applications are now being accepted. This call for proposals is open to all eligible applicants and does not necessitate a previous Group 1 proposal or submission.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria
  • Applies a novel method or tool to achieve objectives
  • Reflects innovation in teaching methods or approaches
  • For online courses they utilize the Quality Matters framework and work with Nexus to do so.
  • Involves partnering with Nexus or CRLT-E to co-teach a new faculty development workshop
  • Builds upon evidence-based best practices for enhancing student learning
  • Promotes equitable instruction for all learners
  • Implements practices or tools that have the potential for great impact (either large impact on a small population, or be something that could be applied to a larger population at Michigan Engineering)
  • Other funding opportunities do not exist for this type of work
  • Achieves synergy with goals, strengths, and ongoing work of the College of Engineering, especially as it relates to Michigan Engineering’s Strategic Vision

Group 2 applications close Wednesday, May 1, 2024

APPLY HERE

Project Statement:

  • Clearly describe the proposed project
  • Explain the value of the project
  • Identify the specific innovation and its relation to evidence-based practices
  • Explain how the project supports equitable instruction and enhanced student learning
  • Discuss the project’s potential for application in broader contexts

Project Evaluation Plan:
Explain how the success of this project will be evaluated, documented, and disseminated. Approaches might include midterm course assessments, focus groups, and surveys, among others.

Budget Request:

  • Graduate or undergraduate student salaries
  • Materials and supplies
  • Project evaluation expenses
  • Travel and registration fees for teaching-related conferences, seminars or workshops
  • Faculty member summer salary (up to $2K of the project’s total budget)

Timeline:
Submissions will be accepted until Wednesday, May 1, 2024 with funding decisions announced late May.

Strategic Technology Grants

COE Projects Focussed on XR, online/hybrid learning and/or generative artificial intelligence
About the Grant

Grants of up to $50,000 are available to teams of at least three Michigan Engineering instructional faculty and staff members to implement innovative teaching methods and/or tools that require an investment of time/resources and collaboration for deployment that is larger than what is available via Education Innovation Grants. Projects should focus on strategic themes of XR, online/hybrid learning and/or generative artificial intelligence.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria
  • Applies a novel method, modality or tool to achieve objectives
  • Reflects innovation in teaching methods or approaches
  • Builds upon evidence-based best practices for enhancing student learning
  • Promotes equitable instruction for all learners
  • If online, leverages the Quality Matters rubric and best practices with online course design and development
  • Implements practices or tools that have the potential for great impact (either large impact on a small population, or be something that could be applied to a larger population at Michigan Engineering)
  • Achieves synergy with goals, strengths, and ongoing work of ADUE, ADGPR, CAEN, CRLT-Engin, Nexus, and/or the broader College of Engineering, especially as it relates to Michigan Engineering’s Strategic Vision

Applications closed March 4, 2024

APPLY HERE

Identify your proposal’s strategic theme:

  • Online/hybrid learning
  • Generative artificial intelligence
  • XR

Project Statement:

  • Clearly describe the proposed project
  • Explain the value of the project
  • Identify the specific innovation and its relation to evidence-based practices
  • Explain how the project supports equitable instruction and enhanced student learning
  • If online, describe how the course design and development effort will leverage the Quality Matters rubric
  • Discuss the project’s potential for great impact
  • Describe your goals for collaboration with at least one E3 grant sponsor (ADUE, ADGPE, CAEN, CRLT-Engin, and/or Nexus)

Project Evaluation Plan:
Explain how the success of this project will be evaluated, documented, and disseminated.

Budget Request:

  • Graduate or undergraduate student salaries
  • Instructional software and classroom technology
  • Materials and supplies
  • Project evaluation expenses
  • Travel and registration fees for teaching-related conferences, seminars or workshops
  • Faculty member summer salary (up to $2K of the project’s total budget)

Team Roster:
Provide a list of all team members, with descriptions of their respective roles and very brief bios.

Timeline:

Submissions are due on Monday, March 4, 2024 with funding decisions announced in April.

Software Pilot Grants

GRANT FUNDING UP TO $10K for COE Faculty & STAFF SEEKING TO PILOT INSTRUCTIONAL SOFTWARE
About the Grant

Grants of up to $10K are available to instructional faculty and staff members seeking to pilot innovative and results-oriented instructional software that has the potential to improve teaching and learning in Michigan Engineering. Proposals may be submitted by individuals requesting software for a specific class or a team of faculty members requesting software for a group of classes.

In the spirit of innovation, all ideas are welcome. Proposals that call for the use of collaborative teaching and learning strategies are encouraged. Priority will be given to projects that, if proven successful, can be replicated throughout the College.

Please note that there are many routes for procuring software licenses at the University of Michigan. We encourage you to reach out to our team at [email protected] to help determine if this grant program is appropriate for your request before submitting a proposal.

REQUIRED DELIVERABLES
  • Presentation of a case study of your application of the software and how it impacted your students’ learning objectives to the Michigan Engineering faculty community
  • Engagement with CAEN on evaluation of software for possible college adoption
  • Acting as a faculty advocate for this software and sharing how you are using it in your class

Applications for Fall 2024 close April 1, 2024

APPLY HERE

Course Information:
Logistical course details including frequency the course is taught, enrollment summary, etc.

Learning Gaps:
Describe the learning gap(s) you have identified in your lesson/module/unit/course.

Teaching Intervention (Pedagogical Support):
Explain the teaching and technology intervention(s) that will close the stated learning gaps. Identify the evidence-based practices that support the efficacy of the proposed software solution.

Comparative Tool Evaluation:

  • Identify 3-4 comparable software tools (including your proposed tool) that could fill the established learning gaps.
  • List the criteria you will use to evaluate the 3-4 comparable tools to inform your decision making.

Project Evaluation Plan:

  • Explain how the success of this software will be evaluated, documented, and disseminated -approaches might include midterm course assessments, focus groups, and surveys, among others.
  • Explain how you will evaluate if this software met the needs of you and your students. How will you identify if it has improved the educational experience?

Budget Request:
Provide the number of licenses, estimated cost per license,  and estimated total cost for this software.

Timeline:
To use the software for instruction in the Fall 2024 term, proposals must be submitted by April 1, 2024.

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Fall 2024 XR Classes

Fall 2024 XR Classes

Looking for Classes that incorporate XR?

EECS 440 – Extended Reality for Social Impact (Capstone / MDE)

More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Austin Yarger
[email protected]

Extended Reality for Social Impact — Design, development, and application of virtual and augmented reality software for social impact. Topics include: virtual reality, augmented reality, game engines, ethics / accessibility, interaction design patterns, agile project management, stakeholder outreach, XR history / culture, and portfolio construction. Student teams develop and exhibit socially impactful new VR / AR applications.

ENTR 390.005 & 390.010 – Intro to Entrepreneurial Design, VR Lab

More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Sara ‘Dari’ Eskandari
[email protected]

In this lab, you’ll learn how to develop virtual reality content for immersive experiences in the Meta Quest, MIDEN or for Virtual Production using Unreal Engine and 3d modeling software. You’ll also be introduced to asset creation and scene assembly by bringing assets into the Unreal Engine & creating interactive experiences. At the end of the class you’ll be capable of developing virtual reality experiences, simulations, and tools to address real-world problems.

Students will have an understanding of how to generate digital content for Virtual Reality platforms; be knowledgeable on versatile file formats, content pipelines, hardware platforms and industry standards; understand methods of iterative design and the creation of functional prototypes using this medium; employ what is learned in the lecture section of this course to determine what is possible, what is marketable, and what are the various distribution methods available within this platform; become familiar with documenting their design process and also pitching their ideas to others, receiving and providing quality feedback.

UARTS 260 – Empathy in Pointclouds

More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Dawn Gilpin
[email protected]

Empathy In Point Clouds: Spatializing Design Ideas and Storytelling through Immersive Technologies integrates LiDAR scanning, photogrammetry, and Unreal Engine into education, expanding the possible methodologies and processes of architectural design. Entering our third year of the FEAST program, we turn our attention to storytelling and worldbuilding using site-specific point cloud models as the context for our narratives. This year the team will produce 1-2 spatial narratives for the three immersive technology platforms we are working with: Meta Quest VR headset, MiDEN/VR CAVE, and the LED stage.

ARTDES 217 – Bits and Atoms

More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Sophia Brueckner
[email protected]

This is an introduction to digital fabrication within the context of art and design. Students learn about the numerous types of software and tools available and develop proficiency with the specific software and tools at Stamps. Students discuss the role of digital fabrication in creative fields.

ARTDES 420 – Sci-Fi Prototyping

More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Sophia Brueckner
[email protected]

This course ties science fiction with speculative/critical design as a means to encourage the ethical and thoughtful design of new technologies. With a focus on the creation of functional prototypes, this course combines the analysis of science fiction with physical fabrication or code-based interpretations of the technologies they depict.

SI 559 – Introduction to AR/VR Application Design

More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Michael Nebeling
[email protected]

This course will introduce students to Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) interfaces. This course covers basic concepts; students will create two mini-projects, one focused on AR and one on VR, using prototyping tools. The course requires neither special background nor programming experience.

FTVM 394 / DIGITAL 394 – Topics in Digital Media Production, Virtual Reality

More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Yvette Granata
[email protected]

This course provides an introduction to key software tools, techniques, and fundamental concepts supporting digital media arts production and design. Students will learn and apply the fundamentals of design and digital media production with software applications, web-based coding techniques and study the principals of design that translate across multiple forms of media production.

UARTS 260/360/460/560 – THE BIG CITY: Lost & Found in XR

More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Matthew Solomon & Sara Eskandari
[email protected] / [email protected]

No copies are known to exist of 1928 lost film THE BIG CITY, only still photographs, a cutting continuity, and a detailed scenario of the film. This is truly a shame because the film featured a critical mass of black performers — something extremely uncommon at the time. Using Unreal Engine, detailed 3D model renderings, and live performance, students will take users back in time into the fictional Harlem Black Bottom cabaret and clubs shown in the film. Students will experience working in a small game development team to create a high-fidelity, historical recreation of the sets using 3D modeling, 2D texturing skills, level design, and game development pipelines. They will experience a unique media pipeline of game design for live performance and cutting-edge virtual production. This project will also dedicate focus towards detailed documentation in order to honor the preservation of THE BIG CITY that allows us to attempt this endeavor and the black history that fuels it.

MOVESCI 313 – The Art of Anatomy

Contact with Questions:
Melissa Gross & Jenny Gear
[email protected] / [email protected]

Learn about human anatomy and how it has historically been taught through human history covering a variety of mediums including the recent adoption of XR tools. Students will get hands-on experience with integrating and prototyping AR and VR Visualization technologies for medical and anatomical study.

ARCH 565 – Research in Environmental Technology

Contact with Questions:
Mojtaba Navvab
[email protected]

The focus of this course is the introduction to research methods in environmental technology. Qualitative and quantitative research results are studied with regard to their impact on architectural design. Each course participant undertakes an investigation in a selected area of environmental technology. The experimental approach may use physical modeling, computer simulation, or other appropriate methods (VR).

FTVM 455.004 – Topics in Film: Eco Imaginations
WGS 412.001 – Fem Art Practices

Contact with Questions:
Petra Kuppers
[email protected]

These courses will include orientations to XR technologies and sessions leveraging Unreal Engine and Quixel 3d assets to create immersive virtual reality environments.

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Recruiting Unity VR programmers to Evaluate Sound Customization Toolkit for Virtual Reality Applications

Recruiting Unity VR programmers to Evaluate Sound Customization Toolkit for Virtual Reality Applications

Participate in a study by the EECS Accessibility Lab

The EECS Accessibility Lab needs your help evaluating a new Sound Accessibility toolkit for Virtual Reality!

Our research team is studying how sound customization tools, like modulating frequency or dynamically adjusting volume can enhance VR experience for DHH people. We are recruiting adult (18 or older) participants who have at least 1 year of experience working with UnityVR and have at least 2 previous projects that have sounds to add our toolkit into.

This study will be self-paced, remote, and asynchronous. It will take around 60 – 90 minutes.

In this study, we will collect some demographic information about you (e.g., age, gender) and ask about your experience working with UnityVR. We will then introduce our Sound Customization Toolkit and ask you to apply it to your own project. We will ask you to record your screen and voice during this implementation process. We will ask you to complete a form during the study to provide feedback for our toolkit.

After the study, we will compensate you $30 in the form of an Amazon Gift Card for your time.

If you are interested in participating, please fill out this Google Form. For more information, feel free to reach out to Xinyun Cao: [email protected].

For more details on our work, see our lab’s webpage.

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Fall 2023 XR Classes

Fall 2023 XR Classes

Looking for Classes that incorporate XR?

EECS 498 – Extended Reality & Society


Credits : 4
More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Austin Yarger
[email protected]

From pediatric medical care, advanced manufacturing, and commerce to film analysis, first-responder training, and unconscious bias training, the fledgling, immersive field of extended reality may take us far beyond the realm of traditional video games and entertainment, and into the realm of diverse social impact.

“EECS 498 : Extended Reality and Society” is a programming-intensive senior capstone / MDE course that empowers students with the knowledge and experience to…

    • Implement medium-sized virtual and augmented reality experiences using industry-standard techniques and technologies.
    • Game Engines (Unreal Engine / Unity), Design Patterns, Basic Graphics Programming, etc.
    • Design socially-conscious, empowering user experiences that engage diverse audiences.
    • Contribute to cultural discourse on the hopes, concerns, and implications of an XR-oriented future.
    • Privacy / security concerns, XR film review (The Matrix, Black Mirror, etc)
    • Carry out user testing and employ feedback after analysis.
    • Requirements + Customer Analysis, Iterative Design Process, Weekly Testing, Analytics, etc.
    • Work efficiently in teams of 2-4 using agile production methods and software.
    • Project Management Software (Jira), Version Control (Git), Burndown Charting and Resource Allocation, Sprints, etc.

Students will conclude the course with at least three significant, socially-focused XR projects in their public portfolios.

 

ENTR 390 – Intro to Entrepreneurial Design, VR Lab


Credits : 3
More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Sara ‘Dari’ Eskandari
[email protected]

In this lab, you’ll learn how to develop virtual reality content for immersive experiences in the Oculus Rift, MIDEN or for Virtual Production using Unreal Engine and 3d modeling software. You’ll also be introduced to asset creation and scene assembly by bringing assets into the Unreal Engine & creating interactive experiences. At the end of the class you’ll be capable of developing virtual reality experiences, simulations, and tools to address real-world problems.

Students will have an understanding of how to generate digital content for Virtual Reality platforms; be knowledgeable on versatile file formats, content pipelines, hardware platforms and industry standards; understand methods of iterative design and the creation of functional prototypes using this medium; employ what is learned in the lecture section of this course to determine what is possible, what is marketable, and what are the various distribution methods available within this platform; become familiar with documenting their design process and also pitching their ideas to others, receiving and providing quality feedback.

 

FTVM 307 – Film Analysis for Filmmakers


Credits : 3
More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Matthew Solomon
[email protected]

 Filmmakers learn about filmmaking by watching films. This course reverse engineers movies to understand how they were produced. The goal is to learn from a finished film how the scenes were produced in front of the camera and microphone and how the captured material was edited. Students in this class use VR to reimagine classic film scenes – giving them the ability to record and edit footage from a virtual set.

 

UARTS 260 / EIPC FEAST – Empathy in Pointclouds


Credits: 1-5
More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Dawn Gilpin
[email protected]

Empathy In Point Clouds: Spatializing Design Ideas and Storytelling through Immersive Technologies integrates LiDAR scanning, photogrammetry, and UnReal Engine into education, expanding the possible methodologies and processes of architectural design. Entering our third year of the FEAST program, we turn our attention to storytelling and worldbuilding using site-specific point cloud models as the context for our narratives. This year the team will produce 1-2 spatial narratives for the three immersive technology platforms we are working with: VR headset, MiDEN/VR CAVE, and the LED stage.

 

 

ARTDES 217 – Bits and Atoms


Credits: 3
More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Sophia Brueckner
[email protected]

This is an introduction to digital fabrication within the context of art and design. Students learn about the numerous types of software and tools available and develop proficiency with the specific software and tools at Stamps. Students discuss the role of digital fabrication in creative fields.

 

ARTDES 420 – Sci-Fi Prototyping


Credits: 3
More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Sophia Brueckner
[email protected]

This course ties science fiction with speculative/critical design as a means to encourage the ethical and thoughtful design of new technologies. With a focus on the creation of functional prototypes, this course combines the analysis of science fiction with physical fabrication or code-based interpretations of the technologies they depict.

 

SI 559 – Introduction to AR/VR Application Design

Credits: 3
More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Michael Nebeling
[email protected]

This course will introduce students to Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) interfaces. This course covers basic concepts; students will create two mini-projects, one focused on AR and one on VR, using prototyping tools. The course requires neither special background nor programming experience.

 

FTVM 394 – Digital Media Production, Virtual Reality

Credits: 4
More Info Here
Contact with Questions:
Yvette Granata
[email protected]

This course provides an introduction to key software tools, techniques, and fundamental concepts supporting digital media arts production and design. Students will learn and apply the fundamentals of design and digital media production with software applications, web-based coding techniques and study the principals of design that translate across multiple forms of media production.

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Scientific Visualization of Pain

Scientific Visualization of Pain

XR at the Headache & Orofacial Pain Effort (HOPE) Lab

Ted Hall

Dr. Alexandre DaSilva is an Associate Professor in the School of Dentistry, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychology in the College of Literature, Science & Arts, and a neuroscientist in the Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute.  Dr. DaSilva and his associates study pain – not only its cause, but also its diagnosis and treatment – in his Headache & Orofacial Pain Effort (HOPE) Lab, located in the 300 N. Ingalls Building.

Dr. Alex DaSilva slices through a PET scan of a “migraine brain” in the MIDEN, to find areas of heightened μ-opioid activity.

Virtual and augmented reality have been important tools in this endeavor, and Dr. DaSilva has brought several projects to the Digital Media Commons (DMC) in the Duderstadt Center over the years.

In one line of research, Dr. DaSilva has obtained positron emission tomography (PET) scans of patients in the throes of migraine headaches.  The raw data obtained from these scans are three-dimensional arrays of numbers that encode the activation levels of dopamine or μ-opioid in small “finite element” volumes of the brain.  As such, they’re incomprehensible.  But, we bring the data to life through DMC-developed software that maps the numbers into a blue-to-red color gradient and renders the elements in stereoscopic 3D virtual reality (VR) – in the Michigan Immersive Digital Experience Nexus (MIDEN), or in head-mounted displays such as the Oculus Rift.  In VR, the user can effortlessly slide section planes through the volumes of data, at any angle or offset, to hunt for the red areas where the dopamine or μ-opioid signals are strongest.  Understanding how migraine headaches affect the brain may help in devising more focused and effective treatments.

Dr. Alex DaSilva’s associate, Hassan Jassar, demonstrates the real-time fNIRS-to-AR brain activation visualization, as seen through a HoloLens, as well as the tablet-based app for painting pain sensations on an image of a head. [Photo credit: Hour Detroit magazine, March 28, 2017. https://www.hourdetroit.com/health/virtual-reality-check/

In another line of research, Dr. DaSilva employs functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to directly observe brain activity associated with pain in “real time”, as the patient experiences it.  As Wikipedia describes it: “Using fNIRS, brain activity is measured by using near-infrared light to estimate cortical hemodynamic activity which occur in response to neural activity.”  [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_near-infrared_spectroscopy]  The study participant wears an elastic skullcap fitted with dozens of fNIRS sensors wired to a control box, which digitizes the signal inputs and sends the numeric data to a personal computer running a MATLAB script.  From there, a two-part software development by the DMC enables neuroscientists to visualize the data in augmented reality (AR).  The first part is a MATLAB function that opens a Wi-Fi connection to a Microsoft HoloLens and streams the numeric data out to it.  The second part is a HoloLens app that receives that data stream and renders it as blobs of light that change hue and size to represent the ± polarity and intensity of each signal.  The translucent nature of HoloLens AR rendering allows the neuroscientist to overlay this real-time data visualization on the actual patient.  Being able to directly observe neural activity associated with pain may enable a more objective scale, versus asking a patient to verbally rate their pain, for example “on a scale of 1 to 5”.  Moreover, it may be especially helpful for diagnosing or empathizing with patients who are unable to express their sensations verbally at all, whether due to simple language barriers or due to other complicating factors such as autism, dementia, or stroke.

Yet another DMC software development, the “PainTrek” mobile application also started by Dr. DaSilva, allows patients to “paint their pain” on an image of a manikin head that can be rotated freely on the screen, as a more convenient and intuitive reporting mechanism than filling out a common questionnaire.

PainTrek app allows users to “paint” regions of the body experiencing pain to indicate and track pain intensity.
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Architectural Lighting Scenarios Envisioned in the MIDEN

Architectural Lighting Scenarios Envisioned in the MIDEN

ARCH 535 & Arch 545, Winter 2022

Mojtaba Navvab, Ted Hall

Prof. Mojtaba Navvab teaches environmental technology in the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, with particular interests in lighting and acoustics.  He is a regular user of the Duderstadt Center’s MIDEN (Michigan Immersive Digital Experience Nexus) – in teaching as well as sponsored research.

On April 7, 2022, he brought a combined class of ARCH 535 and ARCH 545 students to the MIDEN to see, and in some cases hear, their projects in full-scale virtual reality.

Recreating the sight and sound of the 18-story atrium space of the Hyatt Regency Louisville, where the Kentucky All State Choir gathers to sing the National Anthem.

Arch 535: To understand environmental technology design techniques through case studies and compliance with building standards.  VR applications are used to view the design solutions.

Arch 545: To apply the theory, principles, and lighting design techniques using a virtual reality laboratory.

“The objectives are to bring whatever you imagine to reality in a multimodal perception; in the MIDEN environment, whatever you create becomes a reality.  This aims toward simulation, visualization, and perception of light and sound in a virtual environment.”

Recreating and experiencing one of the artworks by James Turrell.

“Human visual perception is psychophysical because any attempt to understand it necessarily draws upon the disciplines of physics, physiology, and psychology.  A ‘Perceptionist’ is a person concerned with the total visual environment as interpreted in the human mind.”

“Imagine if you witnessed or viewed a concert hall or a choir performance in a cathedral.  You could describe the stimulus generated by the architectural space by considering each of the senses independently as a set of unimodal stimuli.  For example, your eyes would be stimulated with patterns of light energy bouncing off the simulated interior surfaces or luminous environment while you listen to an orchestra playing or choir singing with a correct auralized room acoustics.”

A few selected images photographed in the MIDEN are included in this article.  For the user wearing the stereoscopic glasses, the double images resolve into an immersive 3D visual experience that they can step into, with 270° of peripheral vision.

Students explore a daylight design solution for a library.
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Learning to Develop for Mixed Reality – The ENTR 390 “VR Lab”

Learning to Develop for Virtual Reality – The ENTR 390 “VR Lab”

XR Prototyping

For the past several years, students enrolled in the Center for Entrepreneurship’s Intro to Entrepreneurial Design – Virtual Reality course have been introduced to programming and content creation pipelines for XR development using a variety of Visualization Studio resources. Their goal? Create innovative applications for XR. From creating video games to changing the way class material is accessed with XR capable textbooks, if you have an interest in learning how to make your own app for Oculus Rift, MIDEN or even a smart phone, this might be a class to enroll in. Students interested in this course are not required to have any prior programming or 3d modeling knowledge, and if you’ve never used a VR headset that’s OK too. This course will teach you everything you need to know.

Henry Duhaime presents his VR game for Oculus Rift, in which players explore the surface of Mars in search of a missing NASA rover.
Michael Meadows prototypes AR capable textbooks using a mobile phone and Apple’s ARKit.