Research
In the first year of the program, we will be extending the Virtual Reality Simulator for Ear Surgery, and developing new models for Dentistry. We will also be exploring the role of simulation in pilot training. These simulations share sufficient similarity but have crucial points of difference to allow a range of hypotheses to be explored. The target populations for training (specialist ear surgeons, non-specialist medical practitioners, non-specialist dentists, air force pilots) allow exploration of broader issues in training and education raised by the increased penetration of interactive technology into a range of professional and educational settings.
The research program is grounded in a cognitive science approach to the education and training utility of high fidelity virtual reality simulations and other forms of interactive technology. Underpinning this program of research are core questions about how humans process information and how different types of knowledge is represented. A major focus of research will be visual segmentation from low fidelity or noisy images, a practical problem for engineering applications in which information from sensors (eg CT scanners or radar systems) is parsed and presented for visual display. This is a fundamental issue for understanding computational models of human vision and principles of visual object recognition. An emerging field of interest in perceptuo-motor processing is hapsis, the active use of tactile and kinaesthetic information in processing the sensory environment. This provides novel opportunities to explore sensori-motor integration across modalities and the relative influence of sensory, perceptual and attentional processes on spatial coding and motor control.