09/04/2022
Subject:
Open PhD position: Artificial Intelligence for emerging Virtual/Mixed/Augmented Reality platforms
Application deadline: April 30th 2022.
Start: August 1st 2022 or according to agreement.
Artificial Intelligence for emerging Virtual/Mixed/Augmented Reality platforms
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Open fully funded PhD student project in Work Integrated Learning at University West, Sweden.
The doctoral project focuses on exploring and developing knowledge about how to design, develop and situate Artificial Intelligence(AI)-powered Mixed Reality platforms (spanning Virtual and Augmented Reality) to best support work-integrated learning (WIL) processes in complex industrial settings. This includes developing and testing interactive prototypes in both controlled lab settings and naturalistic settings at partner organization sites. Important open questions regard for instance, how AI best can be used for improving knowledge sharing vertically and horizontally within organisations, including both novices and experts, in particular for aspects of tasks that demand flexible manual craftsmanship, long-term practical experience, “bigger picture” intuition, or other kinds of tacit knowledge.
The PhD project will likely relate to strands of research currently investigated at the University West Open Lab (www.hv.se/en/openlab) such as:
- Knowledge representation: Representation of (tacit) human knowledge for facilitating vertical cross-work role knowledge sharing (e.g. between machine maintenance experts and operators; medical doctors and nurses) or horizontal within-work role knowledge sharing (e.g. experts teaching novices). Focus is on representation of knowledge and skills hard to formalise into static text/pictorial instructions, with the purpose of facilitating Machine Learning-based clustering and mapping.
- Augmented human: Combining AI and human capabilities by, e.g., integrating AI for semantic scene understanding with intuitive spatial and embodied user interaction, targeting control and efficient work in complex industrial environments and direct access to relevant knowledge. Explore how AI can aid in deliberately mixing the real and the virtual and making the flexibility of VR/AR accessible when adapting to specific work situations, in particular to make work in/with VR/AR more sustainable.
- Prescriptive knowledge: Design principles for adaptable AI-driven VR solutions for existing workplace training programs in industrial settings. Theory for how to design AI-driven VR solutions that enable cross boundary knowledge sharing among companies in the industrial sector; frameworks for understanding the wicked situation of safety training in physical settings and how design principles for sustainable VR training can tackle the situation.
The PhD project is expected to contribute with socio-technical solutions that are innovative, practical, and relevant for Work-Integrated Learning as well as for the fields of Computer Science, Information Systems, and Human-Computer Interaction.
More info: tinyurl.com/AIforXR
Contact: Prof. Thomas Pederson, [email protected]
PhD studentship in Work Integrated Learning – with focus on Artificial Intelligence for emerging Virtual/Mixed/Augmented Reality platforms The university is actively aiming towards equality and an i
