Erin T. Solovey, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
esolovey@wpi.edu
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Research Opportunities
I am on sabbatical for the 2024-25 academic year as a Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellow and not taking new students at WPI during this time.Below are some project opportunities for current WPI students (MQPs, Masters thesis, ISPs). If you are interested, please send an email with your resume and any relevant background. Then, schedule an office hours meeting with me.
Gaming-Inspired Human Machine Interfaces for One-to-Many Control of Robotic and Autonomous Systems
We are looking for motivated students to work with us on exciting research at the intersection of game design and human-computer interaction. This interdisciplinary project would provide opportunities for students interested in human-computer interaction, games, robotics, and user interface design.This MQP will involve the research, development, and testing of front-end interface prototypes, inspired by best practices in video game design, that enable intuitive and simplified control of simulated, semi-autonomous robotic and autonomous systems (RAS). Enabling one-to-many control for RAS-enabled formations requires interfaces that optimize the human operator’s awareness of the intent and status of RAS capabilities and enable effective multitasking while minimizing cognitive workload. Popular video games spanning several genres have refined user interfaces (UIs) that incorporate several best practices that could be effectively leveraged in next-generation RAS interfaces. This topic seeks to uncover these best practices, implement them in prototype front-end interfaces, and A-B test them to quantify the impact of UI design choices on task performance. Students should focus on one or more of the following applications of RAS:
- First-person view (FPV) multi-small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) control,
- FPV multi-ground vehicle/quadruped control, and
- Third-person view (3PV) sUAS strategic positioning and tasking.
- A comprehensive literature and media review of gaming UI best practices,
- Development and refinement of low fidelity (e.g., paper) UI prototypes, progressing to higher fidelity interactable digital ones via usability testing, and
- A-B testing of multitasking performance associated with each interface.
- Interactable software front-end prototypes of best-practice-integrated RAS interface(s) and
- A report on gaming UI best practices, their potential application in Army RAS interfaces, and
- Findings from the A-B test(s).
Human-AI Interaction and the Future of Judicial Work
We are looking for motivated students to work with us on exciting research on human-AI interaction in judicial contexts. This interdisciplinary project would provide opportunities for students interested in human-computer interaction, law, and user interface design. The integration of AI into judicial systems is transforming how judges and legal professionals work. AI tools have been proposed for tasks such as legal research, decision support, evidence analysis, and case management. However, little work has been done to inform the design of AI systems that may be used in day-to-day work activities of judges.In this project, students will do formative user studies to deeply understand judicial decision making and administration and then build software tools to explore questions about AI in these settings. The research team will look at the considerations, risks and benefits of incorporating AI to support the future of judicial work.
Key learning objectives include gaining an understanding of interdisciplinary human-computer interaction research methods, experience developing user interfaces and robust software following current best practices in software engineering, and exposure to international judicial systems. It may also involve conducting literature reviews and coordinating studies and interviews with human subjects to advance the research.