Ferris & collaborators win Best Poster Award at IEEE Conference on VR

At the 31st Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces held in Orlando, a collaborative effort between two labs at the University of Florida, secured one of the six Best Poster Awards presented after the event.

The winning poster, titled “Deciphering Brain Dynamics of Balance Loss in Virtual Reality and Real-world Beam Walking,” was authored by postdoctoral researcher Amanda Studnicki from the Human Neuromechanics Laboratory and Ph.D. candidate Ahmed Rageeb Ahsan from the Indie Lab, led respectively by their mentors, Drs: Daniel Ferris and Eric Ragan, both faculty members at the University of Florida.

Their study delved into virtual reality (VR), aiming to recreate genuine experiences by fusing realism, presence, and embodiment. Employing mobile electroencephalography, the research quantified disparities in anterior cingulate brain activity—a region pivotal in error monitoring—under VR and non-VR conditions during a demanding balance task. This investigation sought to elucidate the factors contributing to perceptual discrepancies in VR. The findings revealed a notable delay in the anterior cingulate response to self-induced balance loss in VR compared to real-world scenarios. A robust anterior cingulate response was also observed when balance loss stemmed from external disturbances.

The IEEE VR Best Poster Awards honors exceptional posters published and presented at the IEEE VR conference. During the review process, the best poster committee for IEEE VR consists of three distinguished members chosen by the Conference Awards Committee and Poster Chairs, which will select the best posters. Posters that receive an award will be marked in the program, and authors will receive a certificate at the conference.

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