Kebing Zhang

In modern society, support of healthy ageing is a long-term social demand. This requires input from science and technology to promote healthy living and psychological well-being as well as countering health problems when they arise. One significant problem in older age is that of loneliness occurring with the loss of mobility, independence and the decline of personal social networks. Remote communication through live video conferencing provides a lifeline to distant family and friends, and the rise of 360 degree cameras and immersive media promises to improve the quality and diversity of this in the future. 

In this PhD project, we will explore a new form of immersive videoconferencing we call Social Immersive Reality (SIR), to distinguish it from Virtual and Augmented Reality experiences which are usually solitary. This involves the use of a headset or projection room by an older person to connect them in real-time with family or friends at another location, immersively, with two-way voice communication throughout.  The research will identify the user needs of participants at both ends of the link, high-value social scenarios to target, and evaluate various configurations of technology for a small number of selected scenarios. This will contribute to the fields of Computer Mediated Communication, Gerontechnology and Assistive Media/Technology. 

Supervisors:

Prof. David Frohlich 

Dr Andy Gilbert 

Dr Radu Sporea

Dr Emily Corrigan-Kavanagh