[Colloquium] UPDATED TIME - Valerie Zhao Candidacy Exam/Feb 21, 2023

[Megan Woodward]

This is an announcement of Valerie Zhao's Candidacy Exam.
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Candidate: Valerie Zhao

Date: Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Time:  3:00 pm CST

Location: JCL 298

Title: Towards Integration of Emerging Technologies for End-Users

Abstract:  Technology moves fast, often leaving behind people who do not have technical expertise. For emerging technologies like smart homes and social robots, obstacles to their wide adoption include limited information on their applicability, as well as a lack of end-user support for customization. This dissertation proposes to bridge these gaps in end-user adoption. Specifically, we propose to 1) introduce such technologies to existing systems and examine how they affect user interactions, and 2) design user interfaces that introduce new channels of information to make such technologies accessible to end-users. The technologies we consider include smart home devices, social robots, and body-actuating devices. To help end-users effectively automate smart home devices and online services, we designed a tool that compares trigger-action programs, which are popularly used in these areas. To ease end-users into reinforcement learning, we designed interfaces that help them define reinforcement learning tasks. Expanding on the existing literature of social robot applications, we studied how introducing humanoid robots to livestreamed performances might foster engagement from performers and from the audience. Finally, to encourage adoption of body-actuating devices like electrical muscle stimulation, we are currently designing interactions leveraging unique features of social robots to engender user trust in these devices.

Advisors: Sarah Sebo & Blase Ur

Committee Members: Pedro Lopes, Blase Ur, and Sarah Sebo


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