I am a Senior Lecturer at the Division of Informatics,
School of Business, Economics and IT
at University West focusing on Virtual and Mixed Reality. I have worked with Virtual Reality since around 2000, first
as
a research engineer developing VR systems and then as a researcher focusing on connecting
VR-technology
to an understanding of human cognition and human brain function. During my PhD-research I was
associated
with Umeå center for Functional Brain Imaging.
After finishing my PhD at Umeå University in 2013 I briefly held a position at the University of
Skövde (Senior Lecturer
2013-2014) focusing on computer game development and design. This was followed by a position in Gothenburg (Associate Senior
Lecturer 2014-2019)
covering interaction design, visualization and VR before ending up in Trollhättan, from 2018.
Among my primary interests are the foundations in cognitive neuroscience for phenomena related to
VR and gaming, such as
presence and engagement, and the application of such understanding to benefit the design of VR and
Mixed
Reality computer applications.
Human brains and virtual realities
My doctoral thesis,
Human brains and virtual realities - Computer generated presence in theory and practice
focuses on how theory about human brain function can be integrated with brain measurements
in virtual environments to inform
and guide the development of realistic computer applications designed "for the brain".
A combined view of the human brain and computer-generated virtual realities is
motivated by recent developments in cognitive
neuroscience and human-computer interaction (HCI). The emergence of new theories of
human
brain function, together with an increasing use of realistic human-computer
interaction,
give reason to believe that a better understanding of the relationship between human
brains
and virtual realities is both possible and valuable. The concept of “presence”,
described
as the subjective feeling of being in a place that feels real, can serve as a
cornerstone
concept in the development of such an understanding, as computer-generated presence is
tightly
related to how human brains work in virtual realities.
In this thesis, presence is related both to theoretical discussions rooted in theories
of human brain function, and to measurements
of brain activity during realistic interaction. The practical implications of such
results
are further developed by considering potential applications. This includes the
development
and evaluation of a prototype application, motivated by presented principles.
The theoretical conception of presence in this thesis relies on general principles of
brain function, and describes presence
as a general cognitive function, not specifically related to virtual realities. Virtual
reality
(VR) is an excellent technology for investigating and taking advantage of all aspects
of
presence, but a more general interpretation allows the same principles to be applied to
a
wide range of applications.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to study the working human brain
in VR. Such data can inform and constrain
further discussion about presence. Using two different experimental designs we have
investigated
both the effect of basic aspects of VR interaction, as well as the neural correlates of
disrupted
presence in a naturalistic environment.
Reality-based brain-computer interaction (RBBCI) is suggested as a concept for
summarizing the motivations for, and the context
of, applications building on an understanding of human brains in virtual realities. The
RBBCI
prototype application we developed did not achieve the set goals, but much remains to
be
investigated and lessons from our evaluation point to possible ways forward. A
developed
use of methods and techniques from computer gaming is of particular interest.
Research engineer at VRlab, Umeå university, 2001-2008. Virtual reality and interactive
3d-graphics programming and development.
Includes teaching.
PhD student, Umeå university, 2008-2013. Focus on human-computer interaction and cognition,
connected to hard computing science
like interactive simulations and numeric analysis. Includes teaching.
Senior lecturer, University of Skövde, 2013-2014. Teaching and master thesis supervision.
Primarily related to computer graphics,
computer games and web programming.
Associate senior lecturer, University of Gothenburg, 2014-2019. Lecturing and
research. Interaction design and visualization with a focus on virtual/mixed/augmented
reality.
Senior lecturer, University West, 2018-. My current position. Lecturing and
research. Virtual/mixed/augmented
reality.
I've been course responsible for five courses, relating to computer graphics, introductory
programming, game design and development,
information visualization and cognitive perspectives on HMI. Three of these I created from scratch.
I've
done many guest lectures about artificial intelligence, advanced computer graphics and
virtual/mixed
reality, and I have done a lot of supervision and grading related to student assignments and
projects.
Technical expertise
I've been programming for 25+ years. I have a Master of Science in Computing Science and I have
worked with
software development as a research engineer and as part of my PhD studies. I've used more than 10
different
programming languages seriously and tried many more. I've used and developed on Windows, Linux and
OS
X, and I've tried app development for both iOS and Android. I've programmed and developed
3d-graphics
applications in everything from assembler to javascript, including software like Unreal Engine,
Maya
and 3D Studio Max.
Undergraduate education
Master of science in Computing science
Umeå universitet, Umeå, 1996 – 2002
The education largely focused on programming and software development. Towards the end of the
education,
I focused mainly on courses in computer graphics and artificial intelligence. Good performance
on
the course in "Virtual Reality" (which later changed its name to "Advanced Computer Graphics")
led
to a position as research engineer at VRlab in the following years.
In my master’s thesis I implemented an AI toolkit for controlling virtual characters in a
virtual 3D
environment.
Natural science high-school
Östraboskolan, Uddevalla, 1993 – 1996
In high school I learned computer graphics programming on my own and implemented, e.g., a
simulation
of the solar system as a graduation project.
Since high school I have often participated in a variety of associations and boards, several
times as chairman. For example,
I have served as chairman of the board in my previous condo association and in political youth
organizations
at local and district levels. My political involvement has also led to 8 years in the
Environment
and Health Committee in Umeå, and 4 years as a lay judge in the Administrative Court.
Publications
Projects
BeachHead
Creating a user controlled mixed reality to bridge the real and the virtual.
Focus is on retaining as much of the strengths of VR as possible, while addressing weaknesses
such as
isolation and lacking awareness of the physical surroindings.
Recent student projects (supervisor)
Virtual Reality Operating System
In this project, a concept VR OS user interface (UI) was developed, and different interaction
patterns
were developed and evaluated. Several concept applications were developed and evaluated in user
tests.
Bachelor's project at Chalmers 2017.
Virtual Reality Car Driving Simulator
Car driving simulator developed for use with consumer Virtual Reality equipment (Oculus
Rift, HTC
Vive) implemented using Unreal Engine.
Bachelor's project at Chalmers 2016.
Mixed Reality game
Mixed Reality (MR) Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game developed for consumer Virtual Reality
equipment
(Oculus Rift, HTC Vive) implemented using Unreal Engine. Relies on Leap Motion hand
tracking
and matching a real table to create an interactive MR game environment.
Project course for Interaction Design Master students autumn 2015.
Selected previous projects
CogTrain
Cognitive training in realistic and adaptive virtual environments. Combining realistic
3d-environments
with tested cognitive training task and EEG-based interactive adaption.
Also considers serious gaming aspects in order to increase motivation and the potential of
brain measurements.
ProspUmea
Investigating the neural correlates of prospective memory using virtual reality and
functional MRI.
Also looks into issues of disrupted presence by analysing brain measurements related to a
verbal protocol gathered directly
after the scanning.
Using virtual reality to prototype smart environments for supporting ADL for people with
dementia
Neglect
Stroke rehabilitation using stereoscopic display and haptic interaction/feedback.
StrokeSim
Simulating left neglect in virtual reality. With tracked hands, free movement in an
apartment (using a wheelchair) and simulated
physics for direct interaction.