Research Projects
Main Applicant
Development of a virtual reality usability framework that correlates physiological and qualitative assessment data
Virtual reality (VR) is currently gaining momentum as a consumer-level technology. However, various open research issues must be addressed, particularly with respect to user interfaces and usability before it becomes more successfully widespread. This research program focuses on the development of a user interface and a framework for usability assessment in VR serious games through user metrics.
Project funded by NSERC. Type: Discovery Grant, Canada. 2018-2023
Team: Priya Kartick (Master's student), Jackson Rushing (Undergraduate Research Assistant( April 2018 - April 2019), Jacky Yang (Undergraduate Summer 2018 Research Assistant), Marco Valdez-Balderas Summer 2019
Development of a
monitoring posture exergame prototype based on occupational health exercises for maintenance
workers Phase I
Proper back care is relevant for reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders that may affect the quality of life. Many solutions have tried to provide the general public with guides, group activities, and medical assessments to get them engaged in the proper back physical activity. However, motivation and lack of feedback may hinder the engagement in such activities. Here we investigate the development of exergames for posture exercises employing mobile phones, 3D printing and open electronics to compare their usability and engaging perception with game-based scenarios.
Project funded by Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia. 2017-2018
Team: Alvaro Joffre Uribe, Lina Peñuela, Robin Blanco, Sergio Valdivia, David Rojas, Bill KapralosByron Pérez
Development of a multimodal tool for cardiac auscultation training Phase I
Cardiac auscultation skills play an important role when diagnosing the heart condition. Mastering the auscultation skills requires extensive practice and training currently achieved with medical simulation tools. In this research, we explored different immersive and non-immersive virtual reality approaches at developing consumer-level solutions that can complement manikin-based practices.
Project funded by Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia. 2017-2018
Team: Alvaro Joffre Uribe, Mario Vargas, Tatiana Ortegón, David Rojas, Bill Kapralos, Byron Pérez
Virtual defibrillator guide
Defribillators are important devices for saving patients and people suffering from some types of cardiac arrest, currently, the external defibrillator can be easily found in several locations. This app provides a virtual defibrillator with basic and training information to get students familiar with its features and case scenarios.
Project funded by Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia. 2014-2015
Team: Alvaro Joffre Uribe, Mario Vargas, Norman Jaimes, Byron Pérez
Virtual manikin for patient diagnoses based on face symptoms
In medical training mannequins provide scenarios where students can practice however some features rely on realism due to their fidelity. A virtual mannequin app is being developed as a complementary tool increasing the realism experience.
Project funded by Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia. 2014-2015
Team: Alvaro Joffre Uribe, Engie Ruge, Norman Jaimes, Byron Pérez
 Kicking ball gameIn the game the user can see his virtual joints, feedback from the Kinect and the scores |  Motion feedbackIn this iteration of the game the movements are visualized so the user can adjust them for better performance |
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 Splash screen from Android appThis app offers lower limb motion tracking and also basic information about its anatomy and care |  Smartphone attached to the leg |
 Using the app |  Android gameThe goal of this game is to take the ball across the baskets with flexion/extension movements |
 Informative module on a tablet |
Development of an interactive lower limb exercising tool
Currently, physical activity is being object of quantification through several devices, gamification, and serious games provide suitable scenarios for increasing user's engagement while tracking their movements for better assessment and follow-up. An exergame was developed for exercising the lower limb, the application allows the user to perform the desired movements within a game environment while being tracked for later assessment. Two approaches were taken into the development of the project using commonly found commercial devices such as the Kinect and a smartphone.
Project funded by Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia, 2014-2015
Team: Alvaro Joffre Uribe Quevedo, Byron Pérez, Gutiérrez, Eliana Prada Domínguez and Sergio Valdivia
Humanoid devices pose features for performing several tasks, in terms of robotics these can provide tracking information suitable to motion capture with several applications. An anthropomorphic humanoid mannequin was developed for motion capture through instrumentalized joints. The device is composed of 16 degrees of freedom and even though data acquisition allows animating humanoid characters. The joints can also be used to track hand motions with selected tasks that may serve as a tool for occupational healthcare hand exercises.
A patent has been awarded for this project.
Design and implementation of a motion capture system for 3D animation based on an anthropomorphic humanoid robot
Project funded by Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia, 2013
Team: Alvaro Joffre Uribe Quevedo, Hernando León Rodríguez, Byron Pérez Gutiérrez, Lizeth Vega Medina
 SystemOverall design |
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 Wiimote interactions and navigation |
 Wiimote navigation |
 CADModel and simulation for a exoskeleton to assist lower limb motion |
 Wiimote hand interactions3D world interactions with the Wiimote |
 Flight mode |
 Car mode |
 Kinect hand interactions |
 Wiimote lowerlimb interactions |
 Kinect lower limb interactions |
 Kinect lowerlimb teleoperation |
 System test |
Development of a Lower Limb with Reduced Mobility Perambulator VR Assistive System
A mechanical device for assisting lower limb with reduced mobility was designed and integrated into a virtual reality environment where the user interacted through movements. Interactive alternatives were also used with inertial sensors with the Wiimote and image processing with the Kinect, with these, while interacting with the 3D world accomplishing some tasks, the user's movements were recorded for later assessment with a healthcare specialist.
Advisor: João Maurício Rosário, Mechanical Engineering Department, UNICAMP, Brazil
This project was funded by Fapesp, Brazil, 2011
 Planar grasp |
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 Cylindrical grasp |
 Spherical grasp |
 Gripper coupled to Industrial robot |
Object Manipulation within a Virtual Environment using an Anthropomorphic Gripper coupled to an Industrial Robot
A virtual reality software was developed for planning and executing grasps over objects through an anthropomorphic gripper coupled to an industrial robot. This setup allowed to program and visualize the tasks in the virtual world for later testing them with the real devices, featuring offline and online characteristics.
Advisor: João Maurício Rosário, Mechanical Engineering Department, UNICAMP, Brazil
Project funded by CnpQ, Brazil, 2008
Post-Doctoral Research
As a result from my previous research, I was able to obtain a Post-Doctoral Fellowship (PDF) position which started on September 21st, 2015 at the Games Institute at the University of Waterloo and at the University of Ontario Institute of technology (UOIT) as part of the Interactive & Multi-modal Experience Research Syndicate (IMMERSe) network (http://immerse.network/ ). My Post-doctoral research is focused on serious games and game-based learning aiming to better understand the role of game technologies to improve transfer and retention of knowledge in medical training. The research involves the development and application of a game-based medical training solution where multimodal cues (vision, sound, and haptics) play important roles in preparing the trainee the to real-world situations. As part of this PDF, I am working within an interdisciplinary team of researchers, educators, medical professionals, in addition to students (undergraduate and graduate), several of which I am co-supervising.
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Co-Applicant
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Design and development of a virtual reality simulator prototype for myocardial infarction treatment phase I
A medical virtual reality simulator provides a learning and practicing tool where trainees are exposed to diverse medical conditions including, the treatment of high-risk pathologies like the myocardial infarction, to develop cognitive and psychomotor skills. Additionally, simulators provide controllable patient conditions that can be configured to improve decision making in time-sensitive medical procedures. The study of myocardial infarction treatment cardiology relies on analyzing medical cases and patient examination under medical supervision. However, the lack of practice can result in a human error that can be minimized with the simulation. In this project, a virtual reality simulator prototype that allow students to practice the myocardial infarction procedure based on the American Heart Association guidelines is developed.
Project funded by Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia, 2018-2019
Team: Byron Pérez, Norman Jaimes, Alvaro Uribe, Osmar Perez
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Neonatal virtual Intraosseus venous access Phase I
Simulators in medical procedures are important tools for learning, teaching and training allowing practices in a wide range of scenarios of life-like situations. In the field of vascular access, the use of virtual reality has been emerging as a complement to address the current problems due to the low availability of simulation manikins for training and its high cost. Intraosseous access in newborns is an invasive, fast and effective medical procedure of high complexity employed in critically ill newborns as an option to access veins after peripheral access has failed. Due to vein vasoconstriction present in neonatal shock and cardiorespiratory arrest among other life-threatening conditions it is difficult to perform any other forms of venous access.
This project focuses on developing a newborn's intraosseous access simulator for training covering the required steps involved in the procedure.
Project funded by Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia, 2017-2018
Team: Byron Pérez, Norman Jaimes, Claudia Alarcon, Alvaro Uribe, Hernando Leon
Central venous access pediatric simulator phase I
Project funded by Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia, 2015-2017
Team: Byron Pérez, Gerardo Tibamoso, Norman Jaimes, Claudia Alarcón, Lizeth Vega, Alvaro Uribe
 Main menu |  Test |
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 Informative module |  Exploration and practice |
 Surgery room |  Mannequins |
 Practice |
Neonatal Central Venous Access Simulator
The central venous access procedure is mostly practiced on adult mannequins and with patients when certifiable knowledge is acquired, however these skills are difficult to transfer when it comes to neonates. In this project, a tablet application for learning the procedure and practice it within a 3D virtual world was developed as a complementary tool to traditional means of study.
Project funded by Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia, 2014-2015
Team: Byron Pérez, Alvaro Uribe, Gerardo Tibamoso, Lizeth Vega, Norman Jaimes, Natalie Higuera, Nichole Dzeka, Juan Camilo Castro, Cristian Fraile
Virtual liver surgery simulator phase II
Palpation is a diagnostic technique used for evaluating physical properties of abdominal tissues and organs. The emulation of this procedure using virtual simulators is challenging due to trades between realism and interactivity. In this paper, a virtual palpation system of the liver is proposed using a polyhedral mesh with a first order viscoelastic model defined in terms of its biomechanical properties extracted from experimental data. The hepatic tissue model is approximated to large deformations leading to a realistic haptic response of the procedure.
Project funded by Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia, 2013
Team: Byron Pérez, Gerardo Tibamoso, Norman Jaimes, Alvaro Uribe
Scientific Initiation Projects
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August-December 2012: Detection of postures and gestures as a tool to monitor physical activity. Student: César Guerrero. Multimedia Engineering;
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March-July 2013: Development of a face expression detection tool using Kinect. Student: César Guerrero. Multimedia Engineering;
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March-July 2013: Development of an educational multimedia to use a carpenter’s square in graphic expression. Student: María Antonia Serna. Multimedia Engineering;
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July - December 2013: Mannequin development for virtual avatar animation. Student: César Guerrero. Multimedia Engineering;
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July-December 2013: Serious game for upper limb exercising. Students: César Ramos, Wilson Nava. Multimedia Engineering.