Synchronisation in virtual reality
Fully funded | Masters
In the real world, when people communicate face-to-face, a wide variety of behavioural and neurophysiological cues can synchronise, creating social and emotional connection. The goal of this project is to explore if Virtual Reality can provide a testbed for exploring communication, and synchronisation of the same cue. Using a range of different physiological sensors (heart rate, EEG, eye gaze) we can explore if the same synchronisation behaviour from the real world can be seen in VR, and how VR systems can be modified to increase synchronisation.
The project will involve developing a shared virtual environment where two people can collaborate together, represented by virtual avatars. Measurements will be made of their physical motions, heart rate, eye gaze and brain activity. This data will be processed to see if there is synchronisation between users, and what can be done to improve this.
The expected results will be the completion of at least one user study and an academic paper describing the results.
Desired skills
Unity VR development, interest in measuring physiological cues/EEG, MATlab/data processing skills.
Funding
RSNZ Marsden
Contact and supervisors
For more information or to apply for this project, please follow the link to the supervisor below:
Contact/Main supervisor
Page expires: 15 March 2026