Category: News

Getting to Know Our Faculty: Dr. Balakrishnan Prabhakaran

Dr. B. Prabhakaran, a renowned computer science professor at UT Dallas, is recognized for his innovative contributions to multimedia systems, computer vision, and healthcare informatics.

His advanced research—encompassing multimedia data management, 3D medical imaging and video analytics—has been extensively published in leading journals and conferences, solidifying his status as a thought leader in these domains.

SMILE VR Project Lands $750K NSF Grant to Revolutionize Learning and Training

Virtual reality (VR) offers a captivating and immersive way to revolutionize learning and training, especially when it comes to safety-related concepts.

Despite its potential, the intricate development process has slowed its widespread use—until now. In an exciting breakthrough, the University of Texas at Dallas computer science professors Drs. Balakrishnan Prabhakaran, Shiyi Wei, Yu Xiang, and Jin Ryong Kim have secured an impressive $750,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for their groundbreaking Scan to Multi-sensorial Interactive Learning Environment (SMILE) project. This substantial funding highlights the innovation behind SMILE and marks a significant step forward in bringing cutting-edge VR learning experiences to life.

Dr. Zygmunt J. Haas Offers Remarks for MobiCom Conference’s 30th Anniversary

dr. haas - 30 years - mobicom

Recently, Dr. Zygmunt J. Haas, Distinguished Chair in computer science and professor in the Department of Computer Science in the Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, offered some remarks to help commemorate 30 years of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) MobiCom conference, which will be held in Nov. 2024 in Washington, DC. The annual conference serves as the premier international forum addressing networks, systems, algorithms, and applications that support the symbiosis of mobile computers and wireless networks. MobiCom also covers all areas of mobile computing and mobile and wireless networking.

From Haptic to Thermal Technologies: Inside Dr. Jin Ryong Kim’s Multimodal Interaction Lab and How it is Revolutionizing How We Interact in VR

Dr. Jin Ryong Kim and his innovative team at the Multimodal Interaction Lab (MI Lab) have recently garnered acclaim for their groundbreaking advancements in haptic and thermal technologies. Their exceptional contributions have been recognized with several prestigious awards, highlighting their transformative work in these dynamic fields.

At the IEEE Haptics Symposium 2024, Dr. Kim and his students were awarded the Best Demonstration honorable mention for their presentation on “Thermal Masking.” This phenomenon, also displayed at the 2024 ACM Conference on Computer Human Interaction (CHI) in Hawaii, showcases a novel thermal illusion where thermal referral completely masks the original thermal sensation, leaving only the tactile site to register thermal feedback.

UTDesign Team Takes First in Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle Competition

A UTDesign® Capstone team from The University of Texas at Dallas comprised of electrical and computer engineering and computer science students placed first in the spring 2024 Raytheon Technologies, Inc.’s Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle (AUV) competition held in North Texas. This is the second time the team has won the annual event — a UT Dallas team also placed first in 2022.

UTD Underwater Robotics Team Brings Home Awards

A University of Texas at Dallas student team won a third-place award at an international competition for building a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that can collect data on temperature, pressure and chemicals in the ocean.

The students demonstrated their vehicle, named VESPA, in an Olympic-sized pool in Kingsport, Tennessee, in June at the annual MATE ROV Competition, a program of the Marine Technology Society. The 2024 international collegiate competition focused on ocean-based solutions to climate change.

Dr. Bhavani Thuraisingham Receives a Pair of Prestigious IEEE Awards

Dr. Bhavani Thuraisingham recently received the prestigious IEEE Computer Society’s Impact Award from the Technical Committee on Multimedia Computing (TCMC) for her groundbreaking research in secure multimedia data systems. This award is usually presented at the annual IEEE Computer Society  MIPR (Multimedia Information Processing and Retrieval) conference. This year, the conference took place in San Jose, CA, on Aug. 8, 2024. She is the first woman to receive this highest technical award from the TCMC.  

Empowering Robots to Assist Humans: Dr. Yu Xiang Works with UTD Students and Summer Campers to Advance Robots’ Autonomy

Dr. Yu Xiang leads the Intelligent Robotics and Vision Lab (IRVL) in the department of computer science in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas.

The lab focuses on fundamental research in intelligent robotics and computer vision, and Dr. Xiang considers the scientific question: How can robots conduct tasks autonomously in the physical world to assist humans? For example, he is interested in building robots that can cook a meal or clean a kitchen table for people.

How the Region’s Top Innovators Are Using AI and ML to Solve Business Challenges

The new age of AI and machine learning is reminiscent of the level of buzz and activity the region saw in the late 1990s and early 2000s for telecom, networking, and the World Wide Web. So says Dr. Gopal Gupta, professor of computer science in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, Erik […]

AI revolution is set to change how work gets done in 2024 — and who is doing it

AI, or artificial intelligence, grabbed the attention of every industry in 2023, creating hope for easier, more streamlined work processes and stoking fear that the technology could advance enough to replace employees. “Accuracy cannot be guaranteed,” said Dr. Gopal Gupta, professor of computer science in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, Erik […]