Kyle John Johnsen

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Georgia

Understanding the complex interactions between genotype-environment dynamics is fundamental for optimizing crop improvement. However, traditional phenotyping methods limit assessments to the end of the growing season, restricting continuous crop monitoring. To address this limitation, we developed a methodology for spatiotemporal registration of ti...

6–11-year-old children provide a critical window for physical activity (PA) interventions. The Virtual Fitness Buddy ecosystem is a precision health PA intervention for children integrating mixed reality technology to connect people and devices. A cluster randomized, controlled trial was conducted across 19 afterschool sites over two 6-month cohort...

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled studies conclude that virtual patient simulations (VPs) are consistently associated with higher learning outcomes compared to other educational methods, such as lectures, handouts, textbooks, and standardized patients. However, we cannot assume that students will learn by simply giving...

Sensor-based technologies (SBTs) allow users to track biometric data and feature interactions that foster social support. The social support from SBTs can increase intrinsic motivation to engage in and sustain positive health behaviors. Guided by technological affordances and self-determination theory, this study tested the long-term efficacy of an...

Canopy structure impacts plant-environment interactions and its study is fundamental to understanding crop development. Traditional plant phenotyping practices involve traits evaluation at a single fixed point in time, but crop traits evolve dynamically during the life cycle. The analysis of quantitative traits at different times during the growing...

Physical activity (PA) estimates from the Fitbit Flex 2 were compared to those from the ActiGraph GT9X Link in 123 elementary school children. Steps and intensity-specific estimates of PA and 3-month PA change were calculated using two different ActiGraph cut-points (Evenson and Romanzini). Fitbit estimates were 35% higher for steps compared to the...

The pandemic brought about an unprecedented number of virtual conferences, given the heavy restrictions on travel to in-person meetings. Despite all the advances in technology, people still complain about virtual events. There is Zoom fatigue, confinement malaise, and a longing for personal social interactions. This paper discusses our experience o...

Childhood obesity is a growing concern as it can lead to lifelong health problems that carry over into adulthood. A substantial contributing factor to obesity is the physical activity (PA) habits that are formed in early childhood, as these habits tend to sustain throughout adulthood. To aid children in forming healthy PA habits, we designed a mixe...

The global COVID-19 pandemic forced all large in-person events to pivot to virtual or online platforms. IEEEVR2020 coincided with rising concerns and restrictions on travel and large gatherings, becoming one of the first academic conferences to rapidly adapt its programming to a completely virtual format. The global pandemic provided an impetus to...

There is a high demand for high-end lab equipment in engineeringeducation, especially for courses that require practical hands-onlab exercises. However, this equipment is quite expensive whichforces some institutions to seek other alternatives or forego themaltogether. In addition, online courses tend to be light on hardwarebecause of the practical...

Training students to perform accurate and efficient land surveys through hands-on laboratory experience takes time, space, and expensive equipment. To alleviate demands on these resources, we designed and implemented an immersive virtual reality training simulator that closely replicates both the equipment and social experience of land surveying. O...

Background Designing and implementing a truly self-determined physical activity (PA) intervention has required excessive amounts of labor and expenses that, until recently, have made it prohibitively costly to implement in the field at scale. Methods Guided by self-determination theory, and harnessing the power of consumer-grade interactive techno...

This paper presents a study evaluating alternative interaction styles for a novel virtual reality simulator proposed for veterinary neurology training. We compared a reality-based interaction metaphor, which is commonly used in virtual reality applications, to a command-based metaphor that reduced interactivity toward improving overall application...

The majority of youth fail to get the recommended amount of physical activity (PA), and there is a precipitous decline in PA among children as they get older. Guided by self-determination theory and social cognitive theory, we designed an interactive, mixed reality PA intervention for 6-10-year-old children. Capitalizing on the features of consumer...

We present a novel cane-based device for interacting with floors in Virtual Reality (VR). We demonstrate its versatility and flexibility in several use-case scenarios like gaming and menu interaction. Initial feedback from users point towards better control in spatial tasks and increased comfort for tasks which require the users’ arms to be raised...

Commercial wearables are used to track physical activity (PA) levels in children and as tools for increasing PA participation in youth. However, few studies have examined the agreement between commercial and research grade devices in assessing PA in children. Purpose: To compare estimates from a wrist-worn Fitbit Flex 2 to a waist-worn Actigraph GT...

Gamification is an increasingly popular form of health intervention but its efficacy remains elusive due to a lack of clarity in its conceptualization and operationalization. This study aimed to isolate and determine the direct causal effect of one of the most popular game elements used in gamified interventions, the points-based reward system, on...

This work investigated how a tracked, real golf club, used for high-fidelity passive haptic feedback in virtual reality, affected performance relative to using tracked controllers for a golf putting task. The primary hypothesis evaluated in this work was that overall accuracy would be improved through various inertial advantages in swinging a real...

Virtual simulations allow users to feel and manipulate objects as they would in the physical world. Guided by exemplification theory and risk communication research, a virtual exemplar was developed to allow users to feel the weight of the caloric density of unhealthy snacks (e.g., potato chips) to heighten risk perceptions on snack choices. A 3 (b...

Navigating spaces is an embodied experience that all human beings undergo. These experiences can vary from rescue workers trying to save people from natural disasters; a tourist finding their way to the nearest coffee shop, or a gamer solving a maze. Virtual Reality (VR) allows these experiences and more to be simulated in a controlled virtual envi...

IEEE VR 2018 conference panel.

PANEL TITLE: Getting close to domain users: VR and AR in support of application domains OVERVIEW: The last couple of years have been marked by an explosion of solutions in the VR and AR domains: the accepted norm of this market has been to provide users with lightweight VR and AR displays, input controllers that recognize human gestures, superior...

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled studies conclude that virtual patient simulations (VPs) are consistently associated with higher learning outcomes compared to other educational methods, such as lectures, handouts, textbooks, and standardized patients (e.g., Consorti et al., Comput Educ 59(3):1001–1008, 2012; Cook and Tr...

In this panel, we will discuss the current state of Spatial User Interfaces (SUI), and the new research challenges that await us. The discussion will start on the topic of field studies, and practical applications of SUI technologies in the wild. Most current research focuses on controlled settings, therefore exploring how these technologies can be...

We present a concept for analyzing user experiences in immersive virtual environments. Filtering World-in-Miniatures (FWIMs) contain, visualize, and aggregate records from user experiences, with a focus on comparing users' behaviors. Analysts use an immersive virtual reality system to manipulate FWIMs and their visualization and filtering settings...

Recycling rates have plateaued and recycling in public spaces has been targeted as a component that can help increase overall recycling rates. Eco-feedback technology and environmental psychology were combined to study recycling in a semi-public space in multiple social environments. A low-cost, low-energy electronic recycling bin design (WeRecycle...

Bringing real objects into the virtual world has been shown to increase usability and presence in virtual reality applications. This paper presents a system to generate a real time virtual reconstruction of real world user interface elements for use in a head mounted display based driving simulator. Our system uses sensor fusion algorithms to combi...

In Part I of this two-part series, we examined the design and development of NERVE: A virtual patient simulation created to give medical students standardized experiences in interviewing, examining, and diagnosing virtual patients with cranial nerve disorders. We illustrated key design features and discussed how design-based research studies improv...

This demonstration showcases our research studying how to design first-person immersive experiences for education. Specifically, we are studying the benefits of immersion in certain applications such as cardiac anatomy education. To control for variance in the display equipment, we simulate a large-screen display within a head-mounted display. We a...

Given the modern accessibility and affordability of requisite hardware, the use of immersive virtual reality is possible in almost any domain. However, there is insufficient evidence of the value of immersive virtual reality relative to alternative approaches. In addition, there are a range of displays and input devices with varying capabilities th...

We present the design of a novel educational virtual reality application to aid undergraduate engineering students in understanding the basic principles of fluid mechanics. The application was deployed on a tablet computer, and we compared two 3D user-interfaces, which differed primarily by locomotion technique. The first technique employed multi-t...

A person's level of physical fitness can affect their health and many other factors in their lives. However, little is known about the effect of physical fitness on factors relevant to virtual environments. Towards addressing this knowledge gap, we performed a research study examining the relationship of several physical fitness measures with perfo...

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled studies conclude that virtual patient simulations are consistently associated with higher learning outcomes compared to other educational methods. However, we cannot assume that students will learn from simply exposing students to the simulations. The instructional features that are inte...

A virtual pet in the form of a mid-sized dog was developed based on the framework of social cognitive theory and tested as a vehicle for promoting fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption in children. Three groups of children (N = 68) between the ages of 7-13 were studied: baseline (no treatment), computer only, and virtual dog. Children in the virtua...

In veterinary medicine, the cognitive skills necessary to interpret neurological disorders from text-based case descriptions may not translate into the diagnostic capabilities required for clinical neurological patients. As live animals exhibiting certain specific neurological disorders are infrequent during a student's exposure to clinics, student...

Marine debris and plastic in our oceans is a global issue of increasing concern. However, the monitoring of litter and debris is challenging at the global scale because of disconnected local organizations and the use of paper and pen for documentation. The Marine Debris Tracker mobile app and citizen science program allow for the collection of glob...

A virtual pet was developed based on the framework of the youth physical activity promotion model and tested as a vehicle for promoting physical activity in children. Children in the treatment group interacted with the virtual pet for three days, setting physical activity goals and teaching tricks to the virtual pet when their goals were met. The v...

Objective: To quantify the 3-D kinematics and collateral ligament strain of stifle joints in cadaveric canine limbs before and after cranial cruciate ligament transection followed by total knee replacement (TKR) involving various tibial plateau angles and spacer thicknesses. Sample: 6 hemi-pelvises collected from clinically normal nonchondrodyst...

Background: Virtual patients (VPs) offer valuable alternative encounters when live patients with rare conditions, such as cranial nerve (CN) palsies, are unavailable; however, little is known regarding simulation and optimal social learning context. Aim: Compare learning outcomes and perspectives between students interacting with VPs in individu...

Novel approaches are needed to reduce the high rates of childhood obesity in the developed world. While multifactorial in cause, a major factor is an increasingly sedentary lifestyle of children. Our research shows that a mixed reality system that is of interest to children can be a powerful motivator of healthy activity. We designed and constructe...

We propose to demonstrate a ubiquitous immersive virtual reality system that is highly scalable and accessible to a larger audience. With the advent of handheld and wearable devices, we have seen it gain considerable popularity among the common masses. We present a practical design of such a system that offers the core affordances of immersive virt...

Immersive virtual reality applications have historically been associated with cumbersome technical components that require substantial infrastructure and support. Recent developments have pointed towards a far more accessible and exponentially less expensive generation of immersive virtual reality systems through creative repurposing of the product...

We propose to demonstrate a ubiquitous immersive virtual reality system that is highly scalable and accessible to a larger audience. Latest trends in mobile communications as well as the entertainment industry seem to validate that, accessibility and scalability play an important role in democratizing technology. We present a practical design of su...

Leveraging the emerging technologies of Energy Informatics and cross-reality, a new concept is proposed for how buildings and their systems are designed and operated. The basic premise of Energy Informatics contends that information has the power to reduce energy consumption, which, in a simple fashion, is asserted as “Energy + Information = Less E...

The off-the-shelf virtual reality community is well aware of the wide variety of inexpensive and robust tracking and display technologies that have emerged from the entertainment industry in recent years. Alongside these developments, there has also been a vast improvement in the accessibility and usability of hobbyist-grade electronics components,...

A convergence between consumer electronics and virtual reality is occurring. We present an immersive head-mounted-display-based, wearable D user interface that is inexpensive (less than $900 USD), robust (sourceless tracking), and portable (lightweight and untethered). While the current display has known deficiencies, the user tracking quality is w...

We introduce a new paradigm of collaborative computing called the Ubiquitous Collaborative Activity Virtual Environment (UCAVE). UCAVEs are portable immersive virtual environments that leverage mobile communication platforms, motion trackers and displays to facilitate ad-hoc virtual collaboration. We discuss design criteria and research challenges...

Technology has rarely attempted to simulate a CN exam. NERVE simulates a life-size virtual patient (VP), using speech recognition with a Nintendo Wiimote� serving as a virtual hand, ophthalmoscope, and eye-chart. This study assesses the introductory reception, ability to identify the CN lesion, and students' preference of NERVE. Our goal is to eval...

Abstract This module portrays a simulated patient who presents to a clinic or Emergency Room with a complaint of blurry vision. The purpose of this simulation is to promote effective history taking and evaluation in order to differentiate cranial nerve disorders from less worrisome pathologies. A significant limitation of live standardized patient...

Palpation (the application of touch to the surface of the body) is an essential clinical skill. Correct palpation is part of a complete physical examination and it assists a clinician in making an accurate diagnosis, while poor palpatory skills can lead to diagnostic errors. As with any clinical skill, palpation is best learned through repetitive p...

Abstract This module portrays a simulated patient who presents to a clinic or emergency room with a complaint of double vision. The purpose of this simulation is to promote effective history taking and evaluation in order to identify a potentially life threatening cranial nerve disorder. A significant limitation of live standardized patient interac...

Understanding the human-computer interface factors that influence users’ behavior with virtual humans will enable more effective human-virtual human encounters. This paper presents experimental evidence that using a mixed reality display configuration can result in significantly different behavior with a virtual human along important social dimensi...

Understanding the human-computer interface factors that influence users' behavior with virtual humans will enable more effective human-virtual human encounters. This paper presents evidence of a significant relationship between behavioral indicators of respect by users and virtual reality technology factors. Moreover, we found this evidence in an a...

A common approach when simulating face-to-face interpersonal scenarios with virtual humans is to afford users only verbal interaction while providing rich verbal and non-verbal interaction from the virtual human. This is due to the difficulty in providing robust recognition of user non-verbal behavior and interpretation of these behaviors within th...

In this paper, we present results from a study that shows that a dark skin-tone VH agent elicits user behavior consistent with real world skin-tone biases. Results from a study with medical students (n=21), show participant empathy towards a dark skin-tone VH patient was predicted by their measured bias towards African-Americans. Real world bias wa...

This paper compares a large-screen display to a non-stereo head-mounted display (HMD) for a virtual human (VH) experience. As VH experiences are increasingly being applied to training, it is important to understand the effect of immersive displays on user interaction with VHs. Results are reported from a user study (n=27) of 10 minute human-VH inte...

Virtual patients (VPs) have the potential to augment existing medical school curricula to teach history-taking and communication skills. A goal of our current efforts to study virtual characters in health professions education is to develop a system that can be independently accessed and thus user satisfaction is an important factor in how readily...

This paper provides key insights into the construction and evaluation of interpersonal simulators - systems that enable interpersonal interaction with virtual humans. Using an interpersonal simulator, two studies were conducted that compare interactions with a virtual human to interactions with a similar real human. The specific interpersonal scena...

Background: Significant information exchange occurs between a doctor and patient through nonverbal communication such as gestures, body position, and eye gaze. In addition, empathy is an important trust-building element in a physician: patient relationship. Previous work validates the use of virtual patients (VP) to teach and assess content items...

This paper provides key insights into the construction and evaluation of interpersonal simulators--systems that enable interpersonal interaction with virtual humans. Using an interpersonal simulator, two studies were conducted that compare interactions with a virtual human to interactions with a similar real human. The specific interpersonal scenar...

This paper provides key insights into the construction and evaluation of interpersonal simulators-systems that enable interpersonal interaction with virtual humans. Using an interpersonal simulator, two studies were conducted that compare interactions with a virtual human to interactions with a similar real human. The specific interpersonal scenari...

Any new tool introduced for education needs to be validated. We developed a virtual human experience called the Virtual Objective Structured Clinical Examination (VOSCE). In the VOSCE, a medical student examines a life-size virtual human who is presenting symptoms of an illness. The student is then graded on interview skills. As part of a medical s...

The purpose of this paper is, first, to summarize a theoretical perspective toward the development of a virtual reality innovation in education. Next, we will describe a virtual character project that is impacting the training of medical students in two institutions. In doing so, we will present a summary of three studies completed over the last 2...

At most institutions, medical students learn communication skills through the use of standardized patients (SPs), but SPs are time and resource expensive. Virtual patients (VPs) may offer several advantages over SPs, but little data exist regarding the use of VPs in teaching communication skills. Therefore, we report our initial efforts to create a...

This paper reports on a study to examine the similarities and differences in experiencing an interpersonal scenario with real and virtual humans. A system that allows medical students to interview a life-size virtual patient using natural speech and gestures was used as a platform for this comparison. Study participants interviewed either a virtual...

This paper presents our experiences in evolving the Virtual Objective Structured Clinical Exam (VOSCE) system. This system allows medical students to experience the interaction between a patient and a medical doctor using natural methods of interaction with a high level of immersion. These features enable the system to provide training on medical c...

Virtual patients have great potential for training patient-doctor communication skills. There are two approaches to producing the virtual human speech: synthesized speech or recorded speech. The tradeoffs in flexibility, fidelity, and cost raise an interesting development decision: which speech approach is most appropriate for virtual patients? Two...

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