"The Prisoner's Dilemma" (PD) is a Game Theory activity in which a group of individuals simultaneously decide between two choices without knowledge of each other's selection and where individual profit depends on the responses of all participants. PD, when graphed, is often used to mathematically model human cooperation and social interaction. This research delves into the game played repetitively while looking to determine interactions between cooperation and defection in terms of maximal profit. The game was coded using C++ to visually and analytically depict cooperation and defection. A simple lattice structure graph with periodic boundary conditions was used, thus each node had four connections. When running the model, it became evident that defection dominated the game. For cooperation to remain in the game, very strict conditions must be met. As PD in game theory is very basic but structured, it has been used to model a wide range of phenomena in a multitude of disciplines such as stock market changes, bacteria growth, and the decision making of world leaders. The model created in this research is very simple, but with more parameters and variations to the model, we hope to create a more complex system that is capable of modeling such things as social networks as well as take into account socioeconomic factors to model true human cooperation statistics.

Flow is a mental state achieved by a person performing a task when there is a balance between skill and challenges, thereby evoking focused attention, full involvement, and enjoyment. For education applications, achieving a flow state may accelerate learning, retention and improve learning outcomes. Most current methods for assessing the extent of flow state use a self-reported questionnaire only when participants finish a learning activity. Alternatively, using objective real-time measurement such as electrophysiological techniques to assess the flow state, especially during a learning period, affords the possibility of timely adjustment of challenges to keep up with learners’ growing abilities. Such an adaptive approach may provide a more improved way to enter and sustain flow in learning activities. Previous studies also indicate that gamification is a proven way to induce the flow state, and virtual reality (VR) activities provide learners more immersive experience. The purpose of this preliminary study is to investigate an adaptive approach for assessing flow state during VR learning activities with electrophysiological measurement. This study used a NeuroSky EEG headset with a supervised machine learning algorithm to identify the features of attention, meditation, and eye blinks with flow state while performing VR learning activities. To evaluate the effects of the proposed approach, data collection was through an experiment with 10 UW students by assessing their flow state while playing VR educational games. The first version model trained by the three types of indicators is capable of determining if a learner performing VR learning activities enters the flow state. In turn, the result of this preliminary study serves as a metric for the follow-on research addressing the development of adaptive learning strategies to help each learner enter into a flow state and improve learning outcomes with the sustained flow state.

The goal of the Pulse Tectonics project is to apply the traditional Chinese practice of pulse diagnosis in the radial artery, to detect heart problems in a non-invasive manner. If we can detect heart disease early, we could potentially save hundreds of thousands of lives (there are 610 thousand deaths per year attributed to heart disease in the US alone), as in many cases it is only diagnosed after the first cardiac event (heart attack). Our research is to achieve diagnosis by capturing a short (5-10 second) video of the forearm. This video is then put through a video magnification algorithm developed by MIT, with different frequency and magnification parameters. By varying these parameters we can ‘tune in’ to the pulse in the radial artery and see it visually in full time. The pulse appears as a pattern of peaks and troughs which seem to change in response to a number of variables, from recent eating, exercise, health, etc. Currently we are working to synchronize these visual pulse readings with readings from an EKG and pulse oximeter to identify the information we can obtain from the videos, and thereby achieve diagnosis via visual pulse waveforms. This involves creating a baseline for a healthy pulse, and then identifying which parameters in the video correspond to different health readings. When successful, this technology would bring early heart disease diagnosis within reach of all people in an effort to mitigate heart disease related deaths.

Prior research has shown that virtual reality (VR) has great promise as a science and engineering teaching tool at the primary and secondary school levels. Unfortunately there is little VR educational content for schools since the education marketplace is poorly funded. Our objective is to solve this problem by teaching middle school students how to build their own immersive 3D virtual worlds that can used as teaching aids for other students and schools. To investigate this approach we are working with Robert Eagle Staff Middle School in an after-school engineering club teaching world building tools and processes to 6th graders. We have organized the students into four teams to create VR games that teach STEM concepts including scale, gravity, light, and momentum. University of Washington engineering students are assigned to mentor these teams while serving as role models to the middle school students.The middle school students not only learn world building techniques but also understanding of these STEM concepts well enough to teach others. To create the VR games, we are instructing the students how to use Unity3D as a game engine. The virtual worlds will operate in real time on the HTC Vive VR headsets with high-end Intel-powered computers. In addition to the world building efforts student learn how to set up, configure and operate the technology within the VR workspace at the school. Our final product will be both the educational content designed by the students but also a prototype of the way to do it. We are documenting our findings in scholarly reports and a documentary film that can be used to inform schools across the nation of how to use virtual reality as a teaching tool and to build a repository of virtual worlds that can be exchanged across schools.

Dementia is a neurological condition that impairs memory, cognitive functions, and the performance of daily activities. It is estimated that 5.5 million Americans suffered from dementia in 2017. Currently, the predominant method used to treat persons with dementia is through pharmacological means. However, through a review of current research we have found evidence to suggest that cognitive behavior therapies (CBT) may be more beneficial to patients, with the potential to reverse some symptoms of dementia. Our study aims to improve CBT through virtual environments. Virtual Reality (VR) is not merely a visual platform but an immersive environment that stimulates the brain in the same way real environments do. Patients with dementia living nursing homes are rarely exposed to different environmental interactions or thought inducing stimuli, resulting in an escalated progression of their condition and a loss of “sense of self.” CBT, specifically reminiscence therapy, has shown promising results in improving cognitive functioning as well as morale. We hypothesize that if we use visual and audio equipment as well as tangible artifacts, we could create an immersive therapy to stimulate cognitive functions. We track certain markers like head and eye movement to track the progression of the disease as well. In collaboration with a UK based game development company we have identified a software with both therapeutic and a diagnostic capabilities. We have made connections with senior centers in the area to identify persons wishing to participate VR therapy sessions. This project will offer understanding of how implementing VR therapy can improve patients’ morale and cognitive capabilities, as well as exploring the use of VR as a diagnostic tool.

Small biologically inspired robots have difficulty landing after flight. This work is intended to explore a possible method for small robots in flight to attach to an overhanging surface. The goal of this work is to create an insect sized robot that is capable of jumping from a horizontal surface to an inverted surface and mechanically grip its destination. Previous work on attaching to a surface from flight have used electrostatic or electromagnetic copper coils or adhesive. My method for attaching to a surface was inspired by the sharp-hooked feet of beetles and uses hooks the same size as ten stripe beetle’s to hold the surface. The advantage of this attachment method is that it does not need to be electrically powered to maintain a hold on the surface and is lighter weight than adhesives or copper coils used in other methods. I used an iterative design process to build and test different shapes and angles of hooks as well as to develop a jumping robot base structure that could support the grabbing arms and quickly repeat jump tests. I captured photos and video of beetle and grasshopper legs in motion and recreated the hooks they have on their legs as a starting point for the hooks I developed. In the future, this mechanism could be attached to robots capable of controlled flight, allowing them to perch on a surface indefinitely and then release the surface to resume flight.