Meet Lauren Thevin: A Researcher Revolutionizing Technology for Visually-Impaired People
Lauren Thevin is a post-doctorate researcher at Inria, working on a groundbreaking project to make augmented reality and virtual reality accessible to visually-impaired people. But before we dive into her current work, let’s take a have a look at her background.
Early Life and Education
Lauren did a level in Applied Mathematics and Social and Human Sciences, after which went on to check on the School of Cognitive Engineering (ENSC) in Bordeaux. She later accomplished her thesis in Computer Science on computer-supported human-human collaboration, applied to emergency response management, on the University of Grenoble. Her thesis aimed to investigate how people behave in emergency situations and whether or not they follow predefined procedures. For example, she studied how people evacuate areas during floods and whether the emergency response plan is effective.
Current Work at Inria
Lauren is currently working on a project to design tools that use senses aside from sight, comparable to hearing and touch, to assist visually-impaired people navigate the world. She is developing a mixed reality simulator to show young people on the CSES Alfred Payrelongue special education centre for the visually-impaired to cross the road safely. The simulator uses virtual reality to recreate a secure environment, allowing students to practice crossing the road without the danger of injury.
Non-Visible Interfaces: The Future of Interaction
Lauren shall be presenting her research on non-visible interfaces on the Futur.e.s festival in June. Non-visible interfaces confer with interactions that don’t depend on a pc screen, comparable to voice commands or tactile feedback. Lauren’s presentation will explore the chances and challenges of non-visible interfaces, including whether people wish to use interfaces that they cannot see and the way interaction might be designed or enhanced with audio, haptic, and audio-tactile media.
Equal Access to Technology
Lauren may even be presenting at ESOF – EuroScience Open Forum – in July, where she’s going to discuss the difficulty of equal access to technology. She will showcase an accessible interactive map designed for visually-impaired people to explore and learn geographical maps. The map uses augmented reality to enhance a tactile map and make it interactive, providing speech synthesis to explain features on the map.
Audio-Tactile Augmented Reality
Lauren’s work on audio-tactile augmented reality has the potential to revolutionize the best way visually-impaired people interact with digital media. By providing tactile feedback and speech synthesis, visually-impaired people can use digital media in a way that was previously inaccessible to them.
Conclusion
Lauren Thevin’s work is a testament to the ability of technology to enhance people’s lives. Her research on non-visible interfaces, equal access to technology, and audio-tactile augmented reality has the potential to make a major impact on the lives of visually-impaired people. As technology continues to advance, it’s essential that we prioritize accessibility and inclusivity, ensuring that everybody can profit from these advancements. Lauren’s work is a step in the fitting direction, and we won’t wait to see what she achieves next.
