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Date:  Tue, April 12, 2016
Time:  10:00 am – 11:00 am
Location:  Holmes Hall 389
Speaker:  Dr. Abdelwahab Hamam

 Abstract

Multimedia applications are becoming mainstream in peoples’ lives. With the advent of advanced multimedia interactions and the proliferation of digital devices, user experience expectations are on the rise. The progression of technology meant the inclusion of extra modalities and creating a fusion of sensory data to the user. Moreover, we are witnessing a change of interaction platforms between the user and the application, which are moving forward towards multi-touch pressure displays, haptic interfaces, and wearables. This talk presents the research work that I have undergone in prototyping and evaluating rich multimedia applications and interactions. I specifically attend to the new emerging media of the sense of touch, haptics. My focal point throughout my research is the user, one of the most vital components in a multimedia system. I will address in this talk three outlooks about the advancement of the user experience of rich multimedia applications: virtual reality medical simulations, user experience modelling and assessing the quality of experience, and the achievement of sensory augmentation and advanced interactions through the use of multi modalities of video, audio and haptics. Additionally, I will provide insights on my future research plan and how I intend to continue creating and evaluating novel and enriching multimedia user experiences of upcoming technology platforms.

Biography

Abdelwahab Hamam received his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Ottawa, Canada, in 2013. He recently completed his postdoctoral training as a research scientist at Immersion Corporation. He was previously a teaching and research assistant at the University of Ottawa from 2005 to 2013. He has more than 30 academic papers and pending patent applications. He is the recipient of the best paper award at the 2015 QoMEX workshop and the 2015 ACM TOMM Nicolas D. Georganas Best Paper Award. He is the technical co-chair of the 2015 Haptic Audio-Visual Environments and Games Workshop and the co-organizer of the 2015 QoMEX Workshop special session on haptics quality of experience. His research interests include haptic technology and interactions, virtual reality simulations, sensory data fusion, human computer interaction, and quality of experience for haptic multimedia applications.