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Yu Zhao Virtual & Augmented Reality (VR&AR) • Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
Eye Tracking • Spatial Cognition

About Me Publications Projects

About

Professional Me

Learning in Virtual Environments (LiVE) Lab

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN, USA

👋 I'm Yu, but you can also call me Brooke. I'm a computer science PhD candidate at Vanderbilt University advised by Dr. Bobby Bodenheimer. My research lies at the intersection of Virtual & Augmented Reality (VR&AR), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Eye Tracking, and Perception & Cognition. In my research, I quantify human spatial perception and cognition to better understand how virtual content in VR&AR affects human behavior and interaction.
My main research include: (1) designing and evaluating cognition‑aware AR navigation systems, (2) leveraging eye tracking for user understanding and inclusive design with contextualized tasks, and (3) understanding perception, affordance, and feedback effectiveness in AR/VR/MR to informing their application in training and education. Feel free to reach out at yu.zhao@vanderbilt.edu to share insights and explore new possibilities!

Publications

Does Teleporting Length Affect Spatial Awareness?

Qinchen Yao, Yu Zhao, Sarah H Creem-Regehr, Jeanine K Stefanucci, Bobby Bodenheimer

2023 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality Adjunct (ISMAR-Adjunct)

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Evaluating Threat Cues for the Enhancement of Safety in Virtual Navigation

Ashley M Buzard, Jordan A Davidson, Emily E Tighe, Yu Zhao, Bobby Bodenheimer, Sarah H Creem-Regehr, Jeanine K Stefanucci

2023 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality Adjunct (ISMAR-Adjunct)

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Evaluating Augmented Reality Landmark Cues and Frame of Reference Displays with Virtual Reality

Yu Zhao, Jeanine K Stefanucci, Sarah H Creem-Regehr, Bobby Bodenheimer

IEEE Transaction on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG) Special Issue on IEEE Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces 2023

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The Perception of Affordances in Mobile Augmented Reality

Yu Zhao, Jeanine K Stefanucci, Sarah H Creem-Regehr, Bobby Bodenheimer

ACM Symposium on Applied Perception 2021

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Remote Mobile Augmented Reality for Spatial Cognition

Yu Zhao ,Chakraborty Soumyajit,Jeanine K Stefanucci, Sarah H Creem-Regehr, Bobby Bodenheimer

2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Remote XR Workshop

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Gap Affordance Judgments in Mixed Reality: Testing the Role of Display Weight and Field of View

Holly C Gagnon, Yu Zhao, Matthew Richardson, Grant D Pointon, Jeanine K Stefanucci, Sarah H Creem-Regehr, Bobby Bodenheimer

Frontiers in Virtual Reality

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The Effect of Feedback on Estimates of Reaching Ability in Virtual Reality

Holly C Gagnon, Taren Rohovit, Hunter Finney, Yu Zhao, John M Franchak, Jeanine K Stefanucci, Bobby Bodenheimer, Sarah H Creem-Regehr

2021 IEEE Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (VR)

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Affordance Judgments in Mobile Augmented Reality with Cues

Yu Zhao, Jeanine Stefanucci, Sarah Creem-Regehr, Bobby Bodenheimer

2021 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops (VRW)

FULL TEXT VIDEO

Effects of home environment structure on navigation preference and performance: A comparison in Veneto, Italy and Utah, USA

Erica M Barhorst-Cates, Chiara Meneghetti, Yu Zhao, Francesca Pazzaglia, Sarah H Creem-Regehr

Journal of Environmental Psychology

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Projects

Global-scale Outdoor AR Experience

HoloLens 2 + GNSS

This project's goal is to investigate an outdoor AR navigation experience in the field in order to inform the navigation design in AR googles. People can navigate using existing AR cues (e.g., augmented landmarks) and add virtual markers to help them remember their surroundings.

Video Code

Efficiency of AR Cues for Spatial Knowledge Acquisition

Varjo XR-3 + Eye Tracking

Investigating AR cue design in a simulated urban setting to control real-world distractions and equate environment novelty.

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