Jack C. Lawlor

Psychology of Interactive Gaming - Ways of Improving Interaction with our Environment

Hello, my name is Jack Lawlor and I am a Senior in my third year of Science Research.

My Beginning In Science Research

My science research journey began back in 10th grade when I first started the program because my brother had recommended it to me. I wasn't sure what topic to choose from, so like many of my other peers, I searched through google for an idea. I first came across the field of chemistry, and how new elements are discovered and now created in the modern world. I researched the Large Hadron Collider which is used today in part to create new elements for short periods of time. My focus then shifted towards a completely different field of science: using brain signals to synthesize speech. The majority of my research has been focused on this topic which led me to an interview with a researcher from Northeastern University that worked directly on multiple papers on this topic. He recommended that I start a project on controlling a robot using muscular signals.

Review of Literature - Final Paper

Recent Work

During the second semester of my junior year, my project started to take off in the direction that I had hoped for, and real hand-on work was beginning. After meeting with the researcher, I looked around the internet for a Myo Armband, or a gesture tracking device, that senses electromyographic signals. This armband was used in a study that I wanted to model with modification to the variables used in the original test in order to test factors that could influence the user's skill and ability to use the armband to move a robot. However, as the Myo Armband is no longer being manufactured, I am instead using the Leap Motion Controller, which can sense hands placed above the screen and create a 3D model of the hands to perform functions on a computer. So far, I have used the Leap Motion Controller to create a game in which the user has a set of 3D hands in the game and has to deflect blocks and score points in order to progress. Using this game, I will be able to gather feedback from a range of participants based on their age and gaming experience to gauge the difficulty in learning to use this device.

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