Postdoc position available at Inria Bordeaux

Navigation in 3D digital cities Keywords: 3D User interfaces, navigation, urban environments, wayfinding, human factors. Institution and location: Inria Bordeaux Description: Large 3D urban environments are becoming widely available, and users can easily access them on personal computers or mobile devices through internet services. Such environments may be valuable in many domains including citizen life, tourism and entertainment. On the other hand, the use of such a new media is still limited, in particular because the navigation process in large urban environments remains difficult, both from a motor and a cognitive point of view. The goal of this postdoc proposal is to increase the accessibility of 3D digital cities to everyone by conceiving innovative user interfaces that improve 3D navigation. To this end, we will first study sensori-motor and cognitive processes that impact performance of users when navigating in 3D digital worlds. Then, we will design new interaction techniques dedicated to specific navigation tasks (e.g. navigation along a path and multi-level navigation metaphors). We will consider both mouse-based and multitouch inputs. Finally, we will integrate the developed techniques in actual applications, and assess them with dedicated user studies. Team: The candidate will join the Potioc team at Inria Bordeaux. Potioc focuses on the design, development, and evaluation of new user interfaces for interaction with 3D digital worlds (see http://team.inria.fr/potioc). The postdoc proposal is part of a joint project we currently work on with industrial partners. Required Skills: The candidate should hold a PhD in computer sciences or cognitive sciences, with a focus on 3D interaction (HCI, VR, Computer graphics…). The candidate should be comfortable with 3D programming (OpenGL, Unity3D, Ogre…), and she or he should have an experience with cognition and human factors. Period: One year, starting between September and December 2012 Salary: 2620€/month, gross Application: Please send an email with your CV at Martin.Hachet@inria.fr, as soon as possible.