Dr. Alexis Morris and his team at Adaptive Context Environments (ACE) Lab receives grant from Meta's Reality Labs Research
Assistant Professor Dr. Alexis Morris is revolutionizing the way we interact with information, each other and the world by developing cutting-edge technologies in the fields of augmented and virtual reality.
As the Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in the Internet of Things and Director of the Adaptive Context Environments (ACE) Lab at OCAD University, Dr. Morris leads a team of students, local researchers and collaborators to design mixed reality human-computer interfaces and now his research has received a boost from Meta’s Reality Labs Research.
Dr. Morris’s ACE Lab is among 17 Canadian research labs each receiving $30,000 of unrestricted funding from Reality Labs. This type of financial contribution provides autonomy and flexibility for labs to pursue their investigations. Once published, their research will be publicly accessible and will drive innovation specifically in the area of the metaverse.
"I am thrilled that Meta’s Reality Labs Research has generously supported our Adaptive Context Environments Lab research. This is a validation of our core directions in mixed reality,” comments Dr. Morris.
Making the metaverse a reality will take several major technological breakthroughs. Canadian researchers are already building new technologies for this next digital frontier using industry-leading human computer interaction (HCI) and artificial intelligence (AI). By their side is Dr. Morris, who is shaping how users will interact in these digital spaces by building on his training as a computer scientist.
“This support gives us resources to further our mission to advance designs that transform, enhance and uplift the human-experience of living in the everyday metaverse eco-system that is about to unfold before our very eyes," he continues.
The successor to the mobile internet, the metaverse will be made up of digital spaces, including immersive 3D experiences that are interconnected so users can easily move between them. It is believed that the metaverse has the potential to introduce new creative, social and economic opportunities to users across the globe. It’s hoped that in the future, users will be able to access the metaverse from various devices, including VR headsets and the AR glasses that Dr. Morris’s research is helping to make possible.