Active Projects
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) & Predictive Robotics
This core research track integrates edge computing architectures with advanced industrial automation platforms to deploy scalable, distributed IIoT sensor networks. A primary initiative features the development of a real-time Digital Twin for a FANUC R2000i-165F industrial robot arm. By instruments-tracking joint-level mechanics using a network of Raspberry Pi nodes and BNO086 IMUs combined with vision-based camera systems, the lab streams high-frequency data telemetry. Research focuses on optimizing sensor fusion, time-synchronization protocols, and cloud pipeline analytics to eliminate variances between planned and physical motion while defining new baselines for predictive asset maintenance and smart factory applications.
SunSketcher (NASA Citizen Science)
SunSketcher is a NASA-funded citizen science initiative led by Western Kentucky University that utilizes a custom-built mobile app to precisely measure the shape of the Sun. Developed in the XR Lab, the app crowd sources images of "Baily’s Beads"—brief flashes of sunlight passing through lunar valleys—during total solar eclipses to map solar oblateness with unprecedented accuracy. Following a successful large-scale deployment during the 2024 Great North American Eclipse, the project is currently evolving its platform in preparation for the upcoming total eclipse in August 2026. This interdisciplinary effort integrates advanced UX design and mobile development to transform thousands of smartphones into a global network of scientific sensors.
The Campus Build Project
Driving active interdisciplinary collaboration across technology, design, and performance arts, the Campus Build project synthesizes high-fidelity 3D assets to digitally reconstruct the historical and structural architectural elements of the Western Kentucky University campus. Developed in close partnership with the Departments of Art & Design and Theatre, this active initiative translates physical terrain data, engineering layouts, and geometric blueprints into interactive digital twin models. These assets serve as a cross-departmental testbed for spatial rendering techniques, collaborative game engine asset workflows, and immersive virtual reality lab environments.
Completed & Archived Initiatives
The XR Lab maintains technical archives and localized data pipelines for completed research tracks, including KYNETIC Implicit Bias Training Platforms, UAV-CAVE Aerial Environmental Mapping, and Haas CNC Machine Health Diagnostics. Applied insights generated from these legacy initiatives continue to inform our active cyber-physical architectures, signal processing methods, and data acquisition frameworks.
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