MnRI Speakers Series: Professor Eakta Jain
Abstract:
Rapid advances in graphics and virtual reality are bringing us to the cusp of hyper-realistic digital virtual avatars. A key component in creating compelling virtual avatars is the level of detail in the eyes. Built-in eye trackers offer technologists ample opportunity to image the user’s eyes. Though this information provides us with the data needed to cross the uncanny valley, collecting such data at scale creates a hidden cost for the user: security and privacy vulnerabilities. In this talk, I will discuss our work on creating avatar eyes, demonstrate a key vulnerability in eye tracking, and present technological solutions that trade-off security considerations with avatar realism.
Bio:
Eakta Jain is an Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science and Engineering at the University of Florida. She received her Ph.D. and MS degrees in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University and her B.Tech. degree from IIT Kanpur. She has worked in industrial research at Texas Instruments R&D labs, Disney Research Pittsburgh, and the Walt Disney Animation Studios. Her research group at the University of Florida is funded through faculty research awards from Facebook/Oculus and Google/YouTube, federal funding from the National Science Foundation, and state funding from the Florida Department of Transportation.
