Projects |
VR Vision Disorder Simulation
Led two VR research projects on color vision deficiency and binocular rivalry using computer vision and consumer headsets.
At the Kats Research Group, I worked on two related VR projects. One simulated color vision deficiency; the other created controlled binocular rivalry. Both ran on consumer headsets, which made the demos easier to reproduce outside an optics lab.
Research question
Could a consumer VR headset reproduce useful parts of a vision experiment without specialized optics hardware?
I wanted the simulations to be accurate enough for early experiments and clear enough that a non-specialist could understand what changed. They were teaching and research prototypes, not diagnostic tools.
Color-vision deficiency
I designed chromatic adjustment algorithms that approximate how people with color vision deficiency perceive hyperspectral images. In pilot color tests, the system reached about 90% agreement with the expected adjustments. A color-calibrated VR demo let viewers compare the transformed image with the reference.
This experiment is separate from my co-authored Journal of Optics paper, which concerns passive conversion of ultraviolet images into visible light.
Binocular rivalry
The human visual system normally combines signals from both eyes. I broke that redundancy by showing different static and moving content to each eye. This produced controlled rivalry effects without a mirror stereoscope.
Method and constraints
- Implemented the color pipeline in Unity’s HDRP, including LUT blending and per-eye calibration routines for HMDs.
- Built tools for researchers to capture headset sensor data, compare it with hyperspectral reference images, and export reports.
- Worked with ophthalmology advisors so the simulations followed clinical constraints rather than acting as visual effects.
Consumer displays could not reproduce every part of human perception. I documented those limits and kept the scope narrow: controlled prototypes for teaching and early perception experiments.
What it demonstrated
- The demos gave me a concrete way to explain color perception and accessibility work to people without an optics background.
- VR reproduced parts of an optics lab setup at a lower cost for teaching and early experiments.
I still use the same test for accessibility tools: the model has to be grounded in the underlying science, but it also has to be understandable to the people making product decisions.
