[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=”Seeing the Full Picture: Dr. WonSook Lee Unites Augmented Reality and Art” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][et_pb_fullwidth_image src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Screenshot-2018-04-18-11.18.29.png” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ \/][et_pb_fullwidth_header _builder_version=”3.2″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n
[Photo \u00a9 WonSook Lee]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”51.1875px|0px|30px|0px” prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”25.5938px|0px|26px|0px” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, just keep your back straight, speak clearly and remember that you have to press hard or else the ultrasound won\u2019t pick anything up,\u201d says WonSook Lee, as she flits around her University of Ottawa lab, her purple boots clacking quickly against the tile floor. She\u2019s adjusting screens, nodding her head, tucking her long black hair behind her ears and flashing an ever-present smile.<\/span><\/p>\n The white and tan lab, nestled in the heart of Ottawa U\u2019s engineering department, isn\u2019t much bigger than an office. But it\u2019s carefully packed with a variety of objects: C++ programming textbooks, a desktop computer, three enormous bottles of ultrasound lubricant, and a small, desktop ultrasound machine that\u2019s currently looking at the inside of my mouth, charting my tongue\u2019s movements as I speak.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n Lee’s research interests include augmented reality and artificial intelligence, and she wants to bring art and technology together in her work. She is examining how medical science imaging can be used in non-medical applications, like speech therapy.<\/span><\/p>\n Here, with an ultrasound pressed against the underside of my chin, Lee\u2019s two passions, art and science, spring to life on the grainy black and white ultrasound screen.<\/span><\/p>\n As I speak, a video of my tongue appears on the screen, capturing the subtle movements of my tongue as I speak. The videos are intended to show non-native speakers how to move their tongue in order to produce the right sounds and syllables.<\/span><\/p>\n Lee brings a unique perspective to technology: her main focuses are on humans and art, and the technological applications of both. Her glasses are quickly taped together at the bridge, coloured in with black marker. \u201cI broke them a while ago, and I just didn\u2019t have time to get a backup with me.\u201d Lee explains, her English lightly accented with Korean.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMG_5756.jpg” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n Dr. WonSook Lee (centre) and her team, left to right: Austin W., Hamed Mozaffari, Nan Wang and Shenyong G.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|23px|0px” prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”25px|0px|4px|0px” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n Spurred on by her interests in humans and visualization, Lee wants to look for unconventional solutions to learning languages or conquering a fear of public speaking, by combining science and art.<\/span><\/p>\n Lee is native to South Korea, from Cheongju, a city about two hours away from the capital city of Seoul. She was interested in technology from a young age, and always found herself fascinated by the unique differences between people. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSome people like trees, so they do research for trees. But for me, I like people: their expressions, their emotions, their faces.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Her interests in film and television animation, coupled with her fascination with people, led her to a computer science degree. She began her education at the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), in Pohang, about 3 hours away from South Korea\u2019s capital city of Seoul. Her fluctuating interests and unique research opportunities would eventually lead her to Europe and North America.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n She worked as a teaching assistant and computer science researcher, but also spent a lot of her time watching computer-animated movies. She received her Bachelors of Science in 1991, then her Masters in 1993.<\/span><\/p>\n But Lee\u2019s interests had shifted, and she wanted to focus on the medical applications of computer animation and 3-D modelling. This new interest brought her to the National University of Singapore, where she focused on creating 3-D reconstructions of catheters and other medical equipment by using 3-D models.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Clinton_clone.jpg” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n A facial clone of former US president Bill Clinton. [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n She then went to the University of Geneva for her PhD, to finally work on her passion: animating people. She took real people and recreated their features on a computer to create their virtual human models, or virtual clones of the real people. She remembers how computer animation was becoming more common, but the animation style could be hit or miss. <\/span><\/p>\n The Final Fantasy movie in particular stands out amongst Lee\u2019s film memories, and taught her an important lesson about animating people. Released in 2001, it was one of the first computer animated films, with real actors voicing completely computer animated characters.<\/span> \u201cPeople want animation to look different than real people, so it doesn\u2019t confuse them,\u201d Lee explains. \u201cNo matter how perfect computer animation is, it can\u2019t replace real people.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n She says that movies like How to Train Your Dragon and Shrek are good examples of computer animation, because the characters look realistic enough, but not exactly like real people.<\/span> Finally, Lee decided to come to Ottawa after received an offer to teach computer science at the University of Ottawa. <\/span><\/p>\n She explains that her travels helped to shape her perspective and approach to work.<\/span> \u201cI\u2019m Asian, but I also spent a lot of time in Europe doing my Ph.D, and now I live in North America,\u201d Lee muses. \u201cI feel like I don\u2019t belong anywhere, but I belong everywhere!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=o3k1W3RCFuU” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n The trailer for 2001’s Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, based on the video game series.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|5px|0px” prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n The Diverse Applications of Augmented Reality<\/span><\/p>\n Her latest research goes back to her earlier interests, with improved tools: augmented reality and its use in medical imaging, for more precise and accurate surgery. Where virtual reality is creating an immersive and completely computer-generated world, augmented reality superimposes computer-generated images in the real world, which is seen through virtual reality screens or goggles. A recent example of augmented reality would be the mobile app Pok\u00e9mon Go<\/a>, which became a sensation after it was introduced in 2015.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Augmented reality is increasingly being used in medicine, and has a variety of uses. From locating veins<\/a> more easily, to videos that explain the effects of medications<\/a>, and even rehabilitation<\/a>, augmented reality is helping doctors and medical professionals better understand and look inside the body.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n Lee explains says that augmented reality can help bridge the disconnect between CT, X-rays or MRI scans, and your body. \u201cWith AR, I can add the scan image on top of you, then I\u2019ll know where I need to go,\u201d Lee explains. \u201cIt increases the amount of information and cuts down on the time we have to spend on you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SnSj11oJV-0″ _builder_version=”3.0.89″ \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n A video of demonstrating AccuVein, a device that lights up the veins, making them easier for nurses to locate. It is one of many new application of augmented reality in medical imaging.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n But Lee is taking a common augmented reality technology, the ultrasound machine, and using it in non-medical applications, like teaching new languages and speech therapy.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYelling at people to move their tongue a certain way is very difficult to understand,\u201d Lee says. \u201cBut when we visualize the native speaker\u2019s tongue, it gives a better way of referencing, seeing and imitating.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He hopes that the study will expand the idea of using medical imaging for non-medical purposes. \u201cWe want to expand on virtual and augmented reality, and eventually apply this method for studying different organs in the human body.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/_J4Aulwg2-s” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ prev_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n But this study is not without its setbacks. Although Lee notes that although there has been \u201cdramatic progress\u201d related to increased portability and public interest in augmented reality, through apps and increased use of AR by news outlets, there are still some technical and social issues to keep in mind.<\/span><\/p>\n Computer vision and recognition issues are some of the biggest problems when dealing with augmented reality. In order to use augmented reality, a computer must understand the real world. Understanding the real world takes more effort than virtual reality, which replaces the real world.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cComputers read things through numbers, but in augmented reality, we need to understand the real world because we need to integrate information.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Hamed echoes Lee\u2019s frustrations with the limits of current technology. \u201cThe biggest challenges are always technological: low-quality ultrasound images, long post-processing times, and synchronizing the data between the ultrasound and the speaker,\u201d Hamed explains. \u201cSometimes it feels like it takes forever,\u201d he adds with a chuckle.<\/span><\/p>\n Another of Lee\u2019s students, Austin Wen, appreciates her unique, human-centered approach to technology. \u201cShe inspires us to focus not only on the spatial information in images, but also by using our own experiences to think about things.\u201d He adds that Lee is great at organizing and sharing her knowledge with all her students, and is never reluctant to take action.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”]<\/p>\n In the end Lee says, however good the technology becomes, it can\u2019t be a substitute for human interaction.\u00a0<\/span>An important element of increased augmented reality is the social issues that may come with it. Lee acknowledges that virtual and augmented reality can create problems in the real world.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen people become more and more dependent on technology, then there\u2019s always that worry that people will ignore real people because they are too deep into the digital world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The goal is simple: she wants people to use her technology, and understand how science and art can be combined in ways that help people. She wants people to see how the benefits of technology, and the benefits of art can be combined together in helpful ways, like teaching new languages.<\/span><\/p>\n Amid all the technological and virtual reality components of her work, Lee always makes people her main study subject and focus. She counts one of her favourite memories as a moment 25 years ago, when she created an age-progressed image for a family whose son had died in early childhood, by using the boy\u2019s photo, as well as photos of his parents.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>\u201cShe later sent me an email and said that every family member was crying, which was so touching,\u201d reflects Lee. \u201cIt didn\u2019t take a lot of time for me, but it was still so rewarding for me to do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=”Seeing the Full Picture: Dr. WonSook Lee Unites Augmented Reality and Art” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”] How one University of Ottawa professor is using medical imaging and augmented reality to teach languages. by Arianna Paquette [\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][et_pb_fullwidth_image src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Screenshot-2018-04-18-11.18.29.png” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ \/][et_pb_fullwidth_header _builder_version=”3.2″ background_layout=”light” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)”] [Photo \u00a9 WonSook […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":3851,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"project_category":[134],"project_tag":[],"class_list":["post-3839","project","type-project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","project_category-profile"],"yoast_head":"\nUnderstanding People Through Visualization<\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
\nPhoto\u00a0 by \u00a9 WonSook Lee.<\/p>\nLearning through film<\/h4>\n
A new use for an old technology<\/h4>\n
\n<\/span>Hamed Mozaffari, a PhD. Student who is spearheading the project, has a script of words and syllables that are difficult for non-English speakers to say, such as \u201csleet,\u201d \u201ccareer,\u201d and \u201csch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nImperfect Technology<\/h4>\n
The good and the bad<\/h4>\n