Faculty, staff and students from all fields of study gathered Thursday at Howe Hall to hear, touch and see innovative advances in human-computer interaction.

Human-Computer Interaction, or HCI, is a new graduate and research program approved by the Board of Regents in July of this year, said Jim Oliver, graduate program chair and associate professor of mechanical engineering. The open house included both speeches and a chance to personally experience human-computer interaction. Audience members were given laser pointers and participated in a quiz by pointing the lasers at a large screen in front of the room. They were also treated to a game of Pong.

Other technology demonstrations were given throughout Howe Hall.

One of these, the teleoperating demonstration, was a cross between virtual reality and remote controlled vehicles. This development allows an operator to virtually operate a vehicle or robot without touching them.

Oliver gave several examples of practical applications for this type of technology. It could be used in waste management to pick up hazardous waste without putting a real person in danger, he said.

Oliver said the military may also find teleoperating helpful. He said in the future, a doctor in the United States could do surgery on a wounded soldier in Bosnia. This would provide the soldiers with treatment, while keeping the doctor out of harm’s way.

Another demonstration was of Augmented Reality. Augmented Reality involves a pair of glasses with computer-type screens in them. People were able to see through these, but the glasses allowed wearers to see more than what the naked eye alone would see. For example, in construction, sensors would allow a bulldozer operator to see how far into the ground a stake has been placed.

Prior to the demonstrations, President Gregory Geoffroy opened ceremonies with a speech on his beliefs on the effectiveness of the new program.

Geoffroy said Iowa State is only the second university in the nation to offer a master’s and a doctorate in Human-Computer Interaction. He said he hopes the program will increase the level of excellence at Iowa State, bring outside funding to the university and make advan-ces relevant to the needs of Iowa.

“I am truly very, very proud of what we have accomplished,” Geoffroy said. “We have great things to look forward to.”

In his speech, Oliver said he believes there is much research and development that still needs to happen with human interactions with computers and technology. “We’re just starting to scratch the surface,” he said.

Oliver spoke about how Iowa State has a long history in HCI, mentioning the Atanasoff-Berry Computer that was created at Iowa State. He said he believed this new approach will let the legacy live on.

HCI is a multidisciplinary program, Oliver said. All fields of study are needed to make it work.

Two of the three newly hired faculty members in the program are non-engineering and non-computer science professionals. The three new faculty members include Chad Harms, who holds a doctorate in communications and is currently working to develop a new process of automated menus on telephone answering systems; Chris Harding, who holds a doctorate in geology; and Dirk Reiners, who holds a doctorate in computer science.

Geoffroy said he believes the new faculty members will greatly add to the success of this program.

With technological developments and a new program that’s creating worldwide interest, Oliver said he is very hopeful for the future. “We want to make this [program] a leading focal point for the university,” he said.