Student Assistant for Unity3D Development

The geoGAZElab is looking for student assistance in the field of computer science over the summer break/beginning of the semester. This position will be under the project 3D Sketch Maps which aims to develop a collaborative 3D sketching game.

Collective spatial cognition (CSC), the concept of involving a collective of people in structuring and processing knowledge and knowing of spatial tasks, is a rising research area that is highly motivating in tourism, indoor navigation, and disaster response but is underdeveloped. Among these tasks, Search and Rescue (SAR) in urban areas and wilderness is a life-saving application that requires CSC between a command team and a field search team. In SAR, a map is a central artifact, yet it is also a space of technological tension due to the complexity of destructive and continuously changing spatial conditions of the disaster site. Sketch mapping is a simple but effective method to externalize human spatial understanding, and also a common technique for planning and decision-making in SAR. Current sketch mapping in SAR is performed in 2D while 3D information of the affected area is crucial for safety and situation awareness. To address this limitation, we propose the concept of collaborative 3D sketch mapping and intend to validate it in a simulated SAR game in virtual and augmented reality environments. You will assist  in adapting an in-house Unity3D software, VResin, for this SAR game. 

Your main task will be in two aspects:

• Conducting user experiments (around 20 hours of workload): assist a researcher in conducting user studies of an in-house developed 3D sketching software
• Extended reality development (around 80-100 hours of workload): assist a researcher in adapting a virtual reality-based Unity project (in Meta Quest 3) to augmented reality (in Hololens 2), optimize the data storage, and enable data communication between them.

We are looking for someone who could start as soon as possible with the below experiences

• An MSc in Computer Science or Human-Computer Interaction (outstanding Bachelor students could also apply)
• Proficiency in programming in C# in Unity3D
• Experienced with multiplayer networking engines such as Photon Engine or be confident to learn and integrate it with Unity3D projects in a short time
• Experienced with virtual reality and/or augmented reality development (preferably MetaQuest and Hololens products)
• Experienced in conducting user studies is a plus but not mandatory

You must be enrolled at ETHZ or UniZurich and must be willing to work 15h/week on average during the semester. It is possible to work more during the semester breaks (up to 40 hours). We handle working time flexibly such that you can take time to study for exams or fulfill other obligations for your studies while coordinating with the team when tasks need to be completed. 

• An interdisciplinary team with good support and a friendly learning environment
• Standard ETH student RA salary
• Possibility to co-author a short paper in top conferences in the Human-Computer Interaction field