Master Thesis: Virtual Reality latency experience i Luleå, Sweden

Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR and AR) are generally available services now. Several consumer headsets are on the market and Apple, Google, and Microsoft are all pushing for different technologies to put this in the hands of developers and end users alike. The traditional usage of these services has so far not been very network friendly, rendering and control signaling is all done locally on the end user device. However, this is starting to change with more capable access networks on the horizon, 5G for example, and GPU hardware producers pushing for having their solutions everywhere in these networks.  
AR with distributed or off-loaded rendering is one of the most demanding online services. High demand on extremely low latency between the headset and any kind of online server together with usually high bitrate video transmission creates a unique problem to solve for the network providers. To create a good environment for such a service as VR or AR, one needs to know about how the network conditions affects the end users. This can be done by degrading a VR experience in a controlled way by simulating network degradations and applying the effects on a locally hosted server and renderer. This is then tested by a set of test persons that will describe their experience and the testing environment will produce logs that can be analyzed in addition to the subjective data.  
To reliably assess the effects of networking degradations repeatedly on the VR service, a testing environment has been created at Ericsson Research. This environment contains three scenarios that test different aspects of the VR experience.  
In this project you will explore the effects of adding a controlled, but troublesome, network between the VR-headset and the controlling server. Latency and packet loss will be added in the mentioned environment and you will evaluate the effects of different kind of access technologies. Depending on the interests and proficiencies of the applicant, the end goal of the thesis might be slightly different.  With a more network focused student, emphasis can be put on evaluating and enhancing the networking engine in the test environment. Meanwhile, a student with more interest in the user experience side of the project can perform more subjective testing and look into the perceptual differences between this and

other, similar, systems.

• The successful applicants will be self-motivated, M.Sc. students or equivalent with an education in computer communication and/or perceptual psychology. Practical experience is not required. 
• The work is research oriented, so ability to learn quickly, work independently and identify problems and solutions is necessary. 
• Courses in perceptual psychology, computer networking and experience with Unreal Engine IDE are considered valuable merits.
• Some programming proficiency, preferably C and Python, are also important.    
• Strong analytical skills and ability to acquire new knowledge and apply it in the job  
• Good communication skills in written and spoken English 
• Ability to formulate problems and solve them independently  
• Creativity and ability to work independently
• Ability to develop and drive new ways of working, to produce research results in a more efficient way 
• Deciding & Initiating Action 
• Working with People 
• Presenting & Communicating 
• Applying Expertise & Technology 

Work location: Luleå.  Please state in your application when you can start.

Ericsson provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, parental status, national origin, ethnic background, age, disability, political opinion, social status, veteran status, union membership or genetics.

Ericsson complies with applicable country, state and all local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location across the world in which the company has facilities. In addition, Ericsson supports the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights and the United Nations Global Compact.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, training and development.

Ericsson expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, parental status, national origin, ethnic background, age, disability, political opinion, social status, veteran status, union membership or genetic information.

Primary country and city: Sweden (SE) || || Luleå || Stud&YP

Req ID: 270999