Showcasing IHMC

Connor Tate, a research associate, demonstrates Underwater Eye Tracking for Diver Neuro-Cognitive Health Assessment during the IHMC Public Day at the Florida Institute For Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC) in Ocala, Fla. on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. The event featured numerous demonstrations for the public by IHMC research associates and scientists. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.

The Institute for Human & Machine Cognition in downtown Ocala is a high-tech hub for some of the most brilliant minds on the planet. IHMC, as it is best known locally, hosted an Industry/Research/Education Day on Nov. 8 and a Public/Education Day on Nov. 9. IHMC is headquartered in Pensacola.

During the public day in Ocala, guests got an eyeful while perusing the showcase displays, as with research associate Connor Tate demonstrating underwater eye tracking for diver neuro-cognitive health assessment. According to materials provided by IHMC, prior work “has established eye tracking as a crucial indicator for physiological state. In underwater situations, changes in an air mixture can rapidly affect an individual’s cognitive state and early detection of this can save the lives of divers.”

In addition to Tate’s display, the showcase stations included:

• VISTa, a cognitive assessment deployed in virtual reality and an online platform to aid in early detection of mild traumatic brain injury
• Reinforcement learning with large language models, which are known for their ability to respond to tasks specified in plain English but how well do they navigate unknown environments
• VERSATILE, which asks how to identify individuals who are uniquely suited to the many new AI tasks that will dominate the workforce of the future
• Memory augmentation, a project focused on harnessing natural language processing to help seniors with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias retrieve words in the course of daily life
• EEG classification, in which electroencephalography can be used to determine a person’s cognitive state (concentration, mood, fatigue, etc.), their reaction to stimuli and their innate or learned skills in certain tasks
• Healthspan, resilience and performance, with research spanning genetic and molecular components to behavioral and cognitive impacts

According to information provided by Laurie Zink, development and community outreach director for IHMC Ocala, the organization has received generous support from the Ocala community from its awareness of groundbreaking work and efforts in Pensacola as well as the Ocala evening lectures, Science Saturdays and Robotics Camp.

“However, we realized that many in Ocala and Central Florida are unaware of the groundbreaking research work that is being performed at IHMC Ocala. We wanted to highlight this work, as well as start a dialogue with those in the surrounding areas to open up opportunities for collaboration with industry and researchers, engage with educators to help them better understand how to prepare their students for the rapid changes in technology their students will experience, and reach out to the public to show them the work we’re doing to augment their capabilities. We focused on hands-on demonstrations that connect with different human capabilities,” Zink shared via email.

Event attendees included educators, representatives from AdventHealth, Ken Colen (founder of the On Top of the World senior living community), researchers interested in collaborating with IHMC, more than a dozen students interested in STEM and many others, the material noted.

To learn more, go to ihmc.us