The University of Windsor’s School of Computer Science is celebrating the outstanding achievement of M.Sc. student Hai Ly, whose research paper on skeleton-based keystroke recognition in virtual reality (VR) was recently awarded the Best Short Paper Award at the IEEE AIxVR 2025 Conference (AIxVR 2025).
Co-authored with his supervisor, Dr. Dan Wu, the paper, "Towards Skeleton-Based Keystroke Recognition in Virtual Reality," introduces an innovative method that applies deep learning models to hand skeletons to improve text input in VR environments. The research aims to enhance the typing experience on mid-air virtual keyboards by leveraging skeleton-based deep learning techniques to predict keystrokes with high accuracy. Their proposed model achieved an impressive 94.61% keystroke classification accuracy, outperforming existing methods and contributing to the development of more efficient VR-based office tools.
Recognizing the lack of publicly available datasets for keystroke recognition in VR, Hai Ly and Dr. Wu also curated KeyVR, a new dataset designed to support further advancements in this field. The dataset is now accessible to the research community, promoting future innovation in VR interaction technologies.
“Hai is a very hardworking student with exceptional skills in coding and writing,” said Dr. Wu. “His dedication to solving real-world challenges in virtual reality interaction is truly commendable, and this recognition is well deserved.”
The IEEE AIxVR 2025 Conference, held in Lisbon, Portugal, is an annual international event bringing together leading researchers and industry professionals in artificial intelligence, extended reality, and human-computer interaction. Being recognized with the Best Short Paper Award at an IEEE conference underscores the impact and quality of their work within the research community.