Reality is a mixed bag for this graduate

Associate Professor Adrian Cheok.
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Tuesday, 17 April 2007

A global pioneer in the field of human-computer interaction, Associate Professor Adrian Cheok, will speak at a Singapore graduation ceremony for one of Australia's top universities, the University of Adelaide, this Saturday 21 April.

Associate Professor Cheok is Director of the Mixed Reality Lab, a high-tech research facility at the National University of Singapore (NUS), which specialises in interactive media and mixed reality.

In recent years the Adelaide engineering graduate has brought the world Human Pacman, a human version of the popular 80s arcade game; Poultry Internet, which allows people to interact with chickens - remotely and in real time; and Body Electronics, a device which enables users to communicate digital information simply by touch.

The development of another family computer game, Age Invaders, has helped bridge the generation gap in dozens of countries around the globe, with grandparents playing the role of human space invaders in a virtual world interaction with their grandchildren.

Associate Professor Cheok's latest collaborative effort is the release of an entertainment system which allows people to play computer games with their pet hamster. The world-first invention will be showcased at Wired Fest 2007 in Los Angeles before a crowd of 50,000 people.

Associate Professor Cheok, who was born and raised in Adelaide, graduated from the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronic) in 1992 and an Engineering PhD in 1998. As an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NUS, he heads a research team of more than 20 staff and students.

In 2004 he was named the Singapore Young Professional of the Year and, a year earlier, Singapore's Young Scientist of the Year.

Associate Professor Cheok will address some of Singapore's brightest young minds at the Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education Centre this Saturday when 115 students graduate from the University of Adelaide in two ceremonies.

Another Singaporean academic and Adelaide graduate, Associate Professor Margaret Tan, will deliver the 10am graduation address.

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