Brody Wells is a master’s student in Computer Science at the University of Calgary. His research concerns the use of natural language as an interface in extended reality (XR) systems, specifically, how speech might be used to select objects or sift through the tangled datasets of digital twins.
He currently works on the Safe Hydrogen Agile Pipeline Engineering (SHAPE) project, helping to build a mixed reality digital twin of the APRIL pipeline testing facility. His focus has been on the practical question of spatial registration: how to overlay a virtual replica of the facility onto the real one so that engineers can remain in the world they inhabit while interacting with its data-rich double.
Earlier, as an undergraduate, he built a cross-reality prototype that let neurologists view MRI scans both on their desktops and in mixed reality, a modest attempt to bridge clinical habit with new technology.
When not in the lab, Brody climbs rocks (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG-ssLfmWjU) and drives long distances to find them. Despite being unilingual, he continues his prolonged and largely unsuccessful attempt to learn French, a reminder that persistence and achievement are not always the same thing.
