Hello there!

I’m Víctor Rodrigo Mercado, and I am passionate about design, interaction, virtual reality, and haptics.

My work has been focused on improving the usability and performance of emerging technologies.

I have a multidisciplinary background in both design and computer science, which allows me to understand the process of developing interactive applications while considering both aesthetics and functionality.

 

Key competences

Programming

Virtual Reality

Human-Robot Interaction

User Experience Design

Haptics

Interaction Design

Virtual Environments

User Studies

Featured Projects

Kerflow simulation showcasing an avatar walking in a virtual forest

Kerflow

Role: Project owner

  • Designed and developed rehabilitation software integrating virtual reality and haptic feedback

  • Transformed a research project into a product fit for market needs

  • Interviewed stakeholders (patients, therapists, and researchers) and collected feedback for product development

  • Developed a wireless haptic device prototype that connects to a virtual reality application

Learn more
User wearing a Skinetic vest creating a haptic effect in Unitouch Studio

Actronika

Role: UX developer

  • Designed and developed a software tool for the creation of haptic effects

  • Created haptic feedback for demonstrations and provided consulting for clients

  • Developed virtual reality demonstrations integrating haptic feedback (industry, research, and entertainment)

Learn more
Woman interacting with an encountered-type haptic display

Doctoral Work

  • Designed and developed interaction techniques for a haptic interface that was not visible to users

  • Proposed novel approaches to haptic rendering in virtual reality

  • Designed safety techniques to inform users about potential collision risks without breaking immersion

  • Conducted user studies to evaluate the effectiveness of new approaches for improved haptic rendering and the usability of haptic interfaces

Learn more

Publications

Different graphic representations of thesafety techniques for encountered-type haptic displays

Watch out for the Robot! Designing Visual Feedback Safety Techniques When Interacting With Encountered-Type Haptic Displays

Víctor Rodrigo Mercado, Ferran Argelaguet, Géry Casiez, and Anatole Lecuyer
Frontiers in Virtual Reality
Video | PDF | DOI

Depiction of the different visual effects for representing contacts in mixed reality

“Kapow!”: Studying the Design of Visual Feedback for Representing Contacts in Extended Reality

Julien Cauquis, Víctor Rodrigo Mercado, Ferran Argelaguet, Géry Casiez, Jean-Marie Nomand, and Anatole Lecuyer
ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology (ACM VRST)
Video | PDF | DOI

Setup for Alfred the Haptic Butler

“Alfred: The Haptic Butler” On-Demand Tangibles for Object Manipulation in Virtual Reality using an ETHD

Víctor Rodrigo Mercado, Thomas Howard, Hakim Si-Mohammed, Ferran Argelaguet, and Anatole Lecuyer
Conference Paper on IEEE World Haptics Conference (IEEE WHC)
Video | PDF | DOI

Diagram showcasing the core components of an ETHD system

“Haptics on Demand” A Survey on Encountered-Type Haptic Displays

Víctor Rodrigo Mercado, Maud Marchal, Anatole Lécuyer
IEEE Transactions on Haptics (ToH)
DOI

Display of visual effects for augmenting contacts with objects in mixed reality

“Kapow!”Augmenting Contacts with Real and Virtual Objects Using Stylized Visual Effects

Víctor Rodrigo Mercado, Jean-Marie Normand, and Anatole Lécuyer
Poster for IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality
Video| PDF | DOI


Setup for the the haptic display dedicated to use interaction techniques for increasing the contact with physical surface

Design and Evaluation of Interaction Techniques Dedicated to Integrate Encountered-Type Haptic Displays in Virtual Environments

Víctor Rodrigo Mercado, Maud Marchal, Anatole Lécuyer
Conference Paper on IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (IEEE VR)
Video| PDF | Presentation Video | DOI



Diagram showcasing the core components of the ENTROPiA system

ENTROPiA: Towards Infinite Surface Haptic Displays in Virtual Reality Using Encountered-Type Rotating Props

Víctor Rodrigo Mercado, Maud Marchal, Anatole Lécuyer
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG)
Video| PDF | Presentation Video | DOI

 

Education

PhD in Informatics (2018 - 2021)

INSTITUT NATIONAL DES SCIENCES APPLIQUES (Rennes, France)
Thesis title: Touching Objects in Virtual Reality Using Next-Generation Haptic Interfaces
Supervisor: Anatole Lécuyer

Master of Science in Intelligent Systems (2016-2018)

TECNOLÓGICO DE MONTERREY (Monterrey, Mexico) Thesis title: Implementation and Evaluation of a User-Centered Designed Paradigm for Motor Imagery based Brain-Computer Interface
Supervisor: Dr. Luz-María Alonso-Valerdi

Bachelor of Arts in Animation and Digital Art (2012-2016)

TECNOLÓGICO DE MONTERREY (Puebla, Mexico)
Graduated with honors

 

Skills

Development

Unity, C#, Typescript, Svelte, Java, Rust

Design

Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, Blender, FreeCAD

Soft Skills

Adaptability, Creativity, Active Listening

Spoken Languages

Español, English, Français