Federal Grant Award Summary

Carnegie Mellon University received a $467,325 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Division of Computing and Communication Foundations under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) program (CFDA 47.070) on June 15, 2026. The five-year CAREER award, titled "Adaptive XR Interfaces," supports research and development of extended reality (XR) technologies and human-centered interface design methodologies. The project delivers scientific and technical foundations for adaptive XR user interfaces that dynamically adjust content presentation based on contextual factors including physical environment, user activity, and cognitive demands. Key deliverables include design frameworks characterizing optimal application domains for adaptive interfaces, algorithms and software libraries enabling XR systems to modify interface placement and behavior, and human-centered evaluation protocols for assessing interface effectiveness across diverse real-world scenarios.

The research addresses critical usability challenges in XR adoption by investigating how intelligent interface adaptation enhances attention, safety, and productivity in applications spanning productivity tools, training programs, educational systems, and maintenance operations. Through systematic analysis of existing XR applications, expert workshops, prototype studies, and empirical evaluations, the project will synthesize actionable design knowledge that enables XR systems to automatically adjust to changing user contexts. This work supports the NSF CISE program's broader mission to advance investigator-initiated research in computing and information science engineering while developing practical technological solutions with significant commercial and societal impact potential.