Undergrad projects

GenAI chatbot for Academic expertise search using Copilot¶

Identifying specific research expertise within large institutions can be difficult using traditional directory searches. This project aims to develop a specialized chatbot powered by Microsoft Copilot Studio (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-copilot-studio) and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to index and query academic research outputs. Users can interact with the chatbot to find potential collaborators or mentors based on their recent publications. The project will demonstrate how unstructured academic data can be made more accessible, allowing for more precise and context-aware discovery of expertise across various departments.

Keywords: RAG, Academic Search, Knowledge Management, Microsoft Copilot Prerequisite for the project: background in Data Science

Augmented Reality (AR) for museum experiences¶

Physical gallery spaces often face challenges in engaging audiences who expect interactive and digitally enriched learning environments. This project focuses on enhancing the visitor journey at the University of Reading (UoR) Museums (https://www.reading.ac.uk/essentials/Campus-and-Local-Area/Museums-on-campus), specifically the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology, the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL), and the Cole Museum of Zoology. By utilizing Image Target AR, the application will recognize real physical artifacts and present digital representations of them. For instance, when a visitor views a broken piece of Greek Pottery at the Ure Museum, the system can overlay a complete 3D reconstruction. Similarly, the application can show a lifelike representation of a mammoth when a user looks at the mammoth skeleton at the Cole Museum. This approach aims to bridge the gap between static displays and dynamic education, providing a more immersive and personalized experience for visitors exploring these diverse collections.

Keywords: Augmented Reality, Image Targets, Digital Heritage, User Experience Prerequisite for the project: background in Mobile Development and 3D Modeling

GenAI chatbot using cloud-based multi-agents and RAG¶

Many websites contain large amounts of information, making it challenging for users to find specific answers quickly. This project aims to develop an assistant powered by LLMs capable of answering user queries based on the content of a specific website. The process involves retrieving relevant information from the target website's pages (e.g., via scraping) and utilizing an LLM to understand the user's question and synthesize an accurate answer from the retrieved content. A key focus will be the implementation of multi-agent collaboration, utilizing advanced cloud capabilities such as the multi-agent collaboration capability for Amazon Bedrock (https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/introducing-multi-agent-collaboration-capability-for-amazon-bedrock/) to decompose complex queries into specialized tasks. The ultimate goal is to create a functional prototype demonstrating improved information access and user experience (e.g. ReactJS UI https://ai-sdk.dev/).

Keywords: Multi-agent Systems, RAG, Amazon Bedrock, Cloud Computing Prerequisite for the project: background in Python and Cloud Infrastructure

Virtual Reality for African museum experiences with Decolonisation information¶

This project aims to develop immersive Virtual Reality (VR) experiences tailored for African museum collections, focusing on creating environments for objects that currently only exist on the web. By utilizing resources from the Digital Benin Catalogue (https://digitalbenin.org/catalogue), students will create a VR environment for immersive navigation of objects. When needed, the project will incorporate decolonisation information into the user experience to address the colonial legacy embedded in museum documentation and display. This will be guided by frameworks such as Digital Benin's stance on the Use of derogatory, racist, and harmful language (https://digitalbenin.org/documentation/use-of-derogatory-racist-and-harmful-language). The outcome will be a prototype that visualizes artifacts in 3D and educates users on their provenance and cultural significance.

Keywords: Virtual Reality, Digital Heritage, Decolonisation, 3D Modeling, User Experience Prerequisite for the project: background in Virtual Reality or 3D Game Development