Karen Rafferty
Dr Karen Rafferty is Head of School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Queens University Belfast (QUB). She has over fifteen years’ experience working within the fields of sensor fusion and real time algorithmic development as well as over ten years’ experience working within the areas of virtual and augmented reality and multi sensorial systems.
Dr Rafferty has experience in developing physical prototypes for her research. HaptiLap was selected as a finalist in the Software In Design category at the IET Innovation Awards and one of her associated research papers was awarded the (London) Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers’ Prize for the best paper published by the Institute of Measurement and Control in 2011 on ‘the development or application of scientific instrumentation’. She has authored over 70 publications and two books, one on virtual reality and one on engineering innovation.
Dr Rafferty is also a member of pioneering research project i-AMS (intelligent autonomous manufacturing systems) her role is to deliver the transformative research in VR, VR and haptics associated with Industry 4.0.