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About

Kyle Johnsen is an innovative researcher at the intersection of virtual reality, robotics, and engineering education, with a focus on making high-quality technical training more accessible and effective. His work addresses a critical challenge in engineering curricula: the prohibitive cost of specialized laboratory equipment that limits hands-on learning opportunities, particularly in online and resource-constrained environments. Johnsen's most influential contribution, "Virtual Reality for Remote Controlled Robotics in Engineering Education" (2021, 31 citations), demonstrated how immersive VR environments can serve as viable substitutes for expensive physical lab setups, opening pathways for institutions that might otherwise forgo essential practical training. Building on this foundation, his more recent investigations explore how robot programming education influences student motivation, examining both virtual and physical platforms — including augmented reality — to understand which modalities best engage new engineering students. His research speaks directly to the growing demand for robotics literacy across sectors such as defense, manufacturing, medicine, and exploration. By systematically studying how emerging technologies shape learning outcomes and student engagement, Johnsen is helping redefine what accessible, modern engineering education can look like — a contribution that resonates strongly in an era of increasingly distributed and digital learning environments.