$16M+
Research funding
Federal and industry sponsors fund britelab's work across human-AI interaction, medical simulation, engineering design, and intelligent built environments.
See funded projects
britelab at Penn State: human-centered AI, simulation, and engineering design research
We start with problems people actually have and build the solution with the people who'll use it.
We study how people interact with emerging technologies—and use those insights to improve AI, simulation, engineering design, and complex human-technology systems.
Explore Our ResearchWho we are. What we do. Why it matters.
Empowering Innovation through advances in the human frontier
The brite lab is a research group devoted to Bridging Research in Innovation, Technology, & Engineering. Our mission is to advance human-centered design at the intersection of emerging technologies and training across diverse fields such as medicine, the built environment, and education. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and cutting-edge research in Virtual/Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, robotics, and simulation technology, we aim to lead the way in transforming ideas into practical, real-world applications.
Areas of Expertise
Our Research Pillars
Featured story · Commercialization
From NIH-funded research to Medulate®
- More than a decade of NIH-funded research on medical simulation.
- Patented haptic simulation technology.
- Clinical results showing up to 46% error reduction.
- A spinout company, Medulate®, bringing the technology to clinical training.
1,000+
Physicians trained
Residents practice central line placement on the lab's simulators and receive objective feedback before they reach the patient.
Central Line Simulation project46%
Fewer medical errors
Clinical results show simulator training reduces errors by up to 46%.
See the research220+
Peer-reviewed publications
The lab's findings are published in peer-reviewed journals and conferences.
Browse publications4
Patents
Patented haptic simulation technology came out of the lab's medical training research. [TODO: list the four patents]
1
Startup company
Medulate® carries the lab's simulation research to hospitals and training programs.
Visit Medulate
Lab Director
Led by Scarlett Miller, Ph.D.
Paul Morrow Professor of Engineering Design & Manufacturing
Director, britelab · Penn State
Expertise
Human-Centered AIEngineering DesignHuman FactorsSimulationVR/AR
Insights + Impact
Latest Insights
Evidence-based perspectives on people and emerging technology.
Research Announcement
$3.7M NIH grant to further improve patient safety in central line placements
A five-year NIH grant will advance personalized simulation and automated feedback to help medical residents place central lines more safely.
Photo: Penn State College of Engineering / Penn State
Penn State News · Oct 15, 2026Read
Research Insight · Human–AI Interaction
Can AI Evaluate Engineering Creativity as Well as Humans?
Large language models can now rate design ideas in seconds. Our research asks when those ratings can be trusted — and when they can't.
Sep 1, 2026 · 5 min readRead
Research Insight · Human–AI Interaction
What Makes Human-AI Teams Trustworthy?
Trust in AI is not a switch. It is calibrated — or miscalibrated — through every interaction.
Aug 12, 2026 · 6 min readRead