Hi, I'm
Mayura Manawadu
I research mixed reality using panoramic RGB-D captures, enabling reliable interaction and smooth navigation in real-world 360° scenes — depth-based occlusion, contact, collision, and novel view synthesis for free movement through panoramic environments.
Research
Mixed Reality
Enabling natural interaction between virtual objects and panoramic real-world environments — depth-based occlusion, contact, and collision in 360° scenes captured with RGB-D.
Computer Vision
6DoF pose estimation from single RGB images in uncontrolled environments, focal length estimation, and 3D scene understanding for robotics and AR.
Novel View Synthesis
Generating intermediate views for smooth free-roaming navigation between panoramic nodes — moving through captured scenes rather than teleporting between fixed viewpoints.
News
TARAR at IEEE ISMAR-Adjunct 2025
Paper accepted and presented at the IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality Adjunct, Daejeon, South Korea.
Started PhD at University of Melbourne
Commenced PhD research at the University of Melbourne, focusing on Mixed Reality with panoramic RGB-D imaging and novel view synthesis.
Melbourne Research Scholarship
Awarded the Melbourne Research Scholarship to support full-time PhD candidature at the University of Melbourne.
MSc Completed — GPA 4.3/4.3
Completed Master of Science at Kyungpook National University, South Korea. Thesis: A Decoupled Approach of 6DoF Object Pose and Camera Focal Length Estimation from Single RGB Image.
Open Day Demo — University of Melbourne
Showcased our latest Mixed Reality navigation system at the University of Melbourne Open Day, demonstrating panoramic RGB-D interaction.
ICRA 2024 Workshop — Yokohama, Japan
Presented work on 6DoF pose and focal length estimation at the Workshop on 3D Visual Representations for Robot Manipulation, ICRA 2024.
KINGS Scholarship — Kyungpook National University
Awarded the KINGS Scholarship to pursue an MSc in Electronic & Electrical Engineering (AI & Signal Processing) at Kyungpook National University, South Korea.
Gold Medalist — University of Sri Jayewardenepura
Awarded Gold Medal at the 48th Convocation for outstanding undergraduate academic and extracurricular performance in Computer Engineering.
Best Track Paper — ICARC 2021
Received Best Track Paper Award in the Data Science & Applications track at the International Conference on Advanced Research in Computing, Sabaragamuwa, Sri Lanka.
Publications
TARAR: An Intelligent Tour Guide Avatar for Mobile Real-Time Augmented Reality in Heritage Sites
IEEE ISMAR-Adjunct 2025
6-DoF Pose Estimation from Single RGB Image and CAD Model Retrieval Using Feature Similarity Measurement
Applied Sciences 15 (3)
6DoF Object Pose and Focal Length Estimation from Single RGB Images in Uncontrolled Environments
Sensors 24 (17), 5474
Enhancing 6DoF Pose and Focal Length Estimation from Uncontrolled RGB Images for Robotics Vision
ICRA 2024 · Workshop on 3D Visual Representations
Advancing 6D Pose Estimation in Augmented Reality — Overcoming Projection Ambiguity with Uncontrolled Imagery
IPIU 2024
Voice-Assisted Real-Time Traffic Sign Recognition System Using Convolutional Neural Network
ICARC 2021
Projects
Free-View XR Tours with 3D Gaussian Splatting
An XR touring system for free-view exploration of photoreal 3DGS scenes, with an avatar guide delivering proximity-triggered narration. Demonstrated at IEEE VR 2026 with 50+ participants.
Abhises: Intelligent Virtual Tour Guide
An Intelligent Augmented Reality Tourist Guide leveraging Computer Vision and Deep NLP to simulate a real guide's behavior.
6DoF Pose & Focal Length Estimation
A two-stage approach for accurate 6DoF pose estimation in robotics, addressing challenges with single RGB images in uncontrolled environments.
Accident Prediction System
Predictive system utilizing US accident data to accurately forecast road accidents and enhance safety.
Traffic Sign Recognition
Voice-assisted traffic sign recognition system using CNNs, achieving real-time detection with high accuracy.
Console-Based Cricket Game
A C++ console game featuring real-time animations and dynamic player positioning. Winner (1st Place) of the 'Programming for Engineers' course competition.
Travel Blog
Redwood Forest Escape
Walking through towering ancient redwoods. One of those moments that puts everything in perspective.
Watch Story@mayu_mmp This city is fixing me #srilankan_tik_tok🇱🇰 ♬ original sound - C_Sangeeth
Life in Melbourne
Settling into a new city — the coffee, the laneways, and learning to call Melbourne home.
Watch Story@mayu_mmp How peaceful their lives are #srilanka_aus ♬ original sound - Dinakshie Saranga
Peaceful Moments
Taking a break from the PhD grind to appreciate the stillness of nature with good friends.
Watch Story@mayu_mmp Camping in Horsham, Victoria - Walkers Lake #fyp ♬ Snow On The Beach - Taylor Swift
Camping in Horsham
Under the stars at Walkers Lake. A perfect weekend getaway with friends.
Watch StoryTrip to Trafalgar
A weekend escape from Melbourne with the Unimelb HCI group — forests, fresh air, and good company.
Watch Story@mayu_mmp 2025 Summer Break - Sri Lanka #srilanka ♬ original sound - Mayura 🇱🇰🇦🇺
Summer Break — Sri Lanka
Back in Sri Lanka! The waves, the food, and the vibes are unmatched. Check out my summer highlights.
Watch StoryGet In Touch
Open to research collaborations, discussions about Mixed Reality and Computer Vision, or just a friendly chat.
mmayurapavan@gmail.com