Location: Conway Rooms 4&5, Te Pae Convention Centre

Location: Conway Rooms 1-5, Te Pae Convention Centre

Location: Conway Rooms 1-5, Te Pae Convention Centre

Location: Conway Rooms 1-5, Te Pae Convention Centre

Beyond HMD: Four Key Technologies for Advanced Virtual Reality

Although HMD is a typical device for virtual reality, it has limitations. Firstly, it cannot provide a sense of touch. Haptics is inevitable in some VR applications. This talk presents major methods for the implementation of haptic interfaces. Secondly, HMD itself cannot provide a sense of walking. Walking on foot is the best navigation method, but it is difficult to realize in virtual environments. The locomotion interface enables physical walking while the user is maintained in the real world. Projection-based VR also provides a walking experience in the room with surrounding images. Motion base technology enables full-body motion of the user and enhances the sense of walking. This talk introduces achievements in these technologies.

Hiroo Iwata started projects on virtual reality in 1986 at the University of Tsukuba. His research interests include embodied sensations such as haptics and locomotion. He exhibited his work at the Emerging Technologies venue of the SIGGRAPH every year from 1994 to 2007. He was the general chair of the World Haptics Conference 2007 as well as Asia Haptics 2014. He launched the Ph.D. Program in Empowerment Informatics at the University of Tsukuba in 2013. He was the president of the Virtual Reality Society Japan from 2016 to 2019. He retired from the University of Tsukuba in 2023, and moved to the Faculty of Data Science of Mussashino University where he launched a new project “Data Sensorium”.

Human++: Augmenting our Physical Abilities with AI and XR

In this talk, I will share my vision of augmenting human physical abilities with AI and XR. Imagine you are recovering from a musculoskeletal injury, and your therapist is an AI who appears alongside you in augmented reality. They work with you through your rehab exercises, monitoring your progress and making adjustments to the routine based on your capabilities. They provide encouragement and reassurance throughout the process, helping you stay motivated and focused on your recovery goals. In this vision, AI is no longer just something we interact with through our screens, but something that can actually be part of our physical world. It is not just an information source or a digital companion, but a physical presence that can assist us with motor tasks. The new AI-XR paradigm presents a big leap forward in terms of the way we think about and interact with AI. Instead of something that is separate from us, AI becomes a true extension of ourselves, enhancing our capabilities in the real world.

Misha Sra is the John and Eileen Gerngross Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara where she directs the Human-AI Integration Lab in the Computer Science department at UCSB. Misha received her PhD from the MIT Media Lab in 2018, advised by Prof. Pattie Maes in the Fluid Interfaces Group. She has published at the most selective HCI, VR, and machine learning venues such as CHI, UIST, VRST, AAAI, and CVPR where she received four best paper awards and honorable mentions. From 2014-2015, she was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation wellbeing research fellow at the Media Lab. In spring 2016, she received the Silver Award in the annual Edison Awards Global Competition that honors excellence in human-centered design and innovation. MIT selected her as an EECS Rising Star in 2018. In 2023 she was awarded an NSF CAREER Award for her work in Human-AI Interaction Design. Her research has received extensive media coverage from leading media outlets (e.g., from Engadget, UploadVR, MIT Tech Review) and has drawn the attention of industry research, such as Toyota Research, Samsung Research, and Unity 3D.

Language, Culture, Ceremony and Technology

In this talk, I will discuss the links between language, culture, ceremony, and technology and how these intersect with each other. In this discussion, I will share a vision of how new technologies can revolutionise how we reclaim, learn, share, and shape Indigenous knowledge as part of a continued process of decolonisation.

New Zealander of the Year Professor Rangi Mātāmua (Tūhoe) is a Professor of Mātauranga Māori at Te Pūtahi a Toi, Massey University, and a pioneering Māori scholar who has revolutionised understandings of Māori astronomy, and in particular Matariki. His research has been ground-breaking in terms of its contribution to mātauranga Māori and he has enlightened both national and international populations on the mātauranga of astronomy. His research is situated at the interface between mātauranga Māori and Western science and he is helping to reconnect people with maramataka – the Māori lunar calendar – and the environment. Rangi is also part of a wider movement, reclaiming Indigenous astronomy as part of a continued process of decolonisation. He has won the 2019 Prime Minister’s Science Communication Prize, the 2020 Callaghan Medal for science communication from Royal Society Te Apārangi, the 2020 Matariki Awards for Education, and the 2023 Kiwibank New Zealander of the year. He was appointed by the Prime Minister as the Chief Advisor Matariki and Mātauranga Māori chaired the Matariki Advisory Group, and was appointed as the government’s chief advisor on Matariki for the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage, Manatū Taonga.

Join this panel of Tohunga (Traditional Māori Knowledgekeepers) and Māori Researchers as they traverse the Metaverse; Virtual reality has presented new opportunities and challenges for Te Ao Māori (The Māori World).

This panel discussion will delve into what Tikanga (Māori Protocols) looks like in VR, and how it can be applied to VR. You will be left with a deeper understanding of the connection between Tikanga and Technology, how Virtual Reality is being used, and how it can be applied in different cultural contexts.

Bio:

Professor Whaanga is a linguist who has more than 20 years’ experience as a Māori educator focused on linguistics, te reo Māori, curriculum and syllabus design, ICT, mātauranga Māori, and ethics. He has taught a range of Māori research methodology and theory, Mātauranga Māori and Indigenous Knowledges, and Mātauranga Māori and science papers in tertiary mainstream programs. Professor Whaanga has a particular interest in multi-method techniques, methodologies and processes that analyse, develop and protect new and sacred mātauranga and te reo Māori in a range of linguistic, cultural and digital contexts. He has worked as a project leader and researcher on a range of projects including curriculum development, Artificial Intelligence and Virtual realties, ICT and digital repositories, ethics and digitisation, technology, ecological taxonomy and naming, and Māori astronomy. He currently leads a Science for Technological Innovation Spearhead (SfTI) NSC ‘Ātea’ project to develop conceptual frameworks for AI, Virtual and Augmented Realities, Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, Indigenous and Māori data sovereignty and digital repositories.

Bio:

Te Kanapu Anasta, with Ngāi Tūhoe and Greek Macedonian heritage, was born and raised in Australia with his Greek Macedonian family. Growing up, he was fully immersed in their language and customs. Later in life, Te Kanapu returned to New Zealand, where he embarked on a journey to reconnect with his Tūhoe language and traditions.

This path ultimately led him to a successful career as a teacher of te reo Māori me ngā tikanga (the Māori language and customs). Additionally, Te Kanapu thrives in fields such as translation, interpretation, and consultation.

Currently, Te Kanapu is a member of a research team as part of a tohunga group (experts) in Māori customs and practices, under the guidance of professors Pou Temara and Rangi Matamua along with other esteemed academics and experts from the University of Otago, the University of Canterbury, and Massey University. This collective is collaborating to explore the integration of kawa and tikanga (Māori customs and protocols) in emerging technologies. Their current focus involves the development of engaging virtual reality experiences and other interactive and immersive technologies.

Bio:

Kristin Ross (Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Tara), is a dedicated advocate for te reo Māori and tikanga Māori, committed to creating safe spaces for their flourishing across various industries and expertise. She has cultivated a unique path alongside her husband Hōhepa Tuahine (Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhoe), as a screen producer, seamlessly blending traditional Māori knowledge and contemporary technologies, allowing Māori culture and mātauranga to thrive in the digital age.

While Kristin is not a VR or AR specialist, her work has been instrumental in bringing Māori knowledge and ways of knowing to a global audience through innovative screen productions. She is deeply committed to ensuring that Māori have control over their mātauranga, their unique intellectual property.

As an entrepreneur, she has had the privilege of launching groundbreaking products like Pipi Mā, which has empowered the spread of te reo Māori in homes through play and screen. Additionally, in collaboration with New Zealander of the Year Professor Rangi Matamua, Kristin has played a pivotal role in raising national awareness for Matariki through screen productions such as "Living by the Stars" and "Beyond Matariki.

At this VR conference, she looks forward to discussing how VR can further amplify efforts to preserve and celebrate Māori culture. Together, the panel will explore the potential of VR as a bridge between traditional knowledge and cutting-edge technology, ensuring that the heritage not only endures but thrives in this digital era.

Bio:

Tiriana Anderson, a passionate Māori culture researcher and Massey University student, champions Tikanga as a best practice model for developing and applying new social technologies such as Virtual Reality. He contributes his expertise to the Ātea Project, supporting NLP tools, Iwi repositories, and Virtually Immersive Wānanga. Tiriana holds multiple portfolios within his Iwi and on his Marae's, he works diligently to ensure his Iwi among all others, understand the opportunities Virtual Reality and Digital Technology can provide for all aspects of development.

1. Fabric Electrodes for Physiological Sensing in a VR HMD
   Nicholas Strachan, Jyoti Kalyanji, Andrew Lowe, Amit Barde, Mark Billinghurst
   
   
2. The Effect of Virtual Reality Level of Immersion on Spatial Learning Performance and Strategy Usage
   Michal Gabay, Tom Schonberg
   
   
3. Temporal Foveated Rendering for VR on Modern Mobile Architecture
   Rohit Rao Padebettu, Todd Keeler, Steven Lansel
   
   
4. Effects of symmetrical avatar arm movements on the sense of ownership of both hands inverted in a mirror
   Toko Fujita, Moeki Horii, Luis David Torres Mailleux, Masatatsu Miyagi, Yukihiko Okada, Keiichi Zempo
   
   
5. A Pilot Study on the Impact of Discomfort Relief Measures on Virtual Reality Sickness and Immersion
   Hanseob Kim, Jaehoon Kim, Dongyoon Joo, Gerard Jounghyun Kim
   
   
6. Effects of Vibrotactile Feedback on Aim-and-Throw Tasks in Virtual Environments
   Jaewan Lim, Jeonghyeon Kim, Dongjun Lee, Yongjae Yoo
   
   
7. Enhancing VR Experience using a Mounted Olfactory System
   Je-Won Myung, Ye-Chan Choi, Si-Yeon Park, So-Hui Kim, Dongyun Han, Isaac Cho, Chang-Geun Song, Sun-Jeong Kim
   
   
8. SpaceVR: Virtual Reality Space Science Outreach Experience
   Benjamin Sanson, Craig Anslow, Alex Doronin, Yvette Perrott, Tulasi Parashar
   
   
9. Utilizing AR as a Tool for Assessing Accessibility in the Home
   Kevin Ponto, Ross Tredinnick, Rachael Shields, Beth Fields, Jung-hye Shin
   
   
10. Enhancing VR Based Serious Games and Simulations Design: Bayesian Knowledge Tracing and Pattern-Based Approaches
    Jan K. Argasiński, Natalia Lipp
    
    
11. Exploratory Study on the Reinstatement Effect Under 360-Degree Video-Based Virtual Environments
    Takato Mizuho, Takuji Narumi, Hideaki Kuzuoka
    
    
12. Walking-in-Flat-Place on Non-flat Virtual Environment can be Sickening!
    Seunghoon Park, Seungwoo Son, Hyemin Shin, Gerard Jounghyun Kim
    
    
13. Effects of Source Location, Loudness, and Understanding of Speech on Interpersonal Distance in a Virtual Environment
    Kota Takahashi, Yasuyuki Inoue, Michiteru Kitazaki
    
    
14. Movement Creation by Choreographers with a Partially Self-controllable Human Body in VR
    Asako Soga, Takumu Matsushita
    
    
15. Design of Time-Continuous Emotion Rating Interfaces
    Jason W. Woodworth, Christoph W. Borst
    
    
16. Directional Multimodal Flow to Help Mitigate VR Sickness
    Sungjun Lee, Gerard Jounghyun Kim
    
    
17. Whispering salesperson: perceptual illusion of interpersonal distance and ventriloquism effect in service of virtual environment by use of whisper voice
    Mizuki Yabutani, Azusa Yamazaki, Naoto Wakatsuki, Yukihiko Okada, Keiichi Zempo
    
    
18. XR for Improving Cardiac Catheter Ablation Procedure
    Nisal Udawatta, Craig Anslow, Brian Robinson
    
    
19. Diving Into The Twilight Zone VR for Marine Science
    James Bell, Alice Rogers, Kristian Hansen, Craig Anslow, Simon McCallum
    
    
20. The Effects of Customized Strategies for Reducing VR Sickness
    Yechan Yang, Hanseob Kim, Gerard Jounghyun Kim
    
    
21. Simple and Practical Dual Rendering for Reducing Eye Fatigue from Vergence-Accommodation Conflict in Stereoscopic Viewing
    Jae-eun Kim, Gerard J. Kim
    
    
22. Reducing Sensing Errors in a Mixed Reality Musical Instrument
    Max Graf, Mathieu Barthet
    
    
23. Waddle: using virtual penguin embodiment as a vehicle for empathy and informal learning
    Kevin Ponto, Ross Tredinnick, Monae Verbeke, Kaldan Kopp, Luke Swanson, David Gagnon
    
    
24. Visually Augmenting Underfoot Tactile Perception in Augmented Virtuality
    Jack Topliss, Stephan Lukosch, Euan Coutts, Thammathip Piumsomboon
    
    
25. Study of Visual Guidance Cues in VR Field Trips at High Schools
    Jason W. Woodworth, Christoph W. Borst, Yitoshee Rahman, Arun Kulshreshth
    
    
26. VR Experiences of Pregnant Women During Antenatal Care
    Lorna Massov, Brian Robinson, Robyn Maude, Edgar Rodriguez Ramirez, Craig Anslow
    
    
27. Effect of voice imitation using voice conversion by avatar on customer service in Virtual Environments
    Hiiro Okano, Naoto Wakatsuki, Yukihiko Okada, Keiichi Zempo
    
    
28. Stress visualization in geometrically complex structures using Thermoelastic Stress Analysis and Augmented Reality
    Ayman Mukhaimar, Ruwan Tennakoon, Nik Rajic, Fabio Zambetta, Pier Marzocca, Reza Hoseinnezhad, Chris Brooks, Stephen Van der Velden, Kheang Khauv
    
    
29. The Staircase Procedure Toolkit: Psychophysical Detection Threshold Experiments Made Easy
    André Zenner, Kristin Ullmann, Chiara Karr, Oscar Ariza, Antonio Krüger
    
    
30. Sickness Reduction in FPV Drone Control: Improved Effects of Reverse Optical Flow with Static Landmarks Only
    Jun Ryu, Seunghoon Park, Gerard Jounghyun Kim
    
    
31. Pain Distraction for Children Through VR- or Audio-haptic Soundscapes in Situ
    Maya Bordum, Emil Engberg, Peter Blomsgård Hansen, Nickolai Frederik Schouborg Jensen, Martin Fritzbøger Jægerlund, Jeppe Nygaard Mouritzen, Hannibal Hjelming Poulsen, Lukas Gade Ravnsborg, Celine Zeh Rybak, Frederik Hald Stappert, Bjørn Troldahl, Julius Ebenau Winther, Rolf Nordahl
    
    
32. Performing Tasks in Virtual Reality. Interplay between Realism and Visual Imagery
    Natalia Lipp, Paweł Strojny, Agnieszka Strojny, Sławomir Śpiewak, Jan K. Argasiński, Przemysław Korzeniowski
    
    
33. The Effect of False but Stable Heart Rate Feedback via Sound and Vibration on VR User Experience
    Dongyun Joo, Hanseob Kim, Gerard Jounghyun Kim
    
    
34. The Detectability of Saccadic Hand Offset in Virtual Reality
    André Zenner, Chiara Karr, Martin Feick, Oscar Ariza, Antonio Krüger
    
    
35. Audio-based Vibrotactile Feedback in Multimodal VR Interactions
    Oscar Ariza, Felix Steiner, André Zenner, Frank Steinicke
    
    
36. ShadowPlayVR: Understanding Traditional Shadow Puppetry Performance Techniques Through Non-Intuitive Embodied Interactions
    Yihao He
    
    
37. A Virtualized Augmented Reality Simulation for Exploring Perceptual Incongruencies
    Franziska Westermeier, Larissa Brübach, Carolin Wienrich, Marc Erich Latoschik
    
    
38. Early User Feedback on a VR Interface Draft for Interaction with a Multi-Robot System in Ship Hull Inspection
    Jan P. Gründling, Benjamin Weyers
    
    
39. Navigating in VR using free-hand gestures and embodied controllers: A comparative evaluation
    Puneet Jain
    
    
40. Estimating mechanical properties of soft objects using surface measurements from AR headsets
    Max Dang Vu, Gonzalo D. Maso Talou, Huidong Bai, Mark Billinghurst, Poul M.F. Nielsen, Martyn P. Nash, Thiranja P. Babarenda Gamage
    
    
41. Comparing Performance of Dry and Gel EEG Electrodes in VR using MI Paradigms
    Mohammad Ahmadi, Alireza Farrokhi Nia, Samantha W. Michalka, Alexander L. Sumich, Burkhard C. Wünsche, Mark Billinghurst
    
    
42. Listen again: virtual reality based training for children with hearing impairments
    Stefania Serafin, Ali Adjorlu, Lone Jantzen, Lærke Hammer, Nete Rudbeck Kamper Lone Marianne Percy-Smith
    
    
43. ActioNet: A Lightweight Architecture for Efficient Action Recognition
    Mohammed El Amine MOKHTARI, Elias Ennadifi, Matei Mancas, Bernard Gosselin
    
    
44. Augmented Aroma: The Influence of Augmented Particles' Movement and Color on Emotion during Olfactory Perception
    Ye-Ji Jin Pukyong, Masaki Omata, Won-Du Chang, Xiaoyang Mao

1. Study of User Training Methods Using Onomatopoeia in Brain Computer Interfaces Based on Mental Imagery
   Reo Hirano, Keita Watanabe
   
   
2. Emotional Enhancement Techniques in Online Music Concerts by Presenting Force Stimuli from Light Sticks
   Masanori Yokoyama, Motohiro Makiguchi, Wakana Oshiro, Haruno Kataoka, Rika Mochizuki, Ryuji Yamamoto
   
   
3. Deforming Skin Illusion by Visual-tactile Stimulation
   Gakumaru Haraguchi, Michiteru Kitazaki
   
   
4. Combining embodiment and 360º video for teaching protection of civilians to military officers
   Jose Garcia-Estrada, Ekaterina Prasolova-Førland, Stian Kjeksrud, Petter Lindqvist, Kristine Kvam, Ole Midthun, Knut Sverre, Syver Lauritzen
   
   
5. Immersive visualization for ecosystem services analysis
   Benjamin T. Powley, Craig Anslow, Mairéad de Róiste, Stuart Marshall
   
   
6. Immersive Climate Narratives: Using Extended Reality to Raise Climate Change Awareness
   Ines Said, Austin Stanbury, Erica Del hagen, Hyo Jeong Kang
   
   
7. Pigments of Imagination: An Interactive Virtual Reality Composition
   Timothy Gmeiner, Eito Murakami
   
   
8. Open Video Game Library: Developing a Video Game Database for Use in Research and Experimentation
   Kazuya Iida, Yuma Ina, Daichi Hayashi, Yohei Yanase, Keita Watanabe
   
   
9. Slingshot: A Novel Gesture Locomotion Technique for Fast-paced Gameplay in Virtual Reality
   Giles McGrath, Jeremy Kiel, Steven Wheeler, Tham Piumsomboon, Adrian Clark, Simon Hoermann
   
   
10. Earnormous: An educational VR game about how humans hear
    Signe Toftgaard Henriksen, Franciska Kruse Ifversen, Asger Arendt Langhoff, Atle Søeborg Nyhus, Hector Thøgersen, Ali Adjorlu, Stefania Serafin
    
    
11. Enhancing VR Experience using a Mounted Olfactory System
    Je-Won Myung, Ye-Chan Choi, Si-Yeon Park, So-Hui Kim, Dongyun Han, Isaac Cho, Chang-Geun Song, Sun-Jeong Kim