October 17-21 2022 | Singapore

WORKSHOPS

W1: Mixed/Augmented Reality for Mental Health

Virtual Room 1 (Zoom)
Day 5: 21 October 2022 (Friday) | 11:30am to 14:30pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Nilufar (Nell) Baghaei, The University of Queensland
Hai-Ning Liang, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
John Naslund, Harvard Medical School

Abstract:

Mental health conditions pose a major challenge to healthcare providers and society at large. The World Health Organization predicts that by the year 2030, mental health conditions will be the leading disease burden globally. Mental health services are struggling to meet the needs of users and arguably fail to reach large proportions of those in need. Early intervention, support and education can have significant positive impact on a person’s prognosis.

Augmented, Virtual and/or Mixed Reality environments can potentially create new effective care models in the wider context of prevention and support for individuals affected by mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, addictive behaviours and substance abuse disorders.

Following our successful ISMAR 2019 and ISMAR 2021 workshops as well as the special issues we recently organised at Frontiers in Virtual Reality (2021) and Games for Health Journal (2022) on the same topic, the goal of this workshop is to provide an opportunity for Extended Reality researchers and Health researchers and practitioners to submit their original ideas, work-in-progress contribution, and position papers on the design and/or evaluation of new mental health technologies.
We are interested in theoretically, empirically, and/or methodologically oriented contributions focused on supporting mental health delivered through novel designs and evaluations of on AR/VR/MR systems. In addition to potential benefits, we would also like to receive contributions on potential dangers of using such technologies for addressing mental health issues.

Keywords: mental health, VR, AR, MR, XR, social media, gaming, mhealth, vhealth, internet of things

More Details: CFP

1. VirtualReality Therapy for the Psychological Well-being of Palliative Care Patients in Hong Kong

Daniel Eckhoff

2. Virtual Reality Data for Predicting Mental Health Conditions

Vibhav Chitale

3. Design of VR Exergames for Mental and Physical Health

Hai-Ning Liang and Wenge Xu

4. Individualised Virtual Reality for Enhacing Self-Compassion

Ilona Halim

W2: Metaverse for Digital Commerce and Virtual Economy

Virtual Room 1 (Zoom)
Day 1: 17 October 2022 (Monday) | 08:30am to 11:30am (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Yang Qian, Hefei University of Technology
Yuyang Wang, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Yezheng Liu, Hefei University of Technology

Abstract:

The metaverse refers to large and open 3D virtual spaces that allow massive users to socialize, learn, work, collaborate, create, play, and purchase in such virtual spaces. The latest technologies (e.g., AR technology, VR technology, MR technology, etc.) promote the realization of the metaverse. Recently, the metaverse brings unprecedented opportunities for digital commerce and the virtual economy. For example, Nike released NIKELAND on the gaming platform Roblox, an immersive and customizable 3D space where customers can participate in games using Nike apparel and accessories in this toolkit. Through this, the brand Nike can maintain positive interaction relationships with consumers, and cultivate customer loyalty. In the NFT-driven metaverse spaces, the virtual assets can also be traded, customized, and even monetized, suggesting the metaverse can create new forms of economy.

The workshop on Metaverse for Digital Commerce and Virtual Economy, hosted by the IEEE ISMAR 2022, presents a meaningful platform for domain researchers to share and discuss the potential impact of metaverse on digital commerce and virtual economy. It aims to promote metaverse research for different aspects of commerce.

The workshop invites researchers to submit technical papers, position papers, and other research papers. The workshop on Metaverse for Digital Commerce and Virtual Economy, hosted by the IEEE ISMAR 2022, presents a meaningful platform for domain researchers to share and discuss the potential impact of metaverse on digital commerce and virtual economy. It aims to promote metaverse research for different aspects of commerce. The submission could be 4-6 pages (including references) on any of the following topics but not limited to:

  • VR/AR/MR technology in production, online retail, e-commerce, health, tourism, and entertainment

  • VR/AR/MR hardware and user adoption Artificial intelligence and machine learning for the VR-generated data processing

  • User experience, behavior, and decision-making process in the VR/AR/MR contexts

  • Social network analysis in VR/AR/MR contexts

  • The gamification of VR/AR/MR applications and its impacts on consumer engagement and brand marketing

  • Assessment of the VR/AR/MR effectiveness

  • Human-Machine Interaction in VR/AR/MR contexts

  • Recommender systems for VR products and application

  • Blockchain technology for the metaverse

More Details: CFP

W3: Workshop on XR Solutions for Smart Production (XR-SPro-2022)

Waterfront 1 — L2 (Hybrid with Zoom)
Day 1: 17 October 2022 (Monday) | 16:00pm to 18:30pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Thomas Moser, St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences
Josef Wolfartsberger, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria

Abstract:

Just like the industrial revolutions before it, smart production (also known as Industry 4.0) is going to increase the ability of workers to create high-quality products and improve the customer experience. However, unlike earlier developments, smart production will allow for high levels of automation, customization, productivity, and efficiency that have never been seen before. Within these “smart factories” all processes interoperate seamlessly based on big data. And as the complexity of the processes increases, the demands placed on the work to be performed increase significantly.

Augmented, virtual and mixed reality technologies offer a wide range of capabilities to support workers in future factories and present information in more interactive ways than their two- dimensional counterparts. XR assistance systems promise to increase the workers’ efficiency by providing the right information at the right moment. If well implemented, XR can provide valuable assistance in increasingly complexity production environments.

Against this background, an increasing impact of production processes supported by XR systems is to be expected within the next years. XR will facilitate work processes and individualize the information required by employees, which is important in times of skill shortages, travel restrictions and social distancing, thus enabling less qualified employees to work in more highly qualified jobs. XR also provides assistance for the higher-skilled to support problem-solving tasks, networking, and documentation of experience. The optimization information visualization, product quality, and processes contributes to securing sustainable safeguarding of manufacturing locations and to creating attractive jobs. However, the implementation of XR applications in manufacturing needs a high user acceptance, which is important for the actual use of the technology in work processes.

Connecting specialists from various related research areas (such as automation systems engineering, production planning, etc.), with experts from both vision-oriented computer science areas (such as computer graphics or information visualization), and experts from XR- oriented computer science areas, the XR-SPro workshop series aims to create an open environment for discussing and investigating novel XR solutions for smart production. This includes (among others) the usage of spatial computing approaches for real-time data visualization, XR-supported remote assistance and customizable training scenarios that mimic reality and let workers train from anywhere at their own pace. By encouraging synergies of interdisciplinary approaches, the workshop tackles different applications of XR in a smart production context from different angles and creates new knowledge in this research field.

More Details: https://www.xr-spro.net/   CFP (deadline extended)

W4: Inclusive and Generalizable Human Subject Research in XR

Virtual Room 2 (Zoom)
Day 1: 17 October 2022 (Monday) | 08:30am to 14:30pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Greg Welch, University of Central Florida
Stevie Carnell, University of Central Florida
Gerd Bruder, University of Central Florida

Co-Organizers:

Jeanine Stefanucci, University of Utah
Sun Joo (Grace) Ahn, University of Georgia
Valerie Taylor, Lehigh University
Tabitha Peck, Davidson College
Jeremy Bailenson, Stanford University

Abstract:

In recent years we have seen breakthroughs in consumer-level Virtual Reality (VR) technology that are resulting in a dramatic acceleration of consumer, professional, and corporate interest. VR promises benefits in a wide range of areas including scientific research, education, healthcare training and practice, social interactions, and personal well-being. These benefits should be available to everyone, regardless of their age, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, class, ability, and neurodiversity. Unfortunately, the vast majority of VR research studies rely heavily on small convenience samples of homogeneous college-aged participants, e.g., majority White and middle to upper class undergraduate students, which results in study populations that are not representative of the population at large, and findings that are difficult to generalize. This is, in part, due to a combination of deadline-driven publication pressures and a lack of ready access to representative populations. The XR community is becoming aware of and motivated to remedy this problem. In addition, the committees that oversee the community’s journals, conferences, and other activities are increasingly demanding higher-quality human subject research studies based on larger and more inclusive study populations.

The workshop should be of interest to XR researchers in academia and industry who seek to improve the scientific rigor of the XR community’s human subject research, as well as industrial practitioners and developers who seek the broadest possible impacts and markets for their XR applications. 

This workshop will begin with some short talks from some relevant “outsiders” to the XR community — individuals with important relevant perspectives. These talks will set the stage for the subsequent discussion sessions. In the discussion sessions we will discuss topics such as relationships with communities of interest; relevant conference and journal practices and policies; and participant considerations at points before a study (e.g., recruitment), during a study (e.g., hardware issues, questionnaires), and after a study (e.g., how to discuss data/results, and how to keep the communities informed/involved).

Web Site: https://sites.google.com/view/inclusive-generalizable-xr/

W5: Transforming Medical Education and Clinical Application through Extended Reality

Waterfront 1 — L2 (Hybrid with Zoom)
Day 5: 21 October 2022 (Friday) | 09:00am to 12:00pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Khoo Eng Tat, Immersive Reality Lab, National University of Singapore
Alfred Kow Wei Chieh, National University of Singapore, National University Hospital, Singapore
Gao Yujia, National University Hospital, National University Health System, Holomedicine Association, Singapore

Abstract:

There is an emerging trend of digital transformation using extended reality technology in medical simulation and clinical applications to improve medical training and patient outcome. The transformation is particularly important to address key areas that are often difficult to teach or lack clinical exposure.

The workshop aims to promote exchanges in the latest extended reality research in medical education and clinical applications. Recent use cases of XR technologies in the medical school and hospitals will be shared and discussed with workshop participants along with design/usability considerations and advancement in research areas like device/object tracking, gesture tracking, volume reconstruction, mixed reality overlay and haptics.

We are inviting researchers, developers and designers who are interested to collaborate to address existing research and design challenges in medical education and clinical training. We would also like to jointly identify the current research landscape and discover new methods for delivering extended reality technologies in the medical and clinical domain. Please refer to the website for details on keynote, speakers, panel and demo.  

Contact: etkhoo@nus.edu.sg

Websitehttps://blog.nus.edu.sg/immersiverealitylab/ismar2022workshop/

W6: Visual Analytics in Immersive Environments (VAinIE): A workshop focusing on the theory, applications, and case studies of immersive analytics

Virtual Room 2 (Zoom)
Day 5: 21 October 2022 (Friday) | 08:30am to 14:30pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Hai Ning Liang, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China
Lingyun Yu, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China
Pourang Irani, University of British Columbia, Canada
Yingcai Wu, Zhejiang University, China

Abstract:

Immersive analytics has become a significant research field with applications in natural sciences, in contexts that require users’ exploration and understanding of three- dimensional spatial data. Yet, working in three dimensions is particularly challenging due to crowded, occluded, or even undefined 3D structures. Thus, exploratory visualization in immersive environments has attracted researchers’ attention. Many questions remain to be explored and answered in this field, for instance, effective visualization techniques for large-scale and complex data, efficient interaction interface and techniques, collaboration structures of immersive visualization environments, such as task sharing, collaboration patterns, awareness visualization cues and communication.

The goal of the VAinIE workshop is to provide an opportunity for researchers from Visualization, HCI, VR/MR/AR fields to submit their original ideas, work-in-progress contribution, and position papers on the design, and/or evaluation of innovative visual analytics, interactive visualization and spatial interaction techniques. We are interested in theoretically, and/or methodologically oriented contributions focused on situated visualization and interaction design, and collaborative analytics. We would also like to receive contributions on applications and case studies using such techniques for exploring large-scale, complex 3D data.

Website: https://vainie.site/

W7: MetaSys – First Workshop on Metaverse Systems and Applications

Organizers:

Pan Hui,  Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Tristan Braud, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Lik-Hang Lee, KAIST
Pengyuan Zhou, University of Science and Technology of China

Abstract:

2022 has welcomed the era of the metaverse as an advanced form of the current cyberspace. The metaverse provides users with seamless and immersive experiences between the physical and virtual world. To realize the “planet-scale” metaverse, many technical challenges remain. 

This workshop aims to address specifically the technical aspects of large-scale metaverse systems. Topics of interest include large-scale XR systems, networking and computing for XR, integration of IoT, artificial intelligence, and XR in general, as well as the development of applications that push the current boundaries of relevant technologies to provide more immersive and persistent multi-user experiences.

Date: TBC 21st October (Friday), 2022

Venue: TBC Physical or Online

More Details: CFP    http://metaverse.ust.hk/metasys

W8: Enterprise Augmented Reality Research Agenda Workshop

Organizers:

Christine Perey, PEREY Research & Consulting
William Bernstein, US Air Force Research Laboratory
Shelly Bagchi, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Abstract:

Research about topics pertaining to Augmented Reality adoption conducted in academia is often driven by a doctoral candidate’s choice of novel domains or methodology and a group’s need to quickly generate many peer-reviewed journal publications. Industrial research institutes or groups within commercial product companies choose research topics based on their predicted revenue potential (ROI). The result is that many are working from the “bottom up,” rather than having clear data-driven vision guiding investments in research. These patterns result in there being less breakthrough research results on enterprise AR gaps and challenges.
A “Research Agenda” is a living resource that focuses the attention of stakeholders and helps to establish priorities for research organizations, governmental and non-governmental funding organizations and planners who serve research stakeholders in other capacities. Once published, it should be maintained and/or used to measure progress against stakeholder-generated issues and gaps in knowledge or tools that can be addressed through research.
A Research Agenda guides research priorities and funding so that these focus on the most urgent needs of the greatest communities and target the obstacles to meet goals of those communities.

During the ISMAR Enterprise AR Research Agenda workshop, ISMAR research community members (workshop participants) will learn about existing or emerging AR research agendas and collaborate to identify new research topics on which academia and private research groups can focus to accelerate the development of AR components and systems that meet the requirements of enterprises in heavy industry.

The workshop participants will have the opportunity to use data mined from the prior 5 years of publications with a toolchain and process developed by the AREA Research Committee in 2021 and updated in 2022.

The topics of interest in this workshop include but are not limited to:

  • Existing or past AR Research Agendas
  • Research Gaps (AR Research topics in need of attention) in enterprise AR
  • Research Agenda development approaches
  • How to obtain funding for new research topics identified in a Research Agenda
  • How to measure Research Agenda impacts

Date: TBC 21st October (Friday), 2022

Venue: TBC Online

More Details: CPF

W9: 1st Workshop on Prototyping Cross-Reality Systems

Virtual Room 1 (Zoom)
Day 1: 17 October 2022 (Monday) | 15:30pm to 18:30pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Uwe Gruenefeld, University of Duisburg-Essen
Jonas Auda, University of Duisburg-Essen
Florian Mathis, University of Glasgow
Mohamed Khamis, University of Glasgow
Jan Gugenheimer, Institute Polytechnique de Paris
Sven Mayer, LMU Munich
Michael Nebeling, University of Michigan
Mark Billinghurst, University of South Australia

Abstract:

Cross-Reality (CR) systems offer different levels of virtuality to their users, enabling them to either transition along the reality-virtuality continuum or collaborate with each other across different manifestations. Many Augmented (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) systems are inherently cross reality since the amount of augmentation of the physical world (AR) or the influence of the physical environment (VR) varies over time. However, traditional prototyping approaches often focus on one specific manifestation, and so are less feasible for prototyping cross-reality systems. In this workshop, we aim to discuss current challenges, solutions, and opportunities that arise from prototyping CR systems and their interactions. We offer attendees a balanced mix of presentation and interactive sessions,including (provocative) research positions and video demonstrations of existing CR prototyping tools. Ultimately, the workshop aims to start a discussion inside the ISMAR community about the current challenges and novel concepts around prototyping CR systems.

 

More Details: CFP    https://crossreality.hcigroup.de/

W10: PERCxR – Perceptual and Cognitive Issues in xR

Virtual Room 1 (Zoom)
Day 1: 17 October 2022 (Monday) | 11:30am to 14:30pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Richard Skarbez, La Trobe University
Missie Smith, Reality Labs Research
Nayara de Oliveira Faria, Virginia Tech
Étienne Peillard, IMT Atlantique

Abstract:

The proposed workshop is the ninth in a series of workshops that have been held at IEEE VR (PERCAR 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020; PERCxR 2022) and IEEE ISMAR (PERCxR 2021). Starting from 2022, we are planning to have PERCxR appear both at IEEE and ISMAR each year. The crux of this workshop is the creation of a better understanding of the various perceptual and cognitive issues that inform and constrain the design of effective extended reality systems.  There is neither an in-depth overview of these factors, nor well-founded knowledge on most effects as gained through formal validation. In particular, long-term usage effects are inadequately understood. Meanwhile, mobile platforms and emerging display hardware (“glasses”) promise to ignite the number of users, as well as the system usage duration. To fulfill usability needs, a thorough understanding of perceptual and intertwined cognitive factors is highly needed by both research and industry: issues such as depth misinterpretation, object relationship mismatches and information overload can severely limit usability of applications, or even pose risks in their usage. Based on the gained knowledge, for example, new interactive visualization and view management techniques can be iteratively defined, developed and validated, optimized to be congruent with human capabilities and limitations in route to more usable application interfaces.

We expect researchers to submit early work, such as initial analyses of user studies or experimental visualization techniques, although position papers that comprise several pages and summarize a range of previous experiments or experiences (survey) also fall inside the scope of the workshop. Papers should be between 2 and 4 pages in length and may cover one or more of the following topics:

  • Depth perception in AR

  • Color perception issues

  • Issues related to visual search / information processing

  • Situational awareness

  • Studies related to selective, focused or divided attention

  • Just noticeable differences, signal thresholds, and biases

  • Individual differences in perception & cognition

  • Comparisons between AR and VR perceptual issues

  • Cognitive load, mental workload or other cognitive issues related to perception

  • Multisensory issues (sensation, perception & cognition in non-visual AR)

  • Visualization techniques addressing perceptual or cognitive issues

  • View management techniques

  • Novel visual display devices that target specific perceptual issues

  • Validation methodologies, benchmarks and measurement methods, including eye tracking

  • Novel capturing and processing techniques (like HDR) that address perceptual issues

  • Techniques for conducting longitudinal studiesline

More Details: CFP

W11: First Workshop on Photorealistic Image and Environment Synthesis for Mixed Reality (PIES-MR)

Virtual Room 1 (Zoom)
Day 5: 21 October 2022 (Friday) | 08:30am to 11:30am (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Charlie Hughes, University of Central Florida
Jeanine Stefanucci, University of Utah
Ryan P. McMahan, University of Central Florida

Abstract:

The goal of this workshop is to engage experts and researchers on the synthesis of photorealistic images and virtual environments, particularly in the form of public datasets, software tools, or infrastructures, for mixed reality (MR) research, including both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Additionally, the organizers will reveal a new infrastructure and accompanying photorealistic datasets that are currently being developed under a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant: Infrastructure for Photorealistic Image and Environment Synthesis (I-SPIES).

Such public datasets, software tools, and infrastructures will enable researchers to better investigate how photorealism affects MR, AR, and VR experiences. Additionally, such openly available assets should enable easier creation of photorealistic environments for developers. Photorealistic image and environment synthesis can benefit multiple research areas in addition to mixed reality, such as machine learning, robotics, human perception, and multimedia systems.

In recent years, public datasets, software tools, and infrastructures have afforded significant advances for the computer vision community, such as the Epic Kitchens dataset. While a few similar datasets and tools exist for the ISMAR community, we believe the proposed workshop will further the development of such resources, and in turn, further the advancements of the ISMAR community in the next few years.

Because the workshop will focus on public datasets and software tools, we believe companies such as Meta (formerly Facebook) and Apple might also be interested in the outcomes of our workshop.

line

Website: piesworkshop.org

More Details: CFP

W12: Design and User Research in AR/VR/MR

Waterfront 3 — L2 (Hybrid with Zoom)
Day 5: 21 October 2022 (Friday) | 09:00am to 12:00pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Bektur Ryskeldiev, Mercari R4D / University of TsukubaAR/VR
Joelle Zimmermann, Magic Leap, Inc.
Mark Billinghurst, University of Southern Australia
Kai Kunze, Keio University
Jie Li, EPAM Systems, Hoofddrop, The Netherlands (https://www.epam.com)
Julie Williamson, University of Glasgow

Abstract:

The workshop will explore new techniques and processes for design, prototyping and testing in AR/VR/MR. How do we design and test useful and usable AR/VR/MR applications? How can we modify known design and research techniques and establish new techniques to suit immersive mediums? How might these processes vary based on the industry use case of the AR/VR/MR application? What are the metrics of success? We are interested in evaluation techniques that are qualitative, quantitative, computational/sensor-based, as well as rooted in ergonomics and human factors, and others! The workshop is of interest to conference participants and timely for ISMAR 2022, because as AR/VR/MR becomes more ubiquitous in industry, designers and researchers will need new methods to evaluate the usability and usefulness of immersive applications.

Online

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/ismar-2022/home

W13: 2nd Workshop on Replication in Extended Reality (WoRXR)

Waterfront 2 — L2 (Hybrid with Zoom)
Day 1: 17 October 2022 (Monday) | 09:00am to 12:00pm & 13:00pm to 16:00pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Jens Grubert, Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Florian Echtler, Aalborg University
Verena Biener, Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Mohammed Safayet Arefin, Mississippi State University
J. Edward Swan, Mississippi State University

Abstract:

The 2nd workshop on replication in Extended Reality aims to bring together researchers interested in the replication of empirical research and algorithmic reproducibility inside and outside of the AR/VR/MR/XR community. Specifically, the workshop will start with introducing essential concepts and case studies and then evolve into discussing position papers by participants.

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/worxr2022

W14: Universal Augmented Interaction (UNAI)

Virtual Room 2 (Zoom)
Day 5: 21 October 2022 (Friday) | 15:30pm to 17:30pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

R. Elakkiya, SASTRA Deemed University
Maxim Bakaev, Novosibirsk State Technical University
Olga Razumnikova, Novosibirsk State Technical University
V. Subramaniyaswamy, SASTRA Deemed University

Abstract:

Virtual and Augmented Reality, even though associated with cutting-edge advancements, are not in fact very novel technologies. Their adoption rate has so far been relatively slow, compared to other modes of humans’ interaction with computer systems. The reasons behind that do not get much research focus, and technology enthusiasts prefer to highlight potential benefits, not real obstacles. However, we feel that in order to promote wider application of VR/AR and help them pass the Trough of Disillusionment, there’s strong need to better understand the actual needs and limitations of all their user groups.

The UNAI workshop will bring in original research, review and position papers, as well as practical developments dedicated to various types of augmented interaction, including AR, AI-enhanced and adaptive interfaces, neural and brain-computer technologies, etc. Particular focus is on making them universally useful, usable and accessible for all kinds of users, including non-technologically advanced ones, such as elder people, and in all contexts: at home and at work, in medicine/healthcare and in industry, as momentary entertainment and as everyday job. In these, the focus is on human aspects and social impact, rather than technological nuances. The topics of interest include but are not limited to:

  • Accessibility and universal design

  • Agent-based interaction

  • Artificial intelligence

  • Cognitive training, therapy and rehabilitation

  • Collaborative interfaces 

  • Computer vision

  • Content creation / authoring and content management

  • Conversational and speech interfaces

  • Ergonomics and human factors

  • Ethical issues

  • Health, wellbeing, medical and industrial applications

  • Human augmentations

  • Human-computer interaction

  • Machine learning

  • Multi-modal interaction

  • Neurophysiology

  • Psychology and perception

  • Technology acceptance and social implications

  • Touch, tangible and gesture interfaces

  • UI verification and visual analysis

  • User experience, usability studies and human-subjects experiments

Website: http://unai-ismar.site/

W15: Workshop on Inpainting techniques for Object Removal in Indoor scenes

Waterfront 1 — L2 (Hybrid with Zoom)
Day 5: 21 October 2022 (Friday) | 16:00pm to 19:00pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Prakhar Kulshreshtha, Geomagical Labs, Inc.
Salma Jiddi, Geomagical Labs, Inc.
Nektarios Lianos, Geomagical Labs, Inc.

Abstract:

Removing an existing object from a scene is a hard problem. It not only requires the completion of geometry and texture, but also the removal of associated lighting effects (e.g. shadows, interreflections).

Major industrial players (e.g. IKEA, Amazon, Apple) offer Augmented Reality (AR) applications that allow users to place furniture virtually inside a room. There is an increasing interest in also performing the opposite: virtually removing existing furniture from a room. This empowers the users to completely reimagine their homes without having to physically move a single piece of furniture.

In this workshop, we invite researchers and industry practitioners to come together and discuss possible ways to efficiently tackle the problem of object removal. We separate the problem into several key components: room layout estimation, image inpainting and shadow removal. Each component is discussed within short presentation sessions. We also invite participants to discuss any relevant work comprising, but not limited to, Diminished Reality, inverse rendering, neural radiance fields, and room geometry estimation. The last session is a live Demo of our solution, which brings these components together to form a viable commercial Furniture Eraser application.

The workshop is in conjunction with the IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR) 2022.

Website: https://www.geomagical.com/ismar2022-workshop.html

W16: SocialAR: Workshop on Social User-Generated Augmented and Mixed Reality

Organizers:

Joel Harman, Queensland University of Technology
Alessandro Soro, Queensland University of Technology
Callum Parker, University of Sydney
Ross Brown Queensland University of Technology
Selen Turkay, Queensland University of Technology

Abstract:

This workshop will invite researchers and practitioners in the fields of AR, MR and social computing to convene and discuss issues, prospects, and opportunities of a Socially Enabled, Collaborative, and User Generated Augmented Reality.

Many AR applications have traditionally focused on highly specialised tasks, such as aircraft control, building augmentations, and medical visualisations. These tasks were engineered to solve specific problems or challenges, gave users very few interaction capabilities and provided minimal creative control or expression. As these applications often had very specific technical requirements, most early AR development was technology-driven, and focused less on the users themselves.

Advancements in a variety of technologies, such as low-cost cameras and real-time depth estimation and plane detection algorithms, is now allowing everyday users to use their mobile phone to run AR applications. Companies are now starting to take an interest in the potential social applications of mixed and augmented reality (e.g. Meta’s Metaverse). This means that there is a clear and immediate need for research which explores the social, user-driven possibilities of mixed and augmented reality. Specifically, what type of social applications may people be interested in? How much control do they want to have over these experiences? What challenges may users experience? Are there any ethical considerations which researchers and developers should consider?

As a premiere conference targeting both AR researchers and industry professionals, we believe that ISMAR is an excellent venue to start timely and valuable discussion regarding the above questions and the possible future of social/user generated AR and how it may affect people in the future.

Date: TBC 17st October (Monday), 2022

Venue: TBC Physical

More details: CFP   https://socialarworkshop.com/

W17: Enhancing User Comfort, Health and Safety in VR and AR

Waterfront 2 — L2 (Hybrid with Zoom)
Day 5: 21 October 2022 (Friday) | 16:00pm to 19:00pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Arash Mahnan, Reality Labs at Meta
Mark Billinghurst, University of Auckland
Arindam Dey, Reality Labs at Meta
James Lin, Reality Labs at Meta
Eunhee Chang, Korea Institute of Science and Technology 

Abstract:

This workshop will focus on user comfort, health and safety of engaging in augmented and virtual reality applications. The topics of user comfort, health and safety research to be considered include but are not limited to visually induced motion sickness, perceptual and cognitive distraction, comfort, eye strain,and other psychological and physical issues relevant to AR and VR usage.

IEEE ISMAR conference is a premier venue to present AR/VR research and it attracts the leading researchers and practitioners from all around the world. Our workshop will provide a venue to present, discuss, and brainstorm the user comfort, health and safety aspects of using AR and VR applications. As this is a factor that may impact the general public’s adoption and retention of use of AR and VR, our workshop will be of great interest to the audience.

Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in AR and VR devices released to the market targeting general users. Consequently, we have seen a plethora of new content being created for consumption such as games, social/meeting applications, and therapeutic applications. However, user comfort, health, and safety more than ever remain important aspects of AR and VR usage to research and discuss. ISMAR is a top venue for AR and VR research, as such this workshop is both relevant and timely for ISMAR 2022. There will be industry interest in this workshop.

 

More details: CFP

Website: http://empathiccomputing.org/ecl-workshops/workshop-on-enhancing-user-comfort-health-and-safety-in-vr-and-ar-ieee-ismar22/

W18: Serious VR -Applications, Simulations and Games VR enabling knowledge gain for the user (VENUS)

Virtual Room 2 (Zoom)
Day 1: 17 October 2022 (Monday) | 15:30pm to 18:30pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Christian Eichhorn, TUM
David A. Plecher, TUM
Gudrun Klinker, TUM

Abstract:

With the introduction of affordable, high-quality and increasingly wireless Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs), Virtual Reality (VR) became a multimedia powerhouse driving futuristic visions like the metaverse. There is less time needed to think about tracking of controllers or performance restrictions, the basics of VR are provided more and more effortlessly. In combination with the widespread adoption, this opens new possibilities for researchers working on different frontiers.

In the area of Serious VR Simulations, often called Digital Twins, addon cameras allow for Mixed Reality (MR) concepts, fusing together reality with virtuality by e.g., integrating physical, tangible objects into the traditionally purely virtual world.
The previously clunky VR Serious Games genre profits from high-quality serious content, which can be broadly experienced to enhance immersion and knowledge transfer.

In both areas, the full potential of this vision-based technology is still limited through the lack of framework support and tangible controller feedback for otherwise purely virtual objects. We want to bring together experts from different computing and engineering disciplines to overcome the barriers of complex VR simulations and games in two research directions:

Serious VR Simulations range from traditional replicas of environments and study scenarios to better understand the behavior of people, teach skills for specific tasks or operate complex remote technology like robots. Over the last years, new user groups for simulated environments, such as users of remote teaching tools during the COIVID-19 pandemic or elderly people who want to have an immersive traveling experience, have been emerging because of the progress and affordable nature of VR technology.

VR Serious Games combine the world of playing games for immersive entertainment with the goal of learning in an almost subconsciously manner. Combining these two approaches requires meeting the demands of both. Learning content must be presented correctly and coherently, but on the other hand, it must be perfectly integrated into a game concept.

Today, there are still various unsolved and related challenges for Serious VR Simulations and VR Serious Games. Major challenges include, but are not limited to:

  • Tangible Objects and alternative Controllers: Traditionally, the included HMD controllers and potentially trackers are mostly used to interact with virtual objects. This limits the possibilities to have rich, multi-dimensional feedback and to enhance physical presence through tangible non-controller-shaped items. Tracking physical objects and including them into the virtual world (Augmented Virtuality) is a challenge with the need for a tracking pipeline. Addon cameras in combination with state-of-the-art algorithms can overcome those limitations. In this workshop we want to explore the realization of such rich and tangible experiences.
  • VR Multiplayer Framework: Reliably connecting users and supporting versatility in terms of platforms (including microcontrollers for smart items), is still an open issue. In a game engine such as Unity, there is up until this day a limitation in supporting self-made tracking algorithms, e.g., Machine Learning-based ones. On the other hand, game engines provide the important capability to efficiently render virtual content and provide the central game logic. We want to propose building blocks to solve such limitations and bring together mobile and microcontroller platforms into a framework.
  • VR Serious Games: Function based on an immersive learning environment. The virtual world can adapt to the learning content. For example, let the user travel virtually to distant places or offer the possibility of virtual time travel to specific points in time or events in history. In VENUS we want to explore new possibilities for Serious Games in VR.

As organizers we will contribute to the workshop by presenting research projects in both directions: Serious VR Simulations and VR Serious Games.

A realistic replica of a supermarket has been created to evaluate smartphone-based health apps in a standardized environment with the help of tracked markers which allow the inclusion of the display in VR. Additionally, some controller designs with multi-dimensional feedback will be displayed, e.g., for sports simulations. We present the utilization of VR in Serious Games in various context directions with developed examples such as cultural heritage. To provide a basic structure, we describe challenges we faced in a Positioning Paper, which is presented together with solutions we found to spark an active discussion with the participants. Further research is included through the submitted papers which have been reviewed to fit in the scope of the workshop:

Topics in the area of Serious VR Simulations include, but are not limited to:

  • Virtual Twins (simulations)
  • Controller design and multi-dimensional feedback
  • Novel VR sports or training concepts
  • Innovative tangible game objects (Augmented Virtuality)
  • Frameworks for VR applications (e.g., multiplayer solutions)
  • Technology for sensory augmentation
  • Modifications for HMD technology

Topics in the area of Serious VR Games include, but are not limited to:

  • Education
  • Languages
  • Natural Sciences
  • Cultural Heritage
  • Health
  • Economy
  • Politics

Website: https://wiki.tum.de/display/infar/Workshop+IEEE+ISMAR%3A+Serious+VR

W19: 2nd International Workshop on Comfort Intelligence with AR for Autonomous Vehicle

Waterfront 1 — L2 (Hybrid with Zoom)
Day 1: 17 October 2022 (Monday) | 13:00pm to 16:00pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Masayuki Kanbara, Nara Institute of Science and Technology
Itaru Kitahara, University of Tsukuba

Abstract:

Many researchers and companies have been developing technologies for autonomous vehicle. Most technologies are focused on safety control and efficient path planning of autonomous driving. To accept autonomous vehicle socially, a comfort of passenger who is driver being free from driving is one of important issues. Passengers of autonomous vehicle feel discomfort when the vehicle behaves unexpectedly or moves on unexpected path. In addition, the problem of motion sickness will be increased in autonomous vehicle because the passenger will not be able to understand the behavior of the vehicle. In near future, since a windscreen of autonomous vehicle will become an AR display, it is expected that the problems of a VR sickness will be increased too. For these reasons, there will be many discomfort factors of passengers in autonomous vehicle. This workshop focuses on technologies for improvement of passenger’s comfort in autonomous vehicle, such as sensing methods of passengers and environment, AR technology, AR user interface and AR display in autonomous vehicle.

AR in autonomous vehicle is one of most important application of AR. AR is not only a means of displaying information, but also a necessary technology to avoid discomfort for passengers in autonomous vehicles.

As automated vehicles are becoming more widely used in society, stress and discomfort factors for passengers are being revealed. The first workshop was held at ISMAR 2018, where passenger comfort in automated vehicles was discussed. In recent years, the topic has become even more important and we plan to organize a second workshop.

More details: CFP  https://ciav.site/

W20: First workshop on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Transparency, and Ethics in XR (IDEATExR)

Waterfront 1 — L2 (Hybrid with Zoom)
Day 1: 17 October 2022 (Monday) | 09:00am to 12:00pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Cassidy R. Nelson, Virginia Tech
Nayara de Oliveira Faria, Virginia Tech
Regis Kopper, PhD, University of North Carolina Greensboro
Rafael N.C. Patrick, Virginia Tech

Abstract:

ISMAR and IEEEVR are the sibling, premier venues for AR/VR (or XR) research. Together, these conferences converge 500+ researchers across disciplines and spectrums of research, including both technical and human aspects of AR and VR. However, at IEEEVR only 15% of first paper authors are women [1]. Further, approximately 95% of the global population is excluded from VR research resulting in poor generalizability [2]. As IEEEVR and ISMAR are sibling conferences with substantial attendee overlap, it is not unreasonable to question whether these biases also exist within ISMAR. Furthermore, the ethics informing XR research have been identified as one of the grand challenges facing human-computer interaction research today [3], with the replication crisis [4] featuring transparency as a critical step for remediation. These factors make formal discussions surrounding inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, transparency, and ethics in XR not only timely – but necessary.

The proposed workshop is the first of its kind for ISMAR, with the closest approximation for IEEEVR being 2 different workshops on ethics offered in 2019 and 2021. While IEEEVR has led the way with similar workshops and both conferences have a statement about requiring IRB ethics, ISMAR has been the leader in transparent practice. For example, there’s language in ISMARs author guidelines asking whether participants are diverse, but this language is not in IEEEVRs submission guidelines. ISMAR also requires accessibility metadata for PDFs, whereas this requirement is not found on the website for IEEEVR. ISMAR also posts the reviewer guidelines publicly, and we can see that they encourage reviewers to consider diversity, while IEEEVR does not publish their reviewer guidelines.

Neither ISMAR or IEEEVR have a clear code of ethics including issues surrounding diversity that could help provide greater DEI initiative consistency between conferences and guidance toresearchers. It’s important to note that these concerns are also relevant to technical works not involving human participants as they also play a role in research teams, ideas, proposed solutions, conduct, etc.

Due to the important, evolving, and shifting nature of inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, transparency, and ethics in XR, we believe it prudent to host this workshop at both ISMAR and IEEEVR. This will be the first iteration of this workshop for either conference, and we feel that ISMARs strong presence in transparency and lack of related programmed content makes it the best candidate for the first host. There are five goals of this workshop:

  1. To provide a vehicle through which to understand better the pulse of the community surrounding these issues of inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, transparency, and ethics in XR,

  2. To shine a spotlight on these issues for community members who perhaps haven’t given them much consideration,

  3. To celebrate those that are engaging in research either true to the spirit of inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, transparency, and ethics in XR, or those engaging in research about these topics specifically,

  4. To help researchers better understand how to ensure their works are more inclusive, diverse, equitable, accessible, transparent, and ethical,

  5. And to bring together disparate perspectives and research foci together under a shared goal to be inclusive, diverse, equitable, accessible, transparent, and ethical in XR. This goal can be shared by software, hardware, and human-focused researchers.

[1] T. C. Peck, L. E. Sockol, and S. M. Hancock, “Mind the Gap: The Underrepresentation of Female Participants and Authors in Virtual Reality Research,” IEEE Trans. Vis. Comput. Graph., vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 1945–1954, 2020, doi: 10.1109/TVCG.2020.2973498.
[2] T. C. Peck, K. A. McMullen, J. Quarles, K. Johnsen, C. Sandor, and M. Billinghurst, “DiVRsify: Break the Cycle and Develop VR for Everyone,” IEEE Comput. Graph. Appl., vol. 41, no. 6, pp. 133–142, 2021, doi: 10.1109/MCG.2021.3113455.
[3] C. Stephanidis et al., “Seven HCI Grand Challenges,” Int. J. Hum. Comput. Interact., vol. 35,no. 14, pp. 1229–1269, 2019, doi: 10.1080/10447318.2019.1619259.
[4] H. Pashler and C. R. Harris, “Is the Replicability Crisis Overblown? Three Arguments Examined,” Perspect. Psychol. Sci., vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 531–536, 2012, doi:
10.1177/1745691612463401.

 

More details: CFP

W21: VR/AR/MR for Transportation Applications

Organizers:

Yiyu CAI, Nanyang Technological University
Sameer Alam, NVIDIA

Abstract:

Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality (VR/AR/MR) have evolved since 1960s to Meta-Universal (or Metaverse) today. Fundamental research in VR/AR/MR involves various areas such as fidelity modelling & simulation, realistic visualisation, real-time interaction, natural user interface, etc. VR/AR/MR are increasingly seen the convergence with robotics, IoT, digital twin, serious games, blockchain, cloud and edge computing. While VR/AR/MR have found a good number of traditional applications from engineering to healthcare and education, this workshop is interested to gather similar minds working on VR/AR/MR for transportation applications including not limited to aerospace, land and maritime. The aim of this workshop is to provide an interdisciplinary forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss the latest advances in VR/AR/MR and to share their ideas, data and practice in the relevant fields.

Topics of Interest include but are not limited to the following:

  • Enabling Technology of VR/AR/MR for Transportation
  • VR/AR/MR and Autonomous Vehicles
  • VR/AR/MR and Navigation
  • VR/AR/MR and Path Planning
  • VR/AR/MR and Collision Avoidance
  • VR/AR/MR and Collaborative Decision Making
  • VR/AR/MR and Communication
  • VR/AR/MR and Surveillance
  • VR/AR/MR and Real time Planning
  • VR/AR/MR for Aerospace Transportation Application
  • VR/AR/MR for Land Transportation Application
  • VR/AR/MR for Maritime Transportation Application

Date: TBC 17st October (Monday) or 21st October (Friday), 2022

Venue: TBC Online

More details: CFP

W22: Metaverse and Applications

Waterfront 2 — L2 (Hybrid with Zoom)
Day 5: 21 October 2022 (Friday) | 09:00am to 12:00pm (GMT +8)

Organizers:

Yiyu CAI, Nanyang Technological University
Sameer Alam, NVIDIA

Abstract:

Last October, FaceBook was renamed META.  This was followed in November by Microsoft with the announcement of the company’s strategy for Metaverse development. Nvidia has been actively promoting Omniverse.  Metaverse is in the limelight today. This workshop will provide a platform for scientists, researchers, and application developers to exchange latest advancement of metaverse technology and their applications in various fields.

Topics of Interest with the workshop include but are not limited to the following: 
Part 1: Metaverse Enabling Technology
1.1 VR/AR/MR
1.2 Simulations
1.3 Robotics
1.4 Artificial Intelligence
1.5 Data Science and Synthetic Data
1.6 Blockchain
1.7 Gamification and Serious Games
1.8 Digital Twin
Part 2: Metaverse Applications
2.1 Metaverse for Manufactory
2.2 Metaverse for Building & Construction
2.3 Metaverse for Defence
2.4 Metaverse for Education & Training
2.5 Metaverse for Healthcare
2.6 Metaverse for Social Media
2.7 Metaverse for Smart City & Smart Nation
2.8 Metaverse for Logistic and Supply Chain
2.9 Metaverse for Entertainment
2.10 Metaverse for Sports

 

More details: CFP