Cosponsored Pioneer Centre Talk: Computational Methods to Address Upcoming Health Challenges with Everyday XR Interaction

Speaker

Teresa Hirzle, Ulm University

Title

Computational Methods to Address Upcoming Health Challenges with Everyday XR Interaction

Abstract

Extended reality (XR) has the potential to become part of our everyday lives as devices have advanced from research inventory to everyday end-user technology. Currently, many research efforts focus on making the technology more usable and immersive, such as improving interaction or haptic perception. The negative side effects are, however, rarely considered. This is a major problem given the rapid distribution of the devices to users and first indicators that using them can harm users' health. In my research, I address health and well-being-related problems with XR using a combination of computational and psychological methods. Using this mix of methods can help us reveal relevant health problems, design suitable measurement methods, and create user interfaces that are aware of these problems and that can prevent and alleviate them. In this talk, I will discuss specific examples towards addressing these issues and give an outlook for future challenges in this emerging research area.