On July 29th, 2021, Dr. Jason Rambach presented the survey paper “A Survey on Applications of Augmented, Mixed and Virtual Reality for Nature and Environment” at the 23rd Human Computer Interaction Conference HCI International. The article is the result of a collaboration between DFKI, the Worms University of Applied Sciences and the University of Kaiserslautern.
Abstract: Augmented, virtual and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR) are technologies of great potential due to the engaging and enriching experiences they are capable of providing. However, the possibilities that AR/VR/MR offer in the area of environmental applications are not yet widely explored. In this paper, we present the outcome of a survey meant to discover and classify existing AR/VR/MR applications that can benefit the environment or increase awareness on environmental issues. We performed an exhaustive search over several online publication access platforms and past proceedings of major conferences in the fields of AR/VR/MR. Identified relevant papers were filtered based on novelty, technical soundness, impact and topic relevance, and classified into different categories. Referring to the selected papers, we discuss how the applications of each category are contributing to environmental protection and awareness. We further analyze these approaches as well as possible future directions in the scope of existing and upcoming AR/VR/MR enabling technologies.
Authors: Jason Rambach, Gergana Lilligreen, Alexander Schäfer, Ramya Bankanal, Alexander Wiebel, Didier Stricker
Contact: Jason.Rambach@dfki.de