1st FH OÖ Mixed Reality Day in 2019 - review

At FH Upper Austria, Hagenberg Campus, Mixed Reality foundations are not only conveyed in teaching but they are also dealt with in research and development activities. In cooperation with “VR-Plauscherl” the first FH Upper Austria Mixed Reality Day took place on Friday, 25th January 2019 and gave the opportunity to learn more about our projects in this field. The top-class keynote speakers the artist Tamiko Thiel and Judith Wiesinger (Magic Leap) opened this event at 5.30 pm. Afterwards we showed a variety of hands-onprojects e.g. the multi-user VR escape room “Triality”, a collaborative project with the University of Art and Design Linz.

 


Programme

5.30 pm  Opening, MR in teaching, research and development, Christoph Anthes (FH OÖ, Department Software Engineering)
5.45 pm  Opening VR Plauscherl
5.50 pm  Keynote „Computer-Based Works Exploring Imaginaries and Realities, 1986 – 2018“ Tamiko Thiel
6.30 pm  Keynote „How will mixed reality change our future“ Judith Wiesinger (Magic Leap)
7.10 pm  Live Demos - Lightning Talks

7.40 pm Live Demos [Veranstaltungsraum, VR, FH2, Ebene 0]
Live demos on all the major AR /VR platforms.

Keynotes 1st FH OÖ MRD

How will mixed reality change our futureJudith Wiesinger, PhD (Magic Leap)

Judith Wiesinger, PhD is member of the management team at Magic Leap and, as such, drives internationalization in Europe.

Judith is passionate about personalization. To be able to push the boundaries of what is possible in this field, she built up skills in cognitive science & artificial intelligence. She holds a PhD from ETH Zurich and a master of research from ENS Paris. She has worked in industry (for top-tier strategy consulting company) as well as in research (for world-leading hedge fund) and founded her own tech startup (her clients included Europe's leading e-commerce platforms).

She strongly believes in the potential of head-mounted displays to change the way we interact with technology and is excited to shape the future. Feel free to reach out to her with a concrete purpose via LinkedIn

Computer-Based Works Exploring Imaginaries and Realities, 1986 – 2018Tamiko Thiel

Abstract: Virtual and augmented reality enable a completely different dramatic perspective: not narrative, but first person experiential. In classic drama or narrative theory, the author focuses the audience's attention on the emotions and conflicts of third person characters, in order to provoke a sympathetic emotional arousal in the audience. In an interactive first person work, however, the author must choreograph the emotional arc(s) that the user/participant experiences while engaging with the work. Tamiko Thiel, who has more than 20 years of experience creating interactive art experiences, will talk about how she has extended drama and narrative theory with insights from music and urban planning to create a general theory of dramatic structure for interactive experiences.

Biography: Tamiko Thiel won the 2018 iX Visionary Pioneer Award from SAT Montreal for her life's work, using media art to create spaces of memory to explore social and cultural issues. Originally a product design engineer with engineering degrees from Stanford and MIT, in 1985 she created the visual form for Danny Hillis' Connection Machine CM-1/CM-2, the first commercial AI supercomputers. Winning the 1989 Gordon Bell Prize as fastest computer in the world, it influenced CM-2 programmer and Google co-founder Sergey Brin and inspired Steve Jobs' NeXT computer and through him Apple's subsequent visual esthetic. A CM-2 is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York.

Since earning a degree in applied graphics at the Academy of Fine Art in Munich, she has worked in video, virtual reality and augmented reality. In 1994 she was creative director/producer of Starbright World, an online VR playspace for seriously ill children (with Steven Spielberg, Starbright Foundation chairman). Her interactive VR projection "Virtuelle Mauer" on the Berlin Wall was funded by the Berlin Hauptstadtkulturfonds and won the IBM Innovation Award for Art and Technology in 2009. More recently, as Google Tilt Brush Artist in Residence, her VR artwork "Land of Cloud" won the VRHAM People's Choice Award in 2018. A founding member of AR artist group Manifest.AR, she participated in their path-breaking guerrilla augmented reality intervention at MoMA NY in 2010, and was main curator/organizer of their AR intervention at the 2011 Venice Biennial. This led to many commissions such as her  bio-sensor driven AR installation for FACT Liverpool, and her current AR installation on plastic waste and coral bleaching at the Whitney Museum NY.

Live Demos 2019

AbgussVRPeter Haas (Software Engineering, Bachelor)

Virtual Reality in museums. That is not really a new idea, although technical advances in recent years have made this use case more interesting. In this project an Oculus Go is used to present the astonishing results of an exciting research project from the field of archaeology to visitors in museum. The story behind this research is being told in an interactive, gamificated application.

AR is waiting Philipp Bernecker, Gilbert Ndipenock (Human-Centered Computing)

AR waiter gives a customer in a restaurant or bar the possibility to see the beverage he or she is about to order beforehand right on the table. Several interaction methods like ghosted hints and a tangible interface serve to enhance the user experience. The content is rendered on a smartphone and anchored in the real world by custom designed markers in the form of coasters. Also drinks can be ordered.

ARChessDavid Röbl (Mobile Computing)

The game of chess is both an age old board-game clasic, as well as a competitive sport. It was also one of the first practical problems that computer engineers tried to solve with their newly invented technologies. In a new take on the game, we translate it to an AR environment, where users can interact with the game using a "magic wand", effectively creating a mix of simulation and reality.

Beer PongChristopher Köllner (Mobile Computing)

Beer pong is popular in a wide range of venues such as bars, colleges, universities as well as house parties. Although the basic game play is very simple, it needs some preparation. In the AR Beer Pong application it is possible to play Beer Pong without the need of having cups or balls. This enables one to play the game everywhere with their smartphone just by throwing a virtual ball via swipe gestures.

Fear of HeightsFabian Pointecker (Human-Centered Computing)

Eine VR-Anwendung, um Höhenangst zu überwinden. Dabei müssen die BenutzerInnen auf Holzbrettern über eine tiefe Schlucht laufen, durch das immersive Gefühl soll die Höhenangst verringert werden. Damit die Behandlung mit wenig Aufwand durchgeführt werden kann, ist die Anwendung für die kostengünstige Google Cardboard-Halterung erstellt worden, die aus Smartphones eine Virtual-Reality-Brille macht.

Fetch with a MonsterTheresa Kammerhofer, Leopold Auersperg-Castell (Medientechnik und -design)

Wanna cuddle a monster? Wanna throw some limbs and reward your monster with tender loving care when it fetches them? This is the game to play.

GlowchestraEric Thalhammer, Marlene Mayr (Medientechnik und -design)

Glowchestra is an interactive music experience, consisting of three virtual instruments everyone can easily play with. Additionally, it features a loop station that allows to record sound sequences and thereby create a whole song.

Guess the MoleculeStefanie Brayer (Human-Centered Computing)

Die Virtual Reality Anwendung Guess The Molecule beschäftigt sich mit dem Erlernen der Strukturformel von Molekülen und fördert dabei das Erkennen von 3D-Strukturen. Die AnwenderInnen befi nden sich in einem virtuellen Klassenzimmer, wo die korrekte Bezeichnung des dargestellten Moleküls auf der Tafel ausgewählt werden muss. Falsche Antworten werden mit dem mühsamen Recycling jedes einzelnen Atoms und den Bindungen, die dieses zusammengehalten haben, bestraft.

HoloKeysDominik Hackl (Interactive Media)

Augmented Reality ist eine Technologie, welche Zusatzinformationen in die reale Umgebung einblendet. In diesem Projekt wird die Microsoft HoloLens, eine interaktive AR-Brille, eingesetzt, um das einfache erlernen von Musikstücken auf dem Klavier zu ermöglichen. Der AnwenderInnen sehen direkt auf dem Klavier eingeblendet, welche Tasten sie als nächstes anschlagen sollten.

Interface2Face: Mixed Reality Board Game TechnologiesResearch Groups: AIST & PIE, Fakultät Hagenberg

Ziel dieses Projekts ist es, das klassische Brettspiel-Erlebnis mit Mixed-Reality Technologien anzureichern, um mehrere Spieler gleichzeitig (face2face) mit realen und virtuellen Elementen interagieren zu lassen. Erstmals sollen Komponenten wie Spielbrett, Würfel und Figuren mit AR-Technologie, Kommunikationssensorik und Software zu einem einmaligen, überraschungsreichen und spannenden Game für Spielerunden bis 4 Spielern kombinieren und unter aktiver Einbindung der Spieler eine laufende Weiterentwicklung ermöglicht werden.

Letzte Worte: VR Story ExperienceMatthias Patscheider, Samantha Povolny, Bianca Zankl (Digital Arts)

„Letzte Worte“ ist eine Virtual Reality Story Experience, welche für die HTC Vive konzipiert wurde. Der Spieler durchlebt die komplexe Beziehung zwischen den Geschwistern Lisa und Leo Wagner. Dabei erforscht der Spieler als Lisa die gemeinsame Kindheit in einer abstrakten Traumwelt. Durch die Kindheitserinnerungen erfährt der Spieler vom darin verborgenen Trauma, dem sich Lisa am Ende stellen muss.

Logistify: Augmented Reality Educational GameResearch Groups: PIE (Fakultät Hagenberg) & Logistikum Steyr

Logistify wurde als Augmented-Reality-Lernspiel für Tablet und Smartphone entwickelt und vermittelt auf spielerische Weise grundlegende Konzepte der Logistik. In drei Spielen werden gängige Transportmittel, -ketten und Berufe in der Logistik veranschaulicht. Neben einer virtuellen Kransteuerung am Hafen stehen auch ein animiertes Kartenspiel und mehrere virtuelle Chatsessions zur Auswahl.

Mini Racing GameLukas Ameisbichler (Interactive Media)

Mini Racing is a small racing game, where a user can build his own racetrack with vuforia image targets. On each target, a building block can be selected for the track, which can be connected to the other parts with a bridge. After constructing a course, the user can drive with a car on it, which is controlled with the gyro sensor and 2 buttons.

MoorhuhnHuntLisa Lichtenberger (Interactive Media)

MoorhuhnHunt is a small remake of the original "Moorhuhn Jagd" game and uses augmented reality features to add more interactivity and a novel appearance to Moorhuhn.
MoorhuhnHunt carries the player to a highland-like landscape in which many birds are flying around. The player has to shoot as many birds as possible in a certain time range.

Prisoners Martin Schneglberger, Michael Rockenschaub (Mobile Computing)

A bunch of prisoners tries to escape from a prison by reaching its walls. The player has to prevent them from reaching the walls by clicking onto them or placing turrets automatically catching the prisoners. Image Targets define the walls of the prison and thus allow a dynamic creation of the game field.

RaptorlandVRMarkus Maureder, Peter Haas (Software Engineering, Bachelor)

Bei RaptorLandVR handelt es sich um einen Single Player Arcade Shooter, bei dem die spielende Person Asteroiden und Raptoren abwehren muss. Dafür steht ein breit gefächertes Arsenal an Werkzeugen zur Verfügung, wobei die Spielenden je nach Spielsituation aus diesem auswählen müssen.
Durch dieses Spiel kann sehr deutlich beobachtet werden, wie Menschen in einer Stresssituation reagieren, ohne dass sie einer realen Gefahr ausgesetzt werden. Durch eine erhöhte Adrenalinausschüttung verstärkt sich die Immersion in großem Ausmaß. Weiters werden durch die beidhändige Bedienung zur gleichen Zeit beide Gehirnhälften vernetzt.

Red Bull Air Race Holo-InfoStefan Auer (Human-Centered Computing), Michael Staudinger (Interactive Media)

HoloLens application for an introduction to the rules and participants of the Red Bull Air Race. The main aspect of the UX design is the addition of visual holographic animations to the spoken information as well as the dynamic but still ordered story-telling of the application’s content. Additionally, this application was used as a prototype for a shared cross-platform AR application allowing to spectate and instruct or manipulate a HoloLens user in real-time within the same three-dimensional physical and virtual space using ARCore.

Rubiks Cube ARŁukasz Strzelecki (Mobile Computing)

Rubik’s Cube AR is a Rubik’s cube solving simulator. It is nothing new, many computer or mobile versions have been created before. However the idea of this project is to bring digital cube solving to another level. Main goal of the application is to bring the experience as close to the reality as possible, but at the same time enhancing the experience through the use of Augmented Reality.

SlotCarARMichael Plattner (Mobile Computing)

Nahezu jeder hat schon einmal mit einer Carrera-Bahn gespielt, mit Slotcar AR kannst du diese Kindheitserinnerungen auf deinem Smartphone in Augmented Reality neu erleben. Du kannst entweder auf vordefinierten Strecken fahren oder mit dem Editor deiner Fantasie freien lauf lassen und selbst einen Kurs entwerfen. Das Ziel ist es, die schnellste Runde zu fahren und sich so in die Bestenliste einzutragen.

Space BallsSigrid Huemer (Medientechnik und -design)

Space Balls ist ein Ballwurf-Spiel im virtuellen Raum. Als Spieler/in hat man im ersten Level die Möglichkeit, innerhalb von 20 Sekunden so viele schwebende Bälle wie möglich einzufangen. Die Anzahl der Punkte aus dem ersten Level kann im zweiten Teil des Spiels verdoppelt werden und  somit lädt das Spiel dazu ein, sich mit Freunden um den höchsten Score zu messen.

TrialityStudierende der Kunstuni Linz und der FH OÖ Fakultät für Informatik, Kommunikation und Medien in Hagenberg

Mixed reality experience for teams of 3 people. The "patient" is split into three personalities, but doesn't realize it Each of the personalities is represented by one of the physical users, who has only one sense available: Ears can only hear what happens in the virtual world, Eyes can only see in it, Hands can only manipulate it. If they can collaborate to solve 3 riddles, they will be reintegrated back into a single person.

Unexpected Growth (2018)Tamiko Thiel (Visiting Prof.) and /p

Geolocative augmented reality installation commissioned by Whitney Museum New York for their 6th floor terrace. "Coral reef" generated out of virtual plastic waste using Lindenmayer Systems. At the Whitney, it bleaches depending on how many people view the installation. Demo viewable only during VR-Plauscherl!

Virtual House of MedusaResearch Group PIE

Das Virtuelle Haus der Medusa (VHM) ist eine spielerische VR-Installation mit mehreren virtuellen Workstations. SpielerInnen übernehmen die Rollen eines Archäologen/einer Archäologin und haben die Gelegenheit mehrere Freskenteile zu einem größeren Fragment zusammenzusetzen oder können eine Rekonstruktion des Gebäudes virtuell begehen und die farbenprächtigen Wandmalereien im Raum betrachten. Im Gegensatz zu vielen VR-Installationen ist das VHM als kooperatives VR-Erlebnis zwischen dem VR-Player und dem Publikum aufgebaut. ZuschauerInnen haben die Möglichkeit, direkt mit dem VR-Player zu interagieren und ihren eigenen individuellen Blickwinkel auf die virtuelle Welt zu steuern. Mithilfe von Tablets in Verbindung mit Positions-Trackern können die MitspielerInnen in die VR-Welt blicken und über Touch-basierte Interaktion dem VR-Player Hinweise geben. Dies ermöglicht den MitspielerInnen sich frei in dem physischen Raum zu bewegen und die VR-Welt aus jeder Richtung zu betrachten.

Virtual Wall; Virtuelle Mauer/ReConstructing the Wall (2008/2019)Tamiko Thiel (Visiting Prof.), Teresa Reuter

Interactive encounter with 1 km of the Berlin Wall in the 1960s -  80s - 00s, including Border Crossing, Death Strip and neighborhoods in East and West Berlin. User walks along the Wall and is treated by border guards as a resident of whichever side they happen to be in – including arrest when user goes too close to the East Wall. Users approach characters to trigger time travel, climb stairs for unusual views into the Death Strip.