GuestXR at IEEE VR 2025

GuestXR will have a wide presence at IEEE VR 2025 in Saint-Malo, France, with tutorials, workshops, and paper presentations on topics like spatial audio perception, the regulation of virtual environments, or the impact of haptic feedback on social interactions in VR. The project will also showcase interactive demos on environmental sustainability, acoustic coherence, and AI-driven XR experiences.

Throughout the event, the GuestXR booth, located at stand number 6 in the Grand Large Hall, will feature rotating demos and discussions. A key activity in the conference will be the mixed reality panel Where will extended reality and AI take us?, exploring the future of immersive technologies and their role in shaping human interaction.

Moreover, this conference edition is chaired by two GuestXR partners from Inria: Anatole Lécuyer, Research Director and Head of the Hybrid Team, and Ferran Argelaguet, Research Scientist.

Saturday, March 8th

  • Tutorials

XR and the metaverse in clinical applications

  • 8:30-12:30
  • Room: Charcot
  • Mel Slater, University of Barcelona
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XR has been widely used in clinical applications for decades, enhancing psychological interventions, rehabilitation, surgical training, and pain management. VR enables safer and more effective therapy by providing immersive, gamified, and data-driven experiences for patients and clinicians. This tutorial explores real-world examples and innovative XR solutions that push beyond traditional boundaries while delivering meaningful clinical benefits.

Introduction to 3D sound: a tutorial on spatial audio perception and unity integration

  • 16:15-18:00
  • Room: Charcot
  • Joanna Luberadzka, Eurecat
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This tutorial introduces the fundamentals of spatial audio and its integration in VR, enhancing immersion through 3D sound. It covers auditory perception, spatial sound simulation, and practical implementation in Unity, including scripting and open-source tools. Designed for researchers and VR developers, no prior experience is required.

Sunday, March 9th

  • Tutorial

Building and regulating the metaverse

  • 10:45-12:30
  • Room: Vauban 2
  • Doron Friedman, Reichman University
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This tutorial explores the metaverse as a shared virtual space blending digital and physical realities. It covers its origins, current social VR applications, and the technical, ethical, and regulatory challenges of creating interconnected platforms. Attendees will gain insights into building and managing metaverse-like systems.

  • Paper presentation

Perception in Flux: Investigating Memory and Attention During Gradual Environmental Transformations in Virtual Reality

1st International Workshop on Spatial Memory in XR (XRMemory)

  • 8:30-12:30
  • Room: Vauban 1
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  • Esen K. Tütüncü, Mel Slater, University of Barcelona

This study explores how gradual, imperceptible transitions in VR environments affect spatial memory and perception. By morphing a scene from a kitchen to a bedroom over 15 minutes, researchers analyze whether participants form blended spatial memories without detecting the changes. Eye-tracking data examines attentional shifts, offering insights for designing adaptive and immersive VR experiences.

Monday, March 10th

  • Paper presentation

Influence of haptic feedback on perception of threat and peripersonal space in social VR

Session: Haptic interfaces and rendering

  • 15:15-16:15
  • Room: Lamennais 3-4-5
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  • Vojta Smekal, Maastricht University; Jeanne Hecquard, Inria; Sophie Kühne, Maastricht University; Nicole Occidental, Maastricht University; Anatole Lécuyer, Inria; Marc J-M Macé, CNRS / Rennes 1; Beatrice de Gelder, Maastricht University

This study examines how social touch influences personal space perception in VR. Using a haptic compression belt, participants encountered virtual agents with neutral or threatening behavior. Results show that personal space violations were detected earlier with angry agents and haptic feedback, highlighting the role of haptics in enhancing VR social interaction design.

  • Demos

Using Virtual Reality to Raise Awareness of Communication Challenges Faced by Individuals with Hearing Loss

  • Fast forward session
  • 15:15-16:15
  • Room: Chateaubriand
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  • Booths open
  • 16:15-17:15
  • Room: Cézembre; Booth: 17
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  • Joanna Luberadzka, Enric Gusó, Umut Sayin, Adan Garriga, Eurecat

Hearing loss is typically managed with hearing aids, which amplify sound based on the user’s hearing profile. However, unlike glasses for vision, hearing aids cannot address the reduced time-frequency resolution of the auditory system. To raise awareness of the challenges faced by hearing aid users, particularly in complex acoustic environments, we use virtual reality (VR). We integrate hearing loss and hearing aid simulators into a VR application, allowing users to experience the altered soundscape in an immersive way.

Cooperation for Environmental Sustainability: a Common Pool Resource Virtual Experience

  • 3DUI Contest fast forward session
  • 15:15-16:15
  • Room: Chateaubriand
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  • 3DUI Contest booths open
  • 16:15-17:00
  • Room: Vauban
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  • Weronika M. Lewandowska, Karolina Ziembowicz, Warsaw University, Bernhard Spanlang, Virtual Bodyworks

This demo features an immersive game centered on the “tragedy of the commons” scenario, where players engage in cryptocurrency mining, mirroring the environmental consequences of unsustainable resource consumption. The experience has a dual purpose: it trains the Guest AI to promote harmony and encourage sustainable decision-making among players while also prompting players to reflect on the long-term impact of their choices, fostering a deeper understanding of climate responsibility.

Tuesday, March 11th

  • Demos

Using Virtual Reality to Raise Awareness of Communication Challenges Faced by Individuals with Hearing Loss

  • Booths open
  • 9:30-10:00; 13:15-14:00; 16:15-17:15
  • Room: Cézembre; Booth: 17
MORE INFORMATION
  • Joanna Luberadzka, Enric Gusó, Umut Sayin, Adan Garriga, Eurecat

Hearing loss is typically managed with hearing aids, which amplify sound based on the user’s hearing profile. However, unlike glasses for vision, hearing aids cannot address the reduced time-frequency resolution of the auditory system. To raise awareness of the challenges faced by hearing aid users, particularly in complex acoustic environments, we use virtual reality (VR). We integrate hearing loss and hearing aid simulators into a VR application, allowing users to experience the altered soundscape in an immersive way.

Cooperation for Environmental Sustainability: a Common Pool Resource Virtual Experience

  • 3DUI Contest booths open
  • 9:30-10:00; 13:15-14:00; 15:15-17:15
  • Room: Vauban
MORE INFORMATION
  • Weronika M. Lewandowska, Karolina Ziembowicz, Warsaw University, Bernhard Spanlang, Virtual Bodyworks

This demo features an immersive game centered on the “tragedy of the commons” scenario, where players engage in cryptocurrency mining, mirroring the environmental consequences of unsustainable resource consumption. The experience has a dual purpose: it trains the Guest AI to promote harmony and encourage sustainable decision-making among players while also prompting players to reflect on the long-term impact of their choices, fostering a deeper understanding of climate responsibility.

Wednesday, March 12th

  • Mixed reality panel

Where will extended reality and AI take us?

  • 15:15-16:15
  • Room: Chateaubriand
MORE INFORMATION

This panel explores the intersection of Extended Reality (XR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), incorporating both human and AI-driven virtual agents in a mixed reality format that integrates VR and real-world interactions.

  • Demos

Using Virtual Reality to Raise Awareness of Communication Challenges Faced by Individuals with Hearing Loss

  • Booths open
  • 9:30-10:00; 13:15-14:00; 16:15-17:15
  • Room: Cézembre; Booth: 17
MORE INFORMATION
  • Joanna Luberadzka, Enric Gusó, Umut Sayin, Adan Garriga, Eurecat

Hearing loss is typically managed with hearing aids, which amplify sound based on the user’s hearing profile. However, unlike glasses for vision, hearing aids cannot address the reduced time-frequency resolution of the auditory system. To raise awareness of the challenges faced by hearing aid users, particularly in complex acoustic environments, we use virtual reality (VR). We integrate hearing loss and hearing aid simulators into a VR application, allowing users to experience the altered soundscape in an immersive way.

Cooperation for Environmental Sustainability: a Common Pool Resource Virtual Experience

  • 3DUI Contest booths open
  • 9:30-10:00; 13:15-14:00
  • Room: Vauban
MORE INFORMATION
  • 3DUI awards
  • 17:15-18:15
  • Room: Chateaubriand
MORE INFORMATION
  • Weronika M. Lewandowska, Karolina Ziembowicz, Warsaw University, Bernhard Spanlang, Virtual Bodyworks

This demo features an immersive game centered on the “tragedy of the commons” scenario, where players engage in cryptocurrency mining, mirroring the environmental consequences of unsustainable resource consumption. The experience has a dual purpose: it trains the Guest AI to promote harmony and encourage sustainable decision-making among players while also prompting players to reflect on the long-term impact of their choices, fostering a deeper understanding of climate responsibility.