Bringing Everyday Augmented Reality to Life
Evaluating the Societal Impact of Assistive XR Technologies
Challenge Space
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ''almost everyone will temporarily or permanently experience disability at some point in their life''1, with around 1.8 million people with special needs living in Switzerland. In 2021, the ''Swiss Federation of Deaf People'' and the ''Swiss Federation of Blind and Partially Sighted People'' re-emphasised that people with special needs must ''receive the appropriate human and technical resources to participate fully and auton-omously in society''2, highlighting the need for technical resources that facilitate and empower people.
Proposed Research
In a 3-year long research effort at the University of St. Gallen, funded by the HSG - Uni SG - International Postdoctoral Fellowships, we investigate the use of assistive mixed reality technology3 to improve how people live, work, navigate, and interact in reality and with fellow humans, moving to a new era of human-computer interfaces. We will explore the design space of assistive mixed reality technology to speed up development, help economic growth and bring people closer together.
This project will contribute towards an inclusive future reality where people with and without disabilities receive appropriate technical resources and are empowered to participate fully and autonomously in society.
References:
1 https://www.who.int/health-topics/disability
2 https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-disabled-groups-launch-initiative-for-greater-inclusion/46950100
3 With the term "assistive" we mean technology that supports people in their everyday life. With "mixed reality technology" we mean technology that allows people to alter, augment or diminish the perception of reality. For example, specialised mixed reality glasses can provide in-situ instructions for people with cognitive disabilities when preparing lunch.
We are running multiple user studies throughout the year. If you are interested in participating, please have a look at the calls for participation below. Additionally, you can contact the lead researcher Dr. Florian Mathis via e-mail (florian.mathis@unisg.ch) or via phone (+41 71 224 38 76.)
Call for Participation: How can we best support you in your everyday life?
> We are looking for people with disabilities to participate in an ethnographic study to learn more about everyday life challenges and where we can build prototypes that assist in day-to-day tasks. <
The University of St. Gallen is conducting a research study to better understand the daily challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and, in the next step, to collaboratively design systems that enhance people’s everyday lives.
If you have a disability and are willing to share your experiences, your insights will play a crucial role in shaping these supportive systems. Participation is voluntary; all information will be anonymized and kept confidential, and we will reimburse you for your time according to our local participant payment policies.
Together, we can create a more inclusive and empowering future, and we hope you are interested in supporting us on this journey.
To join this important research or learn more, please reach out to the lead researcher Dr. Florian Mathis at florian.mathis@unisg.ch or +41 71 224 38 76.
Call for Participation: Mixed Reality for Translating Reality
> We are looking for participants to participate in a laboratory study to learn more about the use of mixed reality for translating reality. <
The University of St. Gallen is conducting a research study to better understand how mixed reality can be utilised to translate real-world content into a user's preferred language.
Participation is voluntary and all information will be anonymized and kept confidential. If you are above 18+ and are willing to participate in a maximum one hour research study, please reach out to the lead researcher Dr. Florian Mathis at florian.mathis@unisg.ch or call +41 71 224 38 76.
We are looking forward to your participation! The study will be conducted in Torstrasse 25, 9000 St. Gallen.
Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter
Ordinarius für Human-Computer Interaction