The 21st EuroXR International Conference – EuroXR 2024 has once again proven to be a representative event for exploring the cutting-edge advancements in Extended Reality (XR) in Europe. Organised since 2014 by the European Association of eXtended Reality (EuroXR), it stands as one of the leading global gatherings for sharing research findings in the expansive fields of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR/AR/MR).
This year’s event was co-organised by our dearest EuroXR Corporate Member the Institute of Communication and Computer System (ICCS) of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) leaded by EuroXR Honorary President and ICCS’s Research & Development Director, Angelos Amditis.
Reflecting on an Incredible Journey: EuroXR 2024 in Athens
As the 21st EuroXR International Conference 2024 concludes, we look back on an unforgettable few days in Athens, Greece. This year’s event brought together a vibrant community of researchers, innovators, and XR enthusiasts from across the globe. Over 3 days, we explored outstanding advancements, shared ideas, and built connections that will shape the future of Extended Reality (XR) in Europe.
Sometimes we attend conferences without even noticing the great impact that this has on the advancement of European technologies. There are a number of aspects that make these events key for that purpose.
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To start, we create a sense of community by getting to know one another, engaging in what we refer to as “networking,” and gradually transforming into a small family.
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It is an excellent opportunity to showcase the work that has been completed and the projects still underway, all driven by dedication and motivation. Such efforts introduce innovation, creativity, and valuable insights to the XR scene.
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Additionally, the application of XR across various sectors is crucial, particularly in education, healthcare, engineering, and beyond.
What was so special about this edition of EuroXR 2024?
Inspiring Keynotes
Inspiring Keynotes opened up new ways of thinking and explored creative concepts in the field. As every year we bring specialists and renowned professionals in the field of extended reality to talk about the latest topics impacting the industry in Europe and around the world at the moment.
We had the pleasure to have 4 remarkable keynotes that happily accepted to come to Ahtnes and inspire all of us.
The use of new development technologies in education is becoming one of the “hot topics” within the XR industry. Considering this trend we invited Monica Arés Executive Director of the IDEA Lab at Imperial in the UK, who on the first day, gave a keynote on “Revolutionizing Learning: Adaptive Intelligence in Human-Centered Ecosystems”. Arés captivated the audience with her insights into how AI-driven simulations, immersive XR experiences, and adaptive content are reshaping education. The keynote explored aspects such as the development of customized, interactive learning environments, the essential importance of collaboration across various sectors in fostering educational transformation and the ways we can join forces to reshape education for the future. Chair – Arcadio Reyes Lecuona.
Our second keynote of the day came by Armin Grasnick, professor at IU Internationale Hochschule in Germany and EuroXR Member. Grasnik’s keynote was on “Beyond the Headset: Auto-stereoscopy as a Window into the Metaverse”. This keynote dived into the transformative potential of autostereoscopic technologies—offering immersive 3D experiences without the need for wearable devices. Professor Grasnick made a distinction between full global immersion and partial local immersion and explored the potential of integral photography, multiview displays, and holography to transform the Metaverse experience. Chair – Chair: Krzysztof Walczak
Switching to the health sector on day two, the keynote “Measuring What Matters: Lessons Learned from Taking Virtual Patients from Research to Realization” by Benjamin C. Lok professor of the University of Florida, USA. Professor Lok discussed how virtual human patients, pioneered by Shadow Health, have revolutionized nurse training by improving critical thinking and communication, now integrated into thousands of educational programs. Innovation Insights shared key lessons and challenges in creating and scaling virtual human interactions into impactful educational tools. Finally Professor Lok reevaluated impact by emphasizing transdisciplinary collaboration and entrepreneurial thinking, the speaker calls for a reassessment of how progress and impact are measured in research and careers. Chair – Patrick Bourdot
On day 3, PwC United States team leader Jeremy Dalton‘s Keynote “The Post-Metaverse Era: Navigating the Future of XR Technology” backed up by an impressive PwC research and real-world case studies, to drive successful implementation and navigate XR’s post-metaverse era. Aspects that met a lot of curiosity among the audience, boosted by an inspiring and very dynamic keynote that examines the progression of XR technology beyond the initial metaverse hype, focusing on identifying its true value and transformative potential. It analyzes current global trends, use cases, and the barriers industries face in adopting XR technologies effectively. Chair – Christoph Runde
Research Excellence: Scientific, Application, and Poster & Demo Track sessions
One of the defining highlights of the EuroXR Conference each year is the remarkable quality of the research showcased across various tracks, including Scientific, Applications, and Poster & Demo. This year was no exception. Below are the papers presented during the Scientific Track session.
Scientific Track:
Designing Experiences: Session Chair – Monika Bordegoni
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A fully immersive dual-task using a smartphone while walking in a virtual reality environment
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User Experience Design and Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Museum Installation for Historic Sailing Ships
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Embodied Acts for Testing Mixed Reality Low-Fidelity Prototypes that Convey Intangible Cultural Heritage: Method and Case Study
Human Factors: Session Chair – Franziska Klimant
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Impact of Acceleration and Angle in the Real Environment on Virtual Reality Motion Sickness
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Study on the Influence of the total front HMI Size in Intelligent Cabins on the Drivers’ Eye Movement Behavior
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Contrast and Hue in Depth Perception for Virtual Reality: An Experimental Study
Rendering and Visualisation: Session Chair – Alain Pagani
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Context-based Annotation Visualisation in Virtual Reality: A Use Case in Archaeological Data Exploration
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3-2-3 Multi-AI Segmentation Framework: LoD-based, Incremental Segmentation of 3D Scan Data Using Any 2D AI
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Enhancing Materiality in Adaptive BRDF Display with Light Ray Diffusion
Interaction Techniques: Session Chair – Giuseppe Amato
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A Tangible Interface for Creating Virtual Cutaways in Mixed Reality
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MarkAR: Exploring the Benefits of Combining Microgestures and Mid-Air Marks to Trigger Commands in Augmented Reality
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Visual Search in People with Macular Degeneration: A Virtual Reality Eye-Tracking Study
Education and Training: Session Chair – Rachel Farrel
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Engagement and Attention in eXtended Reality for Learning: A Systematic Literature Review
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Exploring Students’ Acceptance of Augmented Reality Technologies in Education: An Extended Technology Acceptance Model Approach
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A Hybrid Collaboration Design for a Large Scale Virtual Reality Training Environment to Fulfil the Belongingness Needs of Maslow’sTheory
Application Track:
An engaging Application session was held in parallel with the scientific session covering the following topics
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Education, Cognition, Creativity and Well-Being: Session Chairs – Domna Banakou, Despina Michael-Grigoriou
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XR in Industry: Session Chair – Jerome Perret, Kaj Helin
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Interactivity, XR Assistants, Collaboration & Metaverse: Session Chair – Tina Katika
Poster & Demo Track:
All the posters and demos in the conference were visually presented to showcase research, projects, and ideas displayed during the 3 days conference. It allowed participants to share their work with attendees, facilitating discussion and networking in an informal setting. Here you can find a list of all the Posters &Demos presented.
Showcasing European Innovation
In this year’s edition Europe stands at the forefront of technological advancement. Bringing together 10 European (EU) projects gathering professionals that are developing the projects currently shaping the XR European Ecosystems and will play a key role in its future.
The programme was organised during day two, featuring a session called “European Project Pitches”. During this session each project provided a brief introduction giving way to two specific parallel sessions tailored to specific groups of projects. In these sessions, all projects were presented in more detail.
Next Generation XR – Technical highlight : Session Chair – Alain Pagani
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CORTEX2: Cooperation made easy with extended reality. Presented by Gael de Chalendar, CEA & Alain Pagani, DFKI
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THEIA-XR: Making the invisible visible for off-highway machinery by conveying eXtended Reality technologies. Presented by Thomas Kernbauer (TU Graz) & Sebastian Lorenz (TU Dresden)
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SUNxr.he: Social and hUma, ceNtered XR. Presented by Giulio Federico (CNR-ISTI, UNIPI) & Froso Sarri, George Ramiotis (TUC)
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DIDYMOS-XR: Digital, DYnaMic and respOnsible twinS for XR. Presented by Rahul Tomar (Digital Twin Technologies) & Panos K. Papadopoulos (CERTH)
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Sharespace.EU: Bring XR to a radically new level of presence and sociality. Presented by Michael Lorenz & Benoit Bardy, University Montpellier
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Luminous: Capturing, Describing And Extending Reality Using Language Modeling. Presented by Zeshan Afzal, DFKI & Marco Bianchi, Ludus.
ERASMUS2027 Innovation Alliance for XR & Digital Twins: Session Chair – Konstantinos Smagas
This session was organized by Konstantinos Samagas, the project leader of Project Alliance4XR, which is one of the initiatives in which EuroXR is participating.
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Alliance4XR: Addressing emerging XR skills in higher education and vocational training. Presented by: Konstantinos Smagas, Geoimaging Ltd, Cyprus
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PAX: Empowering educators with XR technologies for teacher education. Presented by Frauke Matz & Karoline Wirbatz, Universität Münster, Germany
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Metaverse Academy: Preparing future skills for AR/VR/XR technologies. Presented by: Talha Göktas, Bursa Eskişehir Bilecik Kalkınma Ajansı (BEBKA), Türkiye
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Digital Twin Project: Enhancing smart manufacturing and sustainability with digital twin technology. Presented by: Stefano Antona, Apro Formazione, Italy
To make synergies among all the projects a “European Projects Panel” took place on the last day of the conference where education and industry merged to bring aspects in common EuroXR Vice- president of EU Issues and Collaboration Marco Sacco was chair of this session.
Virtual Lab Tour: ICCS – NTUA
EuroXR 2024 hosted an engaging Virtual Lab Tour. The session featured presentions and live demos on the following topics:
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Human/Robot Collaboration: Innovative simulations and real-world demos exploring collaborative potential.
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Assessing Key Drivers Affecting Sustainability Habits and Behaviors: Cutting-edge insights into fostering sustainable practices.
The visit was presented by Tina Katika, XR Division Leader, Spyridon-Nektarios Bolierakis, XR Technical Coordinator, Kostas Koukoudis, Software Developer (3D Generalist), Kostas Naskou, Project Manager
Some of the highlighted projects were: ChoiceEU DigInTrace, EU Project PLASTICE PRIM-ROCK, Project REDOL, EU Project MASTERMINE, Project Theseus Hub4Circularity.
Exhibition Area
The exhibition area was a vibrant hub where innovation came to life. A dynamic showcase of the latest technologies. It provided attendees with hands-on experiences and direct access to the latest advancements in the field.
Here are the companies and projects that exhibited during EuroXR 2024:
Aegean Solutions, Cibos,Fournos Lab, Geoanalisis S.A, I-SENSE Group, Joist Innovation Park, ICCS (Institute of Communication & Computer System), Pic Tech, Rokoko,COGNISENSUS, APSIM Project, Spacial Media Research Group, Master EU Project, EuroXR.
Beyond the displays, the exhibition area served as a meeting ground for networking and collaboration. Attendees had the chance to connect with exhibitors, exchange ideas, and discuss real-world applications of the technologies on display.
Gala Dinner
As every year, the event celebrates a gala dinner to create a sense of community and increase the networking opportunities. This year attendees gathered in the center of Athens to celebrate innovation, collaboration and the advancements in XR technologies, the night was full of surprises and great food and beverage.
Closing Ceremony & EuroXR Awards
As is tradition before officially closing the Conference we celebrated the best contributions across the Scientific Track, Application Track, and Poster & Demo Track during the Awards Ceremony.
During the closing ceremony our anfitrion Angelos Amditis, reflected on three incredible days filled with innovation, collaboration, and knowledge exchange. He highlighted the importance of advancing XR technologies, the need of strengthening global partnerships and building bridges between academia, industry, and society.
EuroXR President Patrick Bourdot expressed gratitude to the entire organization and participants of the EuroXR 2024 edition. He also announced the location for next year’s conference, EuroXR 2025, that will take place in Winterthur, Switzerland, from September 3rd to 5th, which was eventually presented by the local General Co-Chair: Wolfgang Schäfer.
The winners of the Scientific, Application, and Poster and Demo Awards were announced by Benjamin C. Lok, highlighting innovation, creativity, and impact in the XR community:
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Scientific Paper Honorary Mention Award: Hermenegildo Solheiro, Lee Kent, Keisuke Toyoda
3-2-3 Multi-AI Segmentation Framework: LoD-based, Incremental Segmentation of 3D Scan Data Using Any 2D AI. -
Scientific Paper Honorary Mention Award: Charles Bailly, Lucas Pometti, Julien Castet
3MarkAR: Exploring the Benefits of Combining Microgestures and Mid-Air Marks to Trigger Commands in Augmented Reality. -
Best Scientific Paper Award: Spyros Vosinakis, George Anastassakis, Panayiotis Koutsabasis, Kostas Damianidis
User Experience Design and Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Museum Installation for Historic Sailing Ships
Σπύρος Βοσινάκης,Γιώργος Αναστασάκης,Παναγιώτης Κουτσαμπάσης, Κώστας Δαμιανίδης -
Application Paper Award: Mariia Podguzova, Simon Haering, Jamiu Ojeleye, Stephan Krauss, Didier Stricker
AR Assistant for Pruning of Grapevines and Fruit Trees -
Best Poster Award: Olga Chatzifoti, Maria Roussou
Voice-based Interactions in Immersive Applications – Cognitive and Affective Dimensions of User Experience
Scientific Awards Committee:
Dr.Lucio De Paolis, University of Salento
Prof. Benjamin Lok University of Florida, USA
Prof. Konstantinos Moustakas, University of Patras
Prof. Ingrid Scholl, University of Applied Sciences FH Aachen
Application Awards Commettee:
Dr. Domna Banakou, New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Dr. Jérôme Perret, Haption, France & Germany
Dr. Wolfgang Schäfer, ZHAW School of Management and Law, Switzerland
Poster & Demonstration Awards Commettee:
Dr. Giannis Karaseitanidis, Institute of Communication and Computer Systems, Greece
Dr. Despina Michael-Grigoriou, Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus
Dr. Barbara Schiavi, VINCI Construction, France
Ms. Electra Tsaknaki, Independent Researcher, Greece
Dr. Wolfgang Schäfer, ZHAW School of Management and Law, Switzerland
We are excited to keep exploring the latest developments in extended reality with all of you. In the meantime, let’s maintain our spirit of innovation and stay connected through our shared interest in XR technologies. We look forward to seeing you in Switzerland at EuroXR 2025!
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