Human-Computer Interaction
AIL AT WORK @ Landshut Leadership Forum
The AIL AT WORK team joined the Landshut Leadership Forum to showcase how future work can be enhanced by embodied AI.
HCI and PIIS @ ISMAR Conference in the Greater Seattle Area
Six employees of the HCI and PIIS groups presented their papers at the ISMAR conference in the USA.
Bits and Pretzels
Presentation of Minister Dr. Fabian Mehring's avatar during Bits & Pretzels
Erik Wolf successfully defended his PhD-Thesis
We can now call him Doctor Wolf.
AIL AT WORK @ Innovation Day
The AIL team contributed to the event with a presentation of Prof Wienrich and two demonstrators.
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Recent Publications

Smi Hinterreiter, Martin Wessel, Fabian Schliski, Isao Echizen, Marc Erich Latoschik, Timo Spinde, NewsUnfold: Creating a News-Reading Application That Indicates Linguistic Media Bias and Collects Feedback, In Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media, Vol. 19. 2025. Conditionally accepted for publication
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@article{hinterreiter2025newsunfold, author = {Smi Hinterreiter and Martin Wessel and Fabian Schliski and Isao Echizen and Marc Erich Latoschik and Timo Spinde}, journal = {Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media}, url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.17045}, year = {2025}, volume = {19}, title = {NewsUnfold: Creating a News-Reading Application That Indicates Linguistic Media Bias and Collects Feedback} }
Abstract: Media bias is a multifaceted problem, leading to one-sided views and impacting decision-making. A way to address digital media bias is to detect and indicate it automatically through machine-learning methods. However, such detection is limited due to the difficulty of obtaining reliable training data. Human-in-the-loop-based feedback mechanisms have proven an effective way to facilitate the data-gathering process. Therefore, we introduce and test feedback mechanisms for the media bias domain, which we then implement on NewsUnfold, a news-reading web application to collect reader feedback on machine-generated bias highlights within online news articles. Our approach augments dataset quality by significantly increasing inter-annotator agreement by 26.31% and improving classifier performance by 2.49%. As the first human-in-the-loop application for media bias, the feedback mechanism shows that a user-centric approach to media bias data collection can return reliable data while being scalable and evaluated as easy to use. NewsUnfold demonstrates that feedback mechanisms are a promising strategy to reduce data collection expenses and continuously update datasets to changes in context.
Sophia C. Steinhaeusser, Elisabeth Ganal, Murat Yalcin, Marc Erich Latoschik, Birgit Lugrin, Binded to the Lights – Storytelling with a Physically Embodied and a Virtual Robot using Emotionally Adapted Lights, In 2024 33rd IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (ROMAN), pp. 2117-2124. 2024.
[BibSonomy] [Doi]
@proceedings{10731419, author = {Sophia C. Steinhaeusser and Elisabeth Ganal and Murat Yalcin and Marc Erich Latoschik and Birgit Lugrin}, year = {2024}, booktitle = {2024 33rd IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (ROMAN)}, pages = {2117-2124}, doi = {10.1109/RO-MAN60168.2024.10731419}, title = {Binded to the Lights – Storytelling with a Physically Embodied and a Virtual Robot using Emotionally Adapted Lights} }
Abstract: Virtual environments (VEs) can be designed to evoke specific emotions for example by using colored light, not only applicable for games but also for virtual storytelling with a single storyteller. Social robots are perfectly suited as storytellers due to their multimodality. However, there is no research yet on the transferability of robotic storytelling to virtual reality (VR). In addition, the transfer of concepts from VE design such as adaptive room illumination to robotic storytelling has yet not been tested. Thus, we conducted a study comparing the same robotic storytelling with a physically embodied robotic storyteller and in VR to investigate the transferability of robotic storytelling to VR. As a second factor, we manipulated the room light following design guidelines for VEs or kept it constant. Results show that a virtual robotic storyteller is not perceived worse than a physically embodied storyteller, suggesting the applicability of virtual static robotic storytellers. Regarding emotion-driven lighting, no significant effect of colored lights on self-reported emotions was found, but adding colored light increased the social presence of the robot and its’ perceived competence in both VR and reality. As our study was limited by a static robotic storyteller not using bodily expressiveness future work is needed to investigate the interaction between well-researched robot modalities and the rather new modality of colored light based on our results.
Kristoffer Waldow, Jonas Scholz, Martin Misiak, Arnulph Fuhrmann, Daniel Roth, Marc Erich Latoschik, Anti-aliasing Techniques in Virtual Reality: A User Study with Perceptual Pairwise Comparison Ranking Scheme, In GI VR/AR Workshop, pp. 10--18420. 2024.
[BibSonomy]
@inproceedings{waldow2024anti, author = {Kristoffer Waldow and Jonas Scholz and Martin Misiak and Arnulph Fuhrmann and Daniel Roth and Marc Erich Latoschik}, year = {2024}, booktitle = {GI VR/AR Workshop}, pages = {10--18420}, title = {Anti-aliasing Techniques in Virtual Reality: A User Study with Perceptual Pairwise Comparison Ranking Scheme} }
Abstract:
Martin J. Koch, Astrid Carolus, Carolin Wienrich, Marc Erich Latoschik, Meta AI Literacy Scale: Further validation and development of a short version, In Heliyon, p. 23. 2024.
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@article{koch2024literacy, author = {Martin J. Koch and Astrid Carolus and Carolin Wienrich and Marc Erich Latoschik}, journal = {Heliyon}, url = {https://www.cell.com/heliyon/fulltext/S2405-8440(24)15717-9}, year = {2024}, pages = {23}, doi = {10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e39686}, title = {Meta AI Literacy Scale: Further validation and development of a short version} }
Abstract: The concept of AI literacy, its promotion, and measurement are important topics as they prepare society for the steadily advancing spread of AI technology. The first purpose of the current study is to advance the measurement of AI literacy by collecting evidence regarding the validity of the Meta AI Literacy Scale (MAILS) by Carolus and colleagues published in 2023: a self-assessment instrument for AI literacy and additional psychological competencies conducive for the use of AI. For this purpose, we first formulated the intended measurement purposes of the MAILS. In a second step, we derived empirically testable axioms and subaxioms from the purposes. We tested them in several already published and newly collected data sets. The results are presented in the form of three different empirical studies. We found overall evidence for the validity of the MAILS with some unexpected findings that require further research. We discuss the results for each study individually and also together. Also, avenues for future research are discussed. The study’s second purpose is to develop a short version (10 items) of the original instrument (34 items). It was possible to find a selection of ten items that represent the factors of the MAILS and show a good model fit when tested with confirmatory factor analysis. Further research will be needed to validate the short scale. This paper advances the knowledge about the validity and provides a short measure for AI literacy. However, more research will be necessary to further our understanding of the relationships between AI literacy and other constructs.
Fabian Unruh, Jean-Luc Lugrin, Marc Erich Latoschik, Out-Of-Virtual-Body Experiences: Virtual Disembodiment Effects on Time Perception in VR, In Benjamin Weyers, Daniel Zielasko, Rob Lindeman, Stefania Serafin, Eike Langbehn, Victoria Interrante, Gerd Bruder, J. Edward Swan II, Christoph Borst, Carolin Wienrich, Rebecca Fribourg (Eds.), Proceedings of the 30th ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology(20), pp. 20:1-20:11. New York, NY, USA: Association for Computing Machinery, 2024.
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@inproceedings{conf/vrst/UnruhLL24, author = {Fabian Unruh and Jean-Luc Lugrin and Marc Erich Latoschik}, number = {20}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3641825.3687717}, year = {2024}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 30th ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology}, editor = {Benjamin Weyers and Daniel Zielasko and Rob Lindeman and Stefania Serafin and Eike Langbehn and Victoria Interrante and Gerd Bruder and J. Edward Swan II and Christoph Borst and Carolin Wienrich and Rebecca Fribourg}, publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery}, address = {New York, NY, USA}, series = {VRST '24}, pages = {20:1-20:11}, doi = {10.1145/3641825.3687717}, title = {Out-Of-Virtual-Body Experiences: Virtual Disembodiment Effects on Time Perception in VR} }
Abstract: This paper presents a novel experiment investigating the relationship between virtual disembodiment and time perception in Virtual Reality (VR). Recent work demonstrated that the absence of a virtual body in a VR application changes the perception of time. However, the effects of simulating an out-of-body experience (OBE) in VR on time perception are still unclear. We designed an experiment with two types of virtual disembodiment techniques based on viewpoint gradual transition: a virtual body’s behind view and facing view transitions. We investigated their effects on forty-four participants in an interactive scenario where a lamp was repeatedly activated and time intervals were estimated. Our results show that, while both techniques elicited a significant virtual disembodiment perception, time duration estimations in the minute range were only shorter in the facing view compared to the eye view condition. We believe that reducing agency in the facing view is a key factor in the time perception alteration. This provides first steps towards a novel approach to manipulating time perception in VR, with potential applications for mental health treatments such as schizophrenia or depression and for improving our understanding of the relation between body, virtual body, and time.
Andreas Halbig, Marc Erich Latoschik, Common Cues? Toward the Relationship of Spatial Presence and the Sense of Embodiment, In 23rd IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR). IEEE Computer Society, 2024. Accepted for Publication
[Download] [BibSonomy]
@inproceedings{halbig2024common, author = {Andreas Halbig and Marc Erich Latoschik}, url = {https://downloads.hci.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de/2024-ISMAR-halbig-common-cues.pdf}, year = {2024}, booktitle = {23rd IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR)}, publisher = {IEEE Computer Society}, title = {Common Cues? Toward the Relationship of Spatial Presence and the Sense of Embodiment} }
Abstract:
Katja Bertsch, Isabelle Göhre, Marianne Cottin, Max Zettl, Carolin Wienrich, Sarah N. Back, Traumatic childhood experiences and personality functioning: effect of body connection in a cross-sectional German and Chilean sample, In Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, Vol. 11(1), p. 20. 2024.
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@article{Bertsch2024, author = {Katja Bertsch and Isabelle Göhre and Marianne Cottin and Max Zettl and Carolin Wienrich and Sarah N. Back}, journal = {Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation}, number = {1}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-024-00266-z}, year = {2024}, pages = {20}, volume = {11}, doi = {10.1186/s40479-024-00266-z}, title = {Traumatic childhood experiences and personality functioning: effect of body connection in a cross-sectional German and Chilean sample} }
Abstract: Traumatic childhood experiences are a major risk factor for developing mental disorders later in life. Over the past decade, researchers have begun to investigate the role of early trauma in impairments in personality functioning following the introduction of the Alternative Model of Personality Disorders in Section III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders 5. Although first studies were able to empirically demonstrate a significant link between early trauma and impairments in personality functioning, only little is known about the underlying mechanisms. One possible mechanism is body connection due to its involvement in self-regulatory processes and its link to both early trauma and personality (dys)functioning.
Arne Bürger, Carolin Wienrich, TooCloseVR – Die Entwicklung eines Präventionsprogramms zur Verhinderung von Cyberbullying mittels immersiver Technologien, In Kindheit und Entwicklung, Vol. 33(2), p. 125–135. Hogrefe Publishing Group, 2024.
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@article{B_rger_2024, author = {Arne Bürger and Carolin Wienrich}, journal = {Kindheit und Entwicklung}, number = {2}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1026/0942-5403/a000445}, year = {2024}, publisher = {Hogrefe Publishing Group}, pages = {125–135}, volume = {33}, doi = {10.1026/0942-5403/a000445}, title = {TooCloseVR – Die Entwicklung eines Präventionsprogramms zur Verhinderung von Cyberbullying mittels immersiver Technologien} }
Abstract:
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