Würtual Reality - XR Meeting Würzburg

09 Oct 2025

Last week, the University of Würzburg proudly contributed to Würtual 2025, a vibrant gathering that brought together researchers, developers, and enthusiasts to explore cutting-edge work in Extended Reality (XR) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The event featured interactive demos, scientific discussions, and engaging poster sessions that showcased the diversity and innovation of our research community.

As part of the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) group, we were responsible for presenting and hosting this year’s Demo Session, where attendees experienced hands-on examples of how immersive technologies are reshaping social interaction, therapy, and digital safety, and engaged in fruitful discussions about the role of XR and AI for psychological advances.

In addition, Philipp Krop moderated a roundtable called Pitfall into the Uncanny Valley: How NOT to Design XR Experiments with Virtual Agents on Monday — a lively discussion exploring the fine balance between realism and discomfort in virtual character design, and what perceived attributes we should strive for when designing virtual agents in XR.

Finally, we presented four posters at the event:

• Social Buffering of Autonomic Fear Responses in Virtual Reality Is Moderated by the Number of Virtual Agents
  Philipp Krop, Julian Gutzeit, Martin Weiß, Marc Erich Latoschik, Grit Hein

• The Influence of a Virtual Character’s Mere Presence and Gender on Social Facilitation During AR Phishing Mail Classification ★
  Philipp Krop, Pascal Rösch, Astrid Carolus, Marc Erich Latoschik, Carolin Wienrich

• The Stability of Plausibility and Presence in Claustrophobic Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy
  Joanna Grause, Larissa Brübach, Franziska Westermeier, Carolin Wienrich, Marc Erich Latoschik

• TooCloseVR – Cyberbullying Prevention in Virtual Reality ★
  Jana Krauss, Carolin Wienrich, Arne Bürger

Posters marked with ★ were invited to give a Poster Pitch, and we’re thrilled to share that Jana Krauss received the Best Poster Pitch Award! 🏆

We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who visited our demos and posters, engaged in discussions, and supported our team throughout the event — your curiosity and enthusiasm made it truly special.

Poster Impressions

Demo Tour Impressions