HCI/PIS at the IEEE VR 2026 Conference in Daegu, South Korea
21 Mar 2026
IEEE VR 2026: PIS Group Success
The IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (IEEE VR 2026), organized by the IEEE Visualization and Graphics Technical Community (VGTC), took place from March 21st to 25th at the EXCO Convention Center in Daegu, South Korea.
The PIS group had a highly successful presence at this year’s conference, with four papers accepted to IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG).
Special Recognitions
- Honorable Mention Best Paper Award (One paper received)
- Best Dissertation Award – Nina Döllinger
- IEEE VGTC Virtual Reality Academy Induction – Marc Erich Latoschik
- A highly selective honor recognizing leading contributors whose impact exceeds or significantly fulfills the criteria of existing VGTC awards.
- Poster Presentation – Showcasing ongoing work in embodied AI systems.
Our contributions span key areas of virtual and augmented reality research, including self-perception and embodiment, ethical design of AI in mental health, user experience in immersive interaction, and social dynamics such as harassment in virtual environments.
Publications
Am I Still Me? Visual Congruence Across Reality–Virtuality and Avatar Appearance in Shaping Self-Perception and Behavior
- Authors: Marie Luisa Fiedler; Christian Merz; Lukas Schach; Jonathan Tschanter; Mario Botsch; Carolin Wienrich; Marc Erich Latoschik
- Note: *These authors contributed equally to this work.
Use Case Matters: Comparing the User Experience and Task Performance Across Tasks for Embodied Interaction in VR
- Authors: Jonathan Tschanter; Christian Merz; Marie Luisa Fiedler*; Carolin Wienrich; Marc Erich Latoschik
- Note: *These authors contributed equally to this work.
To Be Healed or Hacked? User-Centered Ethical Design for Embodied AI in Mental Health Care
- Authors: David Obremski; Paula Friedrich; Carolin Wienrich
How Harassment Shapes Self-Perception and Well-Being in Social VR: Evidence from a Controlled Lab Study
- Authors: Jonathan Tschanter; Christian Merz; Carolin Wienrich; Marc Erich Latoschik
- Award: Honorable Mention Best Paper Award
Poster
CECA – A Configurable Framework for Embodied Conversational AI Agents in Extended Reality (Booth ID: 335)
- Authors: Florian Kern; Lukas Polifke; Paula Friedrich; Marc Erich Latoschik; Carolin Wienrich; David Obremski
