Interactive Media for Cultural Heritage

Recently, the latest edited book I co-authored with colleagues from CYENS – Centre of Excellence and the University of Cyprus was published by Springer Series on Cultural Computing. The book is entitled ‘Interactive Media for Cultural Heritage’ and presents the full range of interactive media technologies and their applications in Digital Cultural Heritage. It offers a forum for interaction and collaboration among the interactive media and cultural heritage research communities.

The aim of this book is to provide a point of reference for the latest advancements in the different fields of interactive media applied in Digital Cultural Heritage research, ranging from visual data acquisition, classification, analysis and synthesis, 3D modelling and reconstruction, to new forms of interactive media presentation, visualization and immersive experience provision via extended reality, collaborative spaces, serious games and digital storytelling.

More information:

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-61018-9

Electronic Skin Senses Like Human Skin

Researchers at Texas A&M University have made strides in developing 3D-printed electronic skin (E-skin) that mimics the flexibility and sensitivity of human skin. The team created an e-skin that can flex, stretch, and sense like human skin using nanoengineered hydrogels with electronic and thermal biosensing capabilities. The E-skin holds significant potential for diverse applications, particularly in the industry of wearable health devices designed to monitor essential signs like motion, temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure.

This innovative technology can provide users with continuous feedback, assisting them in improving motor skills and coordination. The technology effectively tackles the challenges associated with crafting robust materials that emulate the flexibility of human skin, integrate bioelectrical sensing capabilities, and employ fabrication methods suitable for wearable or implantable devices. The research team introduced a triple-crosslinking strategy to enhance the hydrogel-based system, addressing stiffness concerns and facilitating signal transduction for more seamless interaction with the body's tissues.

More information:

https://www.techtimes.com/articles/301063/20240127/new-3d-printed-electronic-skin-replicate-flexibility-sensitivity-human.htm

Visit to Foundation of Hellenic World

On the 9^th of June 2023, I visited the Foundation of Hellenic World in Athens, Greece. There, I participated in a collaborative VR experience of the outcome of the EU project called BRIDGES. The BRIDGES platform proposes a real-world solution for remote and co-located group interactions in room-scale immersive XR.

The VR experience involved being part of an ancient Greek family. Up to five participants can collaborate into the shared VR space, having their own ancient avatar representations. Smell and wind simulation allows visitors to feel more immersed in the VR experience.

More information:

https://www.bridges-horizon.eu/project/

VR Meal Experience

Recently an Italian artist Mattia Casalegno debuted his latest thought-provoking installation, Aerobanquets RMX, at Miami Art Week in Miami, Florida. The multisensory experience combined VR technology with delicious food to deliver a mixed reality meal quite unlike anything we’ve seen before. The installation supported up to 16 guests at a time, each of whom donned a Meta Quest 2 VR headset equipped with an external hand-tracker.

Guests could choose from two menus: regular and vegan. As they ate, the textures and flavours of each dish were rendered in VR. Casalegno developed a custom accessory that turns Meta’s Touch controllers into futuristic dishware. This was most likely done to provide a simple and convenient way for guests to track the location of their meals in VR. That said, the final product looks incredibly cool.

More information:

https://vrscout.com/news/this-mixed-reality-meal-combines-food-and-vr/