HCI and PIIS groups at the IEEE VR 2026 Conference in Daegu, South Korea

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 HCI and PIIS groups had a highly successful presence at this year’s conference, with four papers accepted to IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG). In addition, the group presented a poster 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.

Special Recognition

• Honorable Mention Best Paper Award for "How Harassment Shapes Self-Perception and Well-Being in Social VR: Evidence from a Controlled Lab Study" by Jonathan Tschanter, Christian Merz, Carolin Wienrich, and Marc Erich Latoschik
• Best Dissertation Award awarded to Nina Döllinger
• IEEE VGTC Virtual Reality Academy induction of Marc Erich Latoschik, a highly selective honor recognizing leading contributors whose impact exceeds or significantly fulfills the criteria of existing VGTC awards

Papers

Am I Still Me? Visual Congruence Across Reality–Virtuality and Avatar Appearance in Shaping Self-Perception and Behavior
Marie Luisa Fiedler*; Christian Merz*; Lukas Schach; Jonathan Tschanter; Mario Botsch; Carolin Wienrich; Marc Erich Latoschik *These authors contributed equally to this work

Use Case Matters: Comparing the User Experience and Task Performance Across Tasks for Embodied Interaction in VR
Jonathan Tschanter*; Christian Merz*; Marie Luisa Fiedler*; Carolin Wienrich; Marc Erich Latoschik *These authors contributed equally to this work

To Be Healed or Hacked? User-Centered Ethical Design for Embodied AI in Mental Health Care
David Obremski; Paula Friedrich; Carolin Wienrich

How Harassment Shapes Self-Perception and Well-Being in Social VR: Evidence from a Controlled Lab Study
Jonathan Tschanter; Christian Merz; Carolin Wienrich; Marc Erich Latoschik
Awards: Honorable Mention Best Paper Award

Poster

CECA – A Configurable Framework for Embodied Conversational AI Agents in Extended Reality
Florian Kern; Lukas Polifke; Paula Friedrich; Marc Erich Latoschik; Carolin Wienrich; David Obremski