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Human-Computer Interaction
Department of InformaticsHuman-Computer Interaction

Photo: HCI, ilikeinterfaces.com

Human-Computer Interaction

The

LAB

Current lab usage rules

Who is allowed to work at the lab?

  • Student assistants from the HCI department may work at the lab with prior registration in the lab calendar.
  • Students writing a thesis at HCI may ask their supervising WiMi for access to the lab calendar and work in the lab with prior registration.

Rules for working at the lab:

  • Disinfect keyboard, mouse, HMD, and table after usage.
  • Treat the hardware well and report damages immediately.
  • Save your work on GitHub, and never save anything on the C or Z drives - this will be deleted regularly.
  • Stay at home when sick (and cancel your appointments)

Our Mission

The Lab explores all challenges, which occur when human meets technology. We shape the future of this interaction to seamlessly couple space, where the flat digital world meets the three dimensions we live in.

Our Approach

Basic and Applied Research

We address basic as well as applied research questions with a variety of different human-centered methodologies such as observations, focus groups, design thinking, rapid prototyping, user studies and experimental evaluations.
Check out our projects

Interdisciplinary Science by Nature

Students and professionals with background in computer science, psychology and design closely cooperate in several projects, seminars and practical courses.
Check out the HCI courses

Exploring Next Realities

The focus of our lab is on novel forms of human-computer interaction in our digital reality as well as the next realities to come, such as the mixed reality-virtuality continuum ranging from physical reality, augmented reality to augmented virtuality and virtually reality as well as  blended reality, artificial reality, mediated reality or diminished reality.
Check out the nextReality initiative

XR Lab Spaces: Will be updated soon after we finished moving!

XR Lab Technology

At the Department of Informatics at the University of Hamburg, a new, full-featured lab with VR and AR hardware and human-computer interaction facilities, including various display and tracking systems as well as input and output devices is available.

In particular, the following hardware is available:

  • Display technologies
    • Blended Reality CAVE
    • Windows MR HMD
    • Oculus Rift CV HMDs
    • HTC Vive HMDs
    • Microsoft Hololens
    • NVIS nVisor SX60 HMD
    • Sony HMZ-T1 HMD
    • Meta Quest 1, 2, 3 and Pro
    • Meta Spaceglasses and Google glasses
    • HDK - Open-Source HMD
    • Oculus Rift DK 1 / 2
    • Self-built Socket HMD
    • responsive multi-touch-enabled passivestereoscopic projection table
    • nVidia 3D Vision-ready displays and projectors
    • SAR Projection setups
    • Varjo XR
    • ...
  • Tracking technology
    • Vive Lighthouse tracking systems w/ trackers
    • A.R.T. optical tracking system
    • Naturalpoint Optitrack 13W x6 Tracker
    • Naturalpoint Optitrack 13W x2 Tracker
    • InterSense InertiaCube3 orientation tracker
    • Biopac BioNomadix BN-EMG- 2
    • Pupil Labs monocular eye tracker
    • Pupil Labs binocular eye tracker
    • Pupil Labs binocular HTV Vive eye tracker
    • ...
  • Input devices
    • HTC Vive Controllers
    • Oculus Touch Controllers
    • Geomagic Touch
    • Sensable Phantom Omni
    • Microsoft Kinects, Leap Motions, GameTracks
    • Customized vibrotactile input devices
    • Force-feedback joysticks
    • Nintendo Wiimotes
    • Tablet PCs
    • 3D mice and wands
    • 3D printing technology

Events

Besides the typical teaching and research, we host various events in our lab - always promoting XR.

  • Virtual Reality Meetup
  • Girls' Day
  • MINT Pink
  • Various Workshops
  • ...

Lab Reservation Calendar

Check the calendar if you want to work in the lab to avoid conflicts. If you are a student and do not have an account yet, ask your supervisor to register you for using the calendar.

Lab rules for VR demos

In addition, for all demos running in our lab, we follow the following rules:

  1. Human (as well as animals) must not be seriously harmed due to VR.
  2. Avatars must not be seriously harmed; except for cases in which Rule #1 would be violated.
  3. Immersion must not be concealed, i. e., access to the red pill must be guaranteed at any point.

Furthermore, please be aware that the effects of long-term immersion on humans are still unknown, and that these effects might depend on what a VR user experiences in the virtual world. Please be also aware that you should not actively participate in traffic within one hour after using our lab equipment.

Code of ethics and conduct

All psychophysical experiments on human subjects in our lab are carried out according to the declaration of Helsinki (Brit Med J 1991; 302: p. 1194). The experiments involve only healthy volunteers and do not pose a risk to the participants. Informed consent will be obtained from each participant prior to entering the experiment. Full information is given to participants as to the nature of the research. They are informed that they are under no obligation to take part and they are free to leave at any point in the experiments. No discomfort, stress, or invasive procedures are involved in the research.

All experiments conducted in our lab require approval by an appropriate ethic commission such as the Local Ethic Commission of the Department of Informatics.

    Open Source

    Our GitHub organization

    Lab direction

    Dr. Sebastian Rings

    Email: sebastian.rings"AT"uni-hamburg.de
    Please contact him with queries regarding demos, hardware, etc.