Pro­ject Group: Di­git­iz­a­tion of Sac­red Spaces through Vir­tu­al Real­ity (DSS-VR)

Motivation

In the experience of contact restrictions due to the corona pandemic, the importance of virtual communication and cooperation is increasing. In this context, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have emerged as promising technologies. While the core idea in VR is to place the user in a virtual 3D environment and enable immersive interaction there, AR offers the possibility of expanding the real-physical environment with digital elements. The idea of ​​our interdisciplinary research project is to re-experience sacred spaces through the implementation of interactive, collaborative VR and AR applications as places of interreligious learning. Why make religious places interactive, accessible and tangible with the help of VR and AR? The sacred spaces are important and visible reference points for all three Abrahamic religions that belong to our society in Germany. Anyone who wants to understand religions must also understand these spaces. The use of modern technologies can create new incentives and raise awareness of what is happening in sacred spaces. The many aesthetic, spiritual and catechetical dimensions of such a space offer new spaces of experience and a special design space for the possibilities in VR and AR. Sacred spaces are particularly sensitive due to the vulnerability of religious feelings. The possibilities of the technologies could tempt to use all instruments without considering the consequences. Therefore, the project in interdisciplinary exchange poses the question of how joint discovery in virtual or virtually extended space can be developed and designed.

Task

  • Literature research on the topics VR and AR
  • Conceptualisation and Design of VR and AR interfaces for Exploration of Sacred Spaces
  • Prototypical Implementation of a collaborative Exploration Platform for Sacred Spaces
  • Experiment-based evaluation of the implemented approach

Requirements

  • Sound programming skills in an object-oriented language, e.g. Java, C#

  • 3D Programming, experience with Unity Engine

  • Motivation to work in an agile team, self-organize yourself, and be creative!

Course information

  • The project group will be conducted in English (unless all participants agree with the German language)
  • Computer science (CS) and engineering (CE) students are welcome
      - CS students get 20 ECTS, CE students 18 ECTS

News

  • 19.07.2022: PG Presentation slides can be found here. Please send us your motivation letter if you would like to participate in the project group.
  • 30.09.2022: Official PG Kick-off Meeting will be on 13th of October between 11:00-13:00 in room B.03.13 at the Zukunftsmeile 2 building. Participation at the Kick-off meeting is mandatory.

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact Enes Yigitbas.

Further information: