VVR group members Agapi Chrysanthakopoulou (ECE graduate), Theofilos Chrysikopoulos, Leandros-Nikolaos Arvanitopoulos (undergraduate students) supervised by Prof. Konstantinos Moustakas were selected as finalists and won the second place of the 3DUI contest of the IEEE VR 2024 conference. The conference was held in Orlando, Florida on March 18-21, where the team demonstrated their innovation. The purpose of the contest was to stimulate innovative and creative XR solutions to challenging educational mathematical problems. Participants were asked to create and submit an original 3DUI project. This could include XR(VR/AR/MR)-driven 3DUI systems that IEEE VR attendants can run with their own devices.

     The awarded VVR submission was entitled “Beyond Euclid: An Educational VR Journey into Spherical Geometry” and introduced an innovative educational virtual reality (VR) experience aimed at immersing users in the complexities of spherical geometry and non-Euclidean spherical trigonometry. Focused on spherical triangles, navigation methods, and map projections, the VR journey offers an interactive platform for learning about Earth’s unique geometry. Users engage in modules that explore the properties of spherical triangles, challenges in earth navigation, and the intricacies of map projections, providing them with insights into geodesics and their practical applications. An innovative calculator is designed that allows users to use a spaceship’s control system for doing calculations, thus creating a more intuitive and engaging experience.

Read the paper here.

Conference awards here.