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PRESENCE and the Science of Virtual
Reality Meeting at the Technion in Haifa, Israel
November 3, 4 and 5, 2008
Join us!
OPEN MEETING of Researchers of both European
Integrated Projects and beyond discuss results
and perspectives in research on immersive
multi-modal VE
and
Event sponsored by
Day 1 Talks and presentations from the IPs IP
IMMERSENCE The project is to enable people to
freely act and interact in highly realistic
virtual environments with their eyes, ears and
hands. Based on neuroscientific research, new
interfaces, models and methods shall include all
human senses to a single immersive experience.
The key-word is multi-modal (www.immersence.info)
IP PRESENCCIA The project aims to understand
peoples responses to immersive virtual
environments. This scientific aim is demonstrated
through applications in a large scale mixed
reality system. The fundamental research ranges
from neuronal responses at the cellular level,
brain imaging studies, through to various aspects
of computer science (www.presenccia.org).
Day 2 Perspectives for the IPs and beyond On
day 2 the scope of the meeting is extended on
actual results and prospective research work in
the field. Topics address in talks are How humans
experience immersive VE, the neuronal counterpart
of sensory motor-contingencies in VR, a brain
based architecture for perception,cognition
action, walking in virtual worlds (see
program). In a final Panel Session scientific
and academic challenges and perspectives will be
discussed to foster future collaboration within
the community.
Organising committee Prof. Mel Slater, ICREA
UCL, Prof. Martin Buss, TUM, Prof. Miriam
Reiner, Technion, (miriamr_at_technion.ac.il), Andrea
s Schweinberger, TUM (schweinberger_at_tum.de)
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PRESENCE and the Science of Virtual
Reality Meeting at the Technion in Haifa, Israel
November 3, 4 and 5, 2008

• Overview talks Day 1
• WELCOME by Prof. Oded Shmueli (VP
  Research/Technion) and PRESENCCIAIMMERSENCE
  short Introduction (20 min.)
• Person-to-Object Interaction in VR
  Demonstrator Systems and Neuroscientific
  Experiments (IMMERSENCE)
• M. Harders, ETH Zürich M. Di Luca, MPS
  Tübingen (40 min.)
• Enhanced Perception through Haptic Technologies
  (PRESENCCIA)
• M. Reiner, Technion ,Haifa A. Frisoli PERCRO,
  Pisa (30 min.)
• The SKILLS Project - Capturing and Rendering of
  Skills with Virtual Environment Technologies
• M. Bergamasco, PERCRO Pisa (20 min.)
• The Masterfinger Multi-finger Object
  Manipulation and Weight Perception with a new
  Haptic Interface (IMMERSENCE)
• M. Ferre, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid C.
  Giachritsis, University of Birmingham (40 min.)
• Presence in Teleoperation
• A. Peer, Technische Universität München,
  IACE-LSR (20 min.)
• Brain Mechanisms of Body Ownership (PRESENCCIA)
• H. Ehrsson, Karonliska Institutet, Stockholm (30
  min.)
• Direct Person-to-Person Interaction Virtual
  Handshake and its Experimental Evaluation
  (IMMERSENCE)
• Z. Wang, TU München, E. Scilingo, Università di
  Pisa E. Giannopoulos, Universitat Politécnica
  de Catalunya (40min.)
• Low Infrastructure Tracking and Tracking at Low
  Cost (PRESENCCIA)

and
Supported by

1700 Reception - 1800 Eitan Globerson
Our Brain as Piano Player, The Jerusalem Academy
of Music , The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain
Research Center, Bar Ilan University - 2030
Dinner Presenccia Immersence partners, Hotel
Dan Panorama
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PRESENCE and the Science of Virtual
Reality Meeting at the Technion in Haifa, Israel
November 3, 4 and 5, 2008

• Overview talks at Day 2
• Introduction The Peach and HiVE initiatives
• Giulio Ruffini, STARLAB Barcelona (15 min.)
• How We Experience Immersive Virtual
  Environments
• Mel Slater, ICREA Barcelona UCL London (45
  min.)
• Neuronal Counterpart of Sensory
  Motor-Contingencies in VR
• Mavi Sanchez-Vives, ICREA IDIBAPS Barcelona (30
  min.)
• Blindness and Consciousness New Light from the
  Dark Pietro Pietrini, Università di Pisa (30
  min.)
• The Multisensory Brain
• Shimon Marom, Technion (30 min.)
• Creating New Senses for Presence
• Amir Amedi, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (30
  min.)
• Building a Cyborg - A Brain Based Architecture
  for Perception, Cognition and Action
• Paul Verschure, ICREA Universitat Pompeu Fabra
  Barcelona (30 min.)
• Walking in Virtual Worlds the CyberWalk
  Project
• Marc Ernst, Max-Planck-Society for Cybernetics
  Tübingen (30 min.)
• Collaboration at a Distance How Good Can it
  Be?

and
Supported by

PRESENCCIA-IMMSERSENCE discussion about
collaborative outcomes scientific challenges,
joint initiatives in research and
publication Session Chair Martin Buss
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PRESENCE and the Science of Virtual
Reality Meeting at the Technion in Haifa, Israel
November 3, 4 and 5, 2008

• Agenda Day 1
• Session I 900 1030
• (Session Chair Gabór Szekely)
• Coffee break
• Session II 1100 1230
• (Martin Buss)
• Lunch
• Session III 1300 1430
• (Mel Slater)
• Tour in the Bahai Shrine and Gardens
  1430-1630 ( partners )
• Reception talk at Computer Science hall,
  Technion 1700
• Dinner at Hotel Dan Panorama 2030 ( partners )
  

• Agenda Day 2
• Session I 900 1030
• (Miriam Reiner)
• Coffee break
• Session II 1100 1230
• (Mavi Sanchez-Vives)
• Lunch
• Session III 1400 1530
• (Mendel Kleiner)
• Coffee break
• Panel session 1600 1730
• Dinner 1930 ( partners )

and
Supported by

1 day tour (Nov 5) Lake of Galilee, lunch in
kibbutz, Golan Heights and wine tasting.
Day 3 Excursion in the north of Israel