Real Minds in Virtual Worlds
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About VR Summit 2026
The VR Summit is an interdisciplinary single-track forum dedicated to exploring how extended reality can enhance our understanding of human cognition. It brings together researchers, developers and practitioners from neuroscience, psychology, clinical practice, education and VR technology to share discoveries, present demos and collaborate on innovative applications. The goal is to facilitate in-person discussions and push the boundaries of virtual reality and to foster new ideas that advance both science and society.
Bochum · XR & Virtual Reality
VR Summit 2026 Programme
12–13 October 2026 · Rotunde Bochum
Day 01
Monday, 12 October
| Time | Session / speaker |
|---|---|
RegistrationRegistration
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Welcome Address: Johannes Peuling, Jonas Rose, Carmela Troncoso, Sylvia PanOpening
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Michael WiesingWild Wild West: VR research and the lack of standardsTalk
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Nele BorgertOpen Science in VR Research: From Principles to PracticeTalk
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Poster and Demo PitchesDemos & Posters
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Coffee BreakBreak
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Jonathan FieneTalk
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Kathrin GerlingTailored Solutions for VR Access: Improving the Experience for Disabled UsersTalk
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Marc LatoschikWhere Descartes Erred – Embodied Minds in the Age of a Metaverse, Social Media, and AIKeynote
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LunchBreak
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Demos + PostersDemos & Posters
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Markus SchönbergerTalk
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Elisabeth AndréVirtual Agents, Real-World Skills: Social Coaching in Extended RealityKeynote
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Coffee BreakBreak
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Martin DreslerVirtual reality and dreamingTalk
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Sylvia PanVirtual Humans for Real MindsTalk
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Coffee BreakBreak
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Abraham MhaidliAR and HumorTalk
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Frank SteinickeKeynote
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SocialSocial
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End of the DayProgramme
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Day 02
Tuesday, 13 October
| Time | Session / speaker |
|---|---|
Leon KroczekVirtual AI-Patients in Clinical PsychologyTalk
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Roger MontserratPsymulator: A psychologist's journey into VR designTalk
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Alfiia MustafinaTalk
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Stefanie BroeringVirtual reality in use: how immersive environments shape sensing and opportunity recognition in management and entrepreneurshipTalk
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Markus BergerBeyond Visualization: Multisensory Data Display in XRTalk
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Coffee BreakBreak
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Lukas HejtmanekSimulating nature: When natural becomes virtualTalk
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Hackathon WinnersHackathon
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Christof LutterothEmoSense: Using Physiological Sensors to Measure Emotions in VRTalk
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LunchBreak
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Mel SlaterKeynote
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Corinna WeberFrom Virtual Reality to Neural RealityTalk
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Ke LiTowards a Particle Accelerator Metaverse: eXtended Reality Mediated Human Agent and Human Robot Collaborations at Large-scale Critical InfrastructuresTalk
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Oliver KannapeRear Window: A Hospital's Perspective on XRTalk
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Coffee BreakBreak
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PanelPanel
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Eric GiessmanStop-Motion Meets 3D AnimationTalk
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Demos + PostersDemos & Posters
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Sergi Bermúdez i BadiaTalk
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Closing RemarksClosing
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Times shown are scheduled start times. Programme subject to change.
Accepted Posters & Demos
Posters
| Name | Affiliation | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Jesus Eduardo Russian | University of the West of Scotland | Co-Designing Virtual Reality with Disabled Communities: A Participatory Action Research Approach to Culture, Health, and Wellbeing |
| Theo Lorenz | University of Potsdam | Reflective VR-Experience as a Pathway to Spatial Agency - A Conceptual Design Framework |
| Merve Celik | Paderborn University | Submovement Analysis of Virtual Reality Drawing for Assessing Upper-Limb Motor Performance |
| Zeynep Akbal | Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin | Patient-Empowerment Through Immersive Experiences Before Interventions Or Procedures |
| Prince Ampofo | University of Bergamo | Cross-Modal Learning Accuracy Predicts Associative and Relational Memory Performance in Virtual Reality |
| Antonella Giangualano | University of Twente | Sensor-Based Assessment of Mental Workload in Digital Human-Based Virtual Patient Interactions for Medical Communication Training – A pilot study |
| Elaine Herkul | Leiden University | Toward More Comfortable VR: The Impact of Music on Visually Induced Motion Sickness in Interactive Virtual Reality |
| Nikolay Syrov | Ruhr University Bochum | Feedback anticipation activates mirror system in P300-BCI control |
| Nivana Subandriyo | i-Oasis | AromaDive: A Synchronized Olfactory Interface for Attention, Decision-Making, and Contextual Memory in XR Training |
| Francesco Vona | Hochschule Hamm-Lippstadt | XRwise: An Open-Source Platform for Collaborative Cross-Reality Learning |
| Olga Maslova | TU Dortmund University | The emotional after-effect as a biomarker of immersion and presence in Virtual Reality |
| Gijs Luijten | Institute for AI in Medicine (IKIM), University Medicine Essen | VAIR: Talking with an AI Doctor in VR |
| Konstantinos Armaos | University of Bonn | Social Interaction under Threat in Virtual Reality - A multiplayer paradigm |
| Laura Ribeiro | University of Luxembourg | From Point Clouds to Polygonal Walls: A Lightweight Representation of SLAM Maps for Real-Time XR |
| Sayedmohammadreza Rastegari | Bielefeld University | Extending the Bodily Self into a Virtual Drone: Distinct Contributions of Visual Perspective and Active Control |
| Anastasiia Skryzhadlovska | Bielefeld University | First- or Third-Person View for Virtual Drone Operation? Linking Interface Design, User Experience, and Navigation Performance |
| Ingrid Winkler | SENAI CIMATEC University | Evaluating Immersive Safety Training for Human-Centred and Sustainable Industry 5.0: A Multi-Method Protocol |
| Antonella Pomè | Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf | Contribution of self motion to perceptual stability |
| Isaac Calvis | EventLab / IDIBAPS | A chance to act: Men Frequently React to Gender-Based Violence after Female Embodiment in a Job Interview |
| Marita Metzler | Ruhr University Bochum | VR for Building Intelligent, Intention-Aware Rehabilitation Systems |
VR Demos
| Name | Affiliation | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Jesus Eduardo Russian | University of the West of Scotland | Co-Designing Virtual Reality with Disabled Communities: A Participatory Action Research Approach to Culture, Health, and Wellbeing |
| Xincheng Huang | The University of British Columbia | Demonstrating GaussianNexus: Room-Scale Real-Time AR/VR Telepresence with Gaussian Splatting |
| Nico Rubbert | Hochschule Hamm-Lippstadt | Reality Zoom: An exploratory VR scenario for teaching complex biological processes |
| Lukas Fitz | Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg | Virtual Reality Trainings to Support Qualification, Future-Readiness and Employability |
| Francesco Vona | Hochschule Hamm-Lippstadt | XRwise: A Cross-Reality Platform for Collaborative and Sustainable Learning |
| Lucy Baxter | Queen's University Belfast | Using Embodied Virtual Reality Drama for Empathy Training in the Justice, Education and Healthcare Sectors |
| Nivana Subandriyo | i-Oasis | AromaDive: A Synchronized Olfactory Interface for Attention, Decision-Making, and Contextual Memory in XR Training |
| Christina Klus | Dorothea Erxleben Learning Center Halle / Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg | Virtual post-mortem examination training for medical education |
| Cinzia Fossati | A Virtual Reality Immersive LAB - AVRIL | Symphony of the Deep |
| Nuno Correia | NOVA School of Science and Technology | Travelling Tiles: Reconstructing the Historical Contexts of Ancient Tile Panels |
| Christof Lutteroth | REVEAL Research Centre / University of Bath | EmoSense - Measuring Emotions in VR |
| Ashish Kumar | Independent Researcher | Medcaresnap |
| Tiago Martins | Universidade NOVA de Lisboa | Virtual tour of the Escoural Cave and Paleolithic rock art |
| Sayedmohammadreza Rastegari | Bielefeld University | Extending the Bodily Self into a Virtual Drone: Distinct Contributions of Visual Perspective and Active Control |
| Mihyun Jo | Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle | Magical Girl: what makes me shine? |
| Anastasiia Skryzhadlovska | Bielefeld University | First- or Third-Person View for Virtual Drone Operation? Linking Interface Design, User Experience, and Navigation Performance |
| Roger Montserrat Jovellar | University of Barcelona | Psymulator: A psychologist's journey into VR design |
| Merve Celik | Ruhr University Bochum | WAVES – Wearable Assessment and Virtual Reality Evaluation System |
