Prototype-based research on immersive virtual reality and on self-replicating robots

Abstract

This chapter presents our recent research in the field of virtual reality (VR) and self-replicating robots. The unifying approach lies in the research philosophy of using consumer market gadgets, mostly developed for the gaming and entertainment business, in order to design and implement research prototypes. With the prototypes, our research aims to better understand real-world problems and derive practice-oriented solutions for them. In the field of VR, these prototypes are dedicated to identifying new business-relevant use cases in order to provide an additional benefit for business and society. A wide range of examples, such as claustrophobia treatment, financial data analysis, gesture control and voice navigation are discussed. In the field of robotics, the idea of self-replicating robots governs particular research questions. Here, the focus is on using model prototypes enriched with artificial intelligence for indoor navigation, computer vision and machine learning. Finally, the prototype-based research approach using gadgets to produce results is discussed.