Augmented Reality & Artificial Intelligence (ARAI)

Team ARAI (Augmented Reality & Artificial Intelligence) is a newly established research team (2024) focusing on the intersection of AR, VR, and AI technologies. The team will leverage synergies with two major projects: the ANR CONTINUUM project and the PNRIA project.

The ANR CONTINUUM project involves 30 immersive platforms across France, including 10 at Université Paris-Saclay, equipped with VR/AR headsets, immersive VR rooms, screen walls, and sensors. A key resource for Team ARAI will be a unique large-scale LED system (100m²), which allows up to 10 users to experience independent stereoscopic, head-tracked views.

In addition, the Principal Investigator (PI) of ARAI, Christian Sandor, has recently secured a PNRIA grant from CNRS, funding two part-time research engineers for six months starting in September 2024. The outcomes of the PNRIA project will directly inform the team’s work.

The main objective of Team ARAI’s research is to pioneer AI-driven virtual transitions between different stages of the reality-virtual continuum, such as moving from AR to reality or from reality to VR. The team aims to enhance the user’s emotional experience during these transitions. For example, AI could optimize a transition from a home office to a family living room to reduce stress or promote relaxation, depending on the user’s emotional state. This technology could also be applied to entertainment, creating more immersive and emotionally engaging experiences.

To achieve these goals, ARAI will utilize the Large-Scale Immersive LED System to control the physical environment and advanced high-resolution, wide field-of-view optical see-through Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) to seamlessly navigate between AR, VR, and reality. This project represents a novel exploration into how AI can revolutionize cross-reality experiences, ultimately aiming to create personalized and emotionally resonant virtual environments.