With the advent of eXtended Reality (XR) technologies, we are on the verge of a fundamental shift in how we interact with information, prompting a transformation across Human‑Computer Interaction. In particular, this transformation will change the way we interact with information on the go, moving beyond the constraints of small 2D screens that capture our visual attention and disconnect us from our physical surroundings. Instead, XR will allow that information to figuratively break through that glass and spread into physical spaces, becoming an equal and immersive part of our reality. From interfacing with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to ubiquitous computing in mobile environments, this allows for various efficient ways to interact more naturally and directly with information as part of our physical reality.

Overview

The Urban Interaction Lab at the TU Darmstadt founded by Prof. Florian Müller in 2024 explores seamless mobile interaction in and with the physical world, where digital information, AI agents, and physical environments merge into a unified XR. Towards this vision, we design, implement and evaluate novel interaction techniques for mobile XR, emphasizing the natural degrees of freedom of the human body together with contextual awareness for intuitive, expressive, and enjoyable interactions. Our research extends beyond traditional mobile interfaces to address the specific challenges of interacting with digital information in the physical world. Beyond traditional interction techniques, we investigate collaboration with AI systems, exploring the dynamics between humans and AI in shared physical and digital spaces.

Our ultimate goal is to contribute to a cyber-physical world where interaction with other people, information and intelligent systems becomes seamless, empowering and supporting humans in varying urban contexts.

Research

Teaching

Team