OLN I Perceiving VR Emotions
Project information
submitted by
Lina Klass
Co-Authors
Qurratul Ain Abid, Palash Mishra, Geethikka Nandakumar, Surbhi Rai, Saba Rehman
Mentors
Prof. Dr. Bernd Fröhlich, Dr. Jan Ehlers, M. Sc. Lina Klass, M. Sc. Anton Lammert, M. Sc. Tony Zöppig
Faculty:
Media
Degree programme:
Computer Science and Media (english) (Master of Science (M.Sc.)),
Human-Computer Interaction (Master of Science (M.Sc.))
Type of project presentation
Research project
Semester
Summer semester 2026
- Bauhausstraße 11
(VR Labor – Raum N104)
Freitag, 10. Juli, 17 - 22 Uhr (Open Lab Night)
Project description
Reenacting and reflecting on social interactions is an established method in psychology and psychotherapy, for example when analysing conflicts or interpersonal situations. Virtual Reality opens up new possibilities for this approach: social encounters can be recorded in VR and later re-experienced in an immersive, spatial way. This creates a new medium for observing interpersonal behaviour and discussing social situations from different perspectives.
In this project, we investigate how the visual realism of virtual avatars influences social interaction and perception. How do different levels of facial expressiveness affect the way we understand a social situation, both while it is happening and when we later revisit it as a recording?
At the Open Lab Night, visitors can step into VR themselves, interact through avatars with varying degrees of expressiveness, and then rewatch the recorded scenes from an immersive perspective. This allows them to experience firsthand how avatar realism can shape the perception and interpretation of social interactions.