Visual Computing and Human-Centered Technology
Visual Computing and Human-Centered Technology investigates the design and development of key technologies in the areas of computer vision, computer graphics, visualization, augmented/mixed/virtual reality, and human-computer interaction.
Contact
- Silvia Miksch, Coordinator
Research Topics
- Computer Graphics
- Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
- Visualization and Visual Analytics
- Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality
- Media Analysis and Retrieval
- Human-computer Interaction, Design and Socially Embedded Computing
- Assistive Technologies and Ubiquitous Computing
About
Visual Computing and Human-Centered Technology investigates the design and development of key technologies in the areas of computer vision, computer graphics, visualization, augmented/mixed/virtual reality, and human-computer interaction.
Topics include visual methods in the computational sciences (computer graphics and computer vision) including modeling, image analysis and synthesis, photorealistic rendering, real-time rendering, visualization of large data sets, processing of sensor data as well as the recognition of contained patterns and structures.
Further topics are socio-technical systems, mobile and ubiquitous technologies, people-centered design and evaluation, as well as ethics and responsible research and innovation. Application examples include: biological image analysis, visual surveillance, 3D reconstruction, bioinformatics, content-based multimodal retrieval, smart cities/IoT, assistive technologies, ambient-assisted living, games, healthcare, health and wellbeing, and collaboration. Furthermore, the research focus deals with interaction in these environments, where the emphasis is on designing “technologies for people” and using innovative, multimodal interfaces, which combine computer-based intelligence with cyber-physical settings.
Research topics in this respect include the development of interaction designs (especially for collaborative applications) together with the corresponding evaluation techniques. Central to VC+HCT’s innovative approach to digital technology is the multi-disciplinary combination of technical expertise with creative design and a people oriented perspective.
Research Units
Six of the faculty’s twenty-seven research units are primarily focused on topics related to Visual Computing and Human-Centered Technology. Visit their pages to learn about current projects, publications, courses, and the people involved.
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Computer Vision
E193-01 / Head: Robert Sablatnig -
Computer Graphics
E193-02 / Head: Eduard Gröller -
Virtual and Augmented Reality
E193-03 / Head: Hannes Kaufmann -
Artifact-based Computing and User Research
E193-04 / Head: Hilda Tellioğlu -
Human Computer Interaction
E193-05 / Head: Paweł W. Woźniak -
Visual Analytics
E193-07 / Head: Silvia Miksch
Below is a small selection of recent research activities related to Visual Computing and Human-Centered Technology. To learn more, visit the pages of the research units listed above.
Recent Projects
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Diversabilities for Art & Design
2026 – 2031 / Austrian Science Fund (FWF) -
3D Machine Learning Models for Data Preparation in Automotive CFD-Simulation Process
2026 – 2027 / Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH & -
Palaces to Pixels: Advanced 3D Reconstruction for Heritage
2026 – 2030 / Austrian Science Fund (FWF) -
AI-Based Digital Building Inventory Using Computer Vision, Material Recognition, and Damage Detection from Image and 3D Scan Data
2026 – 2027 / STRABAG AG -
Splendor and Commerce - Exploring Humanist Italian Renaissance Book Production Through Art
History and Material Analysis
2026 – 2030 / Austrian Academy of Sciences -
Technology Expanding Access
2026 – 2030 / Austrian Academy of Sciences -
Interactive 3D Live Streaming with Advanced Motion Control and Actor Interaction for Virtual Reality
2026 – 2029 / Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) -
Monocular 3D Object Detection
2026 – 2027 / Kapsch -
A Unified Evaluation Framework for Uncertainty Quantification in Retinal Imaging
2026 / RetInSight GmbH -
Environmental Hydropower
2026 – 2029 / Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) -
Mapping Scribal Landscapes of Tibetan and Sanskrit
2026 – 2029 / Austrian Science Fund (FWF) -
machine LEarninG-enabled Identification of archaeological Objects in the middle daNube river basin
2026 – 2028 / Austrian Academy of Sciences -
Proactive planning in water supply
2026 / DATAVIEW Handels- und Systemberatun Ges.m.b.H. -
Haptic 4D Printing for Enhanced Sensemaking
2026 – 2028 / Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF) -
Automated pointcloud to digital twin mapping and visualization.
2026 – 2028 / Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) -
FireFlies: Drones as Aerial Teammates in Support of Indoor Firefighting Operations
2026 – 2027 / Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy (bm:wfw) -
Leveraging Vision Foundation Models for Few-Shot Segmentation in Data-Scarce Domains
2026 – 2027 / Austrian Academy of Sciences -
TXT - Sprache als Spur
2026 – 2027 / Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) -
Secure technologies for re-integration
2025 – 2027 / Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) -
Persuasive AI Chatbot for Counter-Extremism: A Value-Sensitive Multi-Stakeholder Feasibility Study
2025 – 2026 / Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG)
Recent Publications
- Multiscale Unfolding: Illustratively Visualizing the Whole Genome at a Glance / Halladjian, S., Kouril, D., Miao, H., Gröller, E., Viola, I., & Isenberg, T. (2022). Multiscale Unfolding: Illustratively Visualizing the Whole Genome at a Glance. IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 28(10), 3456–3470. https://doi.org/10.1109/tvcg.2021.3065443
- Dear Reviewers: Responses to Common Reviewer Critiques about Infant Neuroimaging Studies / Korom, M., Camacho, M. C., Filippi, C. A., Licandro, R., Moore, L. A., Dufford, A., Zöllei, L., Graham, A. M., Spann, M., Howell, B., Shultz, S., Scheinost, D., & FIT’NG. (2022). Dear Reviewers: Responses to Common Reviewer Critiques about Infant Neuroimaging Studies. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 53, Article 101055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2021.101055
- Perspectives of Visualization Onboarding and Guidance in VA / Stoiber, C., Ceneda, D., Wagner, M., Schetinger, V., Gschwandtner, T., Streit, M., Miksch, S., & Aigner, W. (2022). Perspectives of Visualization Onboarding and Guidance in VA. Visual Informatics, 6(1), 68–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visinf.2022.02.005
- Evaluating Active and Assisted Living technologies: Critical methodological reflections based on a longitudinal randomized controlled trial / Bieg, T., Gerdenitsch, C., Schwaninger, I., Kern, B. M. J., & Frauenberger, C. (2022). Evaluating Active and Assisted Living technologies: Critical methodological reflections based on a longitudinal randomized controlled trial. Computers in Human Behavior, 133(107249), 107249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107249
- Financial and Work Process related Perspectives of Social Robots in Care Settings / Carros, F., Preussner, A., Manavi, M., & Schwaninger, I. (2022). Financial and Work Process related Perspectives of Social Robots in Care Settings. ECSCW 2022 Workshop: Robots In Heterogeneous Contexts. Negotiation Of Co-Creative Lifelong Learning Spaces Through Participatory Approaches, Coimbra, Portugal. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12708/87321
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Camera Pose Estimation using Human Head Pose Estimation
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Fischer, R., Hödlmoser, M., & Gelautz, M. (2022). Camera Pose Estimation using Human Head Pose Estimation. In Proceedings of the 17th International Joint Conference on Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics Theory and Applications. 17th International Joint Conference on Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics Theory and Applications, Unknown. SCITEPRESS. https://doi.org/10.5220/0010879400003124
Project: SyntheticCabin (2021–2025) - Care Workers Making Use of Robots: Results of a Three-Month Study on Human-Robot Interaction within a Care Home / Carros, F., Schwaninger, I., Preussner, A., Randall, D., Wieching, R., Fitzpatrick, G., & Wulf, V. (2022). Care Workers Making Use of Robots: Results of a Three-Month Study on Human-Robot Interaction within a Care Home. In CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. CHI ’22 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, New Orleans, LA, United States of America (the). https://doi.org/10.1145/3491102.3517435
- Design Considerations for Novel Self-Adapting Toilets for Semi-Public Spaces / Mayer, P., & Panek, P. (2022). Design Considerations for Novel Self-Adapting Toilets for Semi-Public Spaces. In G. Schreier (Ed.), Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics / IOS press. https://doi.org/10.3233/shti220357
- SHREC 2021: Retrieval of cultural heritage objects / Sipiran, I., Lazo, P., Lopez, C., Jimenez, M., Bagewadi, N., Bustos, B., Dao, H., Gangisetty, S., Hanik, M., Ho-Thi, N.-P., Holenderski, M., Jarnikov, D., Labrada, A., Lengauer, S., Licandro, R., Nguyen, D.-H., Nguyen-Ho, T.-L., Perez Rey, L. A., Pham, B.-D., & Vu-Le, T.-A. (2021). SHREC 2021: Retrieval of cultural heritage objects. Computers & Graphics, 100, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cag.2021.07.010
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Immersive training of first responder squad leaders in untethered virtual reality
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Mossel, A., Schoenauer, C., Froeschl, M., Peer, A., Goellner, J., & Kaufmann, H. (2021). Immersive training of first responder squad leaders in untethered virtual reality. Virtual Reality, 25(3), 745–759. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-020-00487-x
Download: PDF (2.4 MB)
Project: VR on-site (2015–2017) -
Using the Design of Adversarial Chatbots as a Means to Expose Computer Science Students to the Importance of Ethics and Responsible Design of AI Technologies
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Weiss, A., Vrecar, R., Zamiechowska, J., & Purgathofer, P. (2021). Using the Design of Adversarial Chatbots as a Means to Expose Computer Science Students to the Importance of Ethics and Responsible Design of AI Technologies. In C. Ardito, R. Lanzilotti, A. Malizia, H. Petrie, A. Piccinno, G. Desolda, & K. Inkpen (Eds.), Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2021 (pp. 331–339). Springer Cham. https://doi.org/10.34726/12511
Download: PDF (209 KB) - Understanding Optical Music Recognition / Calvo-Zaragoza, J., Hajič, J. jr., & Pacha, A. (2021). Understanding Optical Music Recognition. ACM Computing Surveys, 53(4), 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1145/3397499
- Hornero: Thunderstorms Characterization using Visual Analytics / Diehl, A., Pelorosso, R., Ruiz, J., Pajarola, R., Gröller, M. E., & Bruckner, S. (2021). Hornero: Thunderstorms Characterization using Visual Analytics. Computer Graphics Forum, 40(3), 299–310. https://doi.org/10.1111/cgf.14308
- Acute response on general and sport specific hip joint flexibility to training with novel sport device / Hoelbling, D., Grafinger, M., Smiech, M. M., Cizmic, D., Dabnichki, P., & Baca, A. (2021). Acute response on general and sport specific hip joint flexibility to training with novel sport device. Sports Biomechanics. https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2021.1922742
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Gestalt descriptions for deep image understanding
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Hörhan, M., & Eidenberger, H. (2021). Gestalt descriptions for deep image understanding. Pattern Analysis and Applications, 24(1), 89–107. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10044-020-00904-6
Download: PDF (3.52 MB) - Agritology: A Decision Support System for Local Farmers in Malta and Palestine / Gauci, F., & Musleh, M. (2021). Agritology: A Decision Support System for Local Farmers in Malta and Palestine. In 3rd International Workshop on Semantics for Biodiversity (S4BioDiv) (pp. 1–5). http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12708/58636
- PREVIS: Predictive visual analytics of anatomical variability for radiotherapy decision support / Furmanová, K., Muren, L. P., Casares-Magaz, O., Moiseenko, V., Einck, J. P., Pilskog, S., & Raidou, R. G. (2021). PREVIS: Predictive visual analytics of anatomical variability for radiotherapy decision support. Computers & Graphics, 97, 126–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cag.2021.04.010
- Rendering Point Clouds with Compute Shaders and Vertex Order Optimization / Schütz, M., Kerbl, B., & Wimmer, M. (2021). Rendering Point Clouds with Compute Shaders and Vertex Order Optimization. In Computer Graphics Forum (pp. 115–126). Eurographics Association. https://doi.org/10.1111/cgf.14345
- 2D Points Curve Reconstruction Survey and Benchmark / Ohrhallinger, S., Peethambaran, J., Parakkat, A. D., Dey, T. K., & Muthuganapathy, R. (2021). 2D Points Curve Reconstruction Survey and Benchmark. In Computer Graphics Forum (pp. 611–632). Eurographics Association. https://doi.org/10.1111/cgf.142659
- Conservative Meshlet Bounds for Robust Culling of Skinned Meshes / Unterguggenberger, J., Kerbl, B., Pernsteiner, J., & Wimmer, M. (2021). Conservative Meshlet Bounds for Robust Culling of Skinned Meshes. In Computer Graphics Forum (pp. 57–69). Eurographics Association. https://doi.org/10.1111/cgf.14401
Recent Theses
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Object Detection in Remote Sensing - Interactive and Active Learning-based Approaches for Historical and Contemporary Imagery
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Burges, M. (2026). Object Detection in Remote Sensing - Interactive and Active Learning-based Approaches for Historical and Contemporary Imagery [Dissertation, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.145522
Download: PDF (7.73 MB) -
Multi-Label Recognition of Non-Rigid Characters in Video via Transfer Learning Using Deep Learning Architectures
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Negi, A. (2026). Multi-Label Recognition of Non-Rigid Characters in Video via Transfer Learning Using Deep Learning Architectures [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.134364
Download: PDF (2.58 MB) - Visualization for Pathway Analysis in the Drosophila L1 Connectome with Anatomical Context / Jaud, A. M. (2026). Visualization for Pathway Analysis in the Drosophila L1 Connectome with Anatomical Context [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.133129
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Exploring Visual Patterns Contributing to Cybersickness in Augmented Reality
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Frühwirth, M. (2026). Exploring Visual Patterns Contributing to Cybersickness in Augmented Reality [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.131754
Download: PDF (2.85 MB) -
The fellowship of Metalog BSDFs
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Hasbay, S. C. (2026). The fellowship of Metalog BSDFs [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.134821
Download: PDF (8.8 MB) -
Image based level-of-detail construction for novel view synthesis : anti-aliased Gaussian splatting via scale-space optimisation
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Siemers, O. (2026). Image based level-of-detail construction for novel view synthesis : anti-aliased Gaussian splatting via scale-space optimisation [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.135800
Download: PDF (2.71 MB) -
Beyond the clinic : exploring the potential of user-centered design in mHealth for an improved wellbeing in fertility management
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Altrichter, C. (2026). Beyond the clinic : exploring the potential of user-centered design in mHealth for an improved wellbeing in fertility management [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.111225
Download: PDF (5.02 MB) -
Comparative evaluation of business analytics and visualization tools and applications
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Dizdarevic, D. (2026). Comparative evaluation of business analytics and visualization tools and applications [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.120863
Download: PDF (2.28 MB) -
Multi-view robustness and 3D aggregation for object detection models
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Sogomonyan, A. (2026). Multi-view robustness and 3D aggregation for object detection models [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.130312
Download: PDF (1.97 MB) -
Conversational agent for intelligent radio communication between firefighters and drones
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Mohammadi, F. (2026). Conversational agent for intelligent radio communication between firefighters and drones [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.137124
Download: PDF (1.32 MB) -
Desktop Linux for TU Wien : an empirical study
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Hartl, L. (2026). Desktop Linux for TU Wien : an empirical study [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.124182
Download: PDF (1.45 MB) -
Implementation of an air traffic control simulation environment for human multitasking research
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Spindelböck, M. (2026). Implementation of an air traffic control simulation environment for human multitasking research [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.142062
Download: PDF (1.92 MB) -
Forklift safety training with a virtual reality simulator
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Seirlehner, T. (2026). Forklift safety training with a virtual reality simulator [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.137265
Download: PDF (3.51 MB) -
Exit-strategies within the core of the incel sphere : what HCI can learn to support positive disengagement
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Sadeghi, N. (2026). Exit-strategies within the core of the incel sphere : what HCI can learn to support positive disengagement [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.137155
Download: PDF (3.58 MB) -
Sound awareness using Austrian sign language for deaf and hard of hearing individuals
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Schäfer, A. B. (2026). Sound awareness using Austrian sign language for deaf and hard of hearing individuals [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.132705
Download: PDF (2.07 MB) -
Ejection fraction prediction with pretrained masked autoencoders for echocardiography
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Grausenburger, M.-L. (2026). Ejection fraction prediction with pretrained masked autoencoders for echocardiography [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.135694
Download: PDF (3.39 MB) -
Monocular 3D human pose estimation for in-cabin monitoring utilizing synthetic images
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Kunanuntakij, T. (2026). Monocular 3D human pose estimation for in-cabin monitoring utilizing synthetic images [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.140003
Download: PDF (4.48 MB) -
Template matching techniques for high accuracy workpiece measurements
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Waibel, M. (2026). Template matching techniques for high accuracy workpiece measurements [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.130781
Download: PDF (3.16 MB) -
Development and evaluation of an online tool for dynamic generation of personal biographies
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Guger, F. (2026). Development and evaluation of an online tool for dynamic generation of personal biographies [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.127967
Download: PDF (1.15 MB) -
Towards fully autonomous first responder drones : a perception-driven Approach
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Schaufelberger, A. (2026). Towards fully autonomous first responder drones : a perception-driven Approach [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2026.133403
Download: PDF (2.11 MB)
Recent Awards
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Eduard Gröller:
IEEE VGTC Visualization Lifetime Achievement Award
2025 / IEEE VGTC / USA / Website -
Velitchko Filipov:
Best Paper Honorable Mention
2025 / Uncertainty Visualization Workshop / Austria / Website -
Velitchko Filipov:
Best Full Paper
2025 / Eurographics Conference on Visualization (EuroVis 2025) / Luxembourg / Website -
Katta Spiel:
Best Paper Award
2025 / Paper: Speculating Deaf Tech: Reimagining Technologies Centering Deaf People / Japan -
Robin Angelini:
Best Paper Award
2025 / Paper: Speculating Deaf Tech: Reimagining Technologies Centering Deaf People / Japan -
Velitchko Filipov:
Top Cited Article
2025 / Computer Graphics Forum / USA / Website -
Velitchko Filipov:
Best Dissertation
2024 / Austria / Website -
Florian Michahelles:
Honorable Mention Short Paper
2024 / MUC2024 / Germany / Website -
Florian Michahelles:
IoT2023 best paper award
2023 / International Conference of the Internet of Things, co-sponsored by ACM / Japan / Website -
Katta Spiel:
Best Poster Award
2023 / CSCW 2023 / USA -
Florian Michahelles:
Reviewer's Choice Award of Interact 2023 Conference
2023 / IFIP Technical Committee 13 on Human–Computer Interaction. / Austria / Website -
Geraldine Fitzpatrick:
Best Teacher Award
2023 / Austria -
Michael Wimmer:
Outstanding Technical Contributions Award
2023 / Eurographics Awards / Germany / Website -
Margrit Gelautz:
Best Poster Nominee at HAI 2022 - "The effect of exaggerated nonverbal cues on the perception of the robot Pepper", S. Fischer, D. Stoeva, and M. Gelautz
2022 / International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction (HAI) 2022 / New Zealand / Project -
Florian Michahelles:
Ten Year Impact Award
2022 / 21st International Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Multimedia (MUM 2022) / Portugal / Website -
Katta Spiel:
Pride Biz Award 2022
2022 / Pride Biz / Austria -
Peter Purgathofer:
Best Lecture Award, Sonderpreis Digitale Lehre
2022 -
Katta Spiel:
Förderungspreis der Stadt Wien in der Sparte Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaft, Technik
2022 / Stadt Wien / Austria -
Katta Spiel:
Best Paper Award
2022 / Mensch und Computer 2022 / Germany -
Katta Spiel:
Best Paper Honourable Mention Award
2022 / Mensch und Computer 2022 / Germany